#141: New Year's Resolution

Yes, I am going to try and blog a bit more this year on this site.  I began a while back putting up my observations as they relate to objects shown on the Uranometria atlas, all sky edition.  So I might revive that project, which is nearly endless, like observing the night sky itself.  But for this post, I will merely glance back on 2023 and review some of the highlights of my observing year.

First of all, it seems that actual amateur observing at the eyepiece continues to be in its declining years.  This is due to many factors, including light pollution becoming worse each year, people losing touch with Nature in general due to living in large cities, and to the growing world of astro photography, which is finally in reach of amateurs who are not good with high tech gadgets.  Each day we get more and more photos published everywhere that are astounding, yet repeating over and over what has already been accomplished.  I am curious as to have many (good) amatuer photos are available on the internet of the Orion Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy, and nebula in Cygnus.  It is likely an astronomical number.  We won't even discuss the Messier list being photographed.  Where some astro photographers are doing some fun work is among the less known and fainter nebula.  To this day I am often underwhelmed by a telescope view of many nebula, mostly reflection type.  So when a good photo becomes available of some of these visually poor objects, it is indeed a revelation.  However, to this observer, no photo ever comes close to a visual look at M42 in a 12" telescope, or M11 in an 8" scope, or any of hundreds of open and globular clusters and double stars seen through a telescope eyepiece against a dark sky background.

These days I must travel far to get to a decent dark site.  Currently, when there are no construction detours, my drive is 38 miles one way to a site I use.  It takes 50 minutes.  Even so, the northwest sky is unusable (Detroit/Windsor).  But the south sky is quite good, even down below -35 degrees for doubles and clusters.  I observe from 42 degrees north latitude.  During 2023 I managed over 101 hours at the eyepiece on 34 separate outings.  I observed objects mostly in Canis Major, Coma Berenices, Serpens Caput, Ophiuchus, Hercules (mostly overlooked double stars), Capricorn, Aquarious, Cetus, and Perseus.  I use a 12" Dobsonian scope.  I am able to keep the telescope assembled and in the car for the two weeks per month it is used.  It fits easily into my VW Golf wagon, and dark sky set up takes about ten minutes, plus collimation (our roads are quite bad and bumpy where I live).  Collimation takes anywhere from 1-3 minutes each time. 

I keep at least one constellation prepped per season, and usually two.  In the field I take Uranometria and my prep sheets.  Each side of the sheet has about ten objects on it, both deep sky and double stars.  I will often begin and end a session with some planetary observing.  This past year Jupiter has been splendid most nights!

Here are some highlights from my year.  First light for 2023 was February 12th.  Conditions were excellent, and the temperature was mild (32 F).  I began in Perseus, where I observed two fine nebula, gn 1579 and gn 1491.  Oc 1528 was also fun to observe, being large and scattered but totally filled with bright stars.  This is likely a real prize for a 6" scope.  Later that night I worked in Canis Major, observing mostly clusters.  However, I did seek out eg 2267, and at -32.5 degrees it becomes a challenge even to see it.  It is also involved with two stars, making it even harder to discern from my location.  A better galaxy for viewing is eg I. 456, located just below -30 degrees.

 

NGC 2267, one of the first objects observed in 2023. 

It lies very low in Canis Major.  

All images from Nasa.gov.

February 13th was also clear!  In Perseus, triple star Epsilon (45; Stf 471) was an eye popping beautiful sight!  Stf 426 also made a superb object to view.  Other Perseus highlights that night were oc 1342, and enormous pn 1514 (it's in Taurus but easy to access from Perseus).

 pn 1514, a gem for a 12" with filter.

February 17th I was back in Perseus, enjoying views of oc 1545 and oc 1513, among several others.  Oc 2362 really stood out, a lovely sight at 86x!  The central star here is a colourful triple.  And speaking of colourful, don't miss out on H 3495, an orange and blue pair that will remind viewers of Beta Cygni!!

In March I sampled a low globular in Puppis.  Gc 2298 sits at -36 degrees.  With my telescope almost level, it was located at 107x.  Nothing much resolved, but it proved to be quite a large object.  This is likely quite a showpiece from southerly latitudes.  Oc Collinder 135 sits at -37 degrees, as I continued to experiment with extreme south objects.  In Canis Major, oc 2345 proved to be a wonderful object to observe!  I had my best view at 166x.

