5 April 2010

Observing Location	Pier 17
Observational Period	EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Scattered Clouds Temperature 59° F Wind Calm Wind Chill Effect Heat Index ° F Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.14" Hg Increasing (1) KNYC METAR Feels Like Mild Transparency Fair Seeing
Instruments	West Marine 7x50 Raiatea binocular w/Baader AstroSolar filter film- Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Moon Constellation Category Lunar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 2010 EDT Comments Lunation 1079 Phase Waning Gibbous Age 20d 12h 13m Distance Light Time (from earth) 394730 km 1.31s Elongation 101.33° W % Illuminated 59.5% Morning Terminator Colongitude (λ E) 163.6° Evening Terminator Colongitude (λ W) 345.6° Libration in Latitude 2° 12' Libration in Longitude 5° 24' Magnitude -10.5 Angular Size 30.27' Altitude 24° 00” Virtual Moon Atlas graphic Terminator In Sunlight Feature In Shadow <<< Mare Serenitatis >>> <<< Abulfeda >>> <<< Maurolycus >>> The Moon was behind thin clouds when I arrived and intermittently had patches of less dense clouds passing in front of it that offered better views. At one point I thought it might be clearing off but then the Sun came up and revealed the extent of cloud cover. Initially the mare were indistinct and I ware Iridiun.

Target ISS Visible Pass Constellation Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100405.0605 EDT Comments Not Seen Missing this satellite in a darker sky than I will have later does not bode well for seeing STS-131.     Starts Max. Alt. Ends H A e b a o v v e e n   s   Time 0607:38 EDT 0609:50 EDT 0612:01 EDT Alt. 10° 19° 10° Az. S SE E Mag -0.8 C a l S k y Time 0605:18 EDT 0609:48 EDT 0614:19 EDT Alt. horizon 19.6° horizon Az. 201.1 SW 133.6 SE° 66.3 ENE° Mag -0.8 -1.5 3.7

Target STS-131 Flyby & MECO Constellation Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100405:0629 EDT Comments Discovery was to have been launched at 0621 EDT this morning. It should have been visible here about 4 minutes later through MECO about 8 minutes after liftoff. The secondary launch window extended until 0631 EDT and I watched until 0640 EDT but didn’t see anything. I didn’t know if the shuttle was behind the clouds through MECO, if the sky was too bright to see it, or if it wasn’t launched. When I checked on Spaceflight Now before heading out they had posed that the weather had been No Go for a while but had cleared and they were again Go for launch and the astronauts were boarding Discovery. Spaceflight Now says that Discovery did indeed lift off on schedule so that removes one of my uncertainties.

Target Sunspots Constellation Psc Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100405:0700 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.00 AU 8m 19s Angular Size 32' 01.6" Altitude 4.2° Heliographic Latitude (B0) -6.30 ° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 228.48° Parallactic Angle (P) -26.26 ° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2095 The Sun was in the clouds and was going to be rising into more of them so unless they dissipate later in the day there isn’t going to be an opportunity to count any spots that night be there. I won’t say that I didn’t count any spots even though I didn’t see any.