Bright occ'n by thin crescent Moon SOON

Joan and David Dunham (dunham@erols.com)
Fri, 30 Jan 1998 12:45:05 -0500

        Good camcorder occultation near sundown TODAY

Below are predictions for many eastern cities for the spectacular 
occultation of the 4.4-mag. red giant star phi Aquarii by the thin 
10% sunlit waxing crescent Moon that will be visible best from the 
northeastern U.S.A. and eastern Canada just after (and in some 
places, just before) sunset today - not very many hours from now 
(sorry for not distributing this sooner).  Also, to save time, I am 
using the NEAR swingby observation distribution list, so I APOLOGIZE 
to those on that list outside of the region of visibility of the phi 
Aquarii event, to a few people on that list who asked to be 
removed from my distribution, and to artificial satellite observers 
who might not be as interested in our natural satellite.  The 
predictions below are limited to those where the Sun will be about 3 
deg. above the horizon or less.  The list including Sun and Moon 
altitudes is too large; it will be placed on the NEAR Web site, 
http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/NEAR/ESB 
by about 2 pm EST today.  That list includes predictions for western 
cities as well, but the daytime event there will be very difficult 
to see.  Also on the Web site will be predictions for over 200 IOTA 
stations across North America, with the times in U.T. rather than 
local time. 

     Anyone with a camcorder of about 12x or greater, clear skies 
(it is supposed to clear up at least in the Mid-Atlantic states), 
and a Sun altitude of less than about -8 deg. (that line will be 
approximately from Rochester, NY to Baltimore, MD to Norfolk, VA) 
should be able to record the occultation disappearance directly, and 
under those conditions it should also be visible to the naked eye 
(if you have good eyesight; binoculars will give a better view).  If 
you have a telescope, point the camcorder into the scope's eyepiece 
and you should be able to record the occultation probably for Sun 
altitudes of about -1 deg. or less (finding the Moon may be a little 
difficult at Sun alt. -1 deg.).  Telescopic observers can also 
record the reappearance, if you can locate the point of emersion.  
If you don't have WWV, tape CNN Headline News before and after the 
event; we will make a master tape for it.  

Location          Disappears  CA    Reappears   CA zone
                  h  m  s      o    h  m  s      o
Akron OH          5:58:00 pm  84N   7:02:48 pm -88N EST
Albany NY         6:04:16 pm  86N   7:05:55 pm -89N EST
Allentown PA      6:03:47 pm  89S   7:06:18 pm -86S EST
Altoona PA        6:01:08 pm  89N   7:04:55 pm -87S EST
AnnArbor MI       5:55:43 pm  78N   7:00:28 pm -83N EST
Asheville NC      5:58:49 pm  80S   7:03:29 pm -74S EST
Ashland KY        5:57:25 pm  89S   7:03:10 pm -84S EST
Atlanta GA        5:57:24 pm  76S   7:01:56 pm -70S EST
AtlanticCity NJ   6:05:25 pm  84S   7:07:11 pm -81S EST
Augusta GA        6:01:05 pm  72S   7:03:07 pm -66S EST
Baltimore MD      6:03:28 pm  86S   7:06:15 pm -82S EST
Baton Rouge LA                      5:55:08 pm -65S CST
Battle Creek MI   5:54:20 pm  76N   6:59:19 pm -82N EST
Bay City MI       5:55:39 pm  74N   6:59:14 pm -79N EST
