The clear sky gods were not around much this past month, though now that the moon is waxing they seem more abundant. I have had a disappointing spring session, though I've tried to make the most of the few decent nights we did experience. Most disappointing has been my initial season observing all of the NGC objects in Leo, along with a healthy selection of double stars and such. And once Leo was too far west, I had hoped to get a good start on Bootes. Oh well, at least the planning is done and next year I should be able to start right back in again with Leo. There is still a chance that I can score a few more galaxy hits there near the end of this month.
Here are the details. All 16 new NGC objects logged this past month were galaxies. 15 of them were in Leo, and 1 was in Bootes. A few were large and spectacular, some were reasonably bright and interesting, and several were so faint they could barely be seen with averted vision. As it was last month, the highlight was the Leo Triplet, consisting of M 65, M 66, and eg 3628. Last month I was able to sketch and log M 65, so this month M 66 and eg 3628 seem new, even though they have been observed many times before. Until the sketch and notes of an object are entered into my observing logbook, I do not consider it as seen. Two other galaxies within easy star hop of the triplet also provided highlights for the month. Eg 3593 is large and bright, and lies within a notable star pattern, making it easy to find again once it has been located for the first time. Eg 3596 is a bit north and considerably fainter, though also large. The galaxy has become a marker for me for good seeing. If this round object can be easily seen, then the hunt for much fainter galaxies is on.
Another trio of galaxies provided me with a few nights of thrills. This group marks my third triplet in Leo, even though I have barely begun my explorations there. Egs 3607 and 3608 are a stunning and close pair, very bright and quite large in a 12". Visually they are mag. 9.9 and 10.7, respectively. 3607 is considerably brighter, and has a bright inner core. Its nearly circular shape is offset by a slightly oval 3608, an object that is also considerably smaller. The third member is the smallest and faintest, but is fair game for an 8" mirror or higher. Eg 3605 is just south preceding 3607, perhaps a bit more oval than 3608, though similar in shape. An interesting group of faint stars is just south following eg 3607, including a close, faint double star.
eg 3605 is the smallest of these three galaxies in Leo.
eg 3607 is largest and brightest. eg 3608 also fits
into my view at 150x. South is at the top.
Image from http://www.astrosurf.com/benoit/ngc.html
Most of the rest are very faint galaxies, showing little detail except perhaps shape. These include the following: egs 2913, 2919, 2923, 2928, 2933, 3805, 3592, and 3598.
Only one galaxy was logged in Bootes. Eg 5490 is visually mag. 12, with a much dimmer surface brightness due to its modest size (13.7 mag.). I was pleased with finding this one from my back deck under a 6-day old moon. I even saw an extremely faint 2nd galaxy directly north of it, though I cannot find a name for this object. I had been searching for 5490C, but this was not it. Nor was it "B". Perhaps I shall call it 5490D. Alas, what is life without little mysteries?
Also this month I managed a few close looks at different parts of the lunar surface, as well as a few superb views of Saturn, mostly around midnight when the air had settled down. I also viewed a whole slew of large, bright galaxies, double stars and the wonderful globular M3 as part of my scope's computer tours (see previous blog entry for details).
In other news, the Astroscan 4" has been sent off to Edmund Scientific in NY. Either they will be able to clean the mirror or they will replace it. Deb and I look forward eagerly to its return, hopefully for the next dark moon phase.
Mapman Mike
No comments:
Post a Comment