6 August 2010

Observing Location	TotL
Observational Period	2045-0100 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Light haze Temperature 77° F Wind Light Breeze Wind Chill Effect Heat Index ° F Humidity low Barometric Pressure 29.81" Hg Rising (2) KNYC METAR KNYC 062351Z AUTO VRB06G15KT 10SM CLR 27/08 A2981 RMK AO2 SLP083 T02670078 10322 20267 53024 Feels Like Warm Transparency Seeing II
Instruments	Celestron Outland 842 binocular- Charlie Benro MP-98M8 monopod single axis head 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 Peter Tagatac

Target Mercury Constellation Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2045 EDT          Object Class Classical Planet Phase Elongation ° % Illuminated % Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU m s Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size " Magnitude Altitude ° Meridian graphic Comments Mercury was still above the horizon but low and not above my local horizon. I walked all the way around the eastern side of The Great Lawn looking through all the gaps in the trees and buildings but didn't see anything.

< !--VENUS-->

Target Venus Constellation Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2045 EDT       Object Class Classical Planet Phase Elongation ° % Illuminated % Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU m s Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size " Magnitude Altitude ° Meridian graphic Comments

< !--MARS-->

Target Mars Constellation Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2045 EDT       Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU m s Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size " Magnitude Central Meridian ° Altitude ° Meridian graphic Comments

Target Saturn Constellation Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2045 EDT    Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU h m Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size "x" Ring Angular Size "x" Ring Inclination ° Magnitude Altitude ° Starry Night Starter graphic Comments I don't see any separation between the rings and the disk. Titan was leading the rings.

Target Constellation Sco Category Double Star Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2100 EDT Location Catres du Ciel graphic Magnitude 2.6/4.9 Color -0.1/0.0 Separation 13.7" Difficulty 2 References Deep Sky Observer’s Guide: 139 Stars and Planets: 189, 191 Observer’s Handbook 2010: 290 Binocular Highlights: 73 The Observer’s Sky Atlas: E18 Comments I had a lot of trouble finding information on this double star. I searched for Grafius and Graffius but didn't think to try GraffiAs. And even when I found it in Stellarium it is called Acrab. A wide double and very unequal. White and yellow.

Target M57, the Ring Nebula Constellation Lyr Category DSO: PlNeb Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2120 EDT Magnitude 8.5 Surface Brightness 9/sq' Size 1.5' Shape Circular Difficulty 3 Distance 1,800 ly Location Where is M13 graphicCatres du Ciel graphic References Deep Sky Observer’s Guide: 96, 104-105, 123 Stars and Planets: 150, 190, 193, 262, 264, A5 Binocular Highlights: 61 The Observer’s Sky Atlas: N18 Celestial Sites, Celestial Splendors: 114-15 Comments Tonight it appeared to me to be more of as disk than a donut.

Target Mizar and Alcor Constellation UMa Category Double Star Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2127 EDT Location Catres du Ciel graphic Magnitude 2.23/3.99 Color 0.0/0.1 Separation 720" 12' Visibility 2 References Deep Sky Observer’s Guide: 136-137 Stars and Planets: 9, 236 Observer’s Handbook 2010: 287 Binocular Highlights: 175 The Observer’s Sky Atlas: N10 Comments Alcor was visible to the naked eye.

Target Al Nyat, __σ Sco Constellation Sco Category Double Star Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2135 EDT Location Stelarium graphic Magnitude Color Separation " References Deep Sky Observer’s Guide: Stars and Planets: Observer’s Handbook 2010: Binocular Highlights: The Observer’s Sky Atlas: Comments At low power all I saw was a bright star. At high power a fainter star split off at 11:00. Back at low power I could see the secondary that I had missed previously but it was getting lost in the flare from the brighter primary. This one isn't listed in any of the books.

Target Iridium 30 Flare Constellation UMa-Lyn Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2140 EDT ° Heavens Above CalSky Time EDT 2141:40 EDT Alt. ° Az. ° Mag. Surface Comments

Target Coathanger, Brochi's Cluster, Cr 399 Constellation Vul Category Asterism Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2150 EDT Comments References Binocular Highlights: 64 Deep Sky Observer's Guide: 131-132, Stars and Planets: 265 The Coathanger was easy to find about half way between Alberio and the bright star of Aquila, &zetz; Aql, and also about half way between Alberio and the fletchings of the arrow of Sagita. It looks nice hanging upside down on a angle from 7:00 to 1:00.

