PM Sat. January 28th - AM Sunday January 29th, 2012 - RR Leonis Observations

  Indianapolis was between two "clipper systems" on Saturday evening, January 28th. Skies were clear at sunset and dusk. I've been meaning to try making visual brightness estimates for large amplitude RR Lyrae stars for the past couple of months, and a link from the AAVSO web site predicted a peak for the RRab-type star RR Leonis at 11:30 PM local time.

  RR Lyrae variables are characterized by rapid cycles of brightening and dimming. Most of them go through a cycle in about half a day and have a range of about one magnitude. RR Leonis is easy to find since it's only a couple of degrees west of the fairly bright star Zeta Leonis in the "Sickle of Leo." This star has a period of 0.4523999 days (10 hours, 51 minutes, and 27.35 seconds) and ranges between 9.9 - 11.3 V magnitude. It should have shown a quick rise from a fairly faint star in my 10" telescope to an easy to see star in about 90 minutes. Visual estimates of this type of variable are often frowned upon by professional astronomers. They prefer CCD imaging, which is much more accurate. However, I'd also recently read through email lists that a lot of these stars go for months with no CCD brightness measurements and that visual observers like me can fill in some "gaps" with the data for RR Lyr stars. This caught my interest and this was my first chance to see if I could contribute any useful data to the AAVSO. 

  Conditions outside tonight weren't terrible for late January but they weren't too comfortable either! It was very clear at the start of my session but more and more high clouds started to drift in from the north as the night went on. The Waxing Crescent Moon was low in the west and set around 11:35 PM so there wasn't much moonlight interference. Temperatures were at the freezing point or just below it, but there was a steady breeze from the southwest. This added a wind chill that felt about ten degrees colder than the air temperature! There were thin patches of snow here and there on the grass in the back yard. I was bundled up as much as possible and I also had hand-warmers tucked into my gloves, but I had to take breaks every now and then to go back in the house and warm up. I also had to drag out the patio table umbrella tonight and leave it half open to block light from our neighbors' porch lamp to my south, which seems to burn all night and day!

  I had the 10" f/4 telescope set up on the back patio by 9:45 PM and started observing RR Leonis just after 10:00 PM. At first I thought that it wasn't going to get as bright as I thought from the amplitude that had been listed for it. Between 10:00 PM and just before midnight I only noticed it getting about 0.3 magnitude brighter. I also wondered if I'd mis-read the prediction table. 11:30 PM was the rough time that RR Leonis was supposed to reach its brightest point, but that time came and went with very little change observed. 

  I took a break inside the house for half an hour, and when I went back out to look at RR Leonis through the telescope I had a jaw-dropping surprise. Sometime during that half hour between almost midnight and 12:26 AM, the star had surged in brightness. I was now seeing it clearly brighter than the nearby 10.4 magnitude comparison star on the chart, and for the two hours before midnight it had always been noticeably dimmer than this star. I checked and double-checked, but there was no doubt in my mind about this. The prediction on the web site link must have been off by an hour. 

  I'd wanted to keep watching RR Leonis for a couple of hours as it got dimmer, so I could pin-point a time of peak brightness, but cirrus clouds were starting to cover the area and thick clouds soon moved in all over the sky. Soon after 12:30 AM I had to give up and haul the telescope back inside. 

  Sunday afternoon, I reported the 12 estimates made for RR Leonis to the AAVSO website. I also graphed them out to see if they made any sense. Even though this session was cut short by clouds, I found out that visual brightness estimates for some RRab stars are not only possible, but they might also prove valuable to refine predictions for peak brightness times. 

  TABLE OF ESTIMATES MADE TONIGHT:
 
  RR LEONIS / 000-BBR-195 / 1002+24
  Type: RRAB / Spectral Type: A7 - F5 / Range: 9.9 - 11.3 V magnitude / Period: 0.4523999 days
(10 hrs 51 minutes 27.35 seconds)
  Chart Used = 6340SO (D scale) (Generated from AAVSO Web Site VSP on January 28th, 2012)
  Instrument / Power Used = 10” f/4 (102X)
  Instrument Limit = 13.0+ magnitude (until clouds moved in by 12:30 AM)
  Eye Limit = 4.6 magnitude (until clouds moved in by 12:30 AM)
  Reported to AAVSO = PM Sunday, January 29th, 2012
 
Time     Time/Date (UT)    Julian Day/Time    Mag.    Comp Stars/Notes    Elevation
10:09 PM    3:09 Jan. 29    245 5955.6313    10.9    Between 10.4 and 11.2 but slightly
closer to 11.2 in brightness.    35 E

10:16 PM    3:16 Jan. 29    245 5955.6361    10.8    Halfway between 10.4 and 11.2    35 E

10:25 PM    3:25 Jan. 29    245 5955.6424    10.8    Halfway between 10.4 and 11.2    40 E

