31 August 2008

Observing Location	McGraw Ave @ White Plains Rd I moved around quite a bit to keep Venus in sight, from over the Cross Bronx Expressway to the Cross Bronx Expressway north service road and Leland Ave (Lat.: 40° 50' 4.77", Long.: -73° 51' 50.02")
Observational Period	1900-2030 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Isolated Clouds Temperature 80 Wind Calm Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.10" Hg Steady Feels Like Mild There was a general light haze and out on the western horizon up to ~20° thin stratus clouds. The humidity is just over the moderate threshold. Transparency Good Seeing I
Instruments	Golden Gate 7x35 binocular Unless otherwise noted all observations other than sunspots were made with the Golden Gate binocular. Brunton 8x21 compact binocular w/Welco gold shade 14 welder's filter – Charlie Cokin 003 Professional red filter - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

Target Sunspots Constellation Leo Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080831.1900 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 24s Angular Size 31' 44.8" Altitude 4.5° Heliographic Latitude (B0) 7.20° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 339.81° Parallactic Angle (P) 21.13° 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 First CrescentMoon Constellation Leo Category Lunar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080808.1910 EDT Comments Lunation 1060 Phase Waxing Crescent Age 1d 3h 11m Distance Light Time (from earth) 382,163 km 1.27s Elongation 14.5° % Illuminated 1.50% Morning Terminator Colongitude (λ E) 279.8° Evening Terminator Colongitude (λ W) 99.0° Libration in Latitude 4° 43' Libration in Longitude 5° 41' Magnitude -5.4 Angular Size 31.27' Altitude 5° 41' Virtual Moon Atlas graphic Not Seen Tonight being the night of the first crescent Moon and the sky appearing clear, I went out to try to make a sighting. Unfortunately this was a poor apparition, the Moon being below the ecliptic and only ~2.5° higher in elevation than the Sun. By the time the Sun had set behind buildings on my horizon the Moon was down into the clouds presenting a low contrast condition that my red filter could not overcome.

Target Four Planet Gathering Constellation Vir Category Conjunctions Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080831.1915 EDT Comments When I checked Planetarium for Moon data I noticed that Venus, Mercury and Mars were sliding down the ecliptic ~23° behind the Moon and within the Golden Gate binocular’s 10° FoV. Starry Night Starter graphic Mercury is the low corner of the triangle and Mars the upper left. Solar System Live graphic I thought that these three planets might include a fourth, Earth, if viewed from somewhere else so I expanded the view on the orrery and found that when viewed from Neptune the Earth would also appear near Mercury, Venus and Mars. Solar System Live graphic Starry Night Starter graphic view from Neptune 1725 EST I found Venus (Mag. -3.9> in the binocular and located it naked-eye four minutes later 1752 EST Mercury (Mag. 0.0) became visible just above the horizon I never found Mars (Mag. 1.7).

1930 EDT	Sunset Civil Twilight begins
1944 EDT	Moonset
1958 EDT	Civil Twilight ends Nautical Twilight begins

Target Jupiter Constellation Sgr Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080831.2010 EDT Comments Object Class Classical Planet Elongation 123.6° Distance Light Time (from Earth) 4.53 AU 37m 41s Distance (from Sun) 5.16 AU Angular Size 43.5" x 40.6" Magnitude -2.5 Central Meridian I/II 98°/42° Altitude 25.4° Moons Starry Night Starter graphic Jupiter looks large even to the naked eye.   Naked-eye Golden Gate 7x35 Brunton 8x21 Jupiter Mag. -2.5 seen seen seen Jupiter moon seen seen   Nunki Mag. 2.05 seen seen seen ν1 Sgr Mag. 4.86   seen   ν2 Sgr Mag. 5.00   seen   ξ2 Mag. 3.52   seen

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Sunspots Observed

I haven't seen a spot since 30Mar08.

Observing Hours for the Year 2008

	Day			Night			Total
	Hours	Days	Avg	Hours	Days	Avg	Hours	Days	Avg
Jan	2.25	9	0.25	2.75	5	0.55	5.00	13	0.38
Feb	3.25	9	0.36	8.25	7	1.18	11.25	12	0.94
Mar	5.25	10	0.53	8.50	12	0.71	13.75	16	0.86
Apr	6.25	19	0.33	5.75	7	0.82	12.00	19	0.63
May	6.50	18	0.36	2.25	5	0.45	8.75	18	0.49
Jun	5.25	20	0.26	12.00	8	1.50	17.25	21	0.82
Jul	5.05	15	0.37	15.25	10	1.53	20.75	17	1.22
Aug	5.00	18	0.31	2.00	3	0.67	7.50	18	0.42
TOTAL	39.75	118	0.34	56.75	57	1.00	96.50	135	0.71