Beaumont TX                         5:52:22 pm -67S CST
Belleville ON     6:01:02 pm  79N   7:03:00 pm -82N EST
Bethlehem PA      6:03:51 pm  89S   7:06:20 pm -86S EST
Biloxi MS                           5:56:48 pm -62S CST
Binghamton NY     6:02:47 pm  86N   7:05:18 pm -89N EST
Birmingham AL                       6:00:12 pm -71S CST
Bloomington IL                      5:57:22 pm -84N CST
Boston MA         6:06:22 pm  90N   7:07:07 pm -89S EST
BowlingGreen KY   4:53:10 pm  89S   6:00:48 pm -82S CST
Brandon MB                          5:30:33 pm -40N CST
Brantford ON      5:58:51 pm  79N   7:02:11 pm -83N EST
Brattleboro VT    6:05:04 pm  87N   7:06:16 pm -89N EST
Bridgeport CT     6:05:24 pm  88S   7:06:58 pm -86S EST
Brockton MA       6:06:33 pm  90S   7:07:17 pm -88S EST
Buffalo NY        6:00:05 pm  81N   7:03:15 pm -85N EST
Burlington ON     5:59:14 pm  79N   7:02:19 pm -83N EST
Burlington VT     6:03:59 pm  81N   7:04:47 pm -83N EST
Cambridge MA      6:06:19 pm  90N   7:07:05 pm -89S EST
Camden NJ         6:04:29 pm  86S   7:06:42 pm -83S EST
Canton OH         5:58:12 pm  85N   7:03:01 pm -90N EST
Cedar Rapids IA                     5:53:38 pm -77N CST
CentralIslip NY   6:05:38 pm  87S   7:07:09 pm -85S EST
Champaign IL      4:50:53 pm  80N   5:58:15 pm -86N CST
Charleston SC     6:04:30 pm  67S   7:03:39 pm -62S EST
Charleston WV     5:58:36 pm  88S   7:03:51 pm -83S EST
Charlotte NC      6:01:16 pm  77S   7:04:21 pm -72S EST
CharlottetownPE   7:08:48 pm  83N                   AST
Chattanooga TN    5:55:22 pm  81S   7:01:40 pm -75S EST
Chicago IL        4:51:48 pm  75N   5:57:34 pm -81N CST
Cincinnati OH     5:55:10 pm  87N   7:01:41 pm -88S EST
Cleveland OH      5:57:44 pm  83N   7:02:28 pm -87N EST
Columbia MO                         5:54:57 pm -86N CST
Columbia SC       6:01:55 pm  73S   7:03:51 pm -67S EST
Columbus GA       5:57:20 pm  72S   7:00:51 pm -66S EST
Columbus OH       5:56:41 pm  86N   7:02:23 pm -89S EST
Concord NH        6:05:38 pm  87N   7:06:25 pm -88N EST
Dallas TX                           5:50:54 pm -80S CST
Dartmouth NS      7:09:29 pm  88N                   AST
Davenport IA      4:48:34 pm  73N   5:55:05 pm -79N CST
Dayton OH         5:55:26 pm  85N   7:01:38 pm -89S EST
DaytonaBeach FL   6:07:16 pm  54S   6:59:25 pm -48S EST
Decatur IL        4:50:03 pm  80N   5:57:47 pm -86N CST
Des Moines IA                       5:51:48 pm -76N CST
Detroit MI        5:56:23 pm  79N   7:00:57 pm -83N EST
Dubuque IA        4:48:50 pm  70N   5:54:12 pm -76N CST
Duluth MN         4:50:05 pm  55N   5:47:29 pm -61N CST
Durham NC         6:03:06 pm  77S   7:05:27 pm -73S EST
Eau Claire WI     4:49:14 pm  62N   5:50:53 pm -68N CST
Elizabeth NJ      6:04:50 pm  88S   7:06:48 pm -85S EST
Enid OK                             5:49:32 pm -88N CST
Erie PA           5:59:09 pm  82N   7:03:05 pm -86N EST
Evansville IN     4:51:37 pm  87N   5:59:41 pm -87S CST
Fall River MA     6:06:40 pm  88S   7:07:26 pm -87S EST
Fargo ND                            5:41:20 pm -55N CST
Flint MI          5:55:48 pm  76N   6:59:53 pm -81N EST
Fort Wayne IN     5:54:21 pm  80N   7:00:16 pm -86N EST
Fort Worth TX                       5:50:17 pm -80S CST
Fredericton NB    7:07:17 pm  81N                   AST
