28 April 2008

April and May April cold with dropping rain Willows and lilacs brings again, The whistle of returning birds, And the trumpet-lowing of the heards. The scarlet maple-keys betray What potent blood hath modest May, What fierce force the earth tenews. The wealth of forms, the flush of hues; What joy in rosy waves outpoured flows from the heart of Love, the Lord. Ralph Waldo Emerson

I had been noticing that all of the trees had little buds on them. It has been raining all day today and tonight when I returned home all the trees had leaves on them. It is aas if the buds had all exploded.

25 April 2008

Observing Location	TXM
Observational Period	0930-0945 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Scattered Clouds Temperature 62°F Wind Calm Humidity Low Barometric Pressure 30.12" Hg Falling Feels Like Warm The clouds are nearly at the Broken level of coverage but they are light cirrus and maybe some haze. The wind is dead calm so you got the whole effect of the sun. Transparency Gool Seeing I
Instruments	Brunton 8x21 compact binocular w/Welco gold shade 14 welder's filter - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Ari Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080425.0930 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 22s Angular Size 31' 50.5" Altitude 38.2° Heliographic Latitude (B0) -4.67° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 238.14° Parallactic Angle (P) -24.94° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2069 Nothing Seen   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

24 April 2008

I had planned to get up to see some early morning bright Iridium flares but when I got sleepy last night I forgot to check my calendar and set an alarm so messed them.

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Observing Location	CT
Observational Period	0930-0945 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 65°F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.19" Hg Rising Feels Like Warm It feels hot standing in the sun. There are lots of contrails cluttering the sky. Transparency Good Seeing I
Instruments	Brunton 8x21 compact binocular w/Welco gold shade 14 welder's filter - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Ari Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080424.0930 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 22s Angular Size 31' 51.0" Altitude 38.0° Heliographic Latitude (B0) -4.76° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 251.35° Parallactic Angle (P) -25.08° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2069 Group 992 still appears in the SOHO image but it appears to be dissipating. I didn’t see anything.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

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There was an article on Spaceflight Now on Tuesday that reported on the landing of the astronauts and cosmonauts returning from the ISS in a Soyuz TMA capsule that returned to earth in a ballistic reentry and made a hard landing. It contains a good description of how the Soyuz capsules work.

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Observing Location	Cross Bronx Expressway at White Plains Road, Bronx, NY
Observational Period	2000-2015 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 69°F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Low Barometric Pressure 30.10" Hg Rising Feels Like Mild Transparency Excellent Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

1944 EDT	Sunset Civil Twilight Begins

Target Iridium 39 Flare Constellation Crv Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080424.2005 EDT Comments Not Seen   Heavens Above CalSky Time 2005:17 EDT Alt. ° 10.8° Az. ° 131.7° SE Mag. +0.3 Surface   Solar Panels

2013 EDT	Civil Twilight ends Nautical Twilight begins

Target Iridium 80 Flare Constellation Crv Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080424.2014 EDT Comments Not Seen   Heavens Above CalSky Time 2014:07 EDT Alt. ° 14.3° Az. ° 1354.1° SE Mag. -2.2 Surface   Solar Panels

2048 EDT	Nautical Twilight ends Astronomical Twilight begins
2126 EDT	Astronomical Twilight ends

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Observing Location	White Plains Road between Wood Ave and McGraw Ave, Bronx, NY Lat.: 40° 50’ 05.61" Long.: -73° 51’ 46.77"
Observational Period	EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 66°F Wind Calm Humidity Low Barometric Pressure 30.17" Hg Rising Feels Like Warm There may have been a few stripes of cloud around. Transparency Good Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Mars Constellation Gem Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080424.1945 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU ms Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size 6.0" Magnitude 1.1 Central Meridian 179.73° Altitude °

Target Saturn Constellation Leo Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080424.1950 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Elongation ° Distance Light Time (from Earth) AU hm Distance (from Sun) AU Angular Size "x" Ring Angular Size "x" Ring Inclination ° Magnitude 0.5 Altitude ° Starry Night Starter graphic

Target MetopA Flare Constellation Cas Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080424.2000 EDT Comments Not Seen CalSky advises This is an experimental flare prediction. Brightness estimate may be unreliable. Please report a successful observation (object/site coordinates/date/measured time/accuracy/magnitude). Relative to Gemini, I don’t think I was looking in the right place. I don’t see any of the stars of Cas and my sense is that my compass had me looking into Aur/Tau. As its name implies, Metop-A is a weather satellite. It was launched by ESA and is managed jointly by ESA/EUMET/NASA. It is in a polar orbit. An Introduction to the EUMETSAT Polar System   Heavens Above CalSky Time EDT 2200:31 EDT Alt. ° 18.5° Az. ° 345.0° NNW Mag. -2.5 Surface   Left facing ASCAT

