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(meteorobs) Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, and Jupiter



On friday morning, I was going to try to spot Uranus and Neptune.  
*I* thought they were about 15o _east_ of Jupiter.  I couldn't find 
them. I wonder why : - )

Well, I got frustrated and laid my glasses down on my shed's floor 
and crack!  I nearly broke my glasses _again_!  I just broke them 2 
months ago.  What saved me was that I wisely chose wire frames this 
time.  So, unlike the plastic frame that broke two months 
ago(ironically, I was observing Mars), the frame bent and I was so 
relieved, but only for a moment.  I spent the next 20 minutes popping 
the lenses back in and re-bending the frames.  And when the frames 
are on my head, they exist at a 20o angle!  Well, I wrote down that I 
might have found Uranus, but wasn't sure.  I then wanted to look at 
Saturn, as Uranus and Neptune eluded me.  I saw it when I came out, 
0930, but it wasn't there at 1000.  I couldn't find it in binoculars, 
either. So, I took a look around as I got mad again as now Saturn was 
lost.  I realized that only Jupiter was visible on the meridian.  I 
looked and saw it the best ever, and saw an intrusion of the NEB.  
The areas N/S of the EB's was dimmer, and was like so:

                                                    ------------------
-------(top of the Jovian disk)
III                                                   
oo
 N                                                 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^(STB)

                                                    
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^(SEB)


                                                                ````` 
   
                                                    
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^(NEB)

                                                    
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^(STB)

                                                    ------------------
------(Bottom of the Jovian disk)

It was like a little ''finger'' (lack of better word).  ~1/4 the size 
of the GRS.  The position of the Galilean satellites....were....were..
....were....were what they were!  I think like this:

                          * O  *  **

I think I lost my observation sheet(!@#$)!.  And I find that Uranus 
and Neptune are _west_ of Jupiter.  Makes me feel so stupid.....I 
thought about running up my planetarium program, but NO!  I thought 
it was a waste of time!  I WASTED MY TIME LOOKING FOR THOSE ELUSIVE 
GASBAGS!  I learned three lessons this morning-don't place your 
glasses on the floor, buy glasses with wire frames, and finally, LOOK 
AT YOUR PLANETARIUM PROGRAM _before_ going outside!!

------------Observed 6/20/1997, 0830-0915 (UD and UT)

The moral of the story is:use common sense......if you have some      
: - )   


Jonathan, at Jupiter Observatory(39.45.00n; 75.33.00w)