From: David Ryle Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2003 14:18:21 -0500
I have a confirmation sighting of the Scheiner ray from October 5,2003. I am uncertain about the validity of my observation as a bona-fide confirmation. After all, I first reported it. Also the transparency kept me from viewing but for a few minutes. Not really long enough to see the real "meat" of the event. It is included as part of a larger report which I will not bore you with. Here is the pertinent segment;----------------
We managed to see the beginning of the Scheiner sunrise ray at 9:17PM (2:17 UTC), and watched for about 20 minutes before the transparency degraded to an intolerable level. After a while I couldn't make out the thin sliver of a ray due to washed out contrast. Even with the TMB 6mm Monocentric and the TMB APO refractor the contrast was just too low.----------
Observer: Tony Donnangelo Date/time of observation: 2003/10/6 02:20 U.T. Site location: Hummelstown RD 3, PA, USA (40.27° N., 76.75° W.) Site elevation: 362 feet (110 meters) Site classification: Suburban Instrument: 14.5” Starmaster Dob. Magnifications: 203x, 351x Object: Scheiner (crater)
I started my observing session at 00:05 U.T. This was ~3 1/2 hours before the predicted occurrence of the ray. It wasn’t visible that early. I observed this crater occasionally over the evening for the first sign of the ray. It was very clear until 02:50 U.T., when patchy clouds moved in from the west. I had to observe through holes until it became too cloudy, and I quit observing at 04:25 U.T.
One hour four minutes before the predicted time of the ray at 03:20 U.T., I observed a short, very thin shaft of light. It originated north and west of crater C, over a smooth flat area, and extended to the western wall. It appeared to be less than half the diameter of the crater’s interior. Clouds covered the moon within 15 minutes.
The western exterior wall of Scheiner’s was just abutting the diffuse area of the terminator. The remaining exterior area and interior western wall was illuminated. Except for the ray, it’s floor was completely shadowed. There was an illuminated peak, which may have been a part of the western rim of crater C, just south of the ray.
At 03:05 U.T., I was able to make another observation. The ray widened into a pie-shape wedge. I noticed the summit of a ridge running north and south and located south of crater C was now illuminated. I also observed an illuminated area that may have been the southern rim of crater C or a ridge that ran east to west. At 03:25 U.T., the ray was very wide. By 4:25 U.T., enough of the western floor area was illuminated that the ray was no longer recognizable. Its length never changed from my original observation.