| Observing Location | TotL |
|---|
| Observational Period | 1800-2015 EDT |
|---|
| Atmospheric Conditions |
| Cloud Cover | Clear |
|---|
| Temperature | 60° F |
|---|
| Wind | Calm |
|---|
Wind Chill Effect
Heat Index | ° F |
|---|
| Humidity | Low |
|---|
| Barometric Pressure | 29.96" Hg
Rising |
|---|
| KNYC METAR | 162251Z AUTO 02007KT 10SM CLR 15/M09 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP143 T01501089 |
|---|
| Feels Like | Warm |
|---|
|
|---|
| Instruments | West Marine 7x50 Raiatea binocular with Baader solar filter film - Charlie
Naked-eye - Tom
Naked-eye - Ken |
|---|
| Observing Party | Charlie Ridgway
Tom Clabough
Ken Brown
|
|---|
The Solar System is lopsided tonight. Five of the planets, the Sun and the Moon are all within 44° of each other centered on West. Could all that gravitational pull centered in one spot in the sky be what is causing all the earthquakes down in Chile?
Cartes du Ciel graphic
Meridian graphic
| Target | Sunspots |
|---|
| Constellation | Psc |
|---|
| Category | Solar |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20100316.1805 EDT |
|---|
| Comments |
Distance
Light Time | 0.995 AU
8m 16s |
|---|
| Angular Size | 32' 09" |
|---|
| Altitude | 10.19° |
|---|
Heliographic Latitude
(B0) | -7.13 ° |
|---|
Heliographic Longitude
(L0) | 126.60° |
|---|
Parallactic Angle
(P) | -24.70 ° |
|---|
Carrington rotation number
(CR) | 2094 |
|---|
I stopped down near TPO to observe the Sun since I knew I had a clear sightline from there and wasn’t sure I would have an unobstructed view from TotL-E. I sat on the benches at TotL-E and had an even better view from there.
The present group of spots is big enough that people have seen it naked-eye. I looked with both my welders filters and the Baader film filter and couldn’t see it. In my 7x binocular I saw one spot.
| | Groups | Spots | R |
|---|
| North | 1 | 1 | 11 |
|---|
| South | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
| Total | 1 | 1 | 11 |
|---|
| R = (Groups * 10) + Spots) |
The sunspot number posted on Spaceweather for 15Mar10 was 28.
- Group 1054
-
| Cycle | 24 |
|---|
| Heliographic Latitude | 24 ° |
|---|
| Heliographic Longitude | 153° |
|---|
Carrington rotation number
(CR) | 2094 |
|---|
| Mcintosh System |
|
|---|
Helio graphic
|
|
|---|
|
- 1838 EDT
- The sun is starting to set into the trees across the Lawn
- 1840 EDT
- A young hawk lands near 2nd base of Ballfield 6. It kept trying to perch on branches that were laying on the lawn that wouldn’t stay still for him. He acted like something might be wrong with his left let.
- 1845 EDT
- The temperature is dropping noticeably now that the entire disk of the sun is below the crown of the leafless trees.
I can look at the sun without a filter now.
There are many overflights of geese heading north.
| Target | Venus |
|---|
| Constellation | Psc |
|---|
| Category | Planet |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20100316.1855 EDT |
|---|
| Comments |
Object
Class | Classical Planet |
|---|
| Phase | Gibbous |
|---|
| Elongation | 15.50° E |
|---|
| % Illuminated | 96.5% |
|---|
Distance
Light Time
(from Earth) | 1.63 AU
13m 34s |
|---|
Distance
(from Sun) | 0.724 AU |
|---|
| Angular Size | 10.3" |
|---|
| Magnitude | -3.9 |
|---|
| Altitude | 15.22° |
|---|
Meridian graphic |
I found Venus in the binocular while sweeping the sky at 1855 EDT and then couldn’t recover it for a while so wasn’t sure I hadn’t seen a plane. At 1906 I got Venus naked-eye. |
|---|
|
- 1902 EDT
- Sunset
Civil Twilight begins
| Target | First Crescent Moon |
|---|
| Constellation | Psc |
|---|
| Category | Lunar |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20100316.1902 EDT |
|---|
| Comments |
| Lunation | 1079 |
|---|
| Phase | First Crescent
Waxing Crescent |
|---|
| Age | 1d 2h5m |
|---|
Distance
Light Time
(from earth) | 398,570 km
1.33s |
|---|
| Elongation | 13.17° |
|---|
| % Illuminated | 1.3% |
|---|
| Morning Terminator Colongitude (λ E) | 287.3° |
|---|
| Evening Terminator Colongitude (λ W) | 107.3° |
|---|
| Libration in Latitude | -6° 12' |
|---|
| Libration in Longitude | -5° 19' |
|---|
| Magnitude | -5.2 |
|---|
| Angular Size | 30' 06" |
|---|
| Altitude | 10.57° |
|---|
 Cartes du Ciel graphic
 Virtual Moon Atlas graphic
Virtual Moon Atlas graphic |
 Stellarium graphic
 Stellarium graphic
I first saw the Moon in the binocular at 1908 EDT then briefly glimpsed it naked-eye as it was beginning to slide behind the Bearsford at 1922 EDT. By 1925 EDT it was totally behind the Bearsford’s SE tower.
