[AZ-Observing] Re: Antennas on Saturday night
- From: Tim Jones <tjmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:12:33 -0700
Hi Wayne,
Actually, I think it was the ephemeris data that I had. 90mm and 5.9 Mag
should have been quite compatible. However, based on the models at
Astronomy.com, Vesta should have been further East compared to what I was
seeing (Algieba and LM 40 were centered in the eyepiece), so that combined with
the fact that other objects were coming up dead center is why I suspect the
ephemeris data.
You "should" be able to spot it as it's at Mag 6 or so. a couple of views at 2
hour intervals should show enough relative motion to identify Vesta.
Here's what is reported for tonight at 20:30 and 21:00 according to
Astronomy.com's Stardome Plus:
Time Right Asc Declination Azimuth Altitude
Magn.
20:30 Vesta 10h20m20s 19°30'37" 88°05'01" 34°20'33" 5.9
21:00 Vesta 10h20m21s 19°30'27" 84°11'26" 28°04'40" 5.9
And, these are almost 1' 30" in both RA and Dec different than the same times
as provided by JPL's ephemeris generator. Granted, I'm using a generic
"Phoenix, Az" instead of a more precise Lat/Long, but 1' 30" for the same
location??? Does anyone else have tonight's info to compare? We suspect that
this is a difference caused by J2000 versus JNow values. Anyone else?
Tim
On Feb 15, 2010, at 1:57 PM, Wayne Westlake wrote:
> Tim,
>
> Was your trouble finding Vesta due to the size of your scope or the dimness
> of the object?
>
> I'm attempting to locate it in my backyard in S Phx with my 10" Dob. I need
> to monitor that patch of sky either a few nights in a row and/or a few hours
> each time to find out what's moving. But I'm not sure if it's futile with
> the light pollution. I'm nearly up against the mtn so my view SSE, S and SSW
> are relatively light pollution free - well, better than looking due N right
> into Phx.
>
> Wayne
>
> On Sun, Feb 14, 2010 at 1:33 PM, Tim Jones <tjmac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> A truly outstanding evening for all. Bob and I enjoyed getting to the
>> eyepieces for the first time since October and our wives breathed a sigh of
>> relief to be rid of us for the night :-) .
>>
>> As Steve mentioned, the wind refused to die after sunset, so the apparent
>> temp was far lower than the 54º that it actually hit around 2AM, but the
>> views were spectacular.
>>
>> And, even though I was christening my new CG-5 mount, the skies gave us some
>> amazing views.
>>
>> My only disappointment was an inability to draw Vesta out of the surrounding
>> stars. Maybe later in the week...
>>
>> Tim
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