Saturday, May 24, 2014
1552m 2014/05/24
1552m 2014/05/24 03:25:–04:00 EDT Foxmead N and E windows 3 ne
A new meteor shower with a radiant in Camelopardalis was predicted for 03:00–04:00 this morning. I woke up at 03:25 EDT (07:25 UT), and watched out my north- and
west-facing windows through 04:00 EDT (08:00 UT). Transparency was poor;
I could only see stars down to about magnitude 3.5. I saw nary a single
meteor. Just to prove I was awake, I did see a nice passage of the ISS
around 03:40 EDT (07:40 UT), confirmed on Heavens-Above.
Friday, May 16, 2014
51 years ago today...
...I made my first variable star observation for the AAVSO. Sara Beck at the AAVSO just sent me a scan of that first report:
The AAVSO is like an elephant: they never forget!
The AAVSO is like an elephant: they never forget!
Monday, March 31, 2014
1551d 2014/03/31
1551d 2014/03/31 12:55–13:05 EDT Foxmead observatory deck 8 4cmrr
Sun: Nice flare at 12:58 involved in sunspot group near centre of disk. Many small prominences along left limb. A couple of long filaments on right upper half of disk. 44x.
Image from yesterday from Big Bear Lake, inverted compared to view in PST (Coronado Personal Solar Telescope):
Flare in sunspot group left of centre (light in this image) and filament below and to left had both rotated further onto the disk today.
Furr came out and joined me, standing guard over the animal burrow at the corner of my deck.
It was good to be back out on the deck looking at the Sun!
Temperature = 9.1°C
Sun: Nice flare at 12:58 involved in sunspot group near centre of disk. Many small prominences along left limb. A couple of long filaments on right upper half of disk. 44x.
Image from yesterday from Big Bear Lake, inverted compared to view in PST (Coronado Personal Solar Telescope):
Flare in sunspot group left of centre (light in this image) and filament below and to left had both rotated further onto the disk today.
Furr came out and joined me, standing guard over the animal burrow at the corner of my deck.
It was good to be back out on the deck looking at the Sun!
Temperature = 9.1°C
Monday, January 13, 2014
1550m 2014/01/13
1550m 2014/01/13 06:00–07:35 EST Foxmead E window 3 ne 10x50b
Watching the sunrise through thin layers of clouds, looking for Venus, which passed inferior conjunction two days ago. Finally spotted at 07:33 it between two layers of clouds. It was visible as an extremely thin horizontal crescent in 10x50 binoculars, horizontal because it is directly above the Sun, still below the horizon.
Temperature = +0.9° C
Inferior conjunction was on January 11 at 7 a.m., so this was just slightly more than 48 hours later, not quite as close as my 1961 observation 27 hours before inferior conjunction, but still impressive. Venus rose at 07:15, 18 minutes before I observed it, and the Sun rose at 07:54, 21 minutes after I observed Venus.
Watching the sunrise through thin layers of clouds, looking for Venus, which passed inferior conjunction two days ago. Finally spotted at 07:33 it between two layers of clouds. It was visible as an extremely thin horizontal crescent in 10x50 binoculars, horizontal because it is directly above the Sun, still below the horizon.
Temperature = +0.9° C
Inferior conjunction was on January 11 at 7 a.m., so this was just slightly more than 48 hours later, not quite as close as my 1961 observation 27 hours before inferior conjunction, but still impressive. Venus rose at 07:15, 18 minutes before I observed it, and the Sun rose at 07:54, 21 minutes after I observed Venus.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
1549m 2013/12/12
1549m 2013/12/12 06:00–06:15 EST Foxmead E window 3 ne
I looked for Comet Lovejoy in a hazy predawn sky. I could see Arcturus and Alphecca, but couldn't make out the Hercules keystone, and didn't see the comet. I was rewarded with a nice Geminid meteor, though.
Tempertaure = –11°C
I looked for Comet Lovejoy in a hazy predawn sky. I could see Arcturus and Alphecca, but couldn't make out the Hercules keystone, and didn't see the comet. I was rewarded with a nice Geminid meteor, though.
Tempertaure = –11°C
Saturday, November 30, 2013
1548m 2013/11/30
1548m 2013/11/30 07:25–07:35 EST Foxmead E window 3 ne
Comet ISON: If many people saw what I saw this morning, we may have many false reports of comet sightings. I was up at sunrise again this morning, and was greeted by layers of clouds down close to the horizon. About 10 minutes before sunrise (predicted for 7:35 a.m. here), these clouds were lit up by the Sun just below the horizon, creating a beautiful pink solar pillar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_pillar
I saw one of these during my "dawn patrol" for Comet McNaught seven years ago, and they actually put my photograph of it on the cover of the RASC Journal. By the actual time of sunrise, the pillar had faded.
This pillar, as its name implies, was perfectly vertical, while the comet, had it been visible, would have been at a 45° angle to the horizon and off to the left of the sunrise point.
All that's left of it is that fan shape above and slightly to the right of the Sun.
Temperature = –4.3°C
Comet ISON: If many people saw what I saw this morning, we may have many false reports of comet sightings. I was up at sunrise again this morning, and was greeted by layers of clouds down close to the horizon. About 10 minutes before sunrise (predicted for 7:35 a.m. here), these clouds were lit up by the Sun just below the horizon, creating a beautiful pink solar pillar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_pillar
I saw one of these during my "dawn patrol" for Comet McNaught seven years ago, and they actually put my photograph of it on the cover of the RASC Journal. By the actual time of sunrise, the pillar had faded.
This pillar, as its name implies, was perfectly vertical, while the comet, had it been visible, would have been at a 45° angle to the horizon and off to the left of the sunrise point.
All that's left of it is that fan shape above and slightly to the right of the Sun.
Temperature = –4.3°C
Friday, November 29, 2013
1547m 2013/11/29
1547m 2013/11/29 07:30–07:50 EST Foxmead E window 8 10x50b ne
Comet ISON appears to have survived its close encounter with the Sun. I scanned the horizon just to the left of the rising Sun, but saw no sign of it.
Temperature = –13°C
Comet ISON appears to have survived its close encounter with the Sun. I scanned the horizon just to the left of the rising Sun, but saw no sign of it.
Temperature = –13°C
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