#129: Five Planets, Two Planetaries, and Two Messier Objects

The following is the October article I wrote for Aurora, the newsletter for the Windsor, Ontario branch of the RASC.  The entire newsletter (and all the older ones) can be downloaded from our website (RASC Windsor).

My idea of what constitutes a great night of observing varies with the seasons, and which projects are on my clipboard for the next clear night. Sometimes it might be a long list of double stars, and sometimes a clump of NGC objects. Usually I prefer to work in detail in one area of the sky at one time, so I will have a list for early night and a list for later in the night. For a few nights recently, and lasting throughout October, I have a suggestion for viewers who can access a dark sky sight, preferably near the lake to get good southern sky exposure.

There are currently five outer planets available to viewers this month, with Mars being the main attraction. I have enjoyed several superb views of its surface in October with the 12” Dob, the best I have ever seen, including my first opposition experience in 1971. I like to use a red filter at 166x, which really brings out the dark areas strongly, and then switch to a yellow filter at 231x, which makes the detail stand out clearer and brighter. Since Mars is currently best observed after 11 PM, I have been starting with Jupiter and Saturn lately. Again I prefer a yellow filter with both planets, which are really too bright in my 12” mirror otherwise. Over the summer I have kept a steady watch and have enjoyed many clear and incredible views of both planets and their moons.

Uranus and Neptune are visible, too. Neptune is easy to find after 9 PM, nestled into an area near 96 Aquarii. I have been watching its slow progress through the sky over several nights recently, and on my last visit (Oct. 14^th) I was able to easily see Triton, the first time I have had such luck. The moon is about mag. 13.5, moving between 12” and 17” of arc from the planet. Deborah and I both saw it clearly, and it was quite a chill and a thrill to do so at the eyepiece (231x). I find that the chart in the Astronomical handbook is next to useless to finding Neptune, so I went on-line and found a better one. It isn’t far from eg 7585, a prominent galaxy in Aquarius, and is an easy star hop from there.

Uranus is best seen later, after around 11 pm. It is in Aries, in the middle of nowhere. The Handbook chart is helpful, and I was able to plot the planet on Uranometria beforehand. It is much brighter than Neptune (which is bluish-green and pretty bright in the 12” scope), and stands out as the brightest object in its area of sky. It appears blue in colour. At 231x it does show a tiny disc, but on the night I found it the seeing was quite bad, and the planet shimmered away. I will return on a better night. Over the course of one evening we were able to observe Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Mars, and Uranus, in that order, with Deb’s 6” scope and my 12”. It was a fun way to spend an evening. But wait, there’s more!

Aquarius is home to two very different planetary nebula, both well known to amateurs. One of these objects resembles a planet closely enough to deserve the name planetary nebula. NGC 7009 is called the Saturn Nebula. It is mag. 8, being 35” in size, and has a bright central star. It has a remarkable colour, a very strong blue that is fun to compare with that of Neptune and Uranus. This nebula takes magnification well, and I enjoyed good views at 333x. No filter is required to see this object at its best. At first its two extremities, or ansae, appear as tiny dots, or stars, preceding and following the object. After a few moments, and at reasonably high magnifications, they appear attached to the main body. These can be seen in an 8”, with patience. The overall impression of NGC 7009 is of a cartoon drawing of Saturn. At high power with 12” it also appears to have a fuzzy or mottled texture, as of many fine lines engraved across its surface.

Not too far away is another showpiece planetary nebula, The Helix (NGC 7293). This very large and faint nebula sits at 21 degrees of declination. From Hallam this is in a very poor area of the southern sky. Ideally, Point Pelee would serve well, or a dark place along the lake. The visual magnitude of the overall object is a bright 7.3. However, due do its enormous size (1054”), expect a shock when you see it for the first time, especially in a smaller scope. It might appear very faint and ghostly. Under good conditions and with the right equipment, this is one of the major wonders of the heavens. I like to observe the nebula at low to medium magnifications, starting at 86x, then moving up to 107x and finally 120x. Without a filter there is a veritable open cluster of stars to be seen through the haze, but finding the central star, mag. 13.5, is not difficult. I really like the view using my old Orion Skyglow filter. The nebula brightens a lot, and areas of varying brightness can be easily distinguished, especially towards the edges. However, the OIII filter (Celestron), while giving darker views, also provides a more 3D immersive experience, showing plenty of detail and giving the impression of great turbulence and churning. I pushed as high as 166x, filling my eyepiece with this amazing object, using the Skyglow filter. As far as seeing detail goes, this object rates as highly as Jupiter, Saturn, or Mars at opposition. It is a mini-universe unto itself!

