#73 Cepheus Wonders Part 2: IC and Objects from other Catalogues

In the first entry of summarizing Cepheus I dealt with all 33 NGC objects.  This entry will deal with six IC objects, along with 21 from other catalogues.

IC Objects in Cepheus

I. 455:  1'.1 x 0'.7:  Vis. 13.3; SB 12.9:  Not far south following eg 2300, this oval galaxy was picked up at 125x and 150x.  It was seen best at 187x, but faint, and viewed decently only with averted vision.  It was very faint at 200x.
I. 469:  2'.2 x 0'.8:  Vis. 12.6; SB 13.1:  Picked off at 100x, it was very elongated.  Good views were enjoyed at 125x, 150x, and 187x.  The galaxy was large and ghostly in appearance, with a wider center and much narrower ends.  A remarkable object, and worth a visit.

http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ic4a.htm

oc I. 1396:  90'; Vis 3.5; Br. * 3.8; 50 *s:  At 43x this is a fantastic cluster, and one of the largest, too!  Despite its enormous dimension, most stars are in the central area, surrounding Struve 2816.  Thus, at 60x the richest section is seen, along with the main triple star.
gn I. 1396:  170' x 140'; Emission:  Nebulosity was noted around the triple star, and around U, the showpiece variable star in Cepheus.  With a Skyglow filter it was also noted in a wide area, even and especially behond the cluster.  Worth many visits.  Photos tend to over-emphasize the cluster, which is not what is seen in the eyepiece.  The cluster is the main attraction for visual observers.
pn I 1454:  38"; Vis. mag. 14; Cent * mag. 18.8:  One of very few objects observed in Cepheus with my new, improved eye.  Large and pelasingly ghostly at 120x with the Skyglow filter, then seen without it.  The 8' aperture stop also showed it, even ghostlier!  A very faint star is on the north following edge.  This is a remarkable object, and viewable up to 200x.  150x with the filter shows it best.

http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ic4a.htm

gn I 1470:  1'.2 x 0'.8; Emission:  Easily spotted at 60x, and bright using up to 375x.  It is seen well with the Skyglow filter, but it was also very good without it.  It was round, resembling a pn, and was involved with a noticeable star.
eg I 1502:  1'.2 x 0'.4:  Vis. 13.5; SB 12.6:  The galaxy appears to be involved with 2 faint stars.  Thus, it is tricky to discern, even at 200x.  Take this one as a challenge object.

Objects From Other Catalogues

oc Bergeron 1:  1'; 10 *s:  A tiny, hazy spot was noted at 60x, with 100x giving some resolution.  200x shows 6 stars in this tiny, compact cluster, one of the smallest I've ever seen.

oc Be 59:  10'; Br. * mag. 11; 40 *s:  Located at 60x, I first saw four bright stars with haze behind them.  100x resolves a tiny swarm of faint stars.  I observed up to 250x, where about 25 stars, somewhat scattered, were located.  Not a bad group in a 12" scope.
oc Be 92:  2'; Br. * mag. 15; 15 *s:  Located at 100x as a tiny, faint cloud.  Situated between two bright stars.  Only a few very faint stars are resolved at 250x.
oc Be 93:  4'.3; Br. * mag. 16; 120 *s:  Noted at 150x, some haze was seen behind dim foreground stars.  A few stars resolved at 200x.
oc Be 94:  3'; Vis. 8.7; Br. * mag. 13; 12 *s:  At 60x I saw 3 bright stars plus a small cloud of haze.  200x resolves 10 stars, mostly centered around 2 of the bright stars.
oc Be 95:  3'; 15 *s; Br. * mag. 15:  A small, hazy area was noticed at 60x.  100x resolves 3 or 4 stars with averted vision.  At 125x a short, faint line of stars was noted.  At 187x and 200x stars were continuing to resolve, but they were very faint.
oc Be 97:  2'; Br. * mag. 11; 12 *s:  Nothing seen at first, due to a fogged over secondary mirror.  After blow drying, 8 stars were counted at 187x and 200x, scattered around a 9.7 mag. double star.
oc Be 99:  5'; Br. * mag. 14; 60 *s:  Located at 100x, I saw a faint haze with a few resolved stars.  Up to 200x resolves about a dozen stars, some in a faint circlet.  It is adjacent to a bright field, with a brighter, opposing circlet. 
oc Be 100:  2'.7; Br. * mag. 16; 100 *s:  A haze was noted at 100x.  At 187x the cluster appears linear.  200x shows it well, with 3 stars resolved.  250x resolves 8 or 9 very faint stars.
oc Be 101:  6'; Br. * mag. 17; 50 *s:  I searched here using up to 250x.  Some haze was noted at 150x, with a 14 mag. star resolved between two brighter ones.  250x resolves two more.

oc Clvd B152:  25'; 15 *s:  This is a large, very loose scattering of faint stars.  There are two groups, one on either side of the central mag. 9 star and its 8.5 mag. companion, south.  The surrounding bright field, south, is more interesting than the cluster.  The bright double that precedes the cluster is stunning.

oc Cr 427:  4'; Mag. 13.8; 6 *s:  gn 7023 surrounds a 7.5 mag. star.  The cluster is one of the worst open clusters ever recorded here.  A few very faint stars were glimpsed just preceding the nebula.  Yawn.

oc Cz 42:  2'; 15 *s:  With a detailed location sketch I was able to locate this very faint object.  Seen at 100x, a few faint stars were glimpsed around a brighter one.  At 250x about 10 stars were resolved with averted vision, all very faint (15 mag.?).

oc King 10:  4'; Br. * mag. 11; 40 *s:  Located at 60x, near a mini Orion!  It is an oval group, showing 2 or 3 stars.  100x gives good views, while at 125x and 150x it became a nice linear group, well resolved.  At250x 25 stars were counted.  The cluster is rich and moderately dense.
oc King 11:  6'; Br. * mag. 17; 50 *s:  Some very faint haze was discovered, and 3 or 4 15-16 mag. stars were resolved, apparently not cluster members.
oc King 18:  5'; Br. * mag. 12; 20 *s:  Located at 60x, the little cluster shows intersecting lines of bright stars, with unresolved haze.  125x resolves many faint stars.  187x and 200x resolves 30 stars.  An interesting group.
oc King 19:  5'; Vis. mag. 9.2; Br. * mag. 12; 52 *s:  Located and easily noted at 60x and 100x, six bright stars are seen, with a large cloud of fainter ones resolving in the background.  Nicely resolved at 150x and 187x, 25 stars were counted.