10:34 PM    3:34 Jan. 29    245 5955.6486    10.7    Between 10.4 and 11.2 but slightly closer to 10.4 in brightness.    40 E

10:41 PM    3:41 Jan. 29    245 5955.6535    10.7    Between 10.4 and 11.2 but slightly closer to 10.4 in brightness.    40 E

10:54 PM    3:54 Jan. 29    245 5955.6625    10.7    Between 10.4 and 11.2 but slightly closer to 10.4 in brightness.    45 E

11:06 PM    4:06 Jan. 29    245 5955.6708    10.7    Between 10.4 and 11.2 but slightly closer to 10.4 in brightness.    45 E

11:18 PM    4:18 Jan. 29    245 5955.6792    10.6    Slightly but definitely dimmer than 10.4 and much brighter than 11.2    50 E

11:44 PM    4:44 Jan. 29    245 5955.6972    10.6    Slightly but definitely dimmer than 10.4 and much brighter than 11.2    55 ESE

11:54 PM    4:54 Jan. 29    245 5955.7042    10.6    Slightly but definitely dimmer than 10.4 and much brighter than 11.2    55 ESE

12:23 AM    5:23 Jan. 29    245 5955.7243    10.1    Between 9.9 and 10.4 but slightly closer to 9.9 in brightness.    60 ESE

12:35 AM    5:35 Jan. 29    245 5955.7326    10.0    Barely dimmer than 9.9 (almost equal) and much brighter than 10.4. Used Code “U” and wrote “Cirrus Clouds” when I reported this.    60 ESE

Christmas Eve - Bright, Slow Meteor

  When Adrian and I were driving west on US 30 between Hamlet, Indiana and Fort Wayne, Indiana, we spotted a bright and extremely slow meteor from our moving truck. The meteor slowly drifted from roughly 40 degrees high until close to the horizon in the Eastern sky around 10:55 PM EST (3:55 UT December 25th). It was at least as bright as nearby Regulus, or roughly +1.0 magnitude, and it passed just south of the Sickle of Leo probably from Cancer through the “Head of Hydrus.” What was most interesting about this meteor to me was its slow descent. I saw it falling and pointed it out to Adrian, and she was also able to look at it. It must have taken three seconds or more to glide down through the sky and disappear. I wish I had a better idea of our location when I saw the meteor. I know only that it was near Warsaw, Indiana. Adrian and I talked about it for a while, trying to decide whether it was a slow meteor or a possible artificial satellite re-entry. I told her that it seemed too fast for a satellite re-entry. Adrian commented at the time that it seemed bright enough for the meteor to have survived and struck something, though neither of us had hard evidence that this happened.

  We have seen other bright meteors during this same Christmastime trip under clear skies. Again, this seemed most notable for how long-lasting the meteor was. I’ve seen brighter meteors but rarely have I seen meteors with this kind of longevity before disappearing.

The Thanksgiving Evening Fog Battle - I Lost!

  Thanksgiving day was unseasonably mild. We started off with cloudy skies and light fog in the air but by afternoon skies started to clear and Indianapolis had its first sunshine in six days. It was still clear at sunset but there was a mist in the air. Persistent cloud cover all these days hadn't given the ground a chance to dry out from heavy rain earlier in the week, and as skies cleared and temperatures dropped, light fog started to form. Still, since this was the first clear night in a long time, I decided to try to get out and observe. It turned out to be a battle with fog, and fog won. 

  My target tonight was the Eclipsing Binary star SS Ceti. I get on "EB (eclipsing binary) kicks" every now and then. These are double stars in close orbits with one another, and the plane of the orbit lies in our line of sight, which means that from Earth one star often passes in front of or behind the other star. These stars lie too close together to be seen as two separate stars in a telescope. However, what we can see is that the brighter star drops in brightness and then brightens back up again, usually in a matter of hours, as the dimmer star eclipses or passes in front of it. SS Ceti does a five hour dimming-and-brightening every three days (2.973976 days to be exact) and it was predicted to eclipse at 12:30 AM Friday morning our time. The star was expected to start getting dim around 10:00 PM Thursday night. 

  I almost called off observing to begin with because of the light fog in the air, but skies were clear so I hauled out the telescope and started observing. Even though it was very starry above my head, the horizons seemed to be lit up by the low-lying fog. The temperature was about 40 degrees F and the humidity was something like 90%. I guess I knew this would be a losing battle, but I was hoping there was enough of a steady light breeze to keep the telescope's corrector lens and my eyepieces from fogging up too much. 

