8 September 2008

Observing Location	CT
Observational Period	945-1000 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 69° F Wind Calm Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.19" Hg Rising Feels Like Warm Transparency Excellent Seeing I
Instruments	Golden Gate 7x35 binocular w/Welco gold shade 14 welder's filter - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Leo Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080907.1145 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 23s Angular Size 31' 48.4" Altitude 35.4° Heliographic Latitude (B0) 7.25° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 239.25° Parallactic Angle (P) 22.89° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2074 Nothing Seen   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

7 September 2008

The first five ESA Automated Transfer Vehicles scheduled for construction departed the ISS on Friday, 5Sep08. It will reenter earth's atmosphere and burn up over the Pacific Ocean on the night of 29Sep08.

Will this result in a decrease in the brightness of the ISS visible passes until the next ATV docks?

Universe Today article

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Observing Location	PKR
Observational Period	1145-1200 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 76° F Wind LightBreeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 29.95" Hg Steady Feels Like Warm Transparency Excellent Seeing I
Instruments	Golden Gate 7x35 binocular w/Welco gold shade 14 welder's filter - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Leo Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080907.1145 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 23s Angular Size 31' 47.9" Altitude 52.6° Heliographic Latitude (B0) 7.25° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 251.33° Parallactic Angle (P) 22.69° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2074 Nothing Seen   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

5 September 2008

NASA has decided that Atlantis will be in no danger of damage from passing Tropical Storm Hanna and rolled it out to the launch pad yesterday. The scheduled launch date has been pushed back two days to 10Oct08 at 0033 EDT, landing 20Oct08.

NASA graphic

Endeavour, which is the on demand launch rescue vehicle for Atlantis on the HST Servicing Mission, is now scheduled for launch on STS-126 on 12Nov08 at 2043 EST, landing 27Nov08. I haven't seen anything about when the stack will be rolled out the the launch pad adjacent to the one Atlantis currently occupies.

4 September 2008

It looks like Hanna will be passing through here Saturday night or Sunday morning. It is supposed to be a wet weekend.

Chance of Precipitation
	Day	Night
Friday 5Sep08	20%	70%
Saturday 6Sep08	70%	70%
Sunday 7Sep08	60%
Monday 8Sep08
Tuesday 9Sep08	40%

NOAA graphic

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In a Universe Today article today it is reported that the NASA administrator has said that there may not be any astronauts on the ISS in 2012 because Congress has not extended permission for the US to pay Russia to transport US astronauts up to the ISS. A contract for Soyuz spacecraft needs to be in place by early 2009 to have the craft ready to fly in 2012 and he feels that Congress is unlikely to do so now because of the current situation regarding Russia and Georgia. This is another example of the administration's shortsightedness in demanding the retirement of the Shuttle fleet before a replacement craft is ready for regular service.

3 September 2008

You would think an agency that can send a rocket into space to release a satellite and guide that satellite to impact an asteroid moving through space could do something as mundane as make an ID card. That seems to beyond the capabilities of the rocket scientists at NASA. I found a 27Aug08 article on Universe Today about their woes. It seems that it wasn’t their fault though. They were sold a bill of goods by GSA.

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NOAA is forecasting tropical storm conditions for us over the coming weekend when the remainder of Hurricane Gustav and active Tropical Storm Hanna get up here. I was reviewing the news at the bottom of the blog and saw this classic low preassure system signature in the GOES IR satellite image.

NOAA graphic Here is that portion of the synoptic chart. The low looks like a huge hurricane although it isn't deep enough to be one.
NOAA graphic

2 September 2008

Observing Location	VP
Observational Period	0915-0930 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Isolated Temperature 73° F Wind Calm Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.08" Hg Steady Feels Like Warm Transparency Excellent Seeing I
Instruments	Brunton 8x21 compact binocular w/Welco gold shade 14 welder's filter - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Leo Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080902.0915 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 23s Angular Size 31' 45.5" Altitude 31.3° Heliographic Latitude (B0) 7.22° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 318.77° Parallactic Angle (P) 21.53° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2074 Nothing Seen   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

1 September 2008

From the latin word septem, "seven," because this had been the seventh month of the early Roman Calendar

September, the seventh month.

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Observing Location	McGraw Ave @ White Plains Road
Observational Period	1815-2015 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Scattered Temperature 81° F Wind Gentle Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.10" Hg Steady Feels Like Warm The sky looks clear most of the way down to the horizon. With the red filter I can see wisps of cloud moving across the lower sky. Transparency Good Seeing I
Instruments	Unless otherwise noted observations were made with the Golden Gate binocular. Golden Gate 7x35 binocular – Charlie Brunton 8x21 compact binocular w/Welco gold shade 14 welder's filter - Charlie Cokin Professional 003 red filter - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Leo Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080901.1815 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 23s Angular Size 31' 45.2" Altitude 12.8° Heliographic Latitude (B0) 7.21° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 327.02° Parallactic Angle (P) 21.37° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2074 Nothing Seen   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

Target Young Crescent Moon Constellation Vir Category Lunar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080901.1926 EDT Comments Lunation 1060 Phase Waxing Crescent Age 2d 3h 27m Distance Light Time (from earth) 386,794 km 1.29s Elongation 26.8° 5.3% Illuminated % Morning Terminator Colongitude (λ E) 291.4° Evening Terminator Colongitude (λ W) 111° Libration in Latitude 5° 54' Libration in Longitude 4° 48' Magnitude -6.5 Angular Size 30.89' Altitude 6° 49' Virtual Moon Atlas graphic I located the Moon low on the horizon in the binoculars at 1926 EDT and naked-eye immediately after.

1929 EDT	Sunset Civil Twilight begins

Target Venus Constellation Vir Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080901.1930 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Phase Gibbous Elongation 23° % Illuminated 91.9% Distance Light Time (from Earth) 1.53 AU 12m 46s Distance (from Sun) 0.723 AU Angular Size 11" Magnitude -3.9 Altitude 10.6° Meridian graphic Venus was to the upper right of the Moon. They both fit in the Golden Gate FoV.

Target Mars Constellation Vir Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080901.1930 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Elongation 28.8° Distance Light Time (from Earth) 2.42 AU 20m 5s Distance (from Sun) 1.61 AU Angular Size 3.87" Magnitude 1.7 Central Meridian 335° Altitude 12.6° Starry Night Starter graphic Not Seen

Target Jupiter Constellation Sgr Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080901.1944 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Elongation 122.7° Distance Light Time (from Earth) 4.54 AU 37m 47s Distance (from Sun) 5.16 AU Angular Size 43.3" x 40.5" Magnitude -2.5 Central Meridian I/II 229°/166° Altitude 22.8° Moons Starry Night Starter graphic I can see a moon to the east and maybe one to the west in the Golden Gate binocular.

Target Mercury Constellation Vir Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080901.1953 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Phase Gibbous Elongation 25.3° % Illuminated 69.1% Distance Light Time (from Earth) 1.09 AU 9m 4s Distance (from Sun) 0.466 AU Angular Size 6.16" Magnitude 0.0 Altitude 9.5° Meridian graphic Not Seen

1957 EDT	Civil Twilight ends Nautical Twilight begins
2030 EDT	Nautical Twilight ends Astronomical Twilight begins
2106 EDT	Astronomical Twilight ends
2006 EDT	Moon sets
2019 EDT	Mercury sets
2024 EDT	Venus sets
2035 EDT	Mars sets