Hodgson Observatory

On February 21 the Sioux Empire Astronomy Club (SEAC) gathering will be held at Hodgson Observatory in rural Beresford, SD, weather permitting. Plan to arrive between 6 and 8 p.m. Dress warmly! In the event we are clouded out we are reserving February 28 as the make-up date. Mark your calendars. (The March New Moon Gathering will also be held here on March 28.)

Very low sunspot activity continued through January this year. No sunspots were seen on Jan. 1, 4, 6, 21, 22, 28, or 31. The only positive observation was on Jan. 10 when a fine but small sunspot group with four principal spots was seen, the first sunspot group seen at Hodgson Observatory since 2008 Jan. 31.

A majority of observations at our Main and Wide-Sky Observatories are informal and educational, and not formally recorded or published. These include most New Moon gatherings, and the South Dakota Star Party. The more formal sessions are carefully logged and documented with field notes as Scientific Observations.In 2009 there were 53 scientific observations distributed as follows:Main Observatory, 11 (20.8% of total)Wide-Sky Observatory, 38 (71.7%, of which 30 were solar, 1 lunar daytime, 7 nocturnal)Elsewhere on Hodgson Observatory grounds, 4 (7.5%, binocular / naked eye events)The most exciting observation of the year was the unexpected sight of “the umbral ring shadow, jet black, narrow, but striking, on the ball of the planet” [Saturn] as the 2008 May 6 log records.Let’s hope 2009 provides even more exciting observations!