23 April 2008

Observing Location	PSC
Observational Period	1145-1200 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Scattered Clouds Haze Temperature 73°F Wind Calm gusting to Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.17" Hg Falling Feels Like Warm It is hot sitting out in the sun. Transparency Good Seeing I
Instruments	Brunton 8x21 compact binocular w/Welco gold shade 14 welder's filter - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Ari Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080423.1145 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 22s Angular Size 31' 51.5" Altitude 58.8° Heliographic Latitude (B0) -4.84° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 263.32° Parallactic Angle (P) -25.19° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2069 The spots of Group 992 appear in the SOHO image to be large enough for me to see them but I don’t detect anything.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

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Observing Location	PSC
Observational Period	1715-1730 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 72°F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.07" Hg Falling Feels Like Mild Transparency Excellent Seeing I
Instruments	Brunton 8x21 compact binocular - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Iridium 5 Flare Constellation Tau Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080423.1723 EDT Comments Not Seen Based on my past experience with daylight Iridium flares I hadn't really expected to see this one but gave it a try anyway since it was bright. I sighted the azimuth with my hand bearing compass and estimated the elevation and trained my binocular with an 8° FoV on that area but didn't see anything.   Heavens Above CalSky Time 1723:08 EDT   Alt. 47°   Az. 248° WSW   Mag. -6.5   Surface

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Observing Location	CDLD
Observational Period	2000-2030 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 68°F Wind Calm gusting to Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.07" Hg Rising Feels Like Cool It had been very breeze just before sunset but has settled down now. The sky looks gray, like impending rain, even though it is clear. There are dissipating showers over in the Poconos, but nothing forecast locally. The air does smell a little moist though. Transparency Excellent Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

1943 EDT	Sunset Civil Twilight begins

Target Iridium 18 Flare Constellation Crv Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080423.2011 EDT Comments Not Seen   Heavens Above CalSky Time   2011:09 EDT Alt.   11.8° Az.   130.6° SE Mag.   -0.1 Surface   Solar Panels

2012 EDT	Civil Twilight ends Nautical Twilight begins

Target Iridium 42 Flare Constellation Crv Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080423.2020 EDT Comments Not Seen   Heavens Above CalSky Time   2020:00 EDT Alt.   15.3° Az.   133.8° SE Mag.   -1.9 Surface   Solar Panels

2047 EDT	Nautical Twilight ends Astronomical Twilight begins
2124 EDT	Astronomical Twilight ends

22 April 2008

Observing Location	PSC
Observational Period	1400-1415 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 70°F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.26" Hg Falling Feels Like Mild It was foggy and raw this morning but has now cleared off and is quite pleasant. 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 Ari Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080422.1400 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 22s Angular Size 31' 52.0" Altitude 58.9° Heliographic Latitude (B0) -4.93° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 275.29° Parallactic Angle (P) -25.31° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2069 Spaceweather says Group 911 is gone and another new group may have formed higher up in the northern hemisphere but it is too small for me to detect it.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

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Observing Location	White Plains Road at Cross Bronx Expressway, Bronx, NY
Observational Period	2015-2030 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 63°F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.25" Hg Rising Feels Like Mild Transparency Excellent Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

1942 EDT	Sunset Civil Twilight begins
2011 EDT	Civil Twilight ends Nautical Twilight begins

Target Iridium 82 Flare Constellation Crv Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080422.2017 EDT Comments Not Seen CalSky Time 2017:03 EDT Alt. 12.8° Az. 129.5° SE Mag. -0.5 Surface Solar Panels

Target Iridium 98 Flare Constellation Crv Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080422.2025 EDT Comments Not Seen CalSky says This is a spare satellite or its status is unknown. Brightness estimate may be unreliable and flare time accurate to a few seconds. CalSky Alt. 15.7° Az. 132.2° SE Mag. -2.4 Surface Solar Panels

Target Iridium 41 Flare Constellation Lib Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080422.2025 EDT Comments Not Seen CalSky Alt. 16.4° Az. 132.8° SE Mag. -1.5 Surface Solar Panels

I thought I saw a couple of flashes over near Spica, but am not sure of them and they seemed too brief to be an Iridium flare.