oc Mrk 50:  2'; Mag. 8.5; Br. * mag. 9.8; 39 *s:  In the same low power field with oc 7510, and quite close to M52!  The main part of this small group is boomerang-shaped, with 12 stars in two converging lines.  The point of convergence is very dark.

oc PMH 791:  9'.3; Br. * 7.8; 21 *s:  The preceding edge is a double star, yellow and pale lilac in colour (CTF 2896: 7.8-8.6/22").  Two other stars are plotted on Uranometria, a 9 and 9.5.  About 20 stars are here, resolved at 60x and 100x.  A close faint triple star is in the north section.  The cluster is lovely at 125x.  An extended east/west base line of stars supports the main group, which has an arrowhead shape.

oc PWN 78.3:  3'; 180 *s:  This is a very faint cluster, with 10 stars resolving at 200x.     

eg UGC 2519:  1'.4 x 0'.8:  Vis. and SB mag. 13.6:  Not on my original "to do" list, I easily located the galaxy for fun while in the area.  It was oval, seen best with averted vision, was pretty faint but not that small.  Worth a stop if observing nearby eg 1184. 

Happy observing!
Mapman Mike
 

#72 Cepheus: It's Wonders Never Cease (Part 1: NGC Objects)

I began my intense study of this fabulous constellation with my 12" scope in late August of 2014, nearly completing it before the eternal clouds of November and December descended upon us.  I was able to complete it using part of one additional night in July of 2015.  Cepheus is one of those constellations that is filled with wonderful deep sky treasures, but contains no Messier objects.  I had been through the constellation years ago with my Edmund 8".  Using Uranometria 2000 this time around enabled me to add several NGC objects not listed on my earlier maps, as well as a lot of objects from other catalogues.

Cepheus has 33 NGC objects, and 10 of them were new to me.  I also observed 6 objects from the IC list, and 24 from other catalogues.  Of course I also re-observed all objects seen with the 8".  It's fun comparing notes from earlier days when I used the smaller scope.  This entry will focus on the NGC list, as observed through the 12" scope.

NGC OBJECTS

pn 40:  74"; Vis. mag. 12.3; Cent. * 11.5:  The nebula is pretty large and very bright at 60x.  With the Skyglow filter the actual nebulosity is easier to see.  Without it, the bright central star takes away some of it.  Up to 300x was used, with and without the filter.  Even at this range it is still a very bright object and has become very large.  At 300x without the filter a very, very faint star was noted between the nebula and the more commonly observed faint star to the south.

oc 188:  15'; Mag. 8.1; Br. * mag. 10; 550 *s:  This is one of the gems of the constellation, at least in a 12" scope.  Perhaps the estimated star count from Uranometria is a bit on the high side, however.  Located at 60x, I first saw a large, faint hazy patch in behind several bright stars.  Up to 200x resolves well over 100 stars, with some haze still in behind.  It is fun to gaze here using averted vision, watching stars pop into view.  Also viewed in Deb's 6", some resolution was apparent at 125x.  Don't miss.

http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/dss_ngc.asp

eg 1184:  2'.8 x 0'.6:  Vis. 12.6; SB 12.9:  Quite a wonderful galaxy in a 12" scope!  Located at 60x, this edge-on beauty was quite large and moderately bright at 100x.  150x shows a stellar core.  It is still pretty bright at 200x and 250x.  It is visible at 8" of aperture.  Recommended.

http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/dss_ngc.asp

eg 1544:  1'.3 x 0'.9:  Vis. 13.3; SB 13.3:  Located at 100x, good views were also had at 125x and 150x.  It was noticeably oval.  A threshold star is involved, along with another one just north.

eg 2276:  2'.3 x 1'.9:  Vis. 11.4; SB 12.9:  Both galaxies were spotted at 60x, already looking large

eg 2300:  2'8 x 2':  Vis. 11; SB 12.7:  and splendid!  2300 is way brighter than 2276, much more than the numbers would indicate.  I enjoyed my best view of both together at 187x, with 2276 appearing very large, and 2300 slightly smaller and more concentrated.  The pair make for a great comparison, with 2276 held back somewhat by its proximity to a bright star.

NGC 2276, 2300

http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc00.htm

oc 6939:  10'; Vis. 7.8; Br. * 11.9;  300 *s:  Rediscovered during the summer of 2013 during studies of Cygnus, this has become a favourite object of mine in the 12".  I wrote my first newsletter article for our local astronomy club about this cluster, and a nearby showpiece galaxy.  Again, the official star count seems a bit on the high side, but this is a stunning cluster!  Though nicely resolved at 60x, each increase (up to 250x) takes the viewer into the very dense core, which itself is like a globular cluster, albeit a well-resolved one.  Though excellent viewing is had at all magnifications, it is truly heavenly at 125x!  Several of the stars do resolve in Deb's 6" scope, too.