  It was going well at first. I saw SS Ceti drop from 10.6 magnitude at 10:34 PM to 10.9 magnitude by 11:08 PM. It took a big drop from there to 11.2 magnitude by 11:06 PM. I jotted down my estimates and times, but dew was already forming all over the dew cap and tube. The finder scope was also fogging up. The mist suspended in the air was starting to make my clear sky with all of those blazing winter stars start to look murky, and I had the sinking feeling that I wasn't going to be able to do much more observing. By 11:45 PM. SS Ceti was getting hard to see because it was so faint, but even the easy-to-see stars around it were starting to look dim. I looked into the front of the telescope and it was clear that the big lens was starting to fog up. I had to give up on watching the rest of the SS Ceti eclipse.

  I wanted to make one useful observation tonight, so I went back inside and grabbed my chart for UX Orionis, since this star has been very active all month. However, by the time I was back outside the optics on the telescope had reached the saturation point. The front lens was totally fogged over and nothing could be seen through the scope at all. I had to admit defeat and call it a night without making one useful variable star estimate worth reporting to the AAVSO. I couldn't even really report the estimates I made of SS Ceti as it fell in brightness, because what's really valuable about an eclipsing binary star is an estimated time of minimum brightness, and I couldn't get that without catching it on the recovery after 12:30 AM. 

  You can't win 'em all. I can observe under a lot of bad conditions, but 90% humidity isn't one of them. All I could do was hope for better conditions the next night. There will be other chances to observe SS Ceti or some other EB star, and YSO stars like UX Orionis.

AM August 26th - V594 Cassiopeiae dimming event!

  Last night I had some of the clearest skies all summer and made 14 variable star estimates. One star I've been watching since last summer is V594 Cassiopeiae. It's a YSO (Young Stellar Object) just off to the side of a nice little star cluster called NGC 225 in Cassiopeia. All the time I've set the telescope on it, it hasn't done much. I've seen it as bright as 10.3 magnitude and as dim as 10.5 magnitude, so I couldn't call it an exciting target. Well, last night I finally saw a dimming event down to 10.8 magnitude. It isn't much, but it's the most activity I've seen. YSO stars are my favorite because they are unpredictable and under-observed. They're thought to be still condensing out of nebulae and surrounded by gas and dust. So last night what probably happened was a thick part of the gas and dust shell orbited into a spot between Earth and the star, and caused the dimming.

PM Sat. July 16 - Satellite Observing

  I've had a few good observing nights in June and so far in July, and made about 20 more variable star estimates. I haven't posted these to the site yet but may soon. 

  Yesterday evening (Saturday July 16) was clear at sunset but by the end of dusk clouds were starting to move in from the northwest. The clouds and the fact that there would be bright moonlight all night (the Moon was rising and 2 nights since Full Moon) made it not worth setting up the telescope, but I decided to get out the 7X35 binoculars, grab a patio chair, and watch for artificial satellites passing overhead. When I'd spot one by eye I'd follow it through the binoculars, jot down the time and position, and look up which satellite I saw online later when I was back inside. There was a flurry of activity between 10:55 PM - 11:10 PM where I saw 5 satellites, and I think I've identified them all this morning. Here's a summary:

  10:55 PM - Cosmos 2228 (#22286) (1992 - 094A) I spotted this one as a 3.0 magnitude steady object as it passed through the constellation Hercules into Draco, nearly overhead and heading north. The websites I researched gave it an orbit of 602 x 635 kilometers, inclination 82.5 degrees, and an orbital period of 97.07 minutes. It was launched December 26, 1992 by the Russians. 

  10:59 PM - Cosmos 1980 Rocket (#19650) (1988-102B) This was also steady in brightness, about 3.5 magnitude or brighter. I saw it pass through the constellation Lyra heading south to north. It has an orbit of 829 x 852 kilometers, inclination of 71.0 degrees, and a period of about 101.7 minutes. This was launched on November 24, 1988 by the Russians. Whenever I look at spent rockets in orbit I try to see if the magnitude brightens and dims to see if the rocket is tumbling in space, but this one either isn't tumbling or I was seeing it at the wrong angle.

  10:59 PM - Iridium 46 (#24905) (1997-043C) This was passing through Lyra at the same time as the Cosmos 1980 Rocket just mentioned, but it was going the opposite direction; from north to south. It was fainter at a steady 5.5 - 6.0 magnitude and faster, which showed it was in a lower orbit than the brighter satellite. It has an orbit of 776 x 779.4 kilometers, inclination of 86.4 degrees, and a period of about 100.4 minutes. It was launched August 21, 1997 by the USA. These satellites have super-reflective panels on them and are known to catch sunlight and flare up in brightness as seen from the ground below, but this one wasn't at the right angle to show a flare.