In April I did some work in Pyxis.  Except for double stars, this is a very challenging area for deep sky objects.  However, oc 2627 lies at a more comfortable -30 degrees.  This one turned into a decent prize!  This one requires some heavy duty magnification to resolve some of the background haze, but it is worth the journey.  My best view was at 221x, where faint stars were popping out everywhere, somewhat like a globular.  Sextans is a little better,and I seem to be able to locate the NGC galaxies with a bit of time and luck.  Eg 3156 is a dandy for a 12" scope.  Even 8" shows this one nicely.

Of course galaxies abound in Coma, and I have already spent several seasons here.  Highlights this year include eg 4212, eg 4237, eg 4189, the pair eg 4340/4350, eg 4014, eg 4489, eg 4450, etc. etc!!  I hope to detail these by Uranometria chart number in future blog entries.  I should make special mention of eg 4710, one of the really great objects in this part of the sky.  It is a bright edge-on galaxy that looks great in an 8", and stupendous in a 12".  Work in Coma continued through the end of May.

 

eg 4710 in Coma.

In Ophiuchus, globular clusters really seem to gather.  M 9 and M 19gave me a lot of eye piece time and pleasure.  I had to make certain that the nights were not humid, as views can be disappointing otherwise.  But on a crisp, clear night with good transparency, these objects really shine forth.  M62 can be challenging to resolve with a 12".  I had fair success up to 333x.  Pn 6369, the "Little ghost," is also fun to view.  With my Orion Sky Glow filter the nebula is very bright and pretty large.  A notable dark centre can easily be seen.  The 16 mag. central star is, alas, beyond my reach.

In Serpens Cauda, M16 (Eagle) becomes a site to behold.  Both a cluster and a nebula, it provides fine views at any and all magnifications.  Without a filter it is much less impressive.  I used both the Sky Glow and a Celestron O3 filter.  Beware of photos that wash away the stars with nebulosity, as the cluster itself is a fine one.  An unexpected surprise in this constellation is oc I. 4756!  This is a large and bright cluster, eye popping at 86x.  There are literally dozens of bright stars.  The huge object (40') fits nicely into my 43x filed of view.  This might be a good one for Space Eye, my 2" refractor.

I began work in Capricorn last year.  One highlight was eg 6907, a big fat galaxy that has a central bright area shaped like a banana!  Though seen at 8", it is much larger at 12".  It remained bright up to 33x.  In Aquarius (it's November now) I was very impressed with eg 7606.  It impresses as a diagonal slash between two faint stars.  A bright area just north preceding the centre might be a galactic arm!  In Cetus it was mostly fainter galaxies, very time consuming to locate, but rewarding when they are last discovered!  Finishing up back in Perseus (where the year began), the last object of 2023 for me was oc 884, the following half of the justly famous Double Cluster.  I spent nearly an hour just observing and making detailed notes of this one cluster.  A fine way to finish up the year!  And it means that I might begin 2024 with the other half of the Double Cluster!  A good beginning that would be.

 

eg 6907 in Capricorn.

Mapman Mike

 

#140: May, June, July Observations

I was able to get out for six nights in May between last and first quarter moon.  While some of the nights earlier in the month were great, things became gradually ruined by wildfire smoke reaching our area.  Daytime skies were milky, while night skies showed stars about 2 magnitudes fainter than normal.  So that really put the brakes on deep sky observing.  Double stars were mostly okay, though again much fainter than normal.  June brought me three nights, two of them with lighter smoke.  July brought only two clear nights, but they were both great nights for observing.  Dampness was a problem on a few nights, and I eventually shut down when everything became too wet, including me.  Our summer dew points can be very high sometimes.

 

Summer work continued in Hercules (mostly double stars left) and Ophiuchus, while spring saw me continue working with Serpens Caput and the virtually endless Coma Berenices.  There were plenty of fine galaxies to review in Coma.  I had seen all the big ones in earlier years with my Edmund 8" reflector, but I have to go and see them with the 12", of course.  eg 4014 was new to me, easily located at low power and remaining bright even at 333x.  Another fairly small but bright one is eg 4489,also new to me.  previously seen ones (8") included eg 4498, eg 4450, and eg 4595.  4450 has the appearance of a bright, large comet.  eg 4515 was new to me, and also worth a stop.

