[AZ-Observing] Re: Early morning observing

I just got done doing some observing of the full moon with the LXD75. I 
haven't been able to get the telescope out to test it because of the 
really wet monsoon we have been having for the past three weeks or so. 
Things really have greened up good. I took a trip to Cottonwood and Camp 
Verde today and on the way back I couldn't help be in awe at the 
beautiful country because of the rains. Those coming up to the Cherry 
Road star party next Saturday will have a nice weekend (assuming it 
isn't raining again).

The moon through the LXD75 was good. When observing the moon I find a 
wratten 21 (I think this is the number. I bought the filters in 1980 and 
at that time Meade did not have the holders numbered) is the best color 
filter, over yellow or green or red, for observing the moon. It really 
brings out the detail and contrast. Using a cross polarizing filter not 
only reduces atmospheric seeing but it also brings out the contrast 
between the light and dark areas even more when the intensity of the 
transmitted light is reduced to a substantial degree. The longer you 
look the more and more you see. Some of the views can sometimes really 
be mysterious looking. For example, just west of Sinus Asperitatis are 
four almost equally spaced craters that gave the impression tonight of 
city lights on the moon surface shining through hazy cloud cover. My 
guess (it is pretty hard to locate a lot of things on the moon) is that 
three of these are Alfraganus, Kant, and crater A in Cyrillus. The 
fourth one is south of the latter.
Stan

Jeff Hopkins wrote:

>I got up at 3 am this morning to do some photometric observing. Still 
>hot out there. It was 83 in the observatory. I was surprised and 
>delighted at how stable the sky was. It turned out to be an excellent 
>photometric sky.
>
>I'm hoping to repeat it tomorrow morning. The star systemsI'm 
>observing  (epsilon Aurigae and VV Cephei) rise late thus the early 
>morning observing.
>
>I know this is normally a very bad time of year to observe, but 
>anyone willing to bear the heat might find it rewarding.
>
>Jeff
>  
>

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