Climate Summary for June 2008

Temperature

Precipitation

Cooling Degree Days

26 August 2008

Observing Location	VP
Observational Period	1245-1300 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 74° F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.06" Hg Rising Feels Like Mild It is very pleasant out for a change. It isn’t too warm and the humidity is just over the low/moderate threshold. The sky is blue but not a deep blue and in the binocular I can see some foxing around the Sun. Transparency Good Seeing II
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 20080826.1245 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 25s Angular Size 31' 42.5" Altitude 60° Heliographic Latitude (B0) 7.09° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 49.30° Parallactic Angle (P) 19.73° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2073 Nothing Seen There is nothing in SOHO or in Active Region Explorer.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

23 August 2008

Observing Location	PKR
Observational Period	0945-1000 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Scattered Clouds Temperature 70° F Wind Calm Humidity High Barometric Pressure 30.33" Hg Falling Rapidly Feels Like Mild It doesn’t feel as humid as reported. 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 Low Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080823.0945 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 25s Angular Size 31' 41.2" Altitude 38.6° Heliographic Latitude (B0) 7.00° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 90.60° Parallactic Angle (P) 18.83° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2073 Nothing Seen There is a very small area of plage in the SOHO images off the eastern limb. Active Region Explorer does not show this but does show group 1000 just about to rotate back onto the earth-facing surface of the sun in the southern hemisphere. There is no indication of this in the SOHO images yet.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

22 August 2008

Observing Location	VP
Observational Period	0800-0815 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 70° Wind Calm Humidity High Barometric Pressure 30.35" Hg Steady Feels Like Mild It doesn’t feel as humid as the hygrometer says it is. There is a light general haze which must be the cause of the humidity. 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 Leo Category Solar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080822.0800 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 25s Angular Size 31' 40.9" Altitude 19.1° Heliographic Latitude (B0) 6.97° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 104.78° Parallactic Angle (P) 18.51° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2073 Nothing Seen The sunspot that appeared yesterday in a photo from Slovenia now appears as plage in the SOHO image and is not referenced at all on Active Regions Explorer.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

Target Moon Constellation Ari Category Lunar Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080822.0800 EDT Comments Lunation 1059 Phase Waning Gibbous Age 21d 1h 47m Distance Light Time (from earth) 368,360 km 1.23s Elongation 70.4° % Illuminated 66.9% Morning Terminator Colongitude (λ E) 163.2° Evening Terminator Colongitude (λ W) 342.2° Libration in Latitude -6° 31' Libration in Longitude -3° 33' Magnitude -10.9 Angular Size 32.44' Altitude 48° 29' Virtual Moon Atlas graphic The Moon was still high in the sky and there was still enough contrast that I could detect marea naked-eye although I couldn't really make out any shape to identify Mare Imbrium and Oceanus Procelarum that I knew I was seeing. The Moon hasn't yet reached last quarter yet as it has an obvious bulge of sunlight intruding into the shadow.

21 August 2008

Observing Location	CDLD
Observational Period	0915-0930 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 70° F Wind Calm Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.29" Hg Steady Feels Like Warm There is a very light haze but it is otherwise clear and beautiful. 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 20080821.0915 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 25s Angular Size 31' 40.5" Altitude 33.5° Heliographic Latitude (B0) 6.93° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 117.30° Parallactic Angle (P) 18.22° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2073 Nothing Seen Space Weather is displaying an image of sunspots taken by an (amateur ?) observer in Slovakia that shows what are described as small but rapidly growing spots that have just rotated onto the earth-facing surface of the Sun. They are too small to appear in the SOHO images or in my optics.   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

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About a month ago I was walking home and my eye caught something on the sidewalk. Backtracking I recognized it as a cicada. Backtracking again I thought to pick it up if it were dead, which it was. I have finally gotten around to photographing it and processing the images. They aren't great, but do illustrate the insect.

This is the business side of the insect.

From the description of the sound-making apparatus I think this is it although I can't figure out its mechanics.

The giveaway for people finding these things is the eyes, which are huge.

The insect has a large proboscus that, according to the literature, is about as dangerous to humans as that of a butterfly.

When I woke up the other day I heard a few cicads calling so stuck a microphone out the window and recorded( 1.14 MB MP3 file) them (and a lot of the other noise I have to listen to when my windows are open).