 

Moving up to really impressive now, eg 4689 is a fantastic sight in an 8", and quite breathtaking in the 12".  It's size is 4'.3 x 3'.5, and has a visual mag. of 10.9.  Wear your sunglasses!.

 

Eg 4689 is a grand sight in a 8" and 12" scope, and probably in a 6" as well.  In Coma. 

 

Another new galaxy for me worth mentioning is 3g 4659.  The envelope is tricky on this one, as the central area is so bright.  But patience, high power, and averted vision will reward patient observers.

 

Eg 4651 is another monster sized galaxy, looking super in an 8" scope, and truly wonderful in a 12".  It's size is 4' x 2'.6, with a visual mag. of 10.8.  The center appears barred, and the envelope is large.  Definitely worth the trip to see it.

eg 4651 in Coma. 

 

Eg 4710 is a fine edge-on sight in a 12", and it points SP towards smaller and fainter eg I. 3806.  4710 is a terrific object at 86x and 120x.  It is bright and beautiful, with a notable star F.  The view at 333x on a clear, moonless dark night is quite unforgettable.  The extensive envelope eventually fades away into nothingness.  The Ic galaxy is a bit more than two lengths away from the NGC one, and aims at a right angle to it.  A mag. 12.5 star is just S of the IC object.

 

eg 4710 in Coma. 

 

Most of the objects in Serpens Caput were quite challenging to locate.  Here is a challenge for you if you want one.  Eg 5954:  4'.2 x 3'.2:  Vis. mag. 11.9; SB 14.6.  If that surface brightness/dimness doesn't scare you off, a little path of 5 faint stars SP the galaxy can be a big help in locating it.  I spotted it at 107x first, then 120x.  It is actually fading already at 166x.  The central area is oval, faint, but not too small.  nearly impossible to find without the little guide stars. 

Eg 5964 in Serpens Caput is a challenge object for 12" scopes.  A few of the helpful guide stars are shown, SP. 

 

Back in Coma Berenices, eg 4150 and eg 4203 both offer bright views in a 12" mirror.  Both are easy catches for an 8".  eg 4414 is large, oval, and very bright even at low power.  Views remain impressive all the way up to 333x.

 

Eg 4414 in Coma looks fine in a 12"scope. 

 

Back in Serpens Caput, two galaxies are worth noting.  Eg 5980 becomes more impressive at higher powers, using averted vision.  And eg 5984 is a lovely edge-on galaxy, looking its best at 166x.  None of these galaxies are super showpieces, but are easy objects and fun to view.  And the longer you look, the more you can see.

Eg 5984 in Serpens Caput. 

 

Moving into early summer, the many globular clusters of Ophiuchus found their way into my viewfinder.  However, conditions were so poor in June due to wild fire smoke that I had to redo all my globular observations in July.  Even major Messier objects were poorly seen in June's terrible skies.  My month was dominated by the three Messier objects lying fairly close to one another:  M 9, M 19, and M 62.  M 9, on the good night, offered sharp, clear views.  There is modest resolution of this bright and very large object at 221x.  Getting that ultra sharp focus makes all the difference!  M 19 is tough to resolve, as it lies low in my northern sky.  It appears very bright at 86x, and quite compact.  166x and 221x resolve a few stars, as things begin to wink in and out.  I wish this one was right overhead.  Messier 62 appears unresolved but mottled at low power.  166x gives some resolution, but not much.  221x shows core detail, including a few stars within it.  333x gives fair resolution overall, with a few dozen very faint stars showing.

 

There were also any number of fainter NGC globular clusters, and even a decent planetary nebula.  Pn 6369 is also called the "Little Ghost," and provided a nice break from all the globulars.  Easily located at 86x my best views were at 221x and 333x using my Orion Skyglow filter.  The central hole is very prominent, but no central star could be seen (it is mag. 15.9).  It resembles a smaller version of M 57.  A recommended stopover.