A beautiful shot of oc 6939 and eg 6939.

http://darkhorseobservatory.org/index.php

eg 6949:  1'.4 x 1'.2:  V. 13.6; SB 14:  Spotted at 150x, it was very faint, quite large, and round.  187x and 200x also gave decent views with averted vision.

eg 6951:  3'.9 x 3'.2:  Vis. 10.7; SB 13.2:  Seen from northern Ontario back in the day with my 8".  This time I saw it at 60x, and it was already big and bright, right near a faint star.  Good views were had at 100x and 150x.  At 187x and 200x, the galaxy was oval, with a stellar core.  It was still bright.  Recommended.

eg 6951

http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc00.htm

gn 7023:  10' x 18'; Reflection:  Not a lot to see here, though oc Cr. 427 is involved (see entry on objects from other catalogues).  The nebula surrounds a 7.5 mag. star, seeming stronger south preceding it.  Filters do not help. 

oc 7055:  10 *s; cluster?:  Located at 60x, it was very faint, showing some resolution and some background haze.  It is a small object (3' to 4'?).  I resolved 10 faint stars at 187x and 200x.  Seems like a cluster to me, but a very minor one.

pn 7076:  56"; V. 13.5; Cent. * mag. 18:  Noted at 43x with an O3 filter, it resembled a faint, round galaxy.  Though eventually seen at all magnifications, for the longest time I could not find it with other eyepieces.  It was finally pinpointed, large and very faint, best seen with averted vision.  A fun challenge!
oc 7129:  8'; Vis. 11.5:  Though a relatively poor cluster, it is a conspicuous one, as is the nebula. 
gn 7129:  7' x 7': Reflection:  While the object is attractive at all powers, the nebula comes out really well at 187x.  Worth a visit.  oc 7142 is in the same low power field.

oc/gn 7129, bottom right; oc 7142 top left

pn 7139:  77"; Vis. 13.3; Cent. * mag. 18.7:  First spotted at 60x and then 120x, using the Sky Glow filter.  It was large, round, very faint and ghostly.  Without the filter it was seen well at 100x, 150x, 187x and 200x.  A very faint star (mag. 14?) is immediately south following.  A busy but faint star field is also further south following.  I actually managed to see this with the 8" years ago!

http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/dss_ngc.asp

oc 7142:  12'; Vis. 9.3; Br. * mag. 11; 186 *s:  At 60x a rich sprinkling of faint stars lies behind 3 bright foreground stars, part of something I have dubbed "Mapman's Cascade" (with apologies to Kemble).  This is a chain of about 15 stars, mostly following the cluster, though a pair precedes it.  oc/gn 7129 is in the same low power field, and an unnamed "cluster X" also, just south preceding 7142.  The main cluster appears large and very rich.  At 100x many stars resolve.  200x resolves over 100 faint stars, with the main group preceding 2 of the 3 brighter stars, the south one of these being a double star.  Another star group lies between the 2 stars.  We also viewed 7142 in the 6", with good resolution at 125x.  Using the 2" eyepiece with the 12" (43x) shows a large, round haze with resolution just beginning to occur.  This is a very fine object!

http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/dss_ngc.asp
 

oc 7160:  5'; Vis 6.1; Br. * mag. 7; 61 *s:  Noted at 60x, it was an elongated group of 6 bright stars, with a few fainter ones sprinkled in.  There was better resolution of faint stars at 100x.  About 25 stars were counted at 125x and 150x.  The official star count is way too high.

oc 7226:  2'; vis. 9.6; Br. * 10.8; 83 *s:  This very faint, tiny cluster is near 2 bright stars.  100x resolves a few faint ones.  Up to 200x was used to resolve perhaps 20 stars.  A rich star group, faint, follows the NGC cluster.
oc 7234:  3'.5; 8 *s: cluster?:  Several websites say that this cluster is a duplicate of more interesting nearby oc 7235.  Others say it is non-existent, and still others claim it to be an asterism (a chance grouping of stars at different distances, thus not a true cluster).  At 100x, exactly where Uranometria says, is a very faint and tiny smudge showing 2 or 3 stars.  At 200x 8-10 stars show up using averted vision, not all showing at once.  Much smaller than 3'.5; perhaps 2'?
oc 7235:  6'; Vis. 7.7; Br. * 8.8; 98 *s:  At 60x this is a minor though somewhat attractive cluster, containing several bright stars and many fainter ones.  100x resolves the group well, even when stopping the aperture down to 8".  200x shows about 35 stars.  A recommended stopover.
oc 7261:  6'; Vis. 8.4; Br. * 9.6; 62 *s:  At 100x a bright yellow star (a double) is involved (mag. 9.6), with most of the cluster just north of it, and much fainter.  At 150x the cluster is medium rich, and at 200x it is well resolved and pretty bright.  There are about 25 stars, 6 of them being quite bright.
oc 7281:  12'; 20 *s:  At 100x a line of 3 bright stars mark the cluster's north preceding end.  A bright gold star (mag. 8.5) is preceding the cluster's center.  At 125x I counted about 30 stars, including an attachment immediately following the main group.  The cluster is large and pretty scattered, with many brighter stars.
oc 7352:  5'; cluster?:  Viewed at length at 60x, 100x, and 125x.  Two groups of stars were near 2 bright stars (mag. 8.5 and 9.5).  The main cluster is preceding, where about 25 stars were counted at 125x.  A smaller group of 10 stars lay on the north side.  The two bright stars were white and orange, with a fainter one between them and closer to the 9.5.
pn 7354:  36"; Vis. 12.2; Cent. * 16.2:  This was a decent object, a nice break from so many clusters!  It is large, bright and distinct at 60x and 100x.  A faint star is nearly attached, preceding.  At 200x and 250x the nebula is still bright, large and round, but appears to be flaring with averted vision and seeming to glow from within.  The faint star near it is now a double star.  Quite a lovely object.
oc 7380:  20'; Vis. 7.2;  Br. * mag 10; 125 *s:  Located at 60x, a lovely double star is attached, preceding, yellow and lavender.  A fainter pair (DH) lies amidst 20 stars.  DH is split at 100x, where the group is rich and mostly resolved.  125x shows the cluster as large in size, scattered but rich, with many faint stars near the very center.  The cluster is now triangular in shape, with the bright double preceding at the apex.  200x continues to resolve tiny, faints stars, all adding up to about 100.  Recommended!  The surrounding emission nebula is virtually invisible and does not affect viewing the cluster.
oc 7419:  6'; Vis. mag. 13; Br. * mag. 10; 40 *s:  At 60x an elliptical cloud was noted, with a somewhat bright star resolved at each end.  It was located near a bright yellow star.  100x, 125x and 150x resolves the cloud with averted vision.  187x and 200x resolves all the members more easily.  At 250x one of the brighter end stars is doubled.  25-30 cluster stars were counted.
oc 7423:  5'; Br. * mag. 15; 40 *s:  Located at 60x as a hazy patch behind 2 bright stars (mag. 9.5 and 9.7).  The main cluster is preceding this pair.  Resolution remains poor at 150x.  At 250x and 300x a cloud of tiny, faint stars is resolved.  It is a dense cluster. 
oc 7429:  15'; Br. * mag. 11;  15 *s:  18 stars were counted here at 60x, with a lovely double star following the group.  V456 is yellow and lilac at 100x.  The cluster is pretty big and loose.  It is not rich, even at 187x.  A very very faint double star is in the south, close to a bright star. 

