#137: 2022 Observing Summary

 It was not a great year, but some decent work got done with the 12" Dob.  I skipped out on the entire summer skies, despite some very good nights, for personal reasons.  Spring was almost a total washout due to clouds and wind.  Autumn was fairly good, especially October.  And my lone December outing was with binoculars to watch Mars slip behind the moon, amidst mostly cloudy skies.  So I ended up with 40 hours of observing time at the telescope, and 14 separate outings.  Compare that to 2021 with 22 outings, and 2020 with 45!  In Spring I only managed 6 hours of observing; that's how bad the weather was.  Autumn was much better, with 34 hours logged at the eyepiece.

In Spring skies work continues in Coma Berenices, a constellation I have observed years ago with my Edmund 8" reflector.  I am now observing it in much more detail, aiming for all the NGC objects and as many IC objects as my scope can reach.  In addition, I am including many UGC and M galaxies, and a large selection of double stars.  It is a project that will take many years to complete, like my similar one in Leo.  I also managed a small start on Canis Major in early Spring, before getting clouded over and postponed till 2023.  Autumn work includes Sextans, Aquarius, and Cetus, and some good progress was made there.  Sextans and Cetus have challenges due to low boundaries, but at certain times I get good southern skies, and was able to use them this year to advantage.

It was not a year of incredible discoveries from the NGC list, though I did retakes of some of the good ones seen previously with the 8".  Eg 210 in Cetus stands out as worth a stop on a fine night, as does pn 246.  This is the only NGC object in Cetus that isn't a galaxy.  It's an odd planetary nebula, with some bright stars within.  It's not that great an object until a filter is added; I used the Orion sky glow filter to good advantage to see this very large, often overlooked object.  Eg 255 is very close, and quite a good sight in a 12" scope, too.  And eg 217 looks like a tiny version of M 31.

eg 210 in Cetus.

Pn 246 (2nd above) and eg 255, in Cetus.

One of the trickiest and most disappointing views was of gc 7492 in Aquarius.  Good luck finding this faint globular in our southern skies!  Other decent galaxies in Cetus include NGC 273, 74, and 75, the last two an actual pair.

Saturn and Jupiter were on full display, especially fine in early autumn.  Virtually every night that I set up, I would begin and often end with these two planets.  I was able to get decent views of Mars in late autumn, too (along with the December occultation).

Mapman Mike

#136: A Six Galaxy Gathering in Aquarius

My first outing since early May was a grand success!  In addition to late night views of Saturn and Jupiter (which were spectacular!), my 12" Dob and I went galaxy hunting in Aquarius, and later in Cetus.  My main objective was a six galaxy NGC group in Aquarius.  I ran out of time last autumn and had to set aside the project until this year.  With temps in the mid 60s F, and humidity quite low, the transparency was perfect for southern sky galaxy work.  A few double stars were thrown into the mix as well.

Uranometria Chart 104 (left side) shows the group crammed into a small area between 00 and +01 degrees declination, and between 20 hr 44' and 20 hr 48' right ascension.  Fortunately, there are a few faint guide stars quite close by to help locate the group.  Here is an image to help with identification.  All objects were viewed with a 12" Orion Dob.  Five of them fit into a wide angle field of view at 166x.

A six galaxy group in Aquarius. 

NGC 6959:  0'.7 x 0'.3; Vis. mag. 13.7, Surface Brightness 11.9:  Easily located north of 6961, first find a small asterism of 3 faint stars in a curving line preceding the galaxy, and 2 others following.  The galaxy lies amidst the stars on the north edge.  Seen well at 166x, it is pretty small but very elongated and surprisingly bright.  Views improve at 231x, and are still good at 333x.  It is in the same low power field with three galaxies south of it.

NGC 6961:  0'.6 x 0'.5; Vis. mag. 13.7; SB 12.4:  This member is pretty small and faint, and slightly farther from 6962 than is 6964.  All three galaxies form a straight line.  Though later seen at 120x, it was first located at 166x.  Even at 231x it is a ghostly object, round.

NGC 6962:  2'.9 x 2'.3;  Vis. mag. 12.1; SB 14.1:  Both galaxies make a fine close pair, and can

NGC 6964:  1'.7 x 1'.3;  Vis. mag. 13; SB 13.8:  likely be seen in 8" scopes.  The size and brightness difference is easily noted.  62 really jumps out first, and then 64 is picked out just south following.  Both are easy to see and bright at 120x.  Views begin to get remarkable at 166x, and remain good at 231x and 333x.  Both have very bright centers and much fainter envelopes (the surface brightness stats appear to be accurate only for the outer envelopes).  62 is the largest and brightest of the six galaxies in the region, with 64 holding down the #2 spot.