FtSmith AR                          5:53:41 pm -85S CST
Gadsden AL                          6:00:55 pm -72S CST
Gainesville FL    6:04:25 pm  58S   6:59:32 pm -52S EST
Galveston TX                        5:51:05 pm -66S CST
Gary IN           4:52:03 pm  76N   5:58:03 pm -82N CST
Grand Rapids MI   5:53:56 pm  74N   6:58:23 pm -79N EST
Green Bay WI      4:52:10 pm  67N   5:54:47 pm -72N CST
Greensboro NC     6:02:00 pm  78S   7:05:02 pm -74S EST
Greenville SC     5:59:30 pm  77S   7:03:25 pm -72S EST
Guelph ON         5:58:49 pm  78N   7:01:50 pm -82N EST
Gulfport MS                         5:56:38 pm -62S CST
Halifax NS        7:09:29 pm  88N                   AST
HamiltonBermuda   7:22:43 pm  48S                   AST
Hamilton OH       5:55:03 pm  86N   7:01:32 pm -89S EST
Hamilton ON       5:59:10 pm  79N   7:02:20 pm -83N EST
Harrisburg PA     6:02:40 pm  89S   7:05:47 pm -86S EST
Hartford CT       6:05:29 pm  90S   7:06:52 pm -88S EST
Havana Cuba       6:22:30 pm  19S   6:40:32 pm -12S EST
Holyoke MA        6:05:18 pm  89N   7:06:39 pm -89S EST
Houston TX                          5:50:57 pm -68S CST
Hull PQ           6:02:03 pm  76N   7:02:41 pm -79N EST
Huntington WV     5:57:40 pm  89S   7:03:19 pm -84S EST
Huntsville AL                       6:00:43 pm -75S CST
Indianapolis IN   5:53:12 pm  83N   7:00:09 pm -89N EST
Iowa City IA                        5:53:59 pm -78N CST
Jackson MI        5:55:04 pm  78N   7:00:01 pm -82N EST
Jackson MS                          5:57:08 pm -70S CST
Jacksonville FL   6:04:42 pm  60S   7:00:39 pm -54S EST
Jersey City NJ    6:04:55 pm  88S   7:06:50 pm -85S EST
Johnstown PA      6:00:42 pm  89N   7:04:43 pm -87S EST
Joplin MO                           5:53:17 pm -89N CST
Kalamazoo MI      5:53:56 pm  76N   6:59:00 pm -81N EST
Kansas City KS                      5:52:19 pm -83N CST
Kansas City MO                      5:52:24 pm -83N CST
Kenosha WI        4:51:44 pm  73N   5:56:49 pm -78N CST
Key West FL       6:16:45 pm  31S   6:47:52 pm -24S EST
Kingston ON       6:01:44 pm  79N   7:03:25 pm -82N EST
Kitchener ON      5:58:38 pm  78N   7:01:46 pm -82N EST
Knoxville TN      5:56:50 pm  83S   7:02:42 pm -77S EST
La Salle PQ       6:03:26 pm  78N   7:03:41 pm -80N EST
Lafayette IN      5:52:26 pm  80N   6:59:15 pm -86N EST
Lancaster PA      6:03:18 pm  88S   7:06:09 pm -84S EST
Lansing MI        5:54:58 pm  76N   6:59:28 pm -81N EST
Laval PQ          6:03:20 pm  77N   7:03:31 pm -79N EST
Lawrence MA       6:06:07 pm  88N   7:06:52 pm -90N EST
Lexington KY      5:55:22 pm  90S   7:02:01 pm -84S EST
Lima OH           5:55:23 pm  82N   7:01:14 pm -88N EST
Lincoln NE                          5:48:40 pm -75N CST
Little Rock AR                      5:55:53 pm -81S CST
London ON         5:58:00 pm  79N   7:01:40 pm -83N EST
Lorain OH         5:57:16 pm  82N   7:02:10 pm -87N EST
Louisville KY     5:53:50 pm  88N   7:01:03 pm -86S EST
Lowell MA         6:06:03 pm  88N   7:06:51 pm -90S EST
Macon GA          5:59:10 pm  72S   7:01:52 pm -66S EST
Madison WI        4:50:21 pm  70N   5:54:56 pm -76N CST
Manchester NH     6:05:48 pm  87N   7:06:35 pm -89N EST
Marshall TX                         5:53:27 pm -76S CST
Memphis TN                          5:57:58 pm -80S CST
Meriden CT        6:05:31 pm  89S   7:06:57 pm -87S EST
