#63 Cassiopeia Summary 1: NGC Open Clusters

     I will say something about each and every deep sky object observed in this most wondrous constellation.  I began observations in August 2013, and had just a few objects left to finish in August of 2014.  Many of the comments have been taken from previous Monthly Summary blog entries, but there is a significant amount of new detail.  There are 29 NGC open clusters, and I will discuss them in numerical order.

oc 0103:  5'.  Brightest * mag. 11.  30 stars on a stem with a branch.  Haze at low x, with 4 *s.
oc 0110:  19'. Brightest * mag. 9.7.  83x shows 60+ *s in this large, bright group.  A bright orange * is following, and a wide double south of it, yellow and mauve.  Medium rich even under a 1st quarter moon.  A low x beauty.
oc 0129:  12'. Brightest * mag. 11. Large group seen well at 60x and 83x. 35 stars near a triangle, with more further.  Rich group.
oc 0133:  3'. Mg. 9.4.  4 bright *s form an uneven north/south line, seen well at 60x.  2nd * from the north is a close double.  13 *s counted in a small area at 250x.  Adjacent to 146 and King 14.
oc 0136:  1'.5.  Brightest * mag. 13. 8 stars resolved at 250x.  Haze at low x.  Very tight and faint.
oc 0146:  5'. Brightest * 11.6.  An 11.6 mag * sits at the center at 60x, surrounded by a faint hazy cloud.  125x resolves most members, with 35 faint *s counted at 150x.  Adjacent to 133 and King 14.
oc 0189:  5'. Brightest * mag. 10.9.  Medium rich, dense.  Near a mini-Cepheus, and oc 225.
oc 0225:  15'. Brightest * mag. 9.3.  40 stars at 83x.  Good for 6" and up.  Large and bright.
oc 0358:  3'. Asterism of 4 stars.  Faint group south, involved with a 2nd asterism.
oc 0366:  4'. Brightest * mag. 10. 4 bright and 4 dim stars at 200x.
oc 0381:  7'. Brightest * mag. 10. 30+ stars at 150x, resolved well.  Dense group.
oc 0443:  4'. Brightest * mag. 9.  At 125x I observed a mag. 9.5 orange * closely surrounded by a cloud of tiny, faint *s.  200x shows 12 *s immediately surrounding the bright one, but there are many more in a wider area, using125x.
oc 0436:  5'. Brightest * mag. 10.  Little brother to oc 457, it is very close and an easy star hop away.  Both objects seen together at low x.  30 *s at 150x. 

oc 0457:  Stunning object in virtually any instrument, this one does require a low to moderate power.  For my scope 83x was the ideal range.  I also saw it well in Deb's 6" at 84x.  Highlighted by 3 bright stars, it is a moderately rich group.  Worth coming back to often.  Makes a nice showpiece for star parties or beginning observers.  
oc 0559:  7'. Brightest * mag. 9.  100x resolves a rich, dense group.  Up to 250x shows about 50 *s.