It looked like a smile with the left end a little higher than the right. I would guess that ~90° of limb were illuminated.
|
|---|
|
| Target | ε Aur |
|---|
| Constellation | Aur |
|---|
| Category | Variable Star |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20100316.1932 EDT |
|---|
| Magnitude | 3.03 nominal
< 3.69 |
|---|
| Distance | 1630 ly |
|---|
| Comments | ε Aur was definitely the faintest of the Kids tonight. |
|---|
|
- 1930 EDT
- Civil Twilight ends
Nautical Twilight begin
While walking from TotL-E over to TotL I heard Tom calling my name. He and Ken had been sitting on the other end of the bench I was on and apparently hadn’t been aware of the First Crescent Moon. They were waiting for the ISS pass. We talked for a bit and I let then know about the COSMO SkyMed 3 flare and while we were talking my one minute warning alarm went off.
| Target | COSMO SkyMed 3 Flare |
|---|
| Constellation | Per |
|---|
| Category | Satellite |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20100316.1936 EDT |
|---|
| Comments |
| | Heavens
Above | CalSky |
|---|
| Time | EDT | 1936:41 EDT |
|---|
| Alt. | ° | 66.6° |
|---|
| Az. | ° | 261.6°
W |
|---|
| Mag. | | -1.7 |
|---|
| Surface | | SAR panel |
|---|
I was still looking for Perseus when the flare occurred behind me. CalSky showed it at zenith in their diagram and I hadn’t written down a compass point in my notes, just an azimuth in degrees which I didn’t remember. If I hadn’t gotten delayed getting over to the top of the Lawn by Tom and Ken I would have had time to check my notes and might have had a better shot at it. Having a better handle on where constellations are relative to one another wouldn’t hurt either. I could see Auriga, Castor, Pollus and Mars but not much more.
|
|---|
|
We walked down to the SE corner of the Lawn to observe the ISS pass.
 | 2000 EDT
I am seeing more stars than are shown on the Mag 4 chart but since I don’t have the chart with me and forgot that I put them into the Palm I didn’t know where all the stars I should be looking for were. I saw three stars in the head and three in the Sword. I didn’t think to look at the shield but doubt that I would have seen more than three stars there had I looked. I am going to give it a 5 but it is probably somewhere near 4.5. |
- 2001 EDT
- Nautical Twilight ends
Astronomical Twilight begins
- 2011 EDT
- Moonset
| Target | ISS Visible Pass |
|---|
| Constellation | Cep, UMi, Dra, UMa |
|---|
| Category | Satellite |
|---|
Time
yyyymmdd.hhmm | 20100316.2007 EDT |
|---|
| Comments |
| | | Starts | Max. Alt. | Ends |
|---|
H A
e b
a o
v v
e e
n
s | Time | 2010:04 EDT | 2012:25 EDT | 2012:11 EDT |
|---|
| Alt. | 10° | 22° | 20° |
|---|
| Az. | NNW | NNE | NE |
|---|
| Mag | -1.6 |
|---|
C
a
l
S
k
y | Time | 2007:48 EDT | 2012:24 EDT | 2013:15 EDT |
|---|
| Alt. | horizon | 22.1° | 19.5° |
|---|
| Az. | 313.1°
NW | 24.2°
NNE/td> | 50.3°
NE |
|---|
| Mag | 1.5 | -2.7 | -2.8 |
|---|
I picked it up bright rising through the trees in Manhattan west and we tracked it all the way over to UMa where it quickly faded as it entered Earth’s penumbra and then umbra.
|
|---|
|
- 2034 EDT
- Astronomical Twilight ends