2046 EDT	Nautical Twilight ends Astronomical Twilight begins
2123 EDT	Astronomical Twilight ends

21 April 2008

Observing Location	Chief Dennis L Devlin Park (CDLD), Bronx, NY
Observational Period	1145-1200 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear but Hazy Temperature 51°F Wind Light Breeze gusting to Moderate Breeze Humidity High Barometric Pressure 30.32" Hg Rising Feels Like Cool It feels cool and a little raw. NOAA says it is overcast but I don't see clouds and the sky has a little blue color so I am saying hazy. Transparency Fair Seeing I
Instruments	Brunton 8x21 compact binocular w/Welco gold shade 14 welder's filter - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Ari Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080421.1145 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 22s Angular Size 31' 52.6" Altitude 58.2° Heliographic Latitude (B0) -5.03° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 289.74° Parallactic Angle (P) -25.44° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2069 There is a new group showing on SOHO (991) that is about 1/3 of the way from the eastern limb to the center of the sun in the northern hemisphere but it is much too small for me to see it with the binocular.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

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Observing Location	Home
Observational Period	2045-2100 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 55°F Wind Calm Humidity High Barometric Pressure 30.29" Hg Rising Feels Like I am inside so can’t say what it feals like outside, but it feels a little cool in here. Transparency Good Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Iridium 41 Flare Constellation Com Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080422.2056 EDT Comments I interrupted dinner to try this one from the bedroom window which faces east, but didn’t see anything. I did see Saturn to the right, but nothing else.   Heavens Above CalSky Alt. 56° 56.4 Az. 95° E 94.4 E Mag. -4 -3.7 Surface   MMA1

19 April 2008

Observing Location	East Tremont Ave @ Dogwood Dr, Bronx, NY Lat.: Long.:
Observational Period	0515-0530 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Isolated Clouds Temperature 51°F Wind Calm Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.02" Hg Steady Feels Like Cool It looked like there were a few clouds showing up in the rapidly brightening sky to the east. I only saw one star, probably arcturus. Transparency Good Seeing
Instruments	Naked-eye - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

0433 EDT	Astronomical Twilight begins
0509 EDT	Astronomical Twilight ends Nautical Twilight begins

Target Iridium 37 Flare Constellation Cas Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080418.0526 EDT Comments This was a very fast flare and the sky wasn’t bright enough that it should have been impacting its visibility. The satellite was falling from S to N. I estimated it to be at 22°M. Heavens Above Alt. 24° Az. 23° NNE Mag. -6 This flare was not listed on CalSky as of last night.

0543 EST	Nautical Twilight ends Civil Twilight begins
0612 EDT	Civil Twilight ends Sunrise

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Observing Location	McGraw Ave between Virginia Ave and White Plains Rd, Bronx, NY
Observational Period	0730-0800 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 53°F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.04" Hg Rising Feels Like Mild Transparency Excellent Seeing I
Instruments	Brunton 8x21 compact binocular w/Welco gold shade 14 welder's filter - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Iridium 52 Flare Constellation Cas Category Satellite Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080418.0737 EDT Comments Not Seen This flare was on the other side of the Big W. Heavens Above Alt. 53° Az. 52° NE Mag. -7.3 This is another flare that was not listed in CalSky.

Target Sunspots Constellation Ari Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080418.0745 EDT Comments The Sun has snuck into Aries without my being aware of it. Distance Light Time 1.00 AU 8m 21s Angular Size 31' 54.2" Altitude 16.6° Heliographic Latitude (B0) -5.30° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 331.57° Parallactic Angle (P) -25.75° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2069 Nothing seen.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

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Observing Location	MetOval
Observational Period	2100-2230 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 64°F Wind Calm Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 29.97" Hg Rising Feels Like Mild I was very comfortable in a heavy long-sleeve shirt over a T-shirt and an unzipped poly vest. Transparency Excellent Seeing I
Instruments	SAR: Coulter CT-100 Newtonian reflector - Charlie CelEDTron Omni 20mm (21x) CelEDTron Omni 2x Barlow - w/Baader AstroSolar filter film w/Baader AstroSolar filter film
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Mars Constellation Gem Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080418.2120 EDT Comments Nothing spectacular. It was shining slightly golden. It is above Pollux’s left hip. Starry Nights Starter graphic Object Class Classical Planet Elongation 79.8° E Distance Light Time (from Earth) 1.51 AU 12m 36s Distance (from Sun) 1.66 AU Angular Size 6.18" Magnitude 1.1 Central Meridian 246° Altitude 50.9°

I tried to get to M44 but the area lighting is getting into the scope and I can’t figure out if it is coming in the front end or from the bottom between the truss and the shroud.

