#81 Small Telescope Adventures: Part 4

The Olcott Project:  Adventures with a 2" Telescope--Nights 4 & 5

We have managed to squeeze two more clear nights out of the October new moon session.  I am still hard at work with the 12", and recently completed observations of "Stephan's Quintet" in Pegasus, along with eg 7331 and its attendant galaxies.  We take time out to work with Space Eye from time to time during these clear nights, finding it just as addictive as observing with our bigger scopes.

The night of October 10th began as a hazy mess.  We drove to Hallam Observatory anyway, thinking that we might just set up the 2" and review some of the already seen objects.  Well, the night didn't turn out to be so great for galaxy hunting, so the 12" stayed inside the VW Tiguan.  However, the haze lifted enough to provide us with a pretty decent night of observing.  We set up Deb's 6", along with Space Eye, and we ended up comparing views.  The 6" has about 9x the light gathering power of the 2", so there isn't much to compare.  I ended up using the 2" exclusively that night, adding 7 new objects to our ever-growing list.

Each time we use the scope we get better at finding objects using Olcott's charts.  A big part of this new-found success is the red dot finder now installed, replacing the 5 x 20 toy finder scope.  We are finding the alt-azumith's up and down locking device a bit of a pain, especially when the scope is pointed high.  Once an object is sighted and the device is "locked," there is some play in the system, causing the tube to fall just a bit short of where it was placed.  We are learning to compensate, however.  Also, when the knob is tightened, it really needs to be tightened.  A few times I thought I had tightened it and the eyepiece gracefully descended to a vertical position.  There are no problems with the side to side controls.  Both slow motion controls work flawlessly, too, and the focusser has loosened just enough to make it perfect for getting that exact image of a star.

Object #14:  M13:  20'; Vis. 5.8; Br. * mag. 11.9:  We had a good, long look at the grand-daddy of northern sky globular clusters, and Space Eye did not disappoint!  At 30x the center blazes with light.  Three distinct levels of brightness can be observed, as the cluster fades outwards.  A large area of very faint haze surrounds the central, brighter areas.  At 60x the texture of the cluster becomes granular.  At 75x 3 or 4 stars can be seen, winking in and out.  Fun!  Olcott devotes five paragraphs to this cluster, but only on his binocular and naked eye observing page!

http://www.vcastro.com/messier/page004/html/04-0811_m13_gk0r3006_std.jpg

Object #15:  Delta Herculis:  3.2-8/11":  Not an easy double star for a 2" scope.  But what are all my years of observing experience for, if not for challenges like this one?  We split it at 60x, but the two stars appeared very close.  It's very likely that a trained eye is needed here.  The primary star is white.

http://www.astrosurf.com/bolteau/etoilesdoubles/delta-herculis.jpg

Object #16:  Beta Lyra:  A multiple star with 4 members:

     3-6.7/46"

       -9.2/67"

      -9.8/86"

On the first night I misread Olcott's list and left out the 9.8 mag. member.  However, that was remedied on the 11th of October, when we reviewed the whole system.  Three star members are observable at 30x, and the fourth at 60x.  Beta also is a gateway star to M 57.  Olcott discusses Beta's variable characteristics, as it is one of the most famous variables in the sky.  It was considerably dimmer than Gamma tonight.

http://i0.wp.com/www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/beta_lyrae.gif

Object #17:  M57 "Ring Nebula:"  76"; Vis. 8.8:  Small, faint but quite distinct at 30x, I reached here using the slow motion controls from Beta Lyra.  60x and averted vision really help with the view, though the dark center is elusive and challenging.  75x (Epic 11 8 mm) gives really decent views of a now dark-centered ghostly object.  It appears to be pretty large in this range, and very round.  This marks Space Eye's first planetary nebula!  Olcott says: "The "+" [on his chart of Lyra] marks the location of the famous "Ring Nebula," a wonderful sight in our largest telescopes."

http://www.jagowds.com/_jap/gfx/deepsky/m57_042404.jpg

Object #18:  NGC oc 663:  15'; Mag. 7.1; Br. * mag. 9:  Observed both nights (10th and 11th), I really enjoyed spending time here.  This is another open cluster success for Space Eye.  I enjoyed long looks using 30x, in addition to sweeping the area slowly.  40x and 60x were also used with success.  Along with several obvious brighter stars, many faint ones were also seen.  The cluster field fits nicely at 60x.  The surrounding area is also rich with stars, making for fine sweeping with the slow motion controls.  Recommended for 50mm apertures.