oc 0581--M 103:  6'. Brightest * mag. 9.  Not an object to hurry over, especially with a 12".  Not as instantly likeable as M 52, nor as many stars, but it is still beautiful and quite rich.  The cluster remains bright, even at higher powers.  A yellow star on one end, an orange one near the middle and a triple on the opposite side of the yellow one make a nice beginning.  The cluster is quite dense but don't be put off.  Even a 6" shows the group well.
oc 0609:  3'. Brightest * mag. 14.  Located at 60x with averted vision, it is confirmed at 100x, but still haze.  125x begins to resolve this tiny cluster.  A challenging object to observe.
oc 0637:  3'. Brightest * mag. 8.  7 brighter *s seen at 100x, some in a curving line.  Fainter members resolve here with averted vision.  Up to 300x shows a circular, torque-shaped group with a dense knot in the preceding section.  There are 20 to 25 *s.
oc 0654:  Already rich and dense at 60x, the stars swarm around a yellow 7.5 mag. star.  This reminds me of a Berkeley cluster on steroids!  High power shows 30 faint members.
oc 0657:  7'.  Brightest * 7.1.  A dozen bright *s seen preceding a lovely bright, wide double, yellow and blue.
oc 0659:  6'.  Brightest * mag. 10.  Near a bright triangle of *s.  Curving line noted, encircling faint haze.  Two circles of stars, attached in the middle, with about 25 *s in their middle sections, mostly faint.  Resolved at 200x.  
oc 0663:  15'.  Brightest * mag.9.  An outstanding cluster in my 12" mirror!  Large and bright, I viewed it at 60, 100 and 125x.  Though a major showpiece in my scope, it is bright enough to be appreciated in almost any aperture.  A rich cluster, highly recommended.  Two pair of double stars, one on either side of the group, add interest.  Easy sweeping to 654 and 659.
oc 0743:  7'. Brightest * mag. 10.  Wedge-shape at low x.  Compact and medium rich.  Dense inner section resolves at 100x.
oc 0886:  14'. Brightest * mag. 11.  Framed by 2 *s, mag. 8.5 and 9.  12 cluster *s relatively bright, with many faint ones also.  25 *s counted in 2 wide lines.
oc 1027:  15'. Brightest * mag. 9.  Lovely at 60x, with a white mag. 7 * in the center, along with a 9.7 mag. pair.  Many other fainter *s surround these 3.  Large and scattered.  About 60 *s at 100x, mostly white.  There is a double line of *s, crescent-shaped and faint, following the main *.  Fine object.
oc 7654/M52:  16'. A deep sky wonder!  60x shows well. 125x resolves all. Also see Cz 43.
oc 7788:  4'.  Cone-shaped.  Pair with larger 7790.  20 *s at high power.
oc 7789:  25'.  One of the finest ocs!  For 6" or higher.  Do not miss!  Uncountable stars in 12".
oc 7790:  5'.  A must with a 12".  Middle of 3 clusters, including 7788.  Medium rich at high x.

...to be continued 
Mapman Mike



 

#36 September/October 2013: Summary of Observing #7

It was quite a month of clear skies!  Of course there were 6 cloudy nights centered around new moon, an all-too familiar pattern around here.  But we managed 12 observing sessions beginning just before last quarter moon and continuing till first quarter.  That enabled me to finish up Cygnus, a project I thought would take at least two years.  I am also deep into Cassiopeia now, and beginning to flirt again with Cetus.

Deb and I have been observing a lot at the club's observatory location near Comber, ON Canada.  Though far from perfect, especially in the south and the northwest, overhead skies are superior on good nights.  For example, I was able to finally see the central star of the Ring Nebula in the 12"!  I was mighty pleased about that.  I was also able to glimpse the illusive IC galaxy 1296 for the first time, very close to M 57!  And I helped out a fellow member, whose 20" mirror is in for service, observe a 15.2 mag. variable star.  So it is no surprise that I located every object I went after except for one, a faint Berkeley cluster.

Here is what I accomplished in the past month.  If it seems like a lot, it is, but we put in hours and hours of observing.  12 sessions, with more than 48 hours at the eyepiece!  I observed 137 objects in Cygnus, Cassiopeia, Cetus and Lyra (only 2 in Lyra).  This includes:

20 double stars
66 NGC/IC objects (24 of them brand new to me)
51 clusters from other catalogues.

If that sounds like a lot, it is.  However, that's less than 3 objects per hour, so I am staying pretty true to my goal of not rushing through things.  Some faint objects take more time to hunt down than to observe and make notes about them, but the good ones deserve and get plenty of observing time from me.  I added 10 new sketches to my collection, too.  That's not nearly enough, but I already plan on revisiting certain objects next summer with the hope of drawing them at the eyepiece.

What were the highlights?  For Cygnus, see the previous blog entry, which summarizes the best of the whole constellation.  The two things I saw in Lyra were major accomplishments for me and my scope.  One was that central star in the Ring Nebula, M 57.  I have tried before, but on that one night everything clicked.  I saw it three separate times, mostly winking in and out, and best with averted vision.  I also saw the faint, nearby galaxy I 1296, which I had tried to see all summer.  Very faint and elusive, but unmistakeable at last!  There is only one NGC galaxy left in Lyra for me to see.  Maybe next year.