Messier of the Month

Since we are already in the area of Aquarius, I will now discuss two of its Messier objects, one of which is almost a showpiece, and one of which is certainly a dud. Let’s begin with the showpiece. My first official logging of Messier 72, or gc 6981, was the night of July 28^th, 1994, using my Edmund 8” reflector. While located easily at 59x, and observed up to 200x, it was basically a round ball of light, not that bright, and showing no resolution worth mentioning. Switch to September 18^th of 2020, when I first came after M 72 with the 12”. Looking much like a comet at 86x, the cluster is unresolved. Lying at -12.5 degrees south, it was in a good enough sky from my Kent County location. At 120x it takes on a granular quality. Finally, at 166x, the globular cluster begins to resolve into very tiny stars, all across the bright central area. 231X achieves fair resolution, with tiny pinpricks of light dancing across the background haze of unresolved stars. 333X provides decent resolution for well seasoned eyes, though M 72 is far from a showpiece cluster for untrained eyes. It does provide a good challenge for a 12” scope from our latitude and sky conditions. The outer, much fainter haze surrounding the central area is not very large.

While M 72 was claimed by Mechain, and does resemble a comet-like object, Messier himself must shoulder the blame for M 73. I remember being quite disgusted and disappointed the first time I saw it, and wondering how such a sight had ever made it to the list. Messier used a 3.5” refractor, yet he still added this to his list of objects that could be mistaken for a comet. Perhaps his lens was fogged. But all there is to see is a 4-star asterism of mag. 9 stars. Nothing else. I’m not the only person who finds it odd that M 73 and M 72 (which Messier does not mention) are at roughly the same declination, and separated by 1 hour of right ascension. Was there a mix up of some kind, and he really meant to log M 72? We’ll never know, but after seeing how many such mistakes were made in the original NGC catalogue, it is not an impossible thing to imagine.

Messier 72 (NGC 6981): Size 6’.6; Vis. Mag. 9.2; Brightest star mag. 14.2. 

Messier 73 (NGC 6994): Size 1’.4; 4 stars; Vis. mag. 8.9.

Mapman Mike wishes you clear skies! 

 

#128: A Galaxy Quintet, and Messier 92

 The following article was written for our astronomy club newsletter, September 2020.  I am a member of The Royal Astronomical Association (Canada), Windsor branch.

Lying very close to Stephan’s Quintet in Pegasus (which is more like a quartet, but I quibble), the eg 7331 quintet is much more rewarding in moderate sized telescopes, thanks to the overwhelming presence of one of the great NGC galaxies. Four of its visual neighbours can be located in dark skies with a 12” scope, a few of them quite easily. Anything larger, including our club’s 14” instrument, should provide satisfying views. A sixth NGC member is a very faint double star, and a seventh was also incorrectly labelled, actually being a star.

I first came across eg 7331 on the night of October 16^th, 1991. Back in those days I could see galaxies from my back deck in Anderdon with my 8” Edmund reflector. I logged it as a major surprise of the night, since I was also competing with an 8-day old moon! That is one bright galaxy. It was easily swept up at 36x. 112X showed the elongated shape, with a much fuller size seen at 169x. The central area remained bright, but the outer areas were pretty faint. None of my maps at the time showed the other galaxies.

It wasn’t until I returned to Pegasus with the 12” reflector, undergoing my NGC project in that constellation (there are 298 NGC objects here) that I made a new visit to 7331, and went in search of the smaller objects alongside it. This was in October 2015, and I was observing from Hallam. I had just finished up with observations of Stephan’s Quintet, and moved my scope the short distance to eg 7331. It was remarkably bright at 60x, and very elongated. It is a large galaxy, 10’.5 x 3’.5, and visually bright at mag. 9.5, though its surface brightness drops to 13.2 because of its size. It is still a good object even in a 6” scope, but in a 12” mirror it is an unforgettable sight. It bears magnification easily, so use the highest possible one that still gives good images. 250X showed me a thin, dark line just preceding the bright center.

The four smaller galaxies we are concerned with consist of eg 7335, 7336, 7337, and 7340, all located just following the main galaxy. Simply by allowing 7331 to drift to the edge of the field brings the others into view. Taking them in order, eg 7335 is the brightest and most obvious of the smaller objects, and can be seen with an 8” if one knows where to look. At 12” I first glimpsed it using 100x, just north following the central core of 7331. Views improve with high power, and it eventually appears like a smaller, fainter version of 7331 itself, even in the same position angle. This galaxy is 1’.3 x 0’.6 in size. Visual brightness is 13.4, and its surface brightness is 13.