http://www.jagowds.com/_jap/gfx/deepsky/m57_042404.jpg

Object #19:  Struve 163 (Cass):  A triple star. 6.2-8.2/35"  -9.7/115":  On the 10th I overlooked the fainter star, so we redid it on the 11th.  Nothing was split at 30x.  However, at 60x a lovely gold and blue pair resolved, though somewhat faint.  It looks much more impressive in the 6", but it isn't too bad in the 2".  The third member was seen at 60x and 75x under excellent skies on the 11th.  It may have been visible on the 10th under less favourable sky conditions, but I did not look for it.

http://www.deepskywatch.com/images/sketches/struve-163-sketch-s.jpg

Object #20:  NGC oc 7789:  25': Vis. 6.7; Br. * mag. 10:  Olcott places the cluster on his Cassiopeia chart, and says:  "NGC 7789 was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783."  That's not much of an incentive to go looking for it, but experienced observers will know that this is one of the most remarkable open clusters in the sky.  In my 12" scope at 136x (82 degree field) I am left speechless and breathless every time I observe it.  It is a challenge, however, for the 2".  I located it both nights, even though I really wasn't expecting to find it.  The given magnitude is deceiving.  Due to its vast size it is very faint.  We found it at 30x, though it was better at 40x, where a few stars began to resolve.  It was too faint for 60x to be of any use.  It looks like a ghostly, round, very faint cloud.  I was thrilled to even find it!  A second look on the much better night of the 11th showed very tiny stars resolving across the entire hazy patch at 40x.  Definitely worth a stop for veteran sky viewers.

http://www.walter-hohmann-sternwarte.de/galerie-dateien/offene_sternhaufen/NGC7789-20120907_kl.jpg

Observing Night #5

The night of October 11th gave us a near-perfect sky.  Much of the time I was hunting galaxies with the 12", but we took time out to add a few new objects to Space Eye's ever-growing list.  We had quick looks at Messier 8, 20 and 21 in Sagittarius, but I did not take any notes.  We'll wait until next summer for these, and many others, in that fabulous constellation.  Here are three new objects added to our list.  Pretty soon we will be halfway through our goal of 60 objects, and we haven't even started on the moon or planets yet!  I'm thinking this project may easily reach 100 objects.

 Object #21:  NGC oc 752:  75'; Mag. 5.7; Br. * mag. 8:  The cluster is easy to find thanks to a wide double star (56 Andromedae: 6-6/189"), a lovely object on its own, but lying just south of this remarkable open cluster.  Both members of the double are white, and it can be seen in binoculars.  The cluster can best be appreciated at 30x, using the slow motion controls to drive around its nearly endless circumference.  This is one of the largest and richest clusters one could imagine, and would be a perfect candidate for our 4" Astroscan.  However, the 2" shows it in its full splendour, too.  This one is worth many more visits!  Olcott merely places the cluster on his Andromeda chart.  However, he does mention the double star:  "The double star 56 can be separated with a field glass if it is held steady..."

 A nice image, showing the adjacent double star 56 Andromedae.

http://www.amateurastronomy.co.uk/constels/and/ngc752.gif

Object #22:  Messier 42 & 43 "The Great Nebula:"  Wow!  Certainly one of the finest objects for a small telescope, it is totally enthralling and amazing in Space Eye!  It appeared far brighter than I expected, and a lot of detail can be observed, even at 30x.  We viewed it around 1 am, and it wasn't even that high yet.  The Trapezium star group was bright and very appealing.  60x shows off the nebula to great advantage, with dark and light areas mingling and curling like smoke.  This is truly remarkable in the 2", and should get some oohs and ahhs at open houses and star parties, especially if someone has never seen it before.  Obviously it is worth many repeat visits.  Olcott devotes several paragraphs to it on his binocular page.  On the telescope page he says:  "Of course observe the nebula.  An excellent way to do this is to sight the telescope in advance of the nebula, and allow this to creep into the field.  A far better idea of the extent of the luminosity can be obtained by using this method.  Only a long exposure photograph can show the true vastness of this wonder of the skies."  Perhaps, but a 50 mm will not disappoint.