  11:06 PM - Thor Agena Rocket (#733) (1964-002A). This was bright and steady at about 2.5 - 3.0 magnitude. I saw it passing nearly overhead from Hercules to Draco heading north. It has an orbit of 762 x 812 kilometers, inclination 99.0 degrees, and a period of about 100.6 minutes. This is a super old rocket body from a launch on January 19, 1964, and it's still in orbit! It's a spent Agena rocket launched by the USA. Apparently it either isn't tumbling in orbit or I was seeing it at the wrong angle. After so many years since launch, if it had rotation in the past it probably stabilized a long time ago. 

  11:09 PM - I spotted a flash of light about 3.0 magnitude near Corona Borealis, high in the Northwest. When I trained the binoculars to that spot, I saw a faint object about 6.0 magnitude speeding off to the north, and while I was looking at it there was another brief flash where it brightened again to 3.0 magnitude. It faded again and disappeared into the trees to my north. I spent a lot of time using Calsky.com to try to find out what this one was, and the best match I have is this - USA 3 / Farrah 5 / KH 9-19 Elint (it seems to have at least 3 names) (#15071) (1984-065C). This is an aging US military satellite launched June 26, 1984. The orbit is 619 x 639 kilometers, inclination 95.9 degrees, period of about 97 minutes. I'm pretty sure this is a match and it's obviously tumbling. I'm going to find other pass predictions for this and try to get another look at it to know for sure if this ID is correct. I found out that this is a regular target for the Belgian Working Group of amateurs; known internationally for observing rotating satellites and rockets to determine how the rate of rotation changes over time. This was another reason I was pretty sure my ID was right.

  That was all the observing done tonight. Altocumulus bands moved in overhead and the moonlight was also an issue. It was also getting hazier as the night went on. Indianapolis is part of the newest big heat wave that's supposed to move in for the next week.

PM Sun. June 5th - AM Mon. June 6th Observing Notes 2

  (Catch-Up Notes) - After doing some lunar observing and taking photos through the eyepiece I left the telescope outside, and the dew caught up to it. By the time I went out to try to do some variable star work the big corrector lens in the front of the tube was fogged over. I had no choice but to take it inside and let it un-fog for a few hours. I didn't get it back outside until after midnight. It was still mostly clear but a little hazy. At zenith I could only see stars down to 4.3 magnitude and the limit through the telescope was 13.2 magnitude at best. I was outside between 1:35 AM - 2:40 AM and was able to make 5 variable star estimates before calling it a night. All of the stars I observed were YSO types. A couple of Bullfrogs were crooning away at a pond a few blocks away from us. Here are the estimates made tonight:

  1:52 AM (5:52 UT June 6) - VSX J182726.0-043447 was 11.5 magnitude. This is the star I call "Skiff's Star" for short, in the constellation Scutum. It seemed to be just barely dimmer than the 11.4 star nearby but much brighter than the nearby 12.0 star. I think this YSO dimmed just a little since I looked at it 2 nights before but this is iffy!

  2:04 AM (6:04 UT June 6) - WW Vulpeculae was 10.5 magnitude. It looks like this YSO brightened just a little since last week. I still haven't caught it taking a rapid plunge-and-recovery in brightness in two years of observing it; something it's known to do rarely. 

  2:16 AM (6:16 UT June 6) - SV Cephei was 10.6 magnitude. This is my first look at this YSO since observing it regularly last summer. Like the others, I still haven't caught a big dimming episode yet. 

  2:26 AM (6:26 UT June 6) - BO Cephei was 11.7 magnitude. This was another star I observed regularly all last summer. Mike Poxon suggested it to me then, but this YSO hasn't seemed to vary much yet. I did catch it dimmed to 12.0 magnitude early last September. 

   2:37 AM (6:37 UT June 6) - YZ Cephei was 11.5 magnitude. I observed this YSO regularly last summer also, and it shows a lot of small, quick changes in brightness. This was my first look at it this year.

PM Sun. June 5th - AM Mon. June 6th, 2011 Observing Notes 1

  (Catch-Up Notes) This night started out clear with a little haze. The temperature was in the high 70's F at the start of the night and calm winds were letting the humidity build up. The Moon was a thin Waxing Crescent about 4.2 days past New Moon. I did some lunar observing through the eyepiece and then tried to take some photos of it in my usual primitive way; holding my little Nikon Coolpix digital camera up to the eyepiece and hoping that some of the shots I took caught the image in focus while the air was steady.

  This photo probably turned out the best. It was taken at 10:03PM June 5 (2:03 UT June 6). The sunrise line on the Moon was at about 34.03 degrees E. North is down and south is up. The most obvious of the lunar "seas" are Mare Fecunditatis top and near the center, and the smaller, oval-looking Mare Crisium closer to the limb and a little below the center. The small craters in Mare Crisium still looked like dark spots because their floors were in shadow. The pair of big craters near the bottom of the picture are Atlas to the left and Hercules to the right. Near the top of the crescent the lunar highlands are really showy with all the craters and plateaus casting shadows on each other.