Lunar Eclipse

Date: 2010-12-21 UT
Time: 6:59--7:40 UT
Location: Snellville, GA
Observing: Naked eye, binoculars
Telescope: 7x50 binoculars
Magnification: 7x
Object: Moon
Seeing: - (not evaluated)
Atmosphere: Cold 33 F, heavy, broken clouds but somewhat translucent to moon, up to totality.

I went out several times and looked at the moon naked eye and with the binoculars. Here are the tweets.

Tue 2010-12-21 06:59:30 +0000

Well there's a partial eclipse shadow there. It's not quite half way across the disc of the moon. #lunareclipse

The sky was pretty cloudy, mostly covered, say 90% or 95% with broken clouds, but you could still see the moon through them and then it was clear when a gap passed over it.

Tue 2010-12-21 07:23:16 +0000

Partly cloudy 33 deg F. More than halfway. Yellowish orange along southern limb (when between clouds). #lunareclipse

When a gap passed over, the orange-yellow color near the southwestern region (I believe) was brighter and more yellow than orange to my eye.  This was through the binoculars.

Tue 2010-12-21 07:40:33 +0000

Nearly total. Thin white sliver. SW quite bright orange. Mostly cldy but translucent. #lunareclipse

At this stage it was almost like there were three distinct zones, the bright white uneclipsed region, a very gray shadowed region, and the orange and yellow region.  Toward the limb it was still unexpectedly bright.

Of course, as it progressed, the stars became noticeably more visible.  At some point, I think the clouds had decreased quite a bit, maybe it was my second or third observation above, because I distinctly remember being able to see stars, though it was still cloudy.

I went out one more time during totality but never tweeted an entry.  At this time the clouds were very heavy with only occasional cracks.   The moon was so dark by now, of course, that I was unable to find it or see it. I waited for a crack in the clouds to pass by where I thought it was but still couldn't see it.

These notes were entered on Tue 2010-12-21 17:21:18 +0000

Satellite Flyby?

Date: 2010-01-01
Time: 23:34:40 UT
Location: Snellville, GA
Observing: Naked eye
Object: Possible satellite
Seeing: 3 (but very unsure).
Atmosphere:  Very clear and very cold.

While watching the stars come out a satellite passed left to right just under Per and above Aur.  On the sky it was actually travelling nearly due south.    I saw it fade into view.  It was moving nearly parallel to the horizon, i.e., at a constant altitude.

Here's the tweet.

Satellit passing left to right through Per. Est about mag 3. 2010-01-01 23:34:40 +0000

(I mistyped Satellite).

Consulting star charts and the nearby stars, it seems it was more like mag=4.

Also, a few minutes before this I saw a brief flash in the same area. This was a quick moving flash, that was at least as bright as mag=1 and probably more like zero or brighter. It probably lasted a little less than a second and was moving. It probably moved, I'd guess, maybe a degree or two during that time. But that's a very rough estimate. It was difficult to see since it was among bare, winter tree limbs. I assumed it was a meteor or a satellite flare. It was actually in the same vicinity as the other sighting, between Per and Aur.

Notes entered 2010-01-02 17:06 UT.