The next number is eg 7336. This one is pretty faint, but located just north of 7335, so it’s not difficult to locate. I viewed it at 187x and 200x, noting its elongation and slightly brighter center. It’s size is a tiny 0.’8 x 0.’4. Visually it clocks in at mag. 14.5, but due do its tiny size, the surface brightness ramps it up to a 13.1. Expect to see something halfway between those two magnitudes, thus about 13.8. It is not difficult to see in a 12”, and may be visible in a 10”.

Eg 7337 is a challenge, and it took me some time to see it. Not only is it rather faint, but it sits close to a star that is brighter than it, hampering the view. Milky Way stars can be a real nuisance sometimes, and this is one of those time. The galaxy’s size is 1.’1 x 0.’7. Visually it is mag. 14.4, with a surface brightness of only mag. 14. This one is challenging with a 12” scope, but quite doable if you are patient. It lies south of 7335, and aligned with the south end of 7331.

Last but not least comes eg 7340. After 7335, it is the easiest of the little galaxies to find. Though only a tiny 0’.9 x 0’.6, it is not difficult to see at 136x and 187x. It shows an oval shape at higher powers.

Stephan’s Quintet is easy to find from 7331, too, if you are in the mood for another quintet. Just sweep south preceding until you arrive. It’s fun to sweep back and forth between quintets, getting to know this area of the sky. In a future article I will detail my difficult search for Copeland’s Septet, seven very small and faint galaxies in Leo. In the meantime, enjoy clear skies!

Messier of the Month: Messier 92

Globular star clusters make a fascinating study. There are only 170 listed in Uranametria, including ones too faint to see with modest scopes, and those visible in the Magellanic systems. They are rarer than one might think. I remember my Tasco 4.5” days very well (1971-1978), trying to imagine what a resolved cluster might look like at the eyepiece. The first one I viewed with an 8” scope (1978) was M 56 in Lyra, followed by M 13 and M 92 in Hercules. What a revelation it was! Even today, despite the incredible resolved photos from Hubble of these mini-galaxies of stars, I prefer visual observation to photos of globulars and open clusters. Some sights can still easily take my breath away.

I logged M 92 officially in late July, 1992, from Lake Penage, west of Sudbury, with my Edmund 8” reflector. I was expecting a bright ball of haze, perhaps beginning to resolve at higher power. Instead, I saw one of the finest globular clusters in the north sky. Not only is M 92 big and bright, but it can be observed directly overhead, usually the best part of the sky in which to observe. I was surprised, to say the least, when it was located at 36x and stars were already resolving to near the center. This is what I had dreamed about during those Tasco 4.5” days! At 59x stars resolved to the core, and I observed three distinct sections: the bright central core, surrounded by a bright collar, or ring, and surrounding all was the outer region of individual stars. M 92 is magnificent at 112x, revealing a blindingly bright core surrounded by a rich background of stars made up of lines, curves, and various patterns. At 169x the area behind the core’s many resolved stars was blazing, revealing too many stars to draw or even count. At 200x the effect was like observing a giant explosion of stars hurtling outward. The full cluster goes beyond the field of view. 254X showed good core detail, as it began to break up into chunks of brightness and stars.

In July of 2016 I observed it from Hallam (and many times since!) with my 12” reflector. Though about one third smaller than M 13, and certainly not as rich, it is still one of the most awe-inspiring sights I have ever seen (and I’ve been to the Rockies 40 times!). At 187x and 200x I noted that to the north and south of the center, the rich outliers reminded me of the wings of a moth, with a very bright head between them. At 374x (I took my time to get a really, really good focus) the core has broken into two halves, and is mostly all resolved. Breathtaking!

M 92 in Hercules can be easily viewed throughout September, offering up a wonderful contrast to M 13. Use the 14” at moderate and high powers, and I guarantee a sight worth seeing.

M 92 (gc 6341): Size 14’; Visual Mag. 6.5; Brightest star Mag. 12.1

Mapman Mike

 

 

#127: Science Fiction Recommendation

One of the most inspiring sights available to amateur astronomers is the planet Saturn, especially when the rings are opened to their widest angle. Along with most views of this strange world comes the smaller pinprick of light known as Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, and second largest moon in the solar system. It is half as big again as Earth’s moon. Titan is often referred to as a planetary moon, and has proven itself to have one of the most interesting surfaces in the solar system, mainly thanks to the Cassini mission, which began mapping Titan in 2004.