NGC 6965:  0'.6 x 0'.4; Vis. mag. 14; SB 12.4:  The most northerly of the six, this is also the trickiest to locate.  However, by using a line of 3 faint stars near it (see above photo--one is south following, one is preceding, and one is north preceding) the area of its exact location can be easily found.  First located at 166x, better views were had at 231x and 333x.  It is faint, appears to be round, and has a center that is brighter than its tiny envelope.  Difficult, but in a good sky not a real problem.  Of course use averted vision.

NGC 6967:  1' x 0'.6; Vis. mag. 13.1; SB 12.4:  Located at 120x, the galaxy is bright and conspicuous, likely suitable for an 8".  It presents an elongated haze between two faint stars, with a very faint and tiny star seen preceding, and nearly attached, at 166x.  The galaxy remains bright at 231x, where the elongation shows up even better.

Mapman Mike

 

#135: Still Breathing

Yes, I am alive and well.  Why no observing reports?  Observing just hasn't been happening very much this spring.  Weather was the biggest problem, with a truly terrible spring session due to rain and clouds.  More recently, the price of gas has interfered with my observing program, too.  It's a 50 minute drive each way to my dark sky site, so that adds up even going out 3 or 4 times per month.  And I tend to avoid heading out near Summer Solstice anymore, as darkness arrives too late for this old duffer.  If I want to put in a solid 3 hours of observing, I would start around 10:45 pm EDT, finish up at 1:45, pack up the gear and drive home, not hitting the sack until around 3 am.  I used to be able to pull that kind of thing off, but it gets harder and harder with age.  I spend my days practicing piano, but I am too burnt out after a late night out to practice successfully.

Also in the summer, there is the bug problem.  Of course I use bug spray, and it's not too bad where I observe, but the twilight drive there, and the late night drive home, means that for each trip I make it leaves hundreds of squashed and dead bugs all over my car and windshield.  So next morning first thing after breakfast, I have to wash the car.  I mean really scrub it.

Sure, you might say, those are only excuses for not observing.  But taken together, this is no longer a season in which I observe.  I will likely crank up operations again in the latter half of August.  Also of note is the fact that my observing club (RASC Windsor) no longer publishes a newsletter.  I used to write articles for that publication 5 times per year, and it kept me on my toes.  Many of those articles are published here, but no longer.

I had begun a massive project related to my goal of seeing all the northern NGC objects, namely discussing each one and posting about it here.  That project was a tiresome thing to undertake, but it might get revived.  I like to take a chart from Uranometria and run through all the objects I was able to observe with my 12" reflector.  Of course some of the charts are so dense with objects (Coma B. and Canes V. for instance) that the very thought of writing about each object I have observed sends shudders up and down my spine.  I had left off in the middle of talking about Leo, so I might resume there in a few weeks.

Clear skies!

Mapman Mike 

#134: Some Objects in Orion

 At The Eyepiece, by Mike Ethier

December and January are the two least productive months for this observer. December seems to be perpetually cloudy, and January clear nights, when they appear, are usually bitter cold. However, by the latter part of February and early March things begin to seem hopeful again, and regular observing often resumes at this time. This is good news for those of us who like to study objects in Orion. While beautifully situated in January, unless you are in the Florida Keys waiting later in the season is a more practical viewing option. Most of my deep sky work in Orion takes place at the end of February and early March. Much of Orion is still well placed in the sky into late March. I have selected a few smaller and out of the way sights this month. There is more to Orion than its Messier wonders! So if you don’t want to tackle the following objects now, be patient and wait a week or two.

The four open clusters and lone planetary nebula I will talk about this month can be found on Chart 96 of the Uranometria 2000 Atlas, All Sky Edition. This is by far the best hands-on sky atlas available, useful in the field and infinitely fun to browse at home. North of Betelgeuse and Bellatrix is a wide asterism of bright stars, centred on Meissa. The southern-most bright star of this group is Phi-2 Orionis, also numbered as 40. South following this star is pn 2022. The nebulae is very bright in a 12” mirror, and obvious at 100x. No filter is necessary. Observed at 100x through 272x, the edges appear dimmer and less evenly lit than the central area. Though a good object for a 12”, an 8” should also show it well. It’s small size seems to aide its brightness. Use a moderately high power.