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Observing Location	PSC
Observational Period	2100-2115 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 70° F Wind Calm Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 30.26" Hg Steady Feels Like Mild Transparency Excellent Seeing I
Instruments	Brunton 8x21 compact binocular - Charlie
Observing Party	Charlie Ridgway

I was on my way home to dinner and saw Jupiter so decided to walk around the oval seeing what else might be there. Then I remembered that I had my binocular in my bag so got it out and walked around again.

Target Jupiter Constellation Sgr Category Planet Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080821.2100 EDT Comments Jupiter was low over the apartment buildings directly across from me and looked huge and very bright. With the binocular I thought I saw a moon on the eastern limb (it would have been Europa) but it is hard to hold the small binocular still to view close objects. Nunki was very obvious to the lower right of the planet. Starry Night Starter graphic Object Class Classical Planet Elongation 133.6° Distance Light Time (from Earth) 4.41 AU 36m 42s Distance (from Sun) 5.16 AU Angular Size 44.6" x 41.7" Magnitude -2.6 Central Meridian I/II 350°/10° Altitude 25.9° Moons Starry Night Starter graphic

Target Aquila Constellation Aql Category Constellation Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080821.2100 EDT Comments Tarazed (Mag. 2.71) was obviously red above brighter Altair (Mag. 0.76) and Alshain (Mag. 3.71) was just visible beneath them.

Target Cygnus Constellation Cyg Category Constellation Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080821.2100 EDT Comments I picked out Deneb (Mag. 1.25), Sadr (Mag. 2.23), Gienah Cygni (Mag. 2.48), δ Cyg (Mag. 2.86) and Alberio (Mag. 3.05). With the binocular I was not able to see the duplicity of Alberio. I may have seen a few more of the wing and neck stars.

Target Ursa Major Constellation UMa Category Constellation Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080821.2100 EDT Comments I saw all of the dipper stars but Megrez. I even saw Alcor (Mag. 3.99) but didn’t think to look for the Three Leaps of the Gazelle.

Target Ursa Minor Constellation UMi Category Constellation Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080821.2100 EDT Comments I found Polaris (Mag. 1.97), Kochab (Mag. 2.07) and Pherkad (Mag 3.00).

Target Bootes Constellation Boo Category Constellation Time yyyymmdd.hhmm 20080821.2100 EDT Comments Arcturus (Mag. -0.06) was just above the top of the building opposite. I donn’t remember seeing Murfid (Mag. 2.68)

20 August 2008

A found several definitions in Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary that relate to astronomy and related sciences.

Berenice's Hair

n. A constellation (Coma Berenices) named in honor of one who sacrificed her hair to save her husband.

Her locks an ancient lady gave
Her loving husband's life to save;
And men -- they honored so the dame --
Upon some stars bestowed her name.

But to our modern married fair,
Who'd give their lords to save their hair,
No stellar recognition's given.
There are not stars enough in heaven.

Day

n. A period of twenty-four hours, most misspent. This period is divided into two parts, the day proper and the night, or day improper – the former devoted to sins of business, the later consecrated to the other sort. These two kinds of social activity overlap.

Lunarian

n. An inhabitant of the moon, as distinguished from Lunatic, one whom the moon inhabits. The Lunarians have been described by Lunican, Locke and other observers, but without much agreement. For example, Bragellos avers their anatomical identity with Man, but Professor Newcomb says they are more like the hill tribes of Vermont.

Magnitude

n. Size. Magnitude, being purely relative, nothing is large and nothing small. If everything in the universe were increased in bulk one thousand diameters nothing would be any larger than it would be larger that they had been. To an understanding familiar with the relativity of magnitude and distance the spaces and masses of the astronomer would be no more impressive than those of the microscopist. For anything we know to the contrary, the visible universe may be a small part of an atom, with its component ions, floating in the life-fluid (luminiferous ether) of some animal. Possibly the wee creatures peopling the corpuscles of our own blood are overcome with the proper emotion when contemplating the unthinkable distance from one of these to another.

Molecule

n. The ultimate, indivisible unit of matter. It is distinguished from the corpuscle, also the ultimate, indivisible unit of matter, by a closer resemblance to the atom, also the ultimate, indivisible unit of matter. Three great scientific theories of the structure of the universe are the molecular, the corpuscular and the atomic. A fourth affirms, with Haeckel, the condensation of precipitation of matter from either – whose existence is proved by the condensation of precipitation. The present trend of scientific thought is toward the theory of ions. The ion differs from the molecule, the corpuscule and the atom in that it is an ion. A fifth theory is held by idiots, but it is doubtful if they know any more about the matter than the others.

Newtonian

adj. Pertaining to a philosophy of the universe, invented by Newton, who discovered that an apple will fall to the ground, but was unable to say why. His successors and disciples have advanced so far as to be able to say when.

