Clear Skies

Here are the things that truly make an obsessed astronomer happy...weather maps. Weather maps with good news. Weather maps with good news on a weekend, and under a waning gibbous third-quarter moon!

Here is the Clear Sky Clock for my observatory.



You can find out all about CSS here.

Then there is the clear dry surface map. I can't remember the last time the weather over Michigan looked this promising.


And then there is the satellite image. I've practically wet myself now...


Last night was productive. I logged over 100 variable star estimates, mostly monitoring cataclysmic variables for outbursts. I caught several. Here is what a nightly report of visual observations looks like.

Date:August 14 , 2009
Observer: Mike Simonsen (SXN)
C. E. Scovil Observatory
Imlay City, MI, USA
Equipment: 12" LX200 SCT
Charts: AAVSO, Henden, Simonsen
Conditions: Clear, slight haze at times.

Con/Name yymmdd Vmag obs code comments

ANDAR 090814.3028 <14.2 SXN
ANDDX 090814.2958 15.0 SXN
ANDFN 090814.3007 <14.6 SXN
ANDFO 090814.3014 <14.8 SXN
ANDIW 090814.3056 14.1 SXN OUTBURST
ANDLL 090814.2986 <14.6 SXN
ANDLS 090814.2993 <14.8 SXN
ANDRX 090814.3042 13.2 SXN
ANDZ 090814.2972 10.2 SXN
AQLCI 090814.1708 <14.4 SXN
AQLDH 090814.1653 <14.3 SXN
AQLES 090814.1722 12.0 SXN
AQLFO 090814.1715 <14.6 SXN
AQLKX 090814.1792 <15.0 SXN
AQLPQ 090814.1778 <14.8 SXN
AQLUU 090814.1674 13.6 SXN ACTIVE
AQLV1141 090814.1743 <15.0 SXN
AQLV725 090814.1764 <14.8 SXN
AQRVY 090814.266 <14.5 SXN
AQRVZ 090814.2674 <15.0 SXN
CETWW 090814.2792 13.2 SXN OUTBURST
CYGCI 090814.2181 10.4 SXN BRIGHT
CYGEM 090814.2097 12.8 SXN ACTIVE
CYGEY 090814.2139 14.6 SXN
CYGSS 090814.2472 10.6 SXN
CYGV1006 090814.2222 <15.0 SXN
CYGV1028 090814.2278 <14.6 SXN
CYGV1062 090814.2382 <14.7 SXN
CYGV1062 090814.2396 <14.8 SXN
CYGV1081 090814.2396 <14.8 SXN
CYGV1089 090814.25 <14.8 SXN
CYGV1113 090814.2257 <15.1 SXN
CYGV1114 090814.2056 <14.5 SXN
CYGV1251 090814.2486 <14.6 SXN
CYGV1316 090814.234 <14.8 SXN
CYGV1329 090814.2375 13.3 SXN
CYGV1363 090814.2306 <14.9 SXN
CYGV1454 090814.216 <14.6 SXN
CYGV1504 090814.225 <14.9 SXN
CYGV1505 090814.2049 <14.8 SXN
CYGV2176 090814.2264 <14.8 SXN
CYGV337 090814.2229 <14.8 SXN
CYGV404 090814.2313 <15.2 SXN
CYGV482 090814.2153 11.2 SXN
CYGV503 090814.2354 <14.9 SXN
CYGV516 090814.2326 <14.9 SXN
CYGV542 090814.2292 <15.1 SXN
CYGV550 090814.2299 <15.0 SXN
CYGV630 090814.2458 <14.9 SXN
CYGV632 090814.2438 <14.6 SXN
CYGV792 090814.2125 14.7 SXN OUTBURST
CYGV793 090814.2132 <14.8 SXN
CYGV795 090814.2111 <14.5 SXN
CYGV811 090814.2215 <15.0 SXN
CYGV868 090814.2069 <14.6 SXN
DELEZ 090814.1965 <14.9 SXN
DELHO 090814.1979 <14.9 SXN
DRAAB 090814.1618 12.9 SXN ACTIVE
DRADV 090814.1535 <15.0 SXN
DRAEX 090814.1583 <14.8 SXN
HERAH 090814.125 12.5 SXN ACTIVE
HERAM 090814.1549 13.3 SXN
HERCH 090814.1299 <15.0 SXN
HERPR 090814.1382 <14.9 SXN
HERV1008 090814.1368 <14.9 SXN
HERV589 090814.1222 <14.4 SXN
HERV592 090814.1229 <14.9 SXN
HERV844 090814.1264 <15.0 SXN
HS1857+71 090814.1604 <14.8 SXN
LACAY 090814.2556 <15.0 SXN
LACBL 090814.2514 <14.6 SXN
LACKM 090814.2542 <14.7 SXN
LACPS 090814.2528 <14.6 SXN
LYRAY 090814.1417 <14.9 SXN
LYRCY 090814.1313 13.2 SXN ACTIVE
LYRDM 090814.1354 <15.0 SXN
LYRLL 090814.1403 13.7 SXN ACTIVE
LYRMV 090814.1465 13.6 SXN
LYRV344 090814.1431 15.1 SXN OUTBURST
LYRV391 090814.1389 <14.9 SXN
LYRV415 090814.1486 <14.6 SXN
LYRV419 090814.15 <14.9 SXN
LYRV493 090814.1444 <15.1 SXN
LYRV585 090814.1521 <15.1 SXN
LYRV587 090814.1514 <14.8 SXN
NSV14652 090814.2757 <14.5 SXN
NSV24663 090814.1813 <14.6 SXN
NSV7883 090814.1243 12.2 SXN
PEGEF 090814.2701 <14.7 SXN
PEGHX 090814.2764 13.7 SXN ACTIVE
PEGIP 090814.2743 <14.4 SXN
PEGRU 090814.2729 12.7 SXN
PEGV368 090814.2736 <14.9 SXN
PEGVAR79 090814.2715 <14.7 SXN
PERDY 090814.3139 13.0 SXN
PERKT 090814.309 <14.5 SXN
PERPT 090814.3153 <14.5 SXN
PERQY 090814.3167 <14.7 SXN
PERTZ 090814.3125 13.1 SXN OUTBURST
PERUV 090814.3111 <14.9 SXN
PSCEI 090814.2806 <14.6 SXN
PSCTY 090814.284 <15.1 SXN
PSCXY 090814.2826 <14.4 SXN
SGEAW 090814.1854 <14.7 SXN
SGEFG 090814.1896 <14.7 SXN
SGERZ 090814.1868 <14.8 SXN
SGESV 090814.1819 10.4 SXN
SGEV 090814.191 11.3 SXN
SGEWZ 090814.1889 <14.5 SXN
TRITU 090814.2875 <14.9 SXN
TRITW 090814.2778 <14.3 SXN
TRITX 090814.2889 <14.8 SXN
TRIWY 090814.2903 <14.8 SXN
VULFY 090814.1924 14.2 SXN ACTIVE
VULRZ 090814.1938 12.4 SXN
VULSW 090814.1951 <14.9 SXN
VULTY 090814.1993 <15.0 SXN
VULVW 090814.2021 <14.8 SXN

Tonight we should be able to get all those plus many in Triangulum, Perseus and Andromeda that were too close to the moon last night. Time to get some rest. Its gonna be a long one.