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Lowell Sighting Details

Subject: [tt-watch] My outing at Lowell Observatory
Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 03:06:45 -0000

The operator described the object as diffuse and of approximate magnitude 11. The coordinates (in degree/minute/second format), with a margin of error according to the operator of +/- 20 seconds (about .006 degrees) RA and +/- 10 seconds (about .003 degrees) Dec were:

RA 05 09 09
Dec +16 31 49

In degree format the coordinates are:

RA 5.1525
Dec +16.5303

If you consider the margin of error offered by the operator, the RA is right on with the coords predicted by ZetaTalk and the Dec is off by about .024 degrees, best case scenario. If we further take into account the potential Variance from the predicted coordinates of .2 RA degrees and .45 Dec degrees, then we are easily within the predicted range. I couldn't discern any color. The thing was hard enough just to see. I asked the telescope operator if he thought it looked reddish and he said he didn't think we'd be able to see any color. I don't know if he meant that the lack of color was a limitation of the McAllister scope or of the faint, diffuse object itself.