Target M80, NGC 6093 Constellation Sco Category DSO: GCl Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2200 EDT Magnitude 7.5 Surface Brightness 11/sq' Size 5' Shape Circular Difficulty 4 Distance 32,000 ly Location Where is M13 graphicCatres du Ciel graphic References Deep Sky Observer’s Guide: Stars and Planets: Binocular Highlights: 74 The Observer’s Sky Atlas: E18 Comments Not the typical faint fuzzy. This one was more diffuse. More like a cloud than a dust bunny. The field contained a shallow triangle of brighter stars with the cluster on the base closer to the lower corner star.

Target M22, NGC 6656 Constellation Sco Category DSO: GCl Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2230 EDT Magnitude 5.1 Surface Brightness /sq' Size 17.3' Shape Circular Difficulty 5 Distance ly Location Where is M13 graphicCatres du Ciel graphic References Deep Sky Observer’s Guide: 77-28 Stars and Planets: 163, 190, 324 Binocular Highlights: 77 Celestial Sites, Celestial Splendors 10-101 The Observer’s Sky Atlas: Comments Large and diffuse, barely seen

Target Perseids Meteor Constellation Sct,Sgr ?? Category Meteor Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2239 EDT Comments A fast bright meteor that may have had a slightly yellow color streaked to the south 20-40° up when I saw it.

Target Unknown Satellite Constellation Boo ?? Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2258 EDT Comments A tight satellite appeared in the W moving to S disappearing into Earth's penumbra in Mahnattan S.

Target M13, Herculese Cluster, NGC 6205 Constellation Her Category DSO: GCl Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2300 EDT Magnitude 6 Surface Brightness 12/sq' Size 15' Shape Nearly Circular Difficulty 5 Distance 25,000 ly Location Where is M13 graphicCatres du Ciel graphic References Deep Sky Observer’s Guide: 79-80 Stars and Planets: 31, 32, 159, 190, 192, 260 Binocular Highlights: 55 Celestial Sites, Celestial Splendors 96-97 The Observer’s Sky Atlas: N14 Comments

Target M71, NGC 6838 Constellation Sge Category DSO: GCl Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2335 EDT Magnitude 8.5 Surface Brightness 12/sq' Size 5' Shape Circular Difficulty 3 Distance 13,000 ly Location Where is M13 graphicCatres du Ciel graphic References Deep Sky Observer’s Guide: 90-91 Stars and Planets: 163, 298 Binocular Highlights: 62 The Observer’s Sky Atlas: E21 Comments I thought I had seen it listed in one of my iPad planetaria as an open cluster and that is how it appeared to me. The area of the sky is faint and splotchy but I am seeing a few resolved stars in the area.

Vul Target M27, Dunbbell Nebula, NGC 6853 Constellation Category DSO: PlNeb Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20100806.2350 EDT Magnitude Surface Brightness /sq' Size ' Shape Difficulty Distance ly Location Where is M13 graphicCatres du Ciel graphic References Deep Sky Observer’s Guide: 27, 148, 149-150, 159 Stars and Planets: 151, 190, 193, 262, A5 Binocular Highlights: 63 Celestial Sights, Celestial Splendors 112-113 The Observer’s Sky Atlas: E21 Comments A large bright area of sky with no definition. Not a dust bunny. We used a nebula filter and that increased the contrast greatly. With the filter it looks more like a dust bunny. It appears to me to be elongated diagonally 11:00 to 5:00 with a waist. At times it looks like it is C shaped or a backwards J, like a fetus. There appear to be threads coming off of it in numerous places that remind me of a diatom.

Target Jupiter Constellation Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 2010 EDT       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 ° Starry Night Starter graphic Comments I looked at Jupiter in my binocular mounted on the monopod. I saw one moon ahead of the planet and one trailing and thought I might have seen a third moon above the plane and close to the planet. Peter confirmed the two in-plane moons but did not see the third. It turns out the moon closest to the planet was actually Io and Europe either gong into or coming out of an occultation.