/*** ykChia Archive of sky diary Jan-feb 2000

Jan29/30/31/Feb01 - Rain..Rain go away!! Wonder who had just bought another new scope...or?Spent the nite 'salvaging' see-able lunar shoots taken by C8 and Watec- at prime focus.

Feb05 - Despite cloudy sky, Iridium#58 created a 2 seconds cloud-piercing ball of yellow light. Predicted mag -6 at my site. No other stars/planets are visible.

Feb 06 - Woke up around 5:am. Scattered clouds in S-SW. With Centauri, Crux outside my window, couldn't resist. Using TV lens/Watec902H at 100mm widest aperture I video taped the unmistakenly circular 'glow' of Omega Centauri, small triangular Jewel Box, Eta-Carina region. By halfpast 5, Scorpion swung into view, standing upright. Imaged 'table of Scorpion'. LM for this system is rated at ~LM8.5 matching my 7x50s view.

Feb7-Feb14 Poor sky....

Feb 15 - Sky looked promising but get clouded over. Manged to try out eye-piece projection with the new color ccd camera on jupiter/saturn. Image is so-so. It is almost second nature to pick up the 'jupiter-like' weather balloon in its usual place after sunset.

Feb 16 - 10:00 -11:15pm (Bino-Stargazing tonite).Looking for color-stars tonite. Found a good orange/red - trio forming a 'triangle' (7x50s FOV7.5 degree) in Puppis. Loose cluster '2541'- Sigma - Pi Puppis. Using 'averted-visions' just barely make out M41's group of stars near Sirius. Meanwhile Carina stands upright in the SE (look to me a richer Orion-like or 'Hunter' with a shield on the left). In the low horizon, the long-axis of the crux appeared. Crux 'mirror image' - Vela's 'False-cross' had its own 'two pointers' on the right. SkyAtlas 2000.0 make star field ID extremely easy.

Feb 17 - woke up to a slight hazy but clear sky. Scorpion standing upright in SSE. Bright venus low in the east.

Feb 18/19- rain... *Starshine decayed!

Feb 20/21 - rain..

Feb23 Missed the Iridium#61 by a minute. Remembered the WRONG time.

Feb24 Early AM sky seems to be pretty clear. However the old gibbous moon is in the way, drowning out faint stars. Good sky after late evening.

Feb27 Hazy sky but improves after mid-night.

Feb28 Hazy morning sky. Prepare my watec for next morning -7 Mag Iridium Flare.

Feb29 05:30am. Woke up early. -7 Mag Iridium#59 flare caught by Watec and TV Zoom lens/video setup - a big white ball of light near the Pointers on 05:45:03. Keeping the tape running, notice another faint satellite some minutes later. Reviewed tape on 29" TV screen after dinner. M7 ,M6 - NGC 6231 resolved into individual stars and even M4 (mag5+) was plainly visible despite clouds presence.