Miami FL          6:16:26 pm  35S   6:52:03 pm -29S EST
Milwaukee WI      4:51:48 pm  71N   5:56:23 pm -77N CST
Minneapolis MN                      5:48:39 pm -66N CST
Mississauga ON    5:59:22 pm  78N   7:02:15 pm -82N EST
Mobile AL                           5:57:38 pm -62S CST
Moline IL                           5:55:09 pm -79N CST
Moncton NB        7:08:08 pm  82N                   AST
Montgomery AL                       5:59:59 pm -67S CST
Montpelier VT     6:04:28 pm  82N   7:05:15 pm -84N EST
Montreal PQ       6:03:29 pm  78N   7:03:39 pm -80N EST
Muncie IN         5:54:03 pm  83N   7:00:33 pm -88N EST
Nashville TN      4:52:57 pm  87S   6:00:39 pm -80S CST
Natchez MS                          5:55:47 pm -69S CST
New Bedford MA    6:06:52 pm  88S   7:07:32 pm -86S EST
New Britain CT    6:05:27 pm  90S   7:06:53 pm -88S EST
New Haven CT      6:05:32 pm  89S   7:07:00 pm -86S EST
New Orleans LA                      5:55:34 pm -62S CST
New York NY       6:04:58 pm  88S   7:06:51 pm -85S EST
Newark NJ         6:04:49 pm  88S   7:06:47 pm -85S EST
NiagaraFalls NY   5:59:55 pm  80N   7:02:58 pm -84N EST
NiagaraFalls ON   5:59:55 pm  80N   7:02:57 pm -84N EST
Norfolk VA        6:05:24 pm  77S   7:06:42 pm -74S EST
North Bay ON      5:59:22 pm  70N   6:59:32 pm -73N EST
OklahomaCity OK                     5:50:08 pm -89S CST
Omaha NE                            5:49:17 pm -75N CST
Orlando FL        6:07:48 pm  52S   6:58:15 pm -46S EST
Oshawa ON         5:59:55 pm  78N   7:02:23 pm -81N EST
Ottawa ON         6:02:04 pm  76N   7:02:41 pm -79N EST
Paducah KY                          5:59:02 pm -85S CST
Paterson NJ       6:04:44 pm  88S   7:06:42 pm -86S EST
Pensacola FL      4:55:11 pm  68S   5:57:55 pm -60S CST
Peoria IL                           5:56:39 pm -83N CST
Peterborough ON   6:00:18 pm  77N   7:02:19 pm -80N EST
Philadelphia PA   6:04:26 pm  86S   7:06:41 pm -83S EST
Pittsburgh PA     5:59:39 pm  88N   7:04:03 pm -88S EST
Pittsfield MA     6:04:45 pm  87N   7:06:15 pm -90N EST
Port Arthur TX                      5:52:21 pm -67S CST
Portland ME       6:06:17 pm  86N   7:06:34 pm -87N EST
Portsmouth NH     6:06:14 pm  88N   7:06:46 pm -89N EST
Portsmouth VA     6:05:24 pm  77S   7:06:41 pm -74S EST
Providence RI     6:06:24 pm  89S   7:07:17 pm -87S EST
Quebec City PQ    6:04:35 pm  75N   7:03:18 pm -77N EST
Racine WI         4:51:49 pm  72N   5:56:45 pm -78N CST
Raleigh NC        6:03:35 pm  76S   7:05:33 pm -72S EST
Reading PA        6:03:29 pm  88S   7:06:13 pm -85S EST
Richmond VA       6:03:39 pm  81S   7:06:15 pm -77S EST
Roanoke VA        6:01:01 pm  82S   7:05:03 pm -78S EST
Rochester MN                        5:50:41 pm -70N CST
Rochester NY      6:01:04 pm  81N   7:03:45 pm -85N EST
Rockford IL       4:50:23 pm  72N   5:55:56 pm -78N CST
Saginaw MI        5:55:36 pm  74N   6:59:21 pm -79N EST
Saint John NB     7:07:55 pm  84N                   AST
Salina KS                           5:48:50 pm -81N CST
Sarasota FL       6:07:49 pm  48S   6:55:44 pm -42S EST
SaultStMarie ON   5:55:52 pm  65N   6:55:41 pm -69N EST
Savannah GA       6:03:32 pm  66S   7:02:37 pm -60S EST
Schenectady NY    6:04:05 pm  86N   7:05:46 pm -88N EST
Scranton PA       6:03:15 pm  89N   7:05:49 pm -88S EST