 

Of the remaining globulars:  gc 6356 is large and bright, and glowing strongly at 120x.  At higher powers a few outliers resolve, and a very few stars are seen close to the core;  gc 6342 is small and pretty faint.  The core breaks up at high power, and a very few stars are glimpsed; gc 6401 has a faint but notable star over top, and a bright stellar triangle lies NP  It seems to resemble a reflection or emission nebula more than a globular cluster; gc 6355 shows a few stars at 221x, though not near the core; gc 6304 shows impressive size and brightness at low power.  A faint star is NP, which becomes a double at 221x.  No resolution was seen on my observing night; gc 6316 looks like a planetary nebula or small galaxy at low power.  It glows nicely at 221x, with no stars showing; gc 6293 is very bright and quite compact.  166x and 221x resolved a few stars, with things really beginning to wink in and out; gc 6287 has a lovely inner glow to it, with a few outer stars resolved; gc 6325 shows no stars, and is one of the fainter clusters in this nearly endless series; gc 6284 is nice and bright at 86x, and a good size.  The core is very bright.  Outer resolution is good at 221x.

 

Clear skies, and hopefully I'll report back on a successful August session! 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

 

#139: April Observing Highlights

First the bad weather news.  My last observing outing was Sat. April 15th.  New moon was Wed. the 19th.  It has been cloudy since the night of the 15th, and will continue to be cloudy until the end of time, apparently.  Now the good news.  The early part of the lunar cycle provided me with 5 clear nights.  While one of those was windy and frustrating, the others were near perfect nights!  So I managed 15 hours and 45 minutes of telescope time in April.  So far, 2023 is behaving not too badly.  Last month I tried observing much lower in the sky than usual, and had some decent success in the southern regions of Canis Major and Puppis.  Which led me to prepare a list of deep sky objects and double stars in Pyxis, taking in the region of -37 Degrees up to around -18 degrees.  My latitude is 42 N, so my scope is nearly horizontal for some of these objects.  Previously my lower limit for finding NGC objects was -25 degrees, but I see that on some very good nights I can push that much lower.  Faint galaxies become too difficult, but the brighter ones are no problem.  Same with clusters and double stars.

Uranometria Chart 171

And so I spent the early part of four nights in April searching out objects in Pyxis (a compass), with some good success.  My first NGC object was tiny oc 2635, at -35 degrees.  Not an eye catcher at all, just finding it and trying to see it was the challenge here.  I managed to see about 8 of its faint stars, confirming my sighting the next night.

oc 2635 in Pyxis.  At my latitude this likely takes a 12" to find. 

Next night I added two more NGC clusters in Pyxis to my life list.  Oc 2658 sits at a slightly more comfortable -33 Degrees, my best view here was at 221x.  At 10' it is considerably larger than 2635, it also has slightly brighter stars.  I was able to resolve at least a dozen of them.  Oc 2627 was actually a decent prize, making me glad I included Pyxis in my travels through the sky.  It sits near -30 degrees.  It was located at 86x, and at 120x about 15 stars are resolved.  They appear to be between mag. 11 and 12, with unresolved haze in behind.  166x begins to resolve some of that haze, and my best view was at 221x.  Even there, though, there is still some unresolved haze.  Faint stars are popping out everywhere, somewhat like a resolving globular.  A pretty fine cluster!

oc 2658 in Pyxis.

 

oc 2627 in Pyxis appears quite fine in the 12". 

 

Uranometria Chart 153

I was observing a lot of double stars in between deep sky objects, but next up was eg 2613.  Located at -25 degrees, the galaxy appeared in my 86x field of view.  120x shows the oval centre of a very elongated galaxy (6'.5 x 1'.4) at its widest and brightest.  166x and 221x give glimpses of its longer extensions.  3 very faint stars are on the south side, and a brighter one is just preceding.  Though the galaxy is not a showstopper, it does reward the careful observer with its impressive size and moderate brightness.

2613 is a nice find down in Pyxis.  Note the 3 stars south of it, the first in line almost touching the galaxy.  Also the bright star at its preceding end. 