oc 7510:  7'; Vis. 7.9; Br. * mag. 10; 75 *s:  Noted at 60x, it was very conspicuous.  Two lines of bright stars, one side longer by a star, point to a 9.7 mag. star.  There are 8 bright stars altogether.  At 100x many fainter stars were noted surrounding the 9.7 mag. one.  There is good resolution of these fainter ones with averted vision.  The cluster appears rectangular, very tight, and quite lovely at 125x and 150x.  At 187x and 200x 35 stars were counted, with 25 of them found south of the 9.7 mag. star and 10 of them north of it.

oc 7510 is a very pretty sight in a 12" scope.
 http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/dss_ngc.asp

gn 7538:  9' x 6'; Emission:  The nebula is large and bright, immersed in two mag. 11 stars which are 36" apart.  The nebula appears involved more with one of the stars than the other.  Good views were had with the Sky Glow filter.  The nebula shows well at all powers up to 200x.  Recommended.

gn 7538

oc 7708:  30':  Br. * 7.3; 25 *s:  Best viewed at 43x and 60x, this is a big, widely scattered cluster of 50+ stars, with many of them bright.  6 are plotted on Uranometria, including 4 preceding the center and 2 following, though all within the boundary.  The most interesting section is around and south of the brightest star (mag. 7).  This area contains a zigzag of stars.
oc 7762:  15'; Mag. 10; Br. * mag. 11; 40 *s:  Located at 60x, this is a large, dense group, with good resolution despite a 5 mag. star very close to it, along with an 8.5 mag. star adjacent.  At 100x the 5 mag. star can be placed out of the field.  There are still patches of haze in the central area.  At 125x and 150x the cluster is bright and still resolving.  Strings of close stars run through it.  At 187x and 200x there is still a stubborn knot, sometimes briefly resolving with averted vision.  Finally, at 375x, it resolves into stars of 15 and 16 mag., 4 or 5 of them.  A challenge to resolve fully in a 12", there are interesting strings of stars throughout.  The cluster is now quite scattered, with some central density.

oc 7762

gn 7822:  65' x 20':  Emission:  Located north following oc 7762, the nebula is subtle, wispy and patchy.  It could be seen at 60x, 100x and 120x, with and without a Skyglow filter.  Stronger clumps were seen better with the filter.  There is an orange star near the center.

Mapman Mike

 

 

#71 2015 Observing: Terrible but Improving

It has been a devastating first half of 2015 for amateur astronomers, though July did give 3 very fine nights.  With January and February ranking as among the coldest and snowiest ever in this part of Canada, we had to wait until March to begin serious observing.  March proved much colder than average, but it was clear and hardly any new snow fell, so progress was made.  Then came April.  And May.  And June.  They were dismal months for observing.  July wasn't as bad, though below average for clear nights.  As usual, most of the clear nights came well after new moon.

I accomplished very little in Leo this Spring, and the same with Bootes.  Minimal progress was made with the many galaxies in these constellations.  My summer work this year is in Hercules and Sagittarius, and it has been inching along.  Due to the late moonset observations this past month I was able to complete work in Cepheus, and continue along in Pegasus, now my main autumn constellation.  A summary of Cepheus will appear in these pages very soon.

I find myself becoming more and more frustrated with the "science" of meteorology, at least as it applies to predicting clear skies at night.  The county in which I live is a virtual peninsula, nestled between Lakes Erie, St. Clair, and Huron.  Large bodies of cold water and warm air affect the atmosphere above me greatly, as  it does later in the season when it becomes warm water and cooler air.  However, one would think that the people who predict weather would know this, too.  Out of every ten nights that "clear" or "mainly clear" skies are predicted, we are lucky to grab two or three that actually work for astronomers.  Other times it becomes completely overcast, or remains so, or there are so many clouds with such a very small amount of good sky that it is not worth bothering.  I also find that the more weather websites I use to help me predict sky conditions, the more varied the forecasts become.  On any given "clear" night, I am liable to get predictions of:  Clear; Mainly Clear; Partly Cloudy; Fair; Overcast.  All for the same night, and all checked about an hour before heading out to the observatory.  Is it any wonder I am frustrated?

In happier news, loyal readers may remember that early last November I had eye surgery to remove a cataract in my left eye.  Though our health care system pays for the basics, I paid extra to get an upgrade on the new lens.  The enhanced lens is generally better for night vision than the "free" one, and will focus light to a point.  I must say that finding faint galaxies with the 12" is so much easier now.  I have a cataract developing in my right eye, and when I compare the two eyes now I frequently cannot see a faint galaxy with the right, only with the left.  There is a minimum one magnitude difference in brightness between the two eyes.  It took me a while to learn how to focus stars for my new left eye lens, but now it is becoming second nature.  In good skies I find myself picking off 14th magnitude galaxies if not with ease, then without the considerable difficulty I use to have.  This has saved me much time and frustration in the field.

With ten days to go before deep sky observations can resume, I will try to post my summary of work now recently completed in Cepheus, over the next several nights.  Stay tuned.
Mapman Mike

#70 At Home with the Stars

     It's been a pretty awful Spring in Essex Co., Ontario for observers.  I have just watched the last of 4 clear nights in a row go by, the first such streak in 2015.  The first night was the one before full moon.  Next came a beautifully clear night of the full moon, followed by two more afterwards.  Sigh.  Not what any deep sky observer really wants to hear.

