The Olcott Project: Adventures with a 2" Telescope--Nights 19, 20, 21
Object #55--Mare Humorum: On April 18th I observed an 11.5 day-old moon. Plate VII of Olcott features the location. Olcott says "Note the circular Mare Humorum, or Sea of Humors, the darkest of the seas." It is a perfect area to explore with a small telescope. It is 380 km across, and the circumference is crowded with craters, mountains, and volcanic areas. Best viewing was towards Mersenius Crater (35 km) near the terminator, though Gassendi (110 km) looked pretty amazing, too.
https://stargazerslounge.com/uploads/monthly_07_2012/
Mare Humorum
Object #56--Double Star Alpha Canes Venatici, "Cor Caroli", Stf 1692: 2.85-5.5/19": The next four objects were viewed on the night of May 5th. Olcott says both stars are yellow, but I saw white and yellow. He also says it's "easy for a small glass", and "can be seen in a 2" telescope." Quite true. A lovely object for Space Eye.
http://www.olympistas.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Estrella-doble-Cor-Caroli.jpg
Object #57--Messier 4: This globular cluster near Antares is listed on Olcott's map of Scorpius, but is not discussed in the text. This is a pretty amazing sight in a 2" scope. The haze is not round, but rather extended across the middle. On a good night it extends pretty far beyond the much brighter center. Definitely worth a look, especially to see nearby Antares! Did I really resolve a few stars?
A beautiful image of Antares and M 4.
http://www.huntsvilleastronomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/RoryGlasgow-Antares-M4-NGC-6144-IC-4605.png
Object #58--Saturn: Space Eye's 2nd planetary discovery! Saturn is a pretty amazing sight in a well-focused refractor on a night of good seeing. However, the planet and rings are tiny at 60x. A light breeze kept me from going higher. I will get to view it all summer, as it is in Scorpius.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk
Object #59--Mars: Space Eye's 3rd planet! Two new ones in one night! Mars was three weeks from opposition when viewed. The same breeze kept me no higher than 60x, but I will be observing it again and again over the next few weeks. I was able to observe dark markings on either side, though I could not confirm a polar cap (seen easily later with the 12"). I will update this entry closer to opposition.
What I saw in Space Eye resembles the Aug image, but at the Jan size.
http://en.es-static.us/upl/2016/01/Mars-2016-Mikhail-Chubarets-Ukraine1-e1454016334245.png
Object #60--Mare Nectaris: It's fitting that the 60th and final object of my original goal was a lunar one. Space Eye excels at lunar observation. I allowed myself up to ten of these in the 60 list, but this was only my 8th. I will increase the lunar number to 15 for the 100 objects list. I'm hoping I can snag Venus, too. This observation was done on May 11th, under clear but hazy and humid skies. Nectaris is on Plate III of Olcott's Field Book of the Stars. I quote his passage: "...and the Sea of Nectar, pentagonal in form, {is} now visible. At the south of the sea, note Frascatorius (sic) with its north wall broken down." Fracastorius (124 km) was quite splendid. Theophilus, a ring mountain rising 1200 m above the plain, was in complete darkness except for the high rim! A shiny long, narrow feature connects Beaumont Crater (53 km) to Theophilus. Also note Isidorus (42 km) and Capella (49 km), and much smaller Madler (28 km). This is a fun area to explore!
Object #60 for Space Eye, which completes the original viewing endeavour.
http://www.sgo-online.de/astro/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/12-07-08-mond-mare-nectaris.jpg
Thus ends a really fun project, using a Vixen 2" refractor (Space Eye). I plan to continue observing off and on with this little scope, hopefully getting a lot more Messier objects over the summer. I am especially interested in open clusters, fine doubles, and trying it out on some more nebula. None of this will be reported here unless I hear from some interested readers. My observation reports with the 12" Dob will continue, as well as occasional essays on Astronomy topics that interest me. Clear skies!
Mapman Mike
