I was able to get out for six nights in May between last and first quarter moon. While some of the nights earlier in the month were great, things became gradually ruined by wildfire smoke reaching our area. Daytime skies were milky, while night skies showed stars about 2 magnitudes fainter than normal. So that really put the brakes on deep sky observing. Double stars were mostly okay, though again much fainter than normal. June brought me three nights, two of them with lighter smoke. July brought only two clear nights, but they were both great nights for observing. Dampness was a problem on a few nights, and I eventually shut down when everything became too wet, including me. Our summer dew points can be very high sometimes.
Summer work continued in Hercules (mostly double stars left) and Ophiuchus, while spring saw me continue working with Serpens Caput and the virtually endless Coma Berenices. There were plenty of fine galaxies to review in Coma. I had seen all the big ones in earlier years with my Edmund 8" reflector, but I have to go and see them with the 12", of course. eg 4014 was new to me, easily located at low power and remaining bright even at 333x. Another fairly small but bright one is eg 4489,also new to me. previously seen ones (8") included eg 4498, eg 4450, and eg 4595. 4450 has the appearance of a bright, large comet. eg 4515 was new to me, and also worth a stop.
Moving up to really impressive now, eg 4689 is a fantastic sight in an 8", and quite breathtaking in the 12". It's size is 4'.3 x 3'.5, and has a visual mag. of 10.9. Wear your sunglasses!.
Another new galaxy for me worth mentioning is 3g 4659. The envelope is tricky on this one, as the central area is so bright. But patience, high power, and averted vision will reward patient observers.
Eg 4651 is another monster sized galaxy, looking super in an 8" scope, and truly wonderful in a 12". It's size is 4' x 2'.6, with a visual mag. of 10.8. The center appears barred, and the envelope is large. Definitely worth the trip to see it.
Eg 4710 is a fine edge-on sight in a 12", and it points SP towards smaller and fainter eg I. 3806. 4710 is a terrific object at 86x and 120x. It is bright and beautiful, with a notable star F. The view at 333x on a clear, moonless dark night is quite unforgettable. The extensive envelope eventually fades away into nothingness. The Ic galaxy is a bit more than two lengths away from the NGC one, and aims at a right angle to it. A mag. 12.5 star is just S of the IC object.
Most of the objects in Serpens Caput were quite challenging to locate. Here is a challenge for you if you want one. Eg 5954: 4'.2 x 3'.2: Vis. mag. 11.9; SB 14.6. If that surface brightness/dimness doesn't scare you off, a little path of 5 faint stars SP the galaxy can be a big help in locating it. I spotted it at 107x first, then 120x. It is actually fading already at 166x. The central area is oval, faint, but not too small. nearly impossible to find without the little guide stars.
Back in Coma Berenices, eg 4150 and eg 4203 both offer bright views in a 12" mirror. Both are easy catches for an 8". eg 4414 is large, oval, and very bright even at low power. Views remain impressive all the way up to 333x.
Back in Serpens Caput, two galaxies are worth noting. Eg 5980 becomes more impressive at higher powers, using averted vision. And eg 5984 is a lovely edge-on galaxy, looking its best at 166x. None of these galaxies are super showpieces, but are easy objects and fun to view. And the longer you look, the more you can see.
Moving into early summer, the many globular clusters of Ophiuchus found their way into my viewfinder. However, conditions were so poor in June due to wild fire smoke that I had to redo all my globular observations in July. Even major Messier objects were poorly seen in June's terrible skies. My month was dominated by the three Messier objects lying fairly close to one another: M 9, M 19, and M 62. M 9, on the good night, offered sharp, clear views. There is modest resolution of this bright and very large object at 221x. Getting that ultra sharp focus makes all the difference! M 19 is tough to resolve, as it lies low in my northern sky. It appears very bright at 86x, and quite compact. 166x and 221x resolve a few stars, as things begin to wink in and out. I wish this one was right overhead. Messier 62 appears unresolved but mottled at low power. 166x gives some resolution, but not much. 221x shows core detail, including a few stars within it. 333x gives fair resolution overall, with a few dozen very faint stars showing.
There were also any number of fainter NGC globular clusters, and even a decent planetary nebula. Pn 6369 is also called the "Little Ghost," and provided a nice break from all the globulars. Easily located at 86x my best views were at 221x and 333x using my Orion Skyglow filter. The central hole is very prominent, but no central star could be seen (it is mag. 15.9). It resembles a smaller version of M 57. A recommended stopover.
Of the remaining globulars: gc 6356 is large and bright, and glowing strongly at 120x. At higher powers a few outliers resolve, and a very few stars are seen close to the core; gc 6342 is small and pretty faint. The core breaks up at high power, and a very few stars are glimpsed; gc 6401 has a faint but notable star over top, and a bright stellar triangle lies NP It seems to resemble a reflection or emission nebula more than a globular cluster; gc 6355 shows a few stars at 221x, though not near the core; gc 6304 shows impressive size and brightness at low power. A faint star is NP, which becomes a double at 221x. No resolution was seen on my observing night; gc 6316 looks like a planetary nebula or small galaxy at low power. It glows nicely at 221x, with no stars showing; gc 6293 is very bright and quite compact. 166x and 221x resolved a few stars, with things really beginning to wink in and out; gc 6287 has a lovely inner glow to it, with a few outer stars resolved; gc 6325 shows no stars, and is one of the fainter clusters in this nearly endless series; gc 6284 is nice and bright at 86x, and a good size. The core is very bright. Outer resolution is good at 221x.
Clear skies, and hopefully I'll report back on a successful August session!
Mapman Mike