     

     Which brings me to tonight's topic.  Deb and I are getting close to moving elsewhere.  In a few short years I will be shutting down my music teaching business and we will hopefully sell our present home.  When we first moved here in about 1990, skies were pretty good.  As subdivision after subdivision has been built, our skies are now impossible.  What to do and where to go?

     An astronomer's ideal situation is to live at a dark sky site and literally observe from the back deck.  Growing up in Sudbury, my family's cottage on Lake Penage presented me with some of the finest observing I have ever undertaken.  Most of it was with my Tasco Lunagrosso Reflector (4 1/2") and later with my trusty Edmund 8".  The cottage had lovely skies when it was clear, but there were some limitations.  The site was usable from May through October, but we were always bothered by bears (and skunks, mosquitoes, black flies, and all the other fun stuff that comes with camping in Northern Ontario).  I didn't mind the cold nights.  However, we were far enough north that the northern lights were frequently exhibiting at the nuisance level, and I would have to shut down deep sky observing.

     I now find myself thinking hard about where to relocate.  The American Southwest is uppermost in my mind at the moment, either southern New Mexico or Arizona.  One option is to buy a home there in one of the dark sky enclaves that are springing up.  Prices are quite reasonable.  It might make more sense to time share such a place, though I don't know if that is an option.  While a permanent Canadian site is not out of the question, it would preclude any worthwhile winter observing program due to extremely harsh winters.  I have this fantasy of being able to observe Orion consistently, wearing only a light jacket.

     Many serious amateurs probably do what Deb and I do, which is load up the equipment and drive pretty far out of the city to carry out our observing program.  While this works well in theory, in practice we have driven many times after being promised great skies, only to find out that incoming clouds had other ideas.  Once, after driving out and setting up on the promise that it would soon clear, it actually rained!  We had to scramble to get our scopes back into the vehicle, and it never cleared all night.  Observing from home not only saves the driving, but if it is cloudy, well, there are a dozen other things I can do instead.

     While I have not come to any firm conclusions, I am leaning towards some type of time sharing.  Finding someone who wishes to share a home in the desert, and taking turns using it on previously agreed months, would be ideal for us.  This allows us to continue to have a home somewhere in Canada, but also a safe and dark place from which to observe for a month or two at a time, when it is our turn.  I will continue to air my thoughts on this subject from time to time.  Please feel free to comment.

Mapman Mike

#69 The Poetry of Galaxies

Imagine you are standing in a fog so dense that you cannot see any objects around you.  There is fog, and nothing else.  You know there is a landscape surrounding you--trees, buildings, a lake, perhaps.  But none of it can be seen.  You take a few hesitant steps, hoping to glimpse a familiar landmark.  Then, suddenly the outline of something appears before you.  It is very indistinct.  Nothing definite can be perceived, just the hint of something.  For an instant it becomes slightly less mysterious, but then the fog enshrouds it again and it is gone.  This little game continues for a few moments, until you are almost sure that what you are seeing is a building or a village, but you cannot be 100 % certain....

 Old Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England
Author's photo.

And now imagine it is a dark and very clear night.  The humidity is low, there are no lights nearby, and you are away from any cities and towns.  In the eyepiece of your 12" reflecting telescope you are seeking a galaxy of magnitude 15, at the very limit of what you are able to see on the best of nights.  The sky background in your eyepiece view is black, though a few very faint stars are sprinkled across it.  You have been searching for several minutes, with no luck.  Suddenly, out of the corner of your eye, there is a slight flaring.  Is it a faint star, near the limit of visibility?  No, it's larger than a star.  A moment later and it is seen again, this time as a  nearly undetectable oval haze that increases in brightness when you do not stare right at it.  It is probably the galaxy, but you cannot be 100% certain.  You try a different eyepiece, likely a higher magnification.  If it is the galaxy, it should appear again....

http://www.asod.info/?p=1920

Both cases, the foggy scene and the very faint galaxy, are extreme.  Seldom is it so foggy that nothing can be seen nearby, but it does happen.  And out of all the galaxies that I hunt in the darkest skies, only a very small percentage of them are at the limit of what I can expect to see.  Yet just as the foggiest day seems to have more poetry in it than most average days, sometimes recognizing these really faint, difficult galaxies can be the biggest thrill of a whole night's observing.

Galaxies, being what they are, are often the most studied and most photographed objects in the deep sky (deep sky being beyond the moon and the planets in our solar system).  There is no such thing as a typical galaxy, though they all have things in common.  Plenty of stars, for one.  However, from the largest earth-based telescopes used for observing with the human eye, even the brightest and closest northern hemisphere galaxies all look like haze.  Without photography we would still not know what these island universes are, nor have seen their immense beauty.  In fact, it wasn't until 1925 that the debate was settled, when Edwin Hubble, using photographs taken with the 100" Hook Telescope, was able to distinguish variable stars in another galaxy and compute their distance from earth.  Since the stars were hundreds of thousands of light years beyond our galaxy, then other galaxies like ours had to exist.  All of that haze we had been seeing were stars; billions of stars.  We now know that there are more galaxies out there then there are stars in our Milky Way galaxy!  If that isn't mathematical poetry, then I don't know what is.

Galaxies are grouped by scientists into classes, depending on their shape and their light output.  The many different types need not overly concern us in this discussion, but they are important when observing.  Some galaxies that do not fit neatly into any class are referred to as peculiar.  More poetry!  For me, the galaxies that provide the most poetry when observed are called "edge-on."  That is, we are seeing them along their equatorial line.  They appear long and thin, with a central bulge.  Though only haze to the eye, to the imaginative mind we are seeing billions of stars shining together to produce a grayish haze coming from hundreds of millions of miles away.  The bulge is the center of the galaxy, always its busiest, most populated and most active place.  As an extra bonus, some of these edge on galaxies have dust lanes, material within the galaxy that has not yet been converted into stars.  Our own galaxy is filled with such dust, as are many other galaxies.