Five years before this, in 1999, Hal Clement’s novel Half-Life was published. Hal Clement (real name Harry Clement Stubbs, 1922-2003) was a hard science fiction writer who really focused on the science angle, and the methods used to gain answers to puzzling questions. The novel details an expedition from Earth to study the atmosphere and surface of Titan, searching for biochemical clues as to why humans are rapidly going extinct. The expedition consists of 23 scientists, men and women, and all of them quite ill, and we follow their means and methods used to search for answers. While an amateur telescope won’t reveal too much about the surface of Titan, Clement’s novel will, and the book will likely increase your interest greatly in this alien world. Of course in 1999 we knew far less about Titan than we do now, but this only makes the novel even more fascinating, as Clement uses every little known scrap of contemporary information about the moon in his book. Reading Clement is almost like reading transcripts from an actual space expedition to Titan, and I’m certain many astronomy enthusiasts, especially those with sturdy science backgrounds, would find his work fascinating. Clement earned a degree in astronomy from Harvard, and went on to earn an M. Ed from Boston, and later an M. S. in chemistry from Simmons.

Not only is he a well educated man, but he is also a master writer, earning the Grand Master title from the Science Fiction Writers of America in 1999, the same year Half-Life was published (the author would have been 77). And if this was the only great book he had written, he would still deserve the title. However, though Half-Life contains no aliens, many of his books do. The way humans and aliens interact in his stories, searching for answers to scientific puzzles, is equally fascinating. Some of his best early writing concerns the planet Mesklin, with its eccentric orbit and even more eccentric inhabitants. Even Clement’s fictional planets have strong basis in science fact, and the way he explores them and attempts to solve their mysteries seems to invite readers along for the ride. Here are a few more titles by Clement that I highly recommend, though it is by no means his entire list. Many of these titles are available on Kindle, and will likely be read by the purchaser more than once.

Mission of Gravity (serialized beginning in 1950)

Iceworld (1951)

Cycle of Fire (1957)

Close to Critical (1958)

Still River (1987)

Half-Life (1999)

Messier of the Moment: M 5, in Serpens Caput

NGC 5904 is one of the finest globular clusters in the sky, and it is quite suitable for smaller apertures. My first view was July 19^th, 1985, when I saw it from Lake Penage, west of Sudbury. I was using my 8” Edmund scope, for which I had made stops of 4” and 6”. Even at 4” of aperture I was able to resolve some stars, though not in the central region. At 72x about 10 stars were winking in and out. Moving up to 6” of aperture, the center now becomes intensely bright. 56X gave good resolution, but again only in the outer haze. At 112x the center was hinting at breaking up, and star patterns began emerging around it. At full aperture, resolution was good even at 36x. At 112x stars begin to finally flicker in the central area. The core is literally blazing now, and streams and spirals of stars surround it. The core showed irregularity at 169x, and at 254x fainter stars to the core can be glimpsed. A very small “inner” inner core can now be seen.

Jump to May 20^th, 2020, from a dark site in Kent County, using a 12” scope. While Messier 5 is a rewarding object for a 6” and 8” mirror, in a 12” scope it can be a bit overwhelming. At 60x the cluster is very large, and there is already good resolution from the core outwards to the limiting edges. At 100x the brilliant core is breaking up, with even more stars seen closer to it. Brighter stars seem to circle the core. At 136x and 187x (the best viewing range, in my opinion) uncountable resolving stars seem to resemble a face-on spiral galaxy that is resolving along its winding arms. Other viewers have also commented on this effect.

At 272x the core appears to thrust upward towards the viewer, giving the impression of viewing a snow-covered volcanic cone from directly above. This is a truly wondrous object for amateur telescopes! Optimum viewing time is 10 pm July 3^rd, though it is still high enough several weeks before and after to make a journey there worthwhile.

Messier 5: Size 23’; Visual mag. 5.7; Brightest star mag. 12.2

Mapman Mike

#126: March, Life Lists

The following post updates an earlier one in this series; it was also published in Aurora, the newsletter of the Windsor Branch of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

In earlier posts I talked about astronomers who work their way methodically through object lists, often to the detriment of the object. A quick glance, a note or two, maybe a quick sketch and then they are off to the next object. All well and fine if you are looking at 14th magnitude galaxies, but if your list is packed with the brightest deep sky gems, what is the hurry? 400 top objects could well last your entire life.

