25 September 2009

Observing Location	Rutherfoord Observatory, Columbia University, New York, NY
Observational Period	2000-2215 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Isolated Temperature 60° F Wind Moderate Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.32" Hg Rising Feels Like Cool Transparency Good Seeing II
Instruments	12” Dobsonian 14” MCT 10” MCT 4” Dobsonian
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Columbia University graduate students general public

This was a public observing night at Columbia. I did a few sky tours and pointed out satellites,

Target Iridium Flare Constellation Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090925.2013 EDT Comments I did not see two flares as CalSky predicted but rather one prolonged bright flare. I suspect that there was no observable decrease in brightness between the first and second flares.   1st Flare 2nd Flare Time (EDT) 2013:53 2014:37 Alt. 55.0° 42.7° Az. 133.5° SE 149.2 SSE° Mag. 0.8 -0.5 Surface MMA1 Right Antenna Solar Panel

Target ISS Visible Pass Constellation Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090925:2023 EDT Comments I hadn’t set an alarm and missed the pass by about four minutes but with the new construction I think the pass occurred below the local horizon.     Starts Max. Alt. Ends H A e b a o v v e e n &nbst s   Time 2021 EDT 2023 EDT 2024 EDT Alt. 10° 29° 27° Az. WNW SW SSW Mag -1.7 C a l S k y Time 2019 EDT 2023 EDT 2024 EDT Alt. horizon 28.6° 26.1° Az. 297.7° WNW 223.8° SW 199.8° SSW Mag 2.4 -2.6 -2.8

Double Cluster, NGC869 & NGC 884 Target Constellation Per Category OCl Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090925 EDT Comments Seen in the 12” Dob. They had a low power eyepiece in the scope and it didn’t work well with my glasses. When I took the glasses off the focus was so far off all the stars looked like little Ring Nebulas. Once most of the people ad left I focused and the NGC 869 looked like a big ring of bright stars with a few dimmer stars in the center while NGC 884 was much more consolidated.

Target M57, Ring Nebula, NGC 6720 Constellation Lyr Category PlNeb Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090925 EDT Comments Seen in the 10” MCT. The eyepiece was tiny and so was M57. It was easiest seen with averted vision and I did not see a darkening at it’s center.

Target Alberio Constellation Cyg Category Star Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090925 EDT Comments Seen in the 14” MCT. The color difference between the two stars was obvious. I asked Neil why there are no green stars, noting that Alberio is the closest to a green star that I remember observing. He said it was a question he had also asked and had researched. His explaination, as I understand it, was that there are stars emitting in the green band but that they don’t emit enough energy at that wavelenhth and our eye isn’t sensitive enough at that wavelength for us to perceive them as green. He couldn’t remember any common stars that are good green emitters.

Target Jupiter Constellation Cap Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090925 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU m s Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size "x" Magnitude - Central Meridian I/II °/° Altitude ° Moons Starry Night Starter graphic Seen in the 4” Dob. Two of the inner moons were close together and close to the planet. There was one outer moon on each side of the planet. The view was too small to show detail on the planet.

Target Moon Constellation Sgr Category Lunar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090925 EDT Comments Seen in the 4” Dob. The Moon was located in the steam above the spout of the teapot but there was too much light-pollution and thin clouds down that way to see any of the stars. The phase is approaching First Quarter but the Moon still has a concave terminator. I couldn’t see much in the way of features other than the major maria due to scope shake and/or poor seeing. Lunation Phase Age Distance Light Time (from earth) ,000 km s Elongation ° % Illuminated % Morning Terminator Colongitude (λ E) ° Evening Terminator Colongitude (λ W) ° Libration in Latitude ° Libration in Longitude ° Magnitude - Angular Size '" Altitude ° Virtual Moon Atlas graphic

Target M31 & M32 Constellation And Category Gal Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090925 EDT Comments Seen in the 12” Dob. I had tried to find this earlier in the evening when nobody was minding the scope and it had drifted off the Double Cluster but wasn’t able to see μ And in the Telrad so didn’t have any success. One of the other amateurs did find it and M32 was off at the edge of the field. It wasn’t all that impressive. Visual Oservation of Deep-Sky Objects

Target Owl Nebula, NGC 457 Constellation Cas Category OCl Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 2009 EDT Comments Seen in the 12” Dob. AKA the ET Cluster. There are two bright stars representing the eyes and strings of bright stars representing the torso, legs and wings/arms. There are fainter stars scattered around the bright strings. Visual Observation of Deep-Sky Objects

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Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	2030-0100 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Isolated Temperature 58° F Wind Moderate Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.35" Hg Steady Feels Like Cool Transparency Good Seeing II
Instruments	Teleport 10" Donsonisn reflector – Peter 2" Pentax 40mm, 70° FoV, 31.8x 2" TeleVue Nagler 17mm, 82° FoV, 74.7x 1.25" TeleVue Nagler 13mm, 82° FoV, 97.7x 1.25" TeleVue Plossl 7mm, 82° FoV, 181.4x
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Columbia University graduate students general public

Target Uranus Constellation Psc Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090925.2300 EDT Comments Peter had located a new starhop to get here and talked me through it in the binoculars. Leave λ Psc in the Circlet of Pisces anddrop directly down about one FoV to locate a hockey stick The hockey stick is composed of 20 Psc, 24Psc, 27 Psc and 29 Psc. 27 Psc and 29 Psc, forming the bottom of the hockey stick, are the brightest stars. Beneath the bottomof the hockey stick ate two bright stars, 30 Psc and 33 Psc. Follow back up the handle of the hockey stick and drift off on a shallow diagonal to the right a little farther than the distance between 24 Psc and 20 Psc to a soft point of light Cartes du Ciel graphic Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU h m Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size " Magnitude - Altitude °

Target Jupiter Constellation Cap Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090925.2325 EDT Comments By this time one of the moons, Io, was nearly tangent the surface of the planet. Iota Cap could be seen close by to the left of the planet. Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU m s Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size "x" Magnitude - Central Meridian I/II °/° Altitude ° Moons Cartes du Ciel graphic

Target Owl Cluster, NGC 457 Constellation Cas Category OCl Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20090925 EDT Comments AKA the ET Cluster . The view was larger in Peter’s scope so there were more stars and I was seeing more color differences.