 An edge-on galaxy, photographed through a large telescope.  Note the central bulge

and the very distinct dust lane running the length of the galaxy.

http://mgio.arizona.edu/older-mgio-journal-entries

In the eyepiece, sometimes only the central bulge of such galaxies can be seen.  However, other galaxies clearly display their full length, and these can send shivers up one's spine when viewed.  With fainter galaxies the full length sometimes comes through only like our foggy day analogy--a glimpse now and then of the full extent of the object.  Patience, and looking indirectly at them (called averted vision) often show faint objects more readily than staring at them.  More poetry!

A second type of galaxy that telescope observers love to view is called "face on."  Now we are situated above the galaxy, looking directly down at it (or it is "above" us--it's all relative in deep space).  With some of the brighter and closer galaxies, we can see the haze shaping itself into spirals, called arms.  Sometimes, these arms show tiny clumps of brighter areas.  These are not commonly seen in smaller amateur scopes, but they are star forming regions, places where stars are either being born or are newly born.  Realizing that one is actually looking at star birth in another galaxy can be an overwhelming experience.  Galaxies where such regions can be viewed in larger amateur instruments are not hard to track down.

Nice comparison of a sketch from the eyepiece

and a photograph.  This is Messier 101, a face-on

spiral galaxy, displaying arms and bright knots, 

which are actual star-forming regions.

http://www.perezmedia.net/beltofvenus/archives/001416.html

Galaxies abound in the skies of Summer, Autumn and Winter.  However, the best time to see them is Spring.  At this time of year, we are in the part of our orbit around the Sun when our night sky faces away from our own galaxy.  The Milky Way, with all of its stars and dust, can make it difficult to see beyond, into really deep space.  But when we look up at the sky in Spring, it can seem a barren field to the naked eye.  There are fewer stars, no Milky Way; just plenty of dark space.  We are looking directly opposite the center of our galaxy, our view now extending out into deepest intergalactic space.  This part of the sky is simply swimming in galaxies; bright ones, faint ones, large ones and small ones, and everything in between.  They are often so crowded together that more than one of them can be seen at a time in the eyepiece.  Sometimes they are physically close to one another, and even interacting, but just as often they happen to be in a line of sight, from our vantage point.  A closer galaxy may appear larger and brighter, with a further and fainter one seemingly right beside it.  

It is a wonderful experience to see and contemplate one galaxy on a fine night, but to see two, three, four or more all at once can really test the limits of one's ability to comprehend.  Just what are we really seeing?  How many stars?  How many possible planets?  It is beyond mind boggling. These experiences are relatively common for amateur astronomers, though I never find anything common about them.  It is always such a thrill and a privilege that sometimes after such an experience I simply stop observing for the night!  Such treats are thus best reserved for the end of an observing session, rather than at the beginning.

 Several galaxies can be viewed at once sometimes.

http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc7436wide.jpg 

Just as intensely foggy days can reteach us the essence of what is, so can observing faint galaxies through a telescope.  By stretching our imagination we can fill in some of the details that the eye cannot fully grasp.  By combining what we know and what we can imagine, there is a meeting of science and poetry; between the universe and humankind.  It is so true that we and our planet are insignificant when compared to objects that are on a cosmic scale, such as galaxies.  However, this fact in itself is significant.  And poetic.

Clear skies.

Mapman Mike

#68 Treasures of Monoceros, Part 3: Objects from Other Catalogues

Concluding this series of deep sky objects in Monoceros, I will comment on each of the open clusters from other catalogues besides the NGC.  There is a wealth of material here for a 12" telescope.

oc Bas 7:  5'; Mag. 8.5; Br * 10.4:  Immediately following oc 2251, this cluster features a faint, curving line of stars that leads north to the main body.  It resembles a mini-Draco!  It was not really noticed in my milky, moony, snowy-reflective sky until 100x, though it was better at 125x and 150x.
oc Bas 8:  30'; 50 *s:  7 stars are plotted on Uranometria, the brightest one a double.  This star was orange with a blue companion, and had the most interesting part of the cluster near it.  I counted about 35 *s at 60x.  It was fun hopping north to oc 2251 and back again.  Bas 8 is widely scattered overall, but the south area is richer and more fun to observe.

oc Be 24:  6'; 25 *s; Br. * mag 17:  Impossible from my back deck.  However, in a dark sky a very faint hazy patch was seen.  Good test for observing conditions.
oc Be 37:  4'; 25 *s; Br. * mag 15:  This one is a very small, faint cloud of 12-15 mag. stars, resolving at 200x.  The group makes a triangle with two nearby bright stars, forming the apex.  Even finding it from my back deck was a thrill.
oc Be 39:  8'; 120 *s:  Very faint and difficult to see even at 100x from my light polluted deck.  Resolution occurred at 200x.  In a dark sky this one might be a minor gem.
oc Be 73:  2'; 15 *s; Br. * mag 16:  A small number of very faint stars was seen mostly north of a brighter (mag. 10?) star.  Up to 300x was used with some effectiveness.
oc Be 77:  5'; 30 *s; Br. * 13:  The cluster lies north of a bright star.  The center of it is a very tight knot of 5 mag. 13 and 14 stars.

oc Bi 7:  4'; 30 *s; Br. * mag 14:  Noticed at 100x, the very faint stars were contained within a semi-circle of less faint stars.  Observed up to 250x, it resolves nicely at 200x, showing perhaps a dozen stars.  There is a rich background all around it.
oc Bi 8:  5'; 70 *s; Br. * mag 14:  This elongated group of very faint stars was resolved at 200x and 250x.  15 stars were seen.
oc Bi 9:  3'; 30 *s; Br. * mag 15:  Located at 60x, a hazy patch was noted.  100x begins to resolve stars.  About 20 were seen at 183x, in this dense, very compact cluster.
oc Bi 10:  3'; Mag. 10.4; 20 *s; Br. * 15:  Located at 100x, it was like a nebula surrounding a mag. 10 star.  At 183x and 200x the "nebula" resolved into 8-10 very faint stars, with several in a line on either side of the bright star.
oc Bi 11:  2'; Br. * mag 15:  This tiny cluster lies south-following a bright double star.  6 faint stars are resolved.  A lot of time was spent trying to find the area of this group and Bi 12.
oc Bi 12:  4'; Br. * mag 17:  The haze from this cluster is largely drowned by the surrounding bright star field.  A pair of 9.5 mag. stars lie in the south part of it.  Faint haze was noted, but nothing very distinct.
oc Bi 13:  2'; Br. * mag 17:  A tiny, faint patch of haze was noted, following a bright star.