https://www.google.ca/search?client=tablet-unknown&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1360&bih=631&q=delta+herculis&oq=delta+herculis&gs_l=img.12..0i24.1585.4928.0.7128.14.10.0.4.4.0.126.993.2j7.9.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..1.13.1004.nv6SdVRqaDM#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=messier+42&imgrc=_

Object #23:  Messier 1 "Crab Nebula:"  I had zero expectations for this faint object, so you can imagine my surprise and delight when we located it at 30x without much trouble!  Apparently all of the faint galaxy work I do with the 12" has paid off!  The Crab was really faint, but nonetheless quite unmistakable.  It was oval, and though fairly small, we found that using averted vision and cupping our hands around the eyepiece really helped to bring it out from the background.  Huzzah!  Olcott says:  "The + shows the location [on his chart of Taurus] of the famous "Crab Nebula," the first nebula discovered by Messier.  It takes a powerful telescope to bring out any detail."  This one is for experts only.  There is not much here to see for a novice.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/guy.m/Sketches/DSO/M1.jpg

Until next time, clear skies to all!

Mapman Mike 

#26: Deep Sky Lyra, Part 1: Clusters and Nebula

     I have spent many happy hours observing in the constellation Lyra, first in July 1971 when I observed it over two nights from northern Ontario with my Tasco 4.5" Lunagrosso reflector!  I thought I had hit the jackpot when I found M 57, and again later with M 56, using those crappy .96 Kellner and Huygens eyepieces. 

     I returned with my Edmund 8" reflector in July 1978, also from a dark sky site in northern Ontario.  With such a big aperture and much better eyepieces, I enjoyed unrivaled views of both Messier objects, even resolving the outer edges of M 56 at higher powers. 

     In 1992, equipped with better books and maps, I once more found myself immersed in a study of Lyra, again with my trusty 8" reflector.  I was able to add two new NGC objects, the very challenging oc 6791, which the 8" managed to partially resolve at high power, and eg 6703, seen from my suburban backyard in Essex County, Ontario.  I was able to view the galaxy at up to 200x!

     Now comes July 2013.  Light pollution marches on.  Though I have doubtless observed the Ring Nebula many times since 1992, this marked my first official visit to Lyra in 21 years!  Equipped with the Uranometria Atlas, all sky edition, and a 12" reflector, this was a very different adventure.  There are a total of 29 NGC objects brighter than mag. 15 plotted on the atlas, along with 3 IC objects and one "other," an open cluster labeled Ste 1.  I also went after a few new closer and fainter double stars, and reviewed a number of old favourites.  However, this blog will only deal with the NGC and similar objects.

     Here is a breakdown of the NGC objects.  24 of them are galaxies, many of them very faint.  However, a small number of them are easily viewed in a 12" mirror, and should be better known by experienced viewers.  2 of the NGC located in Lyra are open clusters, including one that my object locator says does not exist (it does!).  There are two planetary nebulae, giving the famous Ring Nebula some company.  There is a single globular, an often overlooked showpiece (M 56).  The 3 IC objects are all galaxies.  For a mid-summer Milky Way constellation, Lyra has no less than 27 NGC-IC galaxies!  I was anxious and excited to locate them.  I only struck out on two, having success with the other 25!  I will continue for a few more sessions to try and locate the missing pair.  Details below.

     In this first of two blogs concerning deep sky objects in Lyra, I will discuss the non-galaxy objects.  In Part 2 I will tackle the galaxies.  

pn 6720--M 57:  This could possibly be the most famous Messier object of them all, and perhaps the most famous deep sky object of them all, too.  It is likely one of the most photographed NGC objects.  Since first seeing it with the 4.5" Tasco reflector, I have had a deep love for it.  It is stately, grand, strangely silent (it seems as if it should be accompanied by a low hum, or something similar), awe-inspiring and impressive in nearly any telescope.  Last night I observed it up to 300x in the 12", noting feathery texture on its huge surface.  I also had an opportunity to view it in a 4 1/4" Edmund Astroscan RFT reflector, at a much lower magnification.  It was tiny and certainly dimmer, but still majestic and impressive, especially with an ultrablock filter.  If a viewer is not impressed with M 57, then he is probably in the wrong hobby!   