Sheboygan WI      5:52:11 pm  69N   6:55:52 pm -75N EST
Sherbrooke PQ     6:04:36 pm  79N   7:04:28 pm -81N EST
Shreveport LA                       5:54:40 pm -74S CST
Sioux City IA                       5:47:33 pm -70N CST
Sioux Falls SD                      5:46:00 pm -67N CST
Somerville MA     6:06:19 pm  89N   7:07:05 pm -89S EST
South Bend IN     5:53:11 pm  77N   6:58:57 pm -83N EST
Spartanburg SC    6:00:02 pm  77S   7:03:42 pm -72S EST
Springfield IL                      5:57:09 pm -86N CST
Springfield MA    6:05:22 pm  89N   7:06:43 pm -89S EST
Springfield MO                      5:54:34 pm -90S CST
Springfield OH    5:55:50 pm  85N   7:01:51 pm -90S EST
StCatharines ON   5:59:44 pm  80N   7:02:48 pm -83N EST
StCloud MN                          5:46:44 pm -63N CST
St John's NF      7:41:17 pm  84N                   NST
St Joseph MO                        5:51:40 pm -81N CST
St Louis MO                         5:57:09 pm -89N CST
St Paul MN                          5:48:52 pm -66N CST
StPetersburg FL   6:06:50 pm  51S   6:56:34 pm -44S EST
Stamford CT       6:05:11 pm  88S   7:06:53 pm -86S EST
Steubenville OH   5:59:04 pm  87N   7:03:44 pm -89S EST
Sudbury ON        5:58:17 pm  68N   6:58:17 pm -72N EST
Superior WI       4:50:03 pm  55N   5:47:35 pm -61N CST
Sydney NS         7:10:02 pm  85N                   AST
Syracuse NY       6:02:15 pm  83N   7:04:35 pm -86N EST
Tallahassee FL    6:00:12 pm  64S   6:59:36 pm -57S EST
Tampa FL          6:06:52 pm  51S   6:56:56 pm -44S EST
TerreHaute IN     5:51:46 pm  83N   6:59:16 pm -89N EST
Texarkana TX                        5:54:01 pm -79S CST
Thunder Bay ON    5:53:18 pm  54N   6:48:14 pm -58N EST
Toledo OH         5:55:58 pm  80N   7:01:04 pm -85N EST
Topeka KS                           5:51:08 pm -82N CST
Toronto ON        5:59:32 pm  78N   7:02:17 pm -82N EST
Trenton NJ        6:04:38 pm  87S   7:06:45 pm -84S EST
TroiRivieres PQ   6:03:55 pm  76N   7:03:15 pm -77N EST
Troy NY           6:04:18 pm  86N   7:05:55 pm -88N EST
Tulsa OK                            5:51:50 pm -89S CST
Urbana IL         4:50:56 pm  80N   5:58:18 pm -86N CST
Utica NY          6:02:58 pm  84N   7:04:59 pm -86N EST
W Palm Beach FL   6:14:10 pm  41S   6:54:45 pm -35S EST
Waco TX                             5:50:09 pm -76S CST
Washington DC     6:03:17 pm  85S   7:06:11 pm -81S EST
Waterbury CT      6:05:19 pm  90S   7:06:50 pm -87S EST
Waterloo IA       4:47:05 pm  68N   5:52:25 pm -75N CST
Wheeling WV       5:59:02 pm  88N   7:03:48 pm -88S EST
White Plains NY   6:05:01 pm  88S   7:06:49 pm -86S EST
Wichita KS                          5:48:41 pm -78N CST
Wilkes Barre PA   6:03:07 pm  89N   7:05:48 pm -88S EST
Wilmington DE     6:04:13 pm  86S   7:06:35 pm -83S EST
Wilmington NC     6:05:42 pm  70S   7:05:19 pm -66S EST
Windsor ON        5:56:24 pm  79N   7:00:58 pm -83N EST
Winnipeg MB       4:50:16 pm  38N   5:35:04 pm -44N CST
WinstonSalem NC   6:01:26 pm  79S   7:04:49 pm -74S EST
Worcester MA      6:05:52 pm  89N   7:06:55 pm -89S EST
Yonkers NY        6:04:57 pm  88S   7:06:49 pm -86S EST
York PA           6:02:57 pm  88S   7:05:59 pm -84S EST
Youngstown OH     5:58:51 pm  85N   7:03:20 pm -89N EST
Zanesville OH     5:57:44 pm  87N   7:03:03 pm -88S EST

David Dunham, IOTA, 1998 January 30, 17h U.T.