oc Bo 2:  1'.5; Mag. 9.7; Br. * mag 10.9:  4 stars were noted, 3 of them in a line and of equal mag.  The 4th star was quite dim, and seen at 183x.
oc Bo 3:  4'; Mag. 9.9; 25 *s; Br * 11.2:  Located at 100x, I counted 12 faint stars and 4 brighter ones in a line.

oc ClvdB 1:  5'; Mag. 9.5; 39 *s:   This object consisted of 4 brighter stars and a small group of very faint ones.  200x was best here.  Perhaps 10-12 stars were seen.


oc Cr 91:  14'; Mag. 6.4; 20 *s:  Uranometria plots 4 stars in the boundary of this group.  It is large, with several bright stars, especially 2 of them.  Widely scattered and thinly populated.  Seen best at 60x.
oc Cr 92:  11'; Mag. 8.6:  A large and scattered group, which may not be a true cluster.  A denser knot of fainter stars surrounds an 8.5 mag. star.  At 120x and 150x many more stars were seen.  Medium rich but mostly faint.
oc Cr 95:  27'; 10 *s:  The cluster is seen well at 60x and up to 100x.  15 brighter stars are easily counted and there are other, fainter ones at 100x.  Immersed with gn I. 2169, which is easily noted with a Skyglow filter at 120x.
oc Cr 96:  12'; Mag. 7.3; 15 *s; Br. * mag 8.8:  Another large, loose group best seen at 60x.  One section resembles an arrowhead shape, with 4 or 5 brighter members.  The cluster itself lies in a rich field.  2 stars withing the boundary are shown in Uranometria.
oc Cr 97:  25'; Mag. 5.4; 15 *s:  A wide group with bright members.  Yellow variable star AX is amidst the group, as is Struve 926, opposite the variable.  Best at 60x.
oc Cr 104:  20'; Mag. 9.6; 15 *s:  This decent group shares its following border with Cr 107.  It consists of a large field of relatively bright stars (3 shown in Uranometria), interspersed with dense pockets of fainter, background stars.  A rich area, fine for sweeping at low to medium power, beginning at oc 2244.
oc Cr 106:  35'; Mag. 4.6; 20 *s:    A very large cluster!  7 stars are plotted on the atlas, including V640, called "Plaskett's Star."  Seen well at 60x, I also enjoyed using 100x.  There are many widely scattered bright stars, with 2 areas of fairly intense fainter ones.  One of these groups is on the following end (west) of the cluster, and the other is north-preceding, near a brighter star.  Both knots resolve well.  The entire area is wonderful for casual sweeping and getting happily lost among the stars.
oc Cr 107:  30'; Mag. 5.1; 204 *s; Br. * mag 7.1:  This very large cluster contains V731 and V 732.  11 stars are plotted within its borders on Uranometria.  There are about 30 bright stars, and many more fainter ones.  I viewed it successfully at 43x, 60x, 100x and 120x.
oc Cr 110:  18'; Mag. 10.5; 70 *s; Br. * mag 11:  A widely scattered, faint but busy field of stars, preceding a mag. 8.5 star, one of 2 shown on Uranometria.  The cluster resolves well at 60x.
oc Cr 111:  3'.2; Mag. 7:  A 7 mag. star is surrounded by 7 or 8 really faint ones, best seen at 200x.  Probably not a true cluster.
oc Cr 115:  10'; Mag. 9.2; 25 *s; Br * mag 11:  Viewed at 60x, 100x and 125x, this is a moderately rich cluster of faint stars.  It was fully resolved at 125x, and had an elongated shape.

oc Cr 465:  9'; Mag. 10.1; 30 *s:  A semi-circle of 12-15 faint stars was noted.  Nebulosity was noted using the Skyglow filter.  Located just preceding oc 2343 and south of 2335.  A rich area for sweeping.
oc Cr 466:  4'; Mag. 11.1;25 *s; Br. * mag 11.1:  Not much to see from my back deck.  A very small, very faint group was observed at 200x.  A linear group of 8-10 stars was noted.  There is nebulosity.

oc Cz 26:  5'; 35 *s:  Located north of oc 2232, this was a very faint group.  3 or 4 stars resolved at 120x.  The small group was best at 300x.  Unimpressive in light-polluted skies, except that I did find it.
oc Cz 28 (King 5):  5'; 20 *s:  Immediately following oc Be 37, just past its triangle star (the south one).  It is a slightly easier target than its neighbour, with several stars brighter than those in Be 37.  It resolves nicely at 200x.
oc Cz 30:  3'; 20 *s:  Located south of variable star U and also close to a bright star located S of the cluster.  12 very faint stars were counted at 200x.  The glare of the star south doesn't help with resolution.

oc Do 22:  8'; 10 *s:  Immediately north-preceding star 8, itself a lovely double.  A field of faint stars lies between star 8 and a tiny group resembling a mini-Lyra configuration.  Rewarding area for general sweeping, and very close to oc 2244.  The brighter stars may be part of the cluster.
oc Do 23:  10':  At 100x, the richest part precedes 3 bright stars.  An attractive group, all resolved.
oc Do 24:  15'; 40 *s:  This is a large group with many bright members.  They all resolve at 100x.
oc Do 25:  20'; Mag. 7.6; 50 *s; Br. * 8.9:  Seen well at 60x.  The cluster is very large, and shaped like a wishbone.  The densest area of stars is along the south branch.  A bright star marks the apex.  At 100x, only a few stars were seen between the 2 diverging lines.