NGC 2022

Moving 3 degrees north of Betelgeuse and about 8 minutes following, oc 2141 appears at low power as a low surface brightness haze. I enjoy the challenge of this kind of cluster, having hopes that a 12” mirror will show its secrets at higher powers. At 60x and 100x the cluster is quite large, sitting among a few brighter stars laid over top. At 136x there is some resolution of the faint haze, including a tight knot of stars near centre. More stars come out to play at 200x, including many that are very, very faint (16^th mag.?). At 272x more clumps and knots are seen, popping out right down to visual threshold. A night with good transparency is a big help with this faint but rewarding group.

NGC 2141 

2 degrees N of oc 2141, and about 11’ following, is oc 2194. Already resolving nicely at 60x and 100x, this is a very enticing cluster in a 12” mirror! A notable arm of stars extends south preceding. At 136x the cluster is rich and bright. However, with my mirror stopped down to 8” the stars are now pretty faint. 187X and full aperture gives a very remarkable view, showing many brighter stars (mag. 13) overtop reams of much fainter ones. This is a highly recommended group, and would be stunning in the club’s 14” scope. Immediately following oc 2194 is oc Skiff J0614.8+1252. Two separate star groups are noted, almost adjacent, and just north following the larger cluster. The actual cluster is the group closest to oc 2194. At 136x and 187x, it is a faint, circular group of stars just north of 3 brighter stars. The other separate group, a brighter asterism, is in the same field of view at moderately high power. The Skiff group is fainter than this, and richer in stars.

NGC 2194. 

North preceding oc 2194 is oc 2169, an interesting object as it also receives designation as a multiple star in the Struve catalogue, #848. At least half the interest is the multiple star, which could be extended with even more than its 5 main members. The cluster is bright and well resolved at 60x. It is an attractive cluster, and appears in two distinct sections. 100X and 136x show 10 stars in the main group, and 7 in the secondary section. Struve 848 has a main pair of mag. 7.5-8 stars at 2.6” apart. These were split nicely at 100x and 136x. A mag. 12 star is 14” away, seen at 136x. In addition, there is a mag. 8 star at 28”, and a mag. 9 star at 43”.

NGC 2169

Object Statistics

pn 2022: Size 39”; Vis. Mag. 11.6; Central star mag. 15.8.

oc 2141: Size 10’; Vis. Mag. 9.5; Brightest star mag. 15.

oc 2194: Size 9’; Vis. Mag. 8.5; Brightest star mag. 13.

oc Skiff: Size 5’; About 20 stars.

Oc 2169: Size 6’; Vis. Mag. 5.9; Brightest star mag. 6.9.

Messier Of The Month: Messier 78 in Orion

Definitely an object that does not receive as much love as M 42, it is best to study M 78 before observing its more famous and spectacular cousin. Discovered by Mechain in 1780, it is a reflection nebula, part of a group of similar objects lying about 1350 light years away. Nebula filters don’t help much with this kind of object, and fortunately aren’t required for good visual views. When taken on its own (without comparing it to M 42), M 78 is bright, pretty large, and impressive at high powers, where good detail shows in its varying brightness and irregular shape. 60X and 100x show a moderate-sized, moderately bright irregularly shaped haze surrounding two mag. 10 stars. These stars act as the illuminators of M 78. It appears to extend south, and narrows in that direction. 136X shows it well. Just north of M 78 lies gn 2071, a nebula surrounding two bright stars that is obvious at 60x and 100x. The brighter star is V 1380, a variable, and is the star with the most notable haze around it. At 136x the star splits into a double (9.7-11.5/10”?). A third nebula, gn 2067, is immediately north preceding M 78. It is small and faint, located just south of a faint star. I use this one to demonstrate just how wonderful M 78 is by comparison. A 4^th nebula lies just south preceding (gn 2064), but I have yet to see this one visually. I shall try again later in the winter. The objects are shown on Chart 116 of Uranometria 2000, along with many other small, faint nebula.

Messier 78, NGC 2068.  2067 is the fainter cloud above right of M 78.  2064 is the smaller, brighter cloud below and to the right of M 78.
 

NGC 2071

Object Statistics:

Messier 78—gn 2068: 8’ x 6’; Reflection nebula.

Gn 2071:--7’x 5’; Reflection nebula.

Gn 2067:--8’ x 3’; Reflection nebula.

Gn 2064:--1.5’ x 1’; Reflection nebula.

Mapman Mike