Moon: Day 3 - “Releasing Petavius.”
Published on 24 Feb 2012 at 9:19 pm.
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Filed under Moon.
Quite a sky show to see this evening an hour ago only, with three planets in a row from the twilight (Mercury lowest; then Venus, and Jupiter highest), However, just 8 degrees to the lower right of Venus resides the waxing crescent Moon. Through my Quantum-4 telescope, over 1/2 of Mare Crisium is in view now, with the very top of the rim of crater Picard just catching sunlight of a new (lunar) day. The sunrise terminator is currently cutting right across crater Cleomedes, and it appears as a deep inky-dark abyss with a rim completely in view on top. With this Moon 3 days and 2 1/2 hrs old, the terminator is at 57 degrees east longitude. Thick crescents of shade still reside in Langrenus and Furnerius craters, while all of the floor of older Vendelinus is sunlit. No seeing crater Toruntius yet, but Endymion is all dark inside up in the slender northern cusp. Close to the eastern limb, one can still make out the large (130 mi.) crater Humboldt, bearing strong relief still. Far in the southern cusp, large (95 km) crater Helmholtz and Neumayer are in view beside each other, though also all shaded within. Enjoy the view through your telescope, binoculars, or naked eye!
Small Oncomer.
Published on 24 Feb 2012 at 12:04 pm.
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Another0.8 of an inch of snow early this morning, but the Sun rises into view now at 7:50am CST at my location. At 44x there is only one small sunspot oncoming around the northeastern limb - #1423. It has the typical umbral and penumbral components, but will this die out of increase in size and complexity later? Yesterday, I make solar observation #8,629, after shoveling much snow. NOW, winter can come, with the Sun migrating through Aquarius.
Late Winter Arrival.
Published on 23 Feb 2012 at 11:22 pm.
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Filed under Earth's Atmosphere.
Well, winter finally arrived at my location early today, and I had to walk the newspaper route in it. A total of 11.1 inches of snow falls at my location for the day. No wind with it until near 6:00am. High temperatures reached to the low 30s F. I suppose it will be a “rocky” March now?
Far Aurora.
Published on 22 Feb 2012 at 11:56 pm.
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Filed under News, Aurora.
Despite some problems with fog, I was able to see and photograph a far away aurora this morning. It was visible from 12:40am all the way to 4:00am but only 3 1/2 to 4 degrees high at best. Passing fog and a few flurries took out almost all of the 2:00am hr - from being all clear at 1:30, and by 3:00am, I could spot the aurora, more active, again. After very delicate rays occurred in it from 3:00-3:25am CST, only faint patchy glows remained. So, score aurora #2 for the month from here, though it was likely overhead far north into Canada.
One Fades Away.
Published on 21 Feb 2012 at 11:58 pm.
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A variably cloudy sky today for solar observing, but I get my good look and sketch made near 4:30pm CST. At 44x through my trusty 60mm telescope, I saw just TWO areas of spots today. Both were still in the northwest quadrant of the solar disc - #1422 and #1420. Tiny spot #1419 was gone, having faded away. Sunspot #1422 is currently the most complicated, with one large spot leading the way westward. More clouds tomorrow though.
Northwestern Triangle.
Published on 20 Feb 2012 at 11:56 pm.
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After sleeping most of the day, I awoke early in the 4:00pm hr today, to observe partly cloudy sky. The Sun emerged from the clouds briefly shortly before 5:00pm, and I was ready for it with my small telescope. It remained in clear sky for just 15 minutes, and in that time, I saw a triangle of spots in the northwest quadrant of the solar disc. The largest one in it is dubbed #1422, and this was just a minor following blemish to the single spot #1420, now closer to the limb. As I write this, the sky is mostly cloudy, but might this be the next aurora producer? Three areas of spots in all then, with #1422 having a pair with penumbra and tiny components about/between them. Well worth keeping track of.