#90-Small Telescope Adventures, Part 8

The Olcott Project:  Adventures with a 2" Telescope--Nights 9, 10, 11, 12

The small telescope project is alive and well, and I have now completed 2/3rds of my first goal of observing 60 objects.  Space Eye is a 2" refractor from Vixen.  It is quite a splendid little instrument, and it's helping me relive my early days as an amateur astronomer.  However, I always used reflectors when growing up, first having a toy 3", then a Tasco 4.5", then an Edmund 8", and finally an Orion 12" Dob.  There was one tiny refractor in my lineup.  I purchased a 40 mm refractor from K-mart back in 1971, using it for two months until my Tasco scope arrived.  However, Space Eye is my first true astronomical observing refractor, and I always enjoy using it when time permits.  Here are two observations from March 11th.

Object #32:  Messier 41:  Mag. 4.5; 39'; 80 *s; Br. * mag. 8:  From Olcott:  "Also observe M 41.  It is a superb group in a 3" telescope, and the red star near the center shows very clearly."  It is also a pretty fine sight in a 2" scope, with a nice concentration of bright stars in the center, and others somewhat further out.  30x shows some haze behind the resolved stars, but 60x resolves most stars.  About 40 members were counted, not including more distant stragglers.  I spent a long time here enjoying the view.

http://www.perezmedia.net/beltofvenus/archives/images/2005/img2005011502_M41lgrev1.jpg


Object #33:  Jupiter:  This is the first planet I have observed with Space Eye, and probably the one best suited for it.  This Spring, Jupiter is the planetary highlight.  On my first visit I was looking through a fogged over objective lens.  However, the planet was still sharp and bright.  Two equatorial cloud belts were very dark and dramatic; quite spectacular, actually.  The moons were easily seen, and provide beginners and experts alike a never-ending moving tableau.  On a second night (with no fogging) I observed the north hemisphere to be darker.  Two moons were nearly touching, but the scope resolved things well.  I have not used more than 60x so far (it's been very cold, and switching eyepieces requires refocusing), but will go much higher as weather permits.  Jupiter is a real showpiece for Space Eye.

http://en.es-static.us/upl/2013/04/Jupiter-and-moons-io-europa-ganymede-callisto.jpg

 Here are four objects seen on March 25th.

Object #34:  Beta Monoceros:  4.6-5.0/07":  Olcott class this a beautiful object.  While a lovely
                                                          -5.3/10":  double star at 30x, splitting B & C is a challenge, as they are only 3" apart!  I was pretty certain of a split at 60x, but I had to confirm it with Deb's 6" scope.  Lovely double, but a very challenging triple star.

http://web.utah.edu/astro/pics/paul/beta%20mon%20color%20352.jpg

Object #35:  Messier 50:  Mag. 5.9; 15'; 80 *s; Br. * Mag. 9:  Olcott places the object on his maps of Monoceros and Canis Major, though does not discuss it.  Smaller and dimmer than M 41, it nonetheless is a beautiful though faint cloud at 30x.  It is compact and compressed, with perhaps a half dozen stars easily resolving over the haze.  60x resolves the cluster nicely, showing about 25 stars.  Some haze is still evident in the background.  It is tricky to locate, but ultimately worth it.  A minor gem in Space Eye.

http://www.pictorobservatory.ca/images/m50-L_thumb.jpg

Object #36:  Epsilon Monoceros:  4.5-6.5/13":  Split at 30x, though seen beautifully at at 60x.  It seems white and bluish to me.  Olcott says Gold-Blue.  The 6.5 mag. companion was like a tiny pinprick next to the brighter star.

http://www.gabrielevanin.it/Eps%20Mon.jpg

Object #37:  NGC 2244:  Mag. 4.8; 30'; 100 *s; Br. * Mag. 7:  Olcott says:  "Note the cluster NGC 2244, visible to the unaided eye, and a fine sight in a field glass."  This is the famous Rosette Nebula, though no nebula was seen tonight.  This is one of the most easily identifiable clusters, nd it is lovely in a 2" scope.  It resembles a number "6" on a die.  The south two stars point north following to NGC oc 2252, barely discernible in the 2", though lovely in Deb's 6".  Continue further on to Cr. 106, with its central dense knot of faint stars appearing like fine silver dust in Space Eye.  A fun area to explore.

http://www.celestronimages.com/data/media/5/NGC2244a.jpg

A single object was observed on the night of March 26th.