So I will mostly discuss Cassiopeia in this blog entry, and a bit of Cetus.  Cassiopeia is a truly amazing constellation, filled with some fine nebulae (though not on par with Cygnus), galaxies, planetary nebula and clusters.  Oh, those clusters!  Several of them are better than anything in Cygnus.

Cassiopeia Highlights

oc 457:  Stunning object in virtually any instrument, this one does require a low to moderate power.  For my scope 83x was the ideal range.  I also saw it well in the 6" at 84x.  Highlighted by 3 bright stars, it is a moderately rich group.  Worth coming back to often.  Makes a nice showpiece for star parties or beginning observers.  oc 438 is very close by, showing about 30 stars at higher power.

 oc 581--M 103:  Not an object to hurry over, especially with a 12".  Not as instantly likeable as M 52, nor as many stars, it is still beautiful and quite rich.  The cluster remains bright, even at higher powers.  A yellow star on one end, an orange one near the middle and a triple on the opposite side of the yellow one make a nice beginning.  The cluster is quite dense but don't be put off.  Even a 6" shows the group well.

oc 654:  Already rich and dense at 60x, the stars swarm around a yellow 7.5 mag. star.  This reminds me of a Berkeley cluster on steroids!  High power shows 30 faint members.

oc 663:  An outstanding cluster in my 12" mirror!  Large and bright, I viewed it at 60, 100 and 125x.  Though a major showpiece in my scope, it is bright enough to be appreciated in almost any aperture.  A rich cluster, highly recommended.  Two pair of double stars, one on either side of the group, add interest.

oc I 166:  A cloud of extremely faint haze was noted just preceding a mag. 9 star.  Stars begin to resolve at 200x.  This looks like a job for a 16"!

oc St 2:  On the border with Perseus, this group is an utter wonder at 43x!  The eyepiece is filled with bright stars in a dense field.  Great in the 6" scope, too.

oc St 5:  Another large, scattered cluster good at low to medium power.  Contains a star circle, and V781, an orange star.  Fine for all apertures.

oc Cr 463:  A huge group, best at 43x.  Widely scattered but rich in bright stars.

oc King 14:  The best of three clusters, all appearing in a 100x field.  Largest of the three and most interesting to view.  150x shows 30+ stars.  oc 133 is hard to identify.  Look for 4 bright stars in an uneven N/S line.  The 2nd star from the N is a close double.  13 stars seen at 250x.  oc 146 is just preceding.  An 11.6 mag. star lies at the center of a faint, hazy cloud at 60x.  25 stars resolve at 150x.

oc King 21:  An impressive number of stars can be seen at 125x and 150x.  The cluster is near a bright triple star.

I must mention one triple star.  Iota Cass. is not to be missed, looking splendid in both the 6" and the 12"!

Cetus

Six galaxies were observed in the lower part of Cetus, a difficult project for me.  Southern light pollution is a problem at the observatory, plus the fact that my scope is pointing just a bit higher than horizontal.

eg 47:  A bright star adjacent hampers views.  Best seen at 150x, when the star is out of the field.
eg 50: Noticeably elongated at 125x and 150x, especially using averted vision.
eg 54:  Very elongated at medium power.  Use averted vision.
eg 59:  Large and fairly bright, I only saw it one night, despite trying again a few times.
eg 61 A/B:  Seen as one big blob, I was expecting two separate galaxies.  Look for two "bright" centers, slightly apart but at different angles.

Clear skies to all!
Mapman Mike

#33: Monthly Summary #6B: Aug/Sept 2013 Part 2: Cassiopeia

     My late night constellation has been Cassiopeia.  Rich in clusters and nebula, I have also been surprised by some impressive galaxies.  I will begin with NGC objects observed this past session, followed by any IC objects.  Lastly will come clusters from other catalogues.  Underlined objects are personal favourites.