Target Saturn Constellation Leo Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080418.2130 EDT Comments It looks like I am seeing separation between the planet and the rings at the ansae at both low and high power. Saturn (Mag 0.5) is near Regulus and right next to HIP 50473 (Mag. 7.02). Starry Nights Starter graphic Object Class Classical Planet Elongation 122.5° E Distance Light Time (from Earth) 8.72 AU 1h 12m Distance (from Sun) 9.30 AU Angular Size 19"x16.9" Ring Angular Size 43"x7.39" Ring Inclination 9.9° Magnitude +0.5 Altitude 61.7° Starry Night Starter graphic

Target Moon Constellation Vir Category Lunar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080418.2140 EDT Comments Lunation 1055 Phase Waxing Gibbous Age 12d 21h 44m Distance Light Time (from earth) 396,837 km 1.32s Elongation 164.3° E % Illuminated 98.2% Morning Terminator Colongitude (λ E) 71.0° Evening Terminator Colongitude (λ W) 251.0° Libration in Latitude 5° 26' Libration in Longitude 4° 20' Magnitude -12.2 Angular Size 30.11' Altitude 31° 37' Virtual Moon Atlas graphic Terminator In Shadow Feature In Sunlight <<< Anaximenes   <<< Carlenter     Anaximander (Class 5, 46 mi) >>>   J Herschel (Extremely Old, 105 mi) >>>   Babbage Extremely Old, 85 mi x 95 mi) >>> <<< Pythagoras (Class 1, 81 mi x 90 mi) >>> <<< Oenopides (Very Old, 46 mi) >>>   South (Extremely Old, 63 mi x 67 mi) >>>   Markov (Old, 25 mi x 27 mi) >>>   Harpalus (Class 1, 26 mi) >>> <<< Russell   <<< Struve   <<< Eddington Old, 80 mi x 90 mi) >>>   Seleucus (Class 1, 29 mi) >>> <<< Krafft (Old, 31 mi) >>> <<< Cardanus (Class 2, 31 mi) >>> <<< Riccioli     Grimaldi (Class 5, 140 mi x 145 mi) >>> <<< Schicard (Class 5, 135 mi x 150 mi) >>> Mare Crisium Palus Somni is a brighter shade of gray extending out into Mare Tranquilitatis. Proclus (Class 1, 18 mi) is visible between Palus Somni and Mare Crisium. Mare Undarum and Mare Spumans appear darker than usual and are more easily seen. Condorcet (Class 5, 49 mi) is visible below Mare Crisium and above Mare Undarum. Delmontte (35mi) Eimmart (Class 1, 25 mi x 28 mi) Mare Fecunditatis Langrenus (Class 1, 85 mi) Stevinus (Class 5, 99 mi x 110 mi) Furnerius (Class 5, 81 mi) Gutenbert (Class 5, 45 mi) Capella (Old, 31 mi) Mare Imbrium Aristarchus (Class 1, 25 mi) is chalky white Copernicus (Class 1, 60 mi) is big and bright but surrounded by lighter gray of its ejecta blanket, mainly to the NE. Babbage (Extremely Old, 85 mi x 95 mi) appears to have a domed central peak which is actually the crater Babbage C (Class 1, 8 mi) Montes Recti (55 m1 x 12 mi) Montes Teneriffe (35 mi x 65 mi, 6200 ft) Mons Pico (10 mi x 18 mi, 9600 ft) Mare Serenitatis Manilius (Class 1, 25 miles) is bright white Manilius (Class 1, 16 mi x 19 mi) is bright white Mare Nubium Pitatis (Very Old, 60 mi x 69 mi) Bullialdus (Class 1, 38 mi) The moon appears less round naked-eye than it does through the telescope.

Naked-eye Limiting Magnitude Observations

N 3.03 E 1.58 Zenith 2.41 W 2.68 S 2.01 Star Magnitude Bootes, The Herdsman Arcturus α Boo -0.05 Murfid η Boo 2.68 Ursa Major, The Great Bear Alkaid η UMa 1.85 Mizar &seta; UMa 2.23 Alioth ε UMa 1.76 Dubhe α UMa 1.81 Merak β UMa 2.34 Phad γ UMa 2.41 Virgo, The Maiden Spica α Vir 0.98 Leo Regulus α Leo 1.36 Algieba γ Leo 2.01 Auriga, The Charioteer Capella α Aur 0.08 Al Anz ε Aur 3.03 Gemini, The Twins Castor α Gem 1.58 Pollux β Gem 1.16 Canus Minor, The Little Dor Procyon α CMi 0.40 This wasn’t a concerted effort to see how deeply I could see but a quick look around and noting the stuff that was most easily seen. I saw more deeply to the N and W because I wasn’t looking into floodlights in those directions

After an hour-and-a-half my back was getting sore and the lights were impacting my ability to see what I wanted to observe other than the Moon so I packed it in.