Object #38:  Messier 48:  Mag. 5.8; 30'; 80 *s; Br. * Mag 8:  Olcott places the cluster on his Monoceros chart, but says nothing about it.  It turns out to be a nice object for the 2" refractor.  While there is lots of haze at 30x, several stars do resolve.  60x shows the full richness of M 48, which can take your breth away in a 6".  A few dozen stars are resolved in Space Eye, many seen using averted vision and a perfect focus.  This is a true wonder of the late winter sky!

http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2013/02/11/messier-monday-a-lost-and-found-star-cluster-m48/ 

The final pair of objects for this blog entry were seen on April 1st.


Object #39:  Algieba (Gamma Leonis):  2.6-3.8/4":  Olcott quotes Struve in his Field Book:  "Finest double in the northern sky."  Olcott himself calls it the telescopic feature of leo.  It certainly is beautiful in the 6" and 12", and most likely in a 3", too.  It is a challenge to resolve in the 2", and takes a practiced eye, steady seeing, perfect focus, and some patience.  Comfortable seating helps, too.  One star is deeper gold that the other, and one is noticeably bigger.  A beautiful pair in Space Eye, but not a showpiece for the masses.  I only used up to 60x, and will try a higher power next time.

http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~fringwal/Gamma-Leonis-2006-01-27-120s-f20.png

Object #40a and 40b:  Messier 65 and Messier 66:  65= 9'.8 x 2'.9; Vis. 9.3/SB 12.8.  66= 9'.1 x 4'.2; Vis. 8.9/SB 12.7:  I easily located and saw two of the three members of the Leo Triplet.  While I could not see the third member (NGC 3628), I did get a good glimpse of nearby eg 3593, which appeared round, faint and hazy, though not small.  Both Messier galaxies were seen at 30x, and indeed they were not that good at 60x.  I should have tried 40x.  Next time.  M 66 was noticeably rounder and brighter than M 65, which appeared very long and thin by comparison.  They both were bright and conspicuous, with very bright middles.  A nice catch for Space Eye, and worth showing to others!

http://www.astrofoto.ca/john/files/m065-66.jpg

(edited to crop out eg 3628)

 

Although there are a few more Spring objects I wish to view, I an anxiously awaiting summer, when I can dig into Sagittarius.  I will likely expand my project up to 100 objects.  Also, Saturn and Mars on on their way, and I have hopes of seeing a polar cap on Mars.  So stay tuned.

Meanwhile, work continues in Leo with the 12".  With over 350 NGC objects, this is a multi-year project.  However, I am going to begin reporting on progress so far, so stay tuned for that.  As ever, clear skies!

Mapman Mike 

#14: Monthly Summary 1 (mid-March/mid-April 2013)

     With the moon now waxing, and the ten-day weather forecast predicting some form of rain every day for the foreseeable future, it is safe to say that dark sky observations have ended until after full moon on the 25th of this month.  I desperately tried to observe a few objects last night in Leo, but consistent clouds and haze made decent views impossible.  It is now time to summarize achievements during the past lunar cycle.  Despite many overcast nights, there were some remarkable successes since March 15th.  I got outside with the scope 8 times, and a few of those nights were near-perfect skies.  Many, however, ended early with incoming clouds.  Even worse was having clear skies predicted, staying up late only to find no such clear skies appearing.

     Despite some bad luck with weather a total of 19 new NGC objects were officially logged, many of them sketched as well as reported on with good old fashioned words.  One of the objects accounted for 4 of the new NGCs.  The Rosette Nebula in Monoceros has the following designations:  2237, 2238, 2239 and 2246.  The cluster itself, seen last lunar cycle, is 2244.  The nebula is vast and completely encircles the open cluster.  I could see nothing at all without a Skyglow filter, but with it and a low power eyepiece (28 mm) the emission nebula appeared as so much faint cloud interspersed among the rich stellar background.  So score 4 NGC right there!  I had hoped to also have a look at it with my Edmund 4 1/8" rft, but did not have the opportunity (more about this little scope soon).

     So besides the 4 galactic nebulae, I also viewed in detail this past month 5 open clusters, 9 galaxies and 1 planetary nebula.  One of those galaxies was M 65, and though I observed the entire Leo Triplet several times, M 65 was the only one so far to be officially entered into the logbook.  Sketches and verbal descriptions of M 66 and eg 3628 await better skies.  The Leo Triplet was easily the highlight of the observing month, with all three galaxies easily fitting into my 2" eyepiece at 43x, and just barely into my 1 1/4" 25 mm 60x eyepiece.  I now know that area so well that I can close my eyes in bed at night and still see it all clearly.  Two other worthy NGC galaxies lay within an easy star hop of the Triplet and were also seen on a few occasions, though not yet officially reported.  This is one of the great advantages of taking one's time when exploring the deep sky.  Once you have really explored and star hopped through an area over several nights, it will stay in your visual memory for a very long time.