NGC Objects Observed During Past Session

oc 0103:  5'.  Brightest * mag. 11.  30 stars on a stem with a branch.
oc 0129:  12'. Brightest * mag. 11. Large group seen well at 60x and 83x. 35 stars near a triangle.
oc 0136:  1'.5.  Brightest * mag. 13. 8 stars resolved at 250x.
oc 0189:  5'. Brightest * mag. 10.9.  Medium rich, dense.  Near a mini-Cepheus, and oc 225.
oc 0225:  15'. Brightest * mag. 9.3.  40 stars at 83x.  Good for 6" and up.
eg 0278:  2'.1 x 2'. Mag. 11.4.  Bright, oval.  Try with 6".  Seen on a very dewy night.
gn 0281:  35' x 30'.  Seen best at 60x with filter.  Very large.
oc 0358:  3'. Asterism of 4 stars.  Faint group south, involved with a 2nd asterism.
oc 0366:  4'. Brightest * mag. 10. 4 bright and 4 dim stars.
oc 0381:  7'. Brightest * mag. 10. 30+ stars at 150x, resolved well.  Dense group.
gn 7635:  Bubble Nebula.  Some nebulosity near bright star.  Disappointing.
oc 7654/M52:  16'. A deep sky wonder!  60x shows well. 125x resolves all. Also see Cz 43.
oc 7788:  4'.  Cone-shaped.  Pair with larger 7790.
oc 7789:  25'.  One of the finest ocs!  For 6" or higher.  Do not miss!  Uncountable stars in 12".
oc 7790:  5'.  A must with a 12".  Middle of 3 clusters, including 7788.  Medium rich at high x.

IC Objects

eg I 10:  6'.4 x 5'.3:  Mag. 12.95.  Seen at 60x and 100x.  Large, faint, oval.  Star near center.
gn I 59:  10' x 5'.  Fairly large, solid block of nebulosity, near faint circlet of stars.
gn I 63:  10' x 3'.  More clumpy, but just as faint as I 59.  Bright star hinders views.
oc I 1590:  4'. Within gn 281!  At 200x a few faint stars around a close triple star.

Other Clusters

oc SkiffJ23302+ 6015:  Small, very faint cloud.  6 or 7 faint stars.
oc Be 02:  2'. Brightest * mag. 15.  Very very small, very very faint.  4 stars at 250x.
oc Be 01:  5'.  15 stars at 150x.  Pendant on a necklace!  Pendant is the cluster.
oc Be 58:  8'.  3rd member of group with 7788 and 7790.  25 stars along a zigzag line.
oc Be 60:  4'. Barely noticed at 60x  250x shows small circle, about 6 very very faint stars.
oc Be 102:  5'. 8 stars in faint cloud N of triple star.
oc Be 103:  4'.  Threshold group begins to resolve at 150x.
oc Cz 01:  4'. 8 tiny, dim stars at end of brighter line of slightly curving stars.
oc Cz 02:  10'. Mostly resolved at 100x.  25 stars at 150x.
oc Cz 43:  6':  Double cluster with M 52, but fine on its own.  Low x shows both.
oc Do 46:  12'.  Brighter white star surrounded by a large cloud of very faint haze.
oc Fr 01:  Brightest * 10.6.  5 bright stars and a dozen faint ones.
oc Ha 21:  3'. Mag. 9.  Seen well at 125x. 5 bright stars with some very faint ones.
oc King 02:  4'. Brightest * mag. 17.  3 stars at 200x. Small, faint haze near bright, compact group.
oc King 12:  3'. Brightest * mag. 10.  A true cluster. 200x shows 15 stars around a close double.
oc King 13:  Very small, very faint.  About 12 stars near a brighter one.
oc King 15:  3'. Brightest * mag. 18.  I saw a moderately rich group at 125x, surrounding a gold star.
oc King 20:  4'.  4 11 mag. stars amidst small cloud of mag. 13 and 14 stars.
oc Mayer 01:  8'. Curving line of stars, S-shape, about 25.
oc St 11:  10'.  10 white stars.  Triple star within.
oc St 12:  30'. Very large.  15 bright stars on Uranometria.  I saw 40 bright ones at 43x.
oc St 19:  3'.  6 stars seen.
oc St 24:  5'. Brightest * mag. 13. 200x shows 9 faint stars.  Very close double involved. 

     Clusters dominate Cassiopeia, with 7789, 7790, 7788 and 7654 (M 52) dominating the group.  Both galaxies viewed this month are also of interest with large mirrors (278, I 10).  Lots and lots of fine sweeping at low power.
Mapman Mike