To make certain that I never finish my life list, or run out of options on any given clear night, I chose the NGC list a long time ago as my main deep sky emphasis. I will not pass a Collinder or Berkeley cluster without a look, but my longest viewing time is spent on the NGC list. In a lifetime of observing I have seen and logged many of them. Ones seen previously with the 8” scope are being reviewed with the 12”. And some of the best ones are being glimpsed with my 2” refractor. It’s fun to compare the notes of past viewed objects when using a different scope.

The current edition of Uranometria 2000 claims that more than 30,000 non-stellar objects are on its charts. That's over 22,000 more than are in the NGC list. Good grief. Makes me kind of thankful that I am not overly obsessed. Of those 30,000 objects, nearly 26,000 of them are galaxies. Which means that nearly 5 in 6 non-stellar objects viewable in the night sky with amateur scopes are galaxies. Most of those are pretty faint, too. Here is the breakdown, as reported on the atlas' back cover, remembering that this encompasses the north and south skies:

     25,883 galaxies

     671 galaxy clusters (Abell)

     14 star clouds

     1,613 open clusters, including those in the Magellanic Clouds

     170 globular clusters

     355 bright nebulae

     367 dark nebulae

     1,145 planetary nebulae

     260 radio sources

     35 x-ray sources

I remember being very surprised when I first learned how many galaxies were available to amateur astronomers (all the ones listed in Uranometria are mag. 15 or brighter). I mean that I was very surprised. Growing up loving the Milky Way area and all of its clusters and nebulae, it was easy to conclude that clusters of stars far outnumber galaxies. That, to say the least, was an erroneous conclusion. If one decides to choose the NGC for a life list, one must be prepared to see some galaxies. I don't just mean the ones in the Messier catalog, either.

Finding and doing justice to galaxies requires the very darkest of dark skies. I used to be able to pick off 12th mag. galaxies from my back deck in Anderdon with my 8" scope. Light pollution has increased so much in my area that this is now almost impossible, even with a 12”. If I want to do a decent job of observing in Sextans this spring, I have to be prepared to travel with the scope. This brings on an interesting conundrum. Do I observe the brighter galaxies from my home, saving the fainter ones for country skies? Though this is a feasible plan, I try to imagine what brighter objects might look like from a dark sky. If I can even glimpse it from home, then it should be that much more impressive from a dark sky. Should I save all my faint objects for darker skies? What about the Messier list? What would these objects look like from a really dark sky site, if only seen from light polluted ones?

One way to help tackle this problem, which I'm certain many of us face all too often, is to keep notes and report on the brighter ones as seen from home suburban skies, but also return to them in dark skies and enjoy another, more lingering look. Open clusters and globulars that resolve, for example, will show many more stars from a dark sky, and galaxies can be expected to show a larger area and appear brighter, especially towards the center. Light pollution filters work extremely well in light polluted skies. However, their future under LED lights remains in flux.

Double star work can carry on quite well, too, from poorer skies, often even during full moon nights, though the rich background seen in a dark sky might reveal a hidden gem or two to the very observant viewer that would be otherwise unnoticed. However, I am determined to do as much deep sky work in the darkest skies I can reach, though I realize that time is running out for the Windsor area. I've been spoiled by my northern Ontario early years of observing, and even by Hallam when it was at its best.

Messier Of The Month: M 43

M43 is also commonly known as De Mairan’s Nebula, as well as NGC 1982. De Mairan was a French scientist who lived from 1678-1771. He observed the nebula in 1731, which Messier later added to his now famous list. The sword area of Orion, which also includes the more famous and much larger M 42, contains no less than 10 separate NGC numbers, and makes for a fascinating hour of observing to tell one from the other. This area shall be the subject of a future At The Eyepiece article.

M43 is not only overshadowed by its bigger deep sky mate M 42, it is actually a part of it. M 43 lies just barely north of M 42, separated from it by a narrow dark lane, and is almost touching the main nebula. Look for an ivory coloured 7^th magnitude star north of the big nebula. M 43 encircles this star, with more of it showing south of the star than north. A fainter elongated segment lies north again, towards another star. The nebula is easy to see without a filter, and should be visible in scopes of 4”. Although noted in years past with the 4.5” Tasco reflector, the above description was made using the 12” Orion Dobsonian, from Hallam, on January 5^th, 2019. Next time you are observing in this area, make sure to take a look at Messier 43. An interesting article could also be written about Messier objects that can be viewed with other Messier objects in the same field of view. This is one of them.

