May 2006 Observations

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May 2nd

 
Arrived in Bangalore in the early hours of the morning for a business trip. I bin scanned the sun at 12:30 local time (07:00 GMT) and found that the sunspot had either vanished or was below the resolution of my binoculars. It was high overhead.

May 3rd

Bin scanned the sun at 10:00 local time (04:30 GMT) but didn't see any sunspots.

Bin scanned the night sky from the hotel roof top at 15:30 GMT. There was lots of thin cloud and  haze around and few stars were visible to the unaided eye, with no constellations discernable. The moon was prominent in the west with lots of craters on the terminator and Mare Crisium showing well. I could make out Saturn's rings but Jupiter showed no moons.

No deep sky onjects were visible.

May 4th

Bin scanned the sun at 03:30 GMT but didn't see any sunspots.

I went for another bin scan on the hotel roof at 16:30 GMT. Jupiter was barely visible and the only object readily visible was the moon. There were less craters visible on the terminator than the day before and Mare Crisium had lost some of its sharpness.

May 5th

Bin scanned the sun at 03:30 GMT through thin cloud but didn't see any sunspots.

The evening bin scan at 16:40 GMT  proved more fruitful than the previous nights. The moon was at first quarter and showed Walter et al near the terminator. I could see all 4 of Jupiter's moons, 2 on each side. Saturn showed rings and I could make out the main asterism of the Beehive. I could also see Melotte 111 and split Mizar and Alcor. It was very hazy near the horizon but I was able to see the twinkling Alpha Centauri, the first time I had seen it from north of the equator!

May 6th

I was up at 05:30 local time (00:00 GMT). Although thin cloud covered the sky, Venus was visible (the only object at all). A bin scan revealed a phase of about 75-80% but quite a small disc.

Bin scanned the sun at 03:50 GMT but didn't see any sunspots.

May 8th

 
Bin scanned the sun through cloud at 17:00 and 18:10 GMT but didn't see any sunspots.
 

May 9th

 
Bin scanned the sun during a break in the clouds at 14:35 GMT but didn't see any sunspots.

May 10th

 
Bin scanned the sun at 08:35 GMT through thin cloud. Conditions had been better than the days preceeding and I was able to see limb darkening but no sunspots.

May 11th

It had cleared enough at 08:50 GMT to see limb darkening but still no sunspots.

May 12th

Bin scanned the sun in clear conditions at 07:30 GMT but didn't see any sunspots.

May 13th

Went for a bin scan at 22:30 GMT. It was my first night time viewing for ages but there was a lot of moving thin cloud about, enough to dissuade me from trying to use a telescope. Saturn showed its rings and the nearby Beehive cluster showed the main asterism only. Low in the south east, the full moon showed well, with Tycho's rays dominating the landscape until it was consumed by thicker cloud. Nearby Jupiter showed 4 moons, 3 on one side of the planet. To the east, Albeiro, Delta Lyrae and 16/17 Draconi were all visible but no sign of the recent comet or its fragments.

May 18th

 
Bin scanned the sun through thin cloud at 07:35 GMT but didn't see any sunspots.

May 24th

After days (it seemed like weeks) of frustrating weather, I finally got some action from Altamonte Springs, Florida. At 06:10 local time (10:30 GMT), Venus and the moon were hanging low over the eastern horizon in a cloud-strewn dawn sky. I could pick out a few craters on the moon with my binoculars (15x70) but no named ones and Venus showed a "distorted" disc but it was too far from Earth to make an accurate assessment of its phase. It was a shame that I had been unable to bring a telescope with me.

I bin scanned the sun in fairly clear conditions at 18:00 local time (22:00 GMT). I saw limb darkening but no sunspots.

May 25th

I woke up early so went out at 04:00 local time (08:00 GMT). Although there was some haze, I could make out the outline of the major constallations and Albeiro was nearly overhead and split nicely. I couldn't find the Wild Duck cluster (M11), which didn't bode well for my intended target, Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3. In fact, disoriented a bit by a lower latitude than I'm accumstomed to from the UK, I went inside to consult my star charts. I found something fuzzy in Pisces, where I knew that there were no bright galaxies or star clusters. After consulting the comet web pages, I was unable to confirm whether I had found the B or C fragment. I was unable to see a tail.

After the frustrating weather in both England and Florida, I had missed the best of the comet but at least I was able to catch a glimpse of it before it disappeared for good.

May 26th

Bin scanned the sun at 18:00 local time (22:00 GMT) but didn't see any sunspots.

I returned out at 21:45 local time (01:45 GMT). I saw Mars and Saturn in the west and Saturn showed its rings. The nearby Beehive showed the main asterism but wasn't revealed in its full glory. Melotte 111 was overhead (strange if you live in England) and I could split Mizar and Alcor. To the east, Jupiter showed all 4 Galilean moons (3 on one side) and I could split Delta Lyrae. It was about as clear as I've seen it from Florida but hardly a classic viewing night.

May 28th

I woke early at 03:00 local time (07:00 GMT). The first time you see Scorpius in its entireity, it's amazing just how big it is, as parts of it never rise from the UK. The conditions were murky near the horizon but I could just about make out the "tail" and "sting" without binoculars, so decided to scan the area with them. I came across a star cluster that looked a bit like the Beehive (M44) and a look at the star atlas revealed it to be M7. I also found the nearby Butterfly (M6). It was the first time I had seen and identified these clusters. Although they are theoretically visible from the UK, at -34 and -32 degrees declination, respectively, they are barely able to clear the horizon. No such difficulties from Florida and a pair of 15x70 binoculars!

I was able to see 2 of Jupiter's moons to the west of the planet and the more familiar Wild Duck cluster (M11), which due to higher elevation, showed more individual stars than from the UK. It was a lot clearer near the zenith but not clear enough to see the Milky Way with the unaided eye. However, as usual in these conditions, I was able to make out the open clusters in Cygnus, M29 and M39, which are difficult to see in good viewing conditions, as there are too many background stars.

Although scores of globular clusters and nebulae were above the horizon, I was simply unable to see any through the murk. I found the Coathanger quite easily and was able to split the familiar Albeiro, Delta Lyrae and Alcor/Mizar in the Plough, although I should call it the Big Dipper, considering where I was viewing it from.

At 05:45 local time (09:45 GMT) I scanned Venus but found the phase change very difficult to detect, due to the small disc.

I bin scanned the sun in nice, clear conditions at 14:00 GMT but didn't see any sunspots.

May 29th

Went out for a bin scan at 21:30 local time (01:30 GMT) at dusk. The moon was high in the west and some craters were visible on the sunlit side. The earthshine on the dark side was bright enough to make out the major "seas". Saturn showed its rings and the nearby Beehive showed its main asterism. Mars was faint and too small to show a disc to binoculars. Jupiter was quite high in  the south east and showed 4 moons, 2 to each side, with one moon on each side being quite close to the planet.

May 30th

Bin scanned the sun at 19:20 local time (23:20 GMT) in clear conditions but didn't see any sunspots.

I tried my new webcam on the moon through my binoculars 2 hours later. I managed to catch the phase but little else apart from a hint of earthshine:



It certainly didn't show Mare Crisium, which was very prominent, nor any of the craters. I tried it out on Saturn but couldn't centre it. Saturn showed rings.

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