 

The final two deep sky objects in Pyxis for this year were oc Ru 62, and oc Ru 157.  Both are located between -19 and -20 degrees, and were in decent skies for me.  They were close enough together that I could shuttle between them at low power for comparison.  for 62, a tiny pair of stars north points directly to the cluster.  A mag. 8.5 star sits on its preceding edge.  About 15 stars can be counted here, some of them very faint.  157 is nestled amidst a group of brighter stars.  At its south end is a nearly complete circle of stars.  The cluster is pretty small (7'), and the stars are much fainter than the surrounding field.  It has a few more stars resolved than 62.

 

Finally is cluster E432-3.  Located at 86x.  120x shows two short intersecting lines of stars.  Higher power shows a dozen stars, the brightest one about 10.5 mag.   Nothing to write home about, but it is what it is, and likely seldom viewed.

 

Uranometria Chart 113

Turning now to Sextans (a sextant), I have been working here for several years now.  In addition to trying to locate all of the NGC and IC objects, I have also amassed a large list of double stars to check out, as well as deep sky objects from other catalogues.  These are mostly fainter galaxies from the UGC and MCG catalogues.  My success with these latter objects is scattered, so I do focus more on the NGC.

 

The first decent find of the first night was eg 2156, a bright galaxy that appears very elongated at 120x (1'9 x 0'.9).  I was able to see it with my 8" stop placed over the secondary mirror supports.  It is pretty large and bright using 12".  A 9.4 mag. star is located 2' south following, but the galaxy is still easy to see.  At 221x the centre is very bright and oval, showing a fainter outer envelope.  My best view was at 333x, showing a long extended nebula with a classic central dome of brightness.

3156 in Sextans.  After observing several very faint galaxies, it's always rewarding to come across a bright one! 

 

Next came a a pair of galaxies, one of them a showpiece!  3165 and 3166 lie very close together in a field of view.  66 is very large and bright, seen well at 8", being oval.  Full aperture at 166x shows its blazing core.  The surrounding envelope is easier to view at 221x, being somewhat washed away by the central brightness.  3165 was located at 166x, being quite large itself, and also oval, but it begins to fade rapidly at 221x.  Now, for added enjoyment and wonder, comes eg 3169, which can be viewed in the same field with 3166!  Both can be seen at 86x using 8" of aperture.  69 has a mag. 10.8 star near the following edge.  At full aperture and 120x the galaxy is bright and oval.  166x gives it a slightly less bright appearance than 66.  Even so, it's still tricky trying to see the extended envelope.  Views remain good all the way up to 333x.  A fun area to explore!

From r to l:  eg 3165, 3166, and 3169.  All are in Sextans. 

 

Eg I. 600 was located at 120x, being quite large, slightly oval, and showing a bright center.  Though ghostly in appearance, I enjoyed a decent view at 166x.  At least compared to some of the fainter discoveries of the night.

 

MCG +0-27-2 represents a type of galaxy I enjoy hunting down.  Very, very small, round, and at first appearing stellar.  This is one time when surface brightness overrules visual magnitude.  Here are the stats:  0'.4 x 0'.4: Vis. 13.8; SB 11.9.  This tiny galaxy was an easy catch at 120x, though it did appear stellar.  116x and averted vision shows a pretty decent envelope, but very small.  Best views were at 221x and 333x, where the galaxy is now bright, but still small.  It shows a stellar core.  At the very end I also observed it at 86x, as a faint and tiny star.

Eg 3243 was located at 120x, but the galaxy is somewhat dimmed by a nearby 10.5 mag. star.  Viewed at 166x and 231x, it is quite large and round, showing a stellar core.  Beyond the core lies a bright envelope of haze, then a fainter layer beyond that.  At 333x the full size can be appreciated.

 

NGC 3243 is in Sextans. 

 

Another small but bright galaxy in Sextans is I. 651.  Located easily at 120x, it appears pretty bright, and quite large (0'.8 x 0'.8).  166x, 231, and 333x all give decent views, with the round nebula exuding a pleasingly ghostly luminescence.

Coma Berenices: Uranometria Chart 91

 

My major spring constellation has been Coma Berenices for several years now, as I slowly and painstakingly make my way through hundreds of NGC and IC objects, mostly galaxies.  This area, lying just above Virgo and immediately following Leo, is filled with some major treasures.  And there are dozens of mid-bright galaxies which I won't even mention here, unless they are in the same field of view as a biggie.