Messier 43 (NGC 1982): 20’ x 15’; Emission and Reflection Nebula.

Clear skies, and happy observing.

Mapman Mike

#125: Crab Nebula

The following is an article I wrote for our astronomy club newsletter, for January 2020.  I belong to the Windsor branch of the RASC, and write articles five times per year.  To see previous newsletters, link to this address on our homepage.  There are also other fine articles by other members, as well as some outstanding amateur photos.

This time of year very little time is spent at the telescope eyepiece. I did enjoy a fine night on December 21^st, but as of early January that has been it, other than a few naked eye peeks at Betelgeuse. Instead, I will talk briefly about the 2019 highlights and lowlights, and say a bit about 2020.

For me, 2019 will be remembered as the year I had to abandon the club's Hallam site for my observing program. The greenhouse lights to the south have reached a level of insanity I could not have imagined even a few years ago. While in the long term I am optimistic that the stray light problem from Leamington will be addressed, in the short term Hallam is now reserved (for me) for lunar and planetary work. I have had to move my deep sky observing to Chatham Kent County, where I can at least enjoy good skies to the north, east, and south. The success of Detroit’s streetlight program has made the west and northwest sky much more light polluted than several years ago, when nearly half the streetlights in that city did not function.

And yet another big problem lies in the near future, as over six thousand new satellites will be orbiting the Earth within two or three years. These satellites will be used to bring fast internet to the entire planet. They are supposed to be highly reflective, too. In 2020, 1500 of them will be launched. The first few batches of 60 are already up there. Even using remote telescopes for photography will be greatly affected. Needless to say, it isn’t only amateurs who are worried; major observatories will have some serious obstacles to overcome as well. And what happens to these satellites if Earth is struck by a major solar flare? If you think we have a lot of space junk up there now, just wait.

My NGC observing project continued in 2019, as I managed to get out under clear skies with my telescope 34 times, totaling over 100 hours of observing. That is considerably better than 2018, one of the cloudiest years I have ever seen. One of those observations was the total lunar eclipse of January 20^th, possibly the coldest observation I have ever recorded from Essex County. It was a very fine and clear night, however.

And in Spring 2019 I finally managed to complete my viewing of the entire NGC list in the constellation boundaries of Leo! That was a seven year project that took me to some fabulous sights, a few of which I have shared in these pages. My newest Spring observing adventure lies within the border of Coma Berenices, and might take me just as long. Will I ever get to tackle Virgo someday? If I do, you will read about it here.

Winter months are an excellent time to plan a viewing program for the warmer months. I wish you all many happy observing planning sessions, and excellent skies with which to undertake those plans.

Messier of the Month: M 1, “The Crab Nebula”

Approximately 7500 years ago, a star exploded in the direction of the constellationTaurus. Seen and recorded over a thousand years ago by the Chinese in 1054 A.D., the remnant from this supernova was the first astronomical object to be identified as such. The Earl of Rosse drew the object in 1840, observing it with his 36” telescope. His drawing was said to resemble a crab, and thus the nickname. This is one of the most studied objects in the sky, and provides for some fascinating on-line reading. Stunning photos reveal the object in breathtaking detail. What is highly unusual about M 1 is that on very detailed professional photos, significant changes can be noted in less than a month. Even so, I still like to view it in a small scope. In a really dark sky it can be seen with binoculars, though my views have been only through telescopes. And it continues to expand, being significantly larger now in photos than when I first began the hobby.

My first look came in March, 1973, using my 4.5” Tasco reflector. With fresh snow on the ground and an unshielded streetlight only a few meters away, it wasn’t the ideal first look at such an object. A much better view came from my back deck in Anderdon Township in March, 1994. I was using my trusty Edmund 8” reflector. At lower powers it reminded me somewhat of a very large and bright galaxy. The edges appeared smooth, even at 169x. Skip ahead to late November, 2016. I viewed it with the 12” Dob from Hallam, and found it impressively large, very bright, and quite elongated. The large central area is much brighter than the outer areas. Several faint stars appear to me very close, or even touching the outside edges. The south-following end is very patchy, whereas the north end tapers and fades gradually.

My Space Eye view came in October, 2015, from Hallam. I did not have high expectations of seeing M 1 with the 2” refractor, but it was located at 30x! The nebula was really faint, but quite unmistakable. It was oval, and though fairly small, averted vision really helped bring it out.

Messier 1 (NGC gn 1952): 6’ x 4’ emission nebula in Taurus.

Mapman Mike