25 October 2009

Observing Location	TotL Resources: The bathrooms were still open when I arrived but were closed when I left. The water fountains are still turned on.
Observational Period	1845-1945 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Broken becoming Scattered becoming Broken Temperature 58° F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.11" Hg Rising Feels Like Cool I checked the Weather Underground history for the Central Park NOAA weather station and it reported clear skies all day yesterday Transparency Poor Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye – Charlie Naked Eye - Tom
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway Tom Claybough

1559 EDT

Moonrise

1802 EDT

Sunset
Civil Twilight begins

1830 EDT

Civil Twiligt ends
Nautical Twilight begins

1845 EDT

• The First Quarter Moon and Jupiter were shining through the clouds. The Moon is about 15° to the West of Jupiter and will be near Jupiter tomorrow night when the clouds should be even worse.
• Polaris, Arcturus, Altair, Vega, the top of the Northern Cross and Cassiopeia were seen through gaps in the clouds.

1902 EDT

Nautical Twilight ends
Astronomical Twilight begins

Target Iridium 72 Flare Constellation Cas, Cam Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20091025.1923 EDT Comments   Heavens Above CalSky Time 1923:08 EDT 1923:09 EDT Alt. 46° 46.3° Az. 21° NNE; 20.8° NNE Mag. -7 -6.0 Surface &nsp; MMA2 I had an alarm set on my watch for 1822 EDT but was already watching for the satellite when it went off. Shortly after the alarm I picked it up descending through upper Cassiopeia. As it got down near the altitude of Polaris it flared a very bright, big and gold. I think it appeared so large because the light was being refracted by the clouds. Finally a flare where I was expecting it to be. I had estimated the location by looking a hand span east of Polaris then fudged back west to compensate for compass deviation. I was looking for anything moving anywhere near Cassiopeia.

1934 EDT

Astronomical Twilight ends

1943 EDT

First Quarter Moon