Observatory

n. A place where astronomers conjecture away the guesses of their predecessors.

Past

n. That part of Eternity with some small fraction of which we have a slight and regrettable acquaintance. A moving line called the Present parts it from an imaginary period known as the Future. These two grand divisions of Eternity, of which the one is continually effacing the other, are entirely unlike. The one is dark with sorrow and disappointment, the other, bright with prosperity and joy. The Past is the region of sobs, the Future is the realm of song. In one crouches Memory, clad in sackcloth and ashes, mumbling penitential prayer; in the sunshine of the other Hope flies with a free wing, beckoning to temples of success and bowers of ease. Yet the Past is the Future of yesterday, the Future is the Past of tomorrow. They are one – the knowledge and the dream.

Telescope

n. A device having a relation to the eye similar to that of the telephone to the ear, enabling distant objects to plague us with a multitude of needless details. Lucky it is unprovided with a bell summoning us to the sacrifice.

Year

n. A period of three hundred and sixty-five disappointments.

Yesterday

n. The ifancy of youth, the youth of manhood, the entire past of age.

But yesterday I should have thought me blest
    To stand high-pinnacled upon the peak
    Of middle life and look adown the bleak
And unfamiliar foreslope to the West.
Where solemn shadows all the land invest
    And silly voices, half-remembered, speak
    Unfinished prophecy, and witch-fires freak
The haunted twilight of the Dark of Rest.
Yea, yesterday my soul was all aflame
    To stay the shadow on the dial’s face
At manhood’s noonmark! Now, in God His name
    I chide aloud the little interspace
Disparting me from Certitude, and fain
Would know the dream and vision ne’er again.

Baruch Arnegriff

Zenith

n. A point in the heavens directly overhead to a standing man or a growing cabbage. A man in bed or in a cabbage in the pot is not considered as having a zenith, though from this view of the matter there was once a considerable dissent among the learned, some holding that the posture of the body was immaterial. These were called Horizontalists heresy was finally extinguished by Xanobus, the philosopher-king of Abara, a zealous Verticalist. Entering an assembly of philosophers who were debating the matter, he cast a several human head at the feet of his opponents and asked them to determine its zenith, explaining that its body was hanging by the heels outside. Observing that it was the head of their leader, the Horizontalists hastened to profess themselves converted to whatever opinion the Crown might be pleased to hold, and Horizontalism took its place among fides defuncti.

Zeus

n. The chief of Grecian gods, abored by the Romans as Jupiter and by the modern Americans as God, God, Mob and Dog. Some explorers who have touched upon the shores of America, and one who professes to have penetrated a considerable distance into the interior, have thought that these four names stand for as many distinct deities, but in his monumental work of Surviving Faiths, Frumpp insists that the natives are monotheists, each having no other god than himself, whom he worships under many sacred names.

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Observing Location	PKR
Observational Period	1500-1515 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Clear Temperature 75° F Wind Calm Humidity Low Barometric Pressure 30.17" Hg Falling Feels Like Cool Around noon it was perfectly clear with a beautiful blue sky. By 1400 EDT it looked like a front was passing through with mares tails lowering into a stripe of stratus. Now it is clear again. But it feels cool. 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 20080820.1500 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 25s Angular Size 31' 40.2" Altitude 51.5° Heliographic Latitude (B0) 6.90° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 127.35° Parallactic Angle (P) 17.99° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2073 Nothing Seen   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

19 August 2008

Observing Location	PKR
Observational Period	1645-1700 EDT
Atmospheric Conditions	Cloud Cover Scattered Clouds Temperature 79° F Wind Light Breeze Humidity Moderate Barometric Pressure 29.94" Hg Rising Rapidly Feels Like Hot The sky has cleared off and there are only a few fair weather cumulus clouds around. The wind feels great when it blows but it is really hot when it doesn’t 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 2008 EDT Comments Distance Light Time 1.01 AU 8m 25s Angular Size 31' 39.8" Altitude 41.8° Heliographic Latitude (B0) 6.86° Heliographic Longitude (L0) 140.01° Parallactic Angle (P) 17.69° Carrington rotation number (CR) 2073 Nothing Seen   Groups Spots R North 0 0 0 South 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 R = (Groups * 10) + Spots)

SpaceWeather has a brief article today about how observers in Norway detected the passage of a solar wind gust on 18Aug08 UTC by watching the earth’s magnetic flux. I have built a solar wind indicator that would do this but have never gotten it completed to the point that I have tested it and wasn’t looking at it at the time the gust passed by.
Robert Stammes graphic via spaceweather.com