oc Haf 3:  5'; Br * 14; 25 *s:  Located 1 degree south of Bo 3, and making a triangle with oc 2338.  The haze resolves at 200x-250x.  The cluster is contained in a "bowl" of 4 stars.  One brighter star (mag. 14?) is in the very center; the cluster surrounds it.

oc Mel 72:  5'; Mag. 10.1; 40 *s; Br. * mag 12:  Even at 60s there is some nice resolution in this unexpectedly fine cluster.  Viewed at 60x, 100x, 125x, 150x, 183x and 200x!  And it was cold out!  This is a faint but dense and rich group.  Though smaller than oc 2324, it is similar.  A bright star is in the field, mag. 7.  183x and 200x resolves the cluster nicely.  Recommended!  Here is a photo.

oc Ru 4:  6'; Br. * mag 14:  A few dozen very faint stars are mixed in with a bright star field.

oc Tr 5:  15'; Mag. 10.9; Br. * 17; 150 *s:  Not even visible from my back deck.  However, from a dark sky this is a pretty amazing object!  Easily seen at 60x, it is a vast area of unresolved haze, with several less faint foreground stars above it.  This one requires a larger scope to resolve, but it is still an amazing object in the 12".  Here is a sweet photo of it.

There you have it--the deep sky treasures of Monoceros!  Let me know if I have inadvertently missed anything.  As soon as the full moon phase has passed, I wish you clear skies!
Mapman Mike

#67 Treasures of Monoceros, Part 2: The Other NGC Objects

In Part 1 I discussed all of the NGC open clusters in this amazing constellation.  Most of the remaining NGC objects are galactic nebula.  There are also two very faint, difficult galaxies and one pretty decent planetary nebula.  In Part 3, I will tackle a wealth of open clusters from other catalogues.

gn 2149:  3' x 2'; Reflection:  Impossible from my light polluted deck, it was an easy target in a dark sky.  It had a bright middle and uneven brightness outwards.  In a bright star field.  Originally, Shapely mistook it for a galaxy.  Good object at low to high powers.
gn 2170:  1':  Involved with two faint stars, it was only seen with the Skyglow filter at 83x.  Unsuitable for suburban skies.
gn 2182:  3':  Involved with a 9 mag. star. The nebula was seen only with the Skyglow filter at 83x.  It was a very faint haze surrounding a white star.
gn 2183: 2' x 2'; Reflection:  A pair with 2185, neither was visible from my light polluted deck. 
gn 2185: 2' x 2': Reflection: However, both were seen well in a dark sky, side by side.  Several bright stars were involved with the two patches.  60x-150x was used.  Worth a stopover.
gn 2237: 80' x 60'; Emission:  Rosette Nebula, associated with oc 2244.  More suitable for photography than eyepiece observing.  Using an Edmund Astroscan 4 1/4 " RFT with a Skyglow filter at 54x, it was not difficult to see  some puffs of nebula, especially south preceding the cluster and north preceding.  The cluster itself is mostly devoid of any nebula.  This is a very large area of nebulosity.
gn 2238: See 2237.
gn 2239:  See 2237.
gn 2246:  See 2237.
gn 2245:  2' x 2'; 10.8 mag. *: Seen fairly well in the 12".  The star was dim enough to allow the reflection nebula to be easily seen, and the nebula was wedge-shaped.  Seen well at 120x, with flaring at 200x.
gn 2247:  2' x 2'; Reflection:  Due to the brightness of the involved 8.5 mag. star, this nebula was seen only faintly at 250x and 300x, not far from the star and also around it.
gn 2261:  Hubble's "Variable Nebula."  An easy target, despite moonshine, reflected snow, and light pollution.  Seen much better with no filter, and it was observed well from 60x-150x.  Fan-shape, very bright in the S, and stellar down there.  As the fan expands it fades away.  Bright enough for much smaller telescopes, and seen well in the 6".
gn 2282:  3' x 3'; Reflection:  Some barely visible haze surrounds a 10 mag. star, especially on the south end.  A few very faint stars are involved.
gn 2316:  4' x 3'; Emission and reflection:  Clearly seen without any filter in a dark sky, it was observed at 60x thru 200x.  A triangle of stars just south helps locate the haze, if black skies are not available.
pn 2346:  60" x 50":  Cent. * mag. 11.3--13.5:  A suspicious, out-of-focus star was seen at 60x, confirmed as a small but bright planetary at 120x.  The central star was not difficult to see, and even at 150x the object appeared round, though with faded, less distinct edges.  It was significantly larger and brighter at 150s with the Skyglow filter.  Not featureless, but nearly so.
eg 2377:  1'7 x 1'.3: Vis. mag. 12.8; Surf. br. 13.5:  Difficult object due to involvement with a star or stars.  Located at 100x and seen using up to 200x.  It was very small and somewhat oval.  Due to star (s) involved the shape was difficult to perceive.
eg 2494:  0'.9 x 0'7: V. mag. 13.1; S. br. 12.4:  A threshold object through my humid skies, it appeared round at 100x-200x.

gn I. 448:  15' x 10'; Reflection:  Oddly enough, this was seen better with the Skyglow filter, perhaps because it dimmed the bright white star involved.  Essentially, some haze surrounds Star 13, having uneven edges.  Poor without the filter.  A line of stars north-following leads to oc Bas 8.  South is Star 14, a fine double.
gn I. 466:  5' x 4'; Reflection:  A faint haze was seen near a faint star.  Nearly impossible without a dark sky.  In such a sky it was very bright, small, round and it took magnification well, resembling a planetary nebula.
gn I. 2169:  25' x 20'; Reflection:  Involved with oc Cr 95.  Nebula easily noticed at 120x with the filter.  More was seen on the preceding half of the cluster, scattered between and amongst the brighter stars.
gn I. 2177:  85' x 25'; Emission:  This massive nebula can be glimpsed as clumps of smokiness with the filter.  Seen best just south of double star Struve 1019, as well as amidst oc Cr 465 and oc Cr 466.  60x and 120x was used to advantage.  1019 is an exquisite trio of stars!