 http://schickworld.com/Astronomy/Resized/M57-LRGBv2011S.jpg

pn 6765:  Located an easy star hop from M 56, Lyra's "other" planetary nebula is worth a look, at least with a 12" scope or larger on a dark night.  Located at 100x (15 mm eyepiece), at 67" and mag. 12.9 it is about 1/3 the size of M 57, though significantly dimmer.  At 125x (12mm) I used an ultrablock filter, getting good direct views.  Expecting a round or oval object, I was surprised to observe a slash, like an elliptical galaxy.  At times I thought I saw a central star, but this observation could not be repeated on subsequent evenings.  Located within a triangle of brighter stars (mag. 10-11), it was observed up to 200x, with better views using the filter.  The shape now reminded me of the body of an Astroscan telescope, being in two parts joined together, one of them round and larger, and the other much narrower, like a short neck protruding.  Is this a double planetary?  A puzzling but fun object to observe, and no doubt somewhat overlooked.

 http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6765.jpg

     There are 3 open clusters in Lyra, 2 from the NGC, and one from Stephenson.  I will begin with the newest cluster.

oc Ste 1:  According to the newest edition of Uranometria, the area around Delta 1 and Delta 2 is now a very large and bright open cluster.  With a size of 40', use a low power eyepiece.  I loved the view with my 25 mm, giving 60x.  A dozen stars appear to be contained in a box by four brighter stars (Delta 1 is a deep, rich golden yellow), and another dozen lie outside the box.  I also viewed this at low power with the Astroscan 4 1/4", enjoying the views a lot.  The cluster is suitable for all apertures, even very small refractors.

oc 6791:  One of the best open clusters out there for larger scopes, so use at least an 8" mirror for this one.  Even the 12" does not fully resolve it, at least in my best sky.  First viewed in 1992 with the 8" scope, it took 150x back then to even begin to resolve it.  I can't wait to see this in my friend's 22" Dob!  At low power (and 12"), a large, hazy cloud of dim whiteness can be seen.  Official size varies between 10' and 20', depending on which information source is used.  I tend to go for the 20'.  There is certainly a very dense core to this cluster, but the haze spreads out beyond the main section.  At 125x it begins to resolve, and even more so at 150x.  Take your time and let your eye do its work, and very faint stars will pop out all across the object.  Think of it more like a tough globular and you will get a better idea of how to respond to it.  At 200x I enjoyed remarkable views, though there was still some haze back in there.  I observed it this year over many nights, and the cluster is a good indicator of how suitable the sky is that night for deep sky observing.  It is more difficult to resolve than many globulars, so be patient and wait for your best night.

 http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6791.jpg

oc 6743:  Perhaps justifiably overlooked, nonetheless these are the objects I often enjoy tackling, for that very reason.  When I keyed in 6743 on my object locator keypad, I was informed it was non-existent.  Good thing Uranometria knows more than my keypad!  Though hardly a traditional cluster, and certainly not something you would proudly show your grandmother, the little group fits a familiar pattern for observing pros.  A bright star (mag 8) sits right in the middle of a very faint star cluster, dimming its members and hiding some, too.  Best at 150x, I counted 18 very faint stars surrounding the bright one.  I also used the cluster to star-hop to a nearby faint galaxy (eg 6740).

 http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6743.jpg

gc 6779--M 56:  The final non-galaxy deep sky object in Lyra is the 2nd finest object in the constellation (oc 6791 is 3rd).  Unresolvable in a 4", the 8" used to do a pretty good job with the outliers, but not so well with stars in the core.  This is a showpiece object, often overlooked by amateurs in favour of M 13 and other more popular globular clusters.  My 12" mirror gives a remarkable view, aided by an adjacent bright star that allows perfect focusing.  Up to 200x the cluster is still bright, and resolving all across the center, which breaks into uneven segments of stars and haze, with dark lanes separating them (the 8" showed some of this, too).  I found it harder to focus at 250x, though the object was still good at this range for an experienced eye.  It is a very compact group, but its overhead sky position gives it a huge advantage over brighter and larger globulars further south on the horizon.

 http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/n/6/n6779.jpg

     This concludes Part One of my deep sky look at Lyra.  In the next entry, I will discuss the constellation's 27 galaxies!  Stay tuned, and come back often.

Mapman Mike