     The Leo Triplet wasn't the only galaxy triplet observed this month.  NGCs 2872, 2873 and 2874, though much fainter and smaller, mark another worthwhile goal for 12" scopes or larger.  On my first attempt, only 72 and 74 were viewed, virtually touching.  72 is brighter than 74, though 74 extends further than its bright counterpart.  On a subsequent night I was able to see the third and very faint member, 2873, and it remains the faintest galaxy yet seen with the new scope.  And finally for Leo galaxies, the duo 2911 and tiny 2914 also make a worthy pair.  A nearby third member (2919) has yet to be found.  All three are an easy star hop from 6 Leo, a colourful double star.

     Monoceros is rich in clusters, though this month there were no real standouts.  oc 2353 was the best of the new ones, though I also liked 2252 (it looks like a Star Trek symbol to me) and 2364.  This last one is interesting because very little is said about it, and some photos show nothing at the site.  I definitely saw a cluster, however, and exactly where Uranometria puts it.  It is very small, and consists of 5 "brighter" stars in a curving line, with a field of very faint stars mixed in.  At lower powers the surrounding field is rich with stars, though the cluster itself is relatively barren.

     Of the non-NGC objects, my favorite was oc Collinder 106, a really huge affair that made for grand, informal sweeping.  Dense knots of stars can be found amidst its very bright and scattered field.  Two double stars also stood out this month.  8 Monoceros and 6 Leo are worth a stop if you appreciate doubles, and can easily be split in any modest telescope.  Other objects of interest are near each.

     Overall, I would have to say I was somewhat disappointed in how little I was able to accomplish in Leo.  Of the 9 galaxies officially logged, 8 of them are pretty faint, and a few are very faint.  They usually require some time to locate, see and reconfirm.   Early in the season I had hoped to complete about 5 pages from my extensive 32-page object list of the constellation this year.  I have yet to fully complete page 1!  With spring galaxy season nearly half over for Leo lovers, it will have to be very clear in May if I hope to reach my goal.

     With a little vacation approaching, I will be taking some time off from observing and blogging.  I will be back around the 1st of May, hopefully faced with 10-12 days in a row of clear skies.  May you have the same.

Mapman Mike

#9 NGC Life List

     In my very first post earlier this month 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 only seen about 630 of them, averaging just over one per observing session (last night I logged two new ones).  I really need to ramp that up a wee bit if I want to see all available from my latitude before I die.

     The new 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:

     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 catalogue, either.

     Finding and doing justice to galaxies requires the very finest of dark skies.  I used to be able to pick off 12th mag. galaxies from my back deck with my 8" scope.  Light pollution has increased so much in my area that this is now quite impossible.  I did snag one last night with the 12", but if I want to do a decent job of observing in Leo this spring, I have to be prepared to travel with the scope.  This brings on an interesting conundrum.  I also had a preliminary look last night at M 65 and M 66, bright galaxies in Leo.  Compared to faint little eg 2894 viewed previously, they were pretty darn impressive.  So, 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 eg 2894 might look like from a dark sky.  If I can even see it from home, then it might just be that much more impressive from a dark sky.  Should I save all my faint objects for darker skies?  What about M 65 and M 66?    Of the two, M 65 was less bright but it was really huge after viewing it for a few moments.  M 66 was quite bright, and I could probably have used up to 300x without any loss of brightness.  However, what would these objects look like from a really dark sky site?

     One solution to 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 a quick peek.  eg 2894 seemed to have a little cluster of very faint stars superimposed over it, only barely resolvable at high power with averted vision.  Was there a stellar core?  Couldn't really tell.  But the elongated galaxy could be seen in behind the star field, best at 150x in the 12".  I know I want another look in darker skies, resolving those faint stars more easily and perhaps seeing some detail in the galaxy itself.

    Whereas fainter galaxies pose severe problems for suburban viewers, objects such as clusters and nebulae, especially planetary (I also enjoyed good views of pn 2346 in Monoceros last night), do not pose significant problems.  And double star work can carry on quite well, too, often even during full moon nights.  However, I am determined to do as much deep sky work in the darkest skies I can reach.  I've been spoiled by my northern Ontario early years of observing.  Another time I will talk about my nearby observing options, and how they may best be used.  Until then, I hope you enjoy a clear sky night or two.

Mapman Mike