One of my first conquests this year was Messier 98, or NGC 4192.  Seen quite well in earlier days with the Edmund 8", the galaxy is a major sight to behold in a 12"!  Though perhaps not as bright as one could wish, it certainly held my interest for a long time anyway.  It's already a showpiece at 86x (even at 8").  120x shows a tiny, bright stellar core, with elongated extensions heading out from there and going quite far.   This is not an edge-on galaxy, but is tilted slightly towards us.  There is a breathtaking Hubble image of this on the internet.  All magnifications give fabulous views up to 333, with the size expanding with each increase.  Not to be missed, even with a 6" scope!  M98 points directly south towards tiny eg 4186, which is pretty faint and tiny by comparison.  It shows up at the very bottom of the following image.

M 98 in Coma.  These images are all relative in size.  By comparing the images you are also comparing their size to one another.  This is a biggie! 

 

eg 4212 is another galaxy previously seen with the 8".  Located at 86x, it is large, bright, and oval.  At 120x it shows even more of its mass, also becoming quite bright and eye-catching.  166x shows its full size, with a bright centre.  Worth a look.

 

4212 is an impressive sight in a 12" Dob. 

 

Eg 4237 is also worth a stopover.  It's a easy star hop from M 98, thanks to some nearby bright stars.  This is a pretty fine galaxy, even at 86x.  At 166x it becomes on obvious face on (nearly so) spiral, showing a bright stellar core.  There is a bright envelope, but it fades unevenly.  Best view was at 221x.  A recommended stop if in the area.

 

4237 isn't far from M 98 in Coma. 

 

There are two interesting things about eg 4222.  First, this faint edge-on galaxy straddles two constellations.  It's upper half is in Coma, and its lower half is in Virgo.  It's pretty faint, but at higher power glimpses can be had of its full extent.  Best view is 221x with averted vision, as it fades out at 333x.  Secondly, just south preceding it is a real showstopper in Virgo, eg 4216.  This is a breathtaking sight on a good night with a 12" scope.  I had an opportunity to view it over several nights, though I did not officially log it.

4222 in the north straddles Coma and Virgo.  But have a peek south at wonderful 4216 in Virgo!! 

 

A little north preceding 4222 is eg 4189, another large and bright object easily seen at 86x.  At 120x the shape becomes slightly oval, and it is a bit brighter.  166x shows its full size with averted vision.  Lighter and darker areas can be noted within the envelope.  It begins to dim at 221x.

 

4189 in Coma.  Watch for lighter and darker areas in a 12". 

 

I'll finish up with two final bright galaxies, seen together at most magnifications.  eg 4340 and eg 4350 make an outstanding pair of galaxies, with some contrasting detail to make things even more fun.  Both are large and bright, and unmistakable in an 8" mirror. At 120x and 12" both show very bright cores and large envelopes.  50 seems to be a bit brighter overall.  50 becomes very elongated, and starts to resemble a mini M 31, especially at 166x.  In this range 40 appears slightly oval.  The envelope on that one is tricky due to the brightness of the centre.  

 

4350 is in the centre, preceded by 4340, both in Coma.

Also worth checking out in this vicinity are  4239, 4383, and 4405.

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#138: Winter Observing Highlights 2023

January through March is a grim time for deep sky work, even in Canada's most southern latitude (I am at 42 N)  If it is clear between last quarter moon and first quarter, it is often too cold and/or too windy to be out in an open farm field setting up a telescope, observing, and then breaking down again.  So January, as usual, was a write off, despite this being our 7th warmest winter on record.  However, in February came three clear nights I was able to use.  There were actually six clear nights this time, but two of them were far too windy, and another was simply too cold.  I have been able to push my lower temperature limit down somewhat for extended observing, but many nights are still far too cold.  It's mostly the fingers; gloves have to be worn, not mittens, and even with hand warmers inside, things can still get brutal.  One of the best things about winter observing (and late autumn), is that one can put in three hours at the eyepiece and still be home by bedtime. 

 

So I was able to continue a years' long project in Perseus, and another in Canis Major.  I had observed Perseus in some detail years ago with my Edmund 8" scope.  But it is always worth having another look at objects with the 12"!  And of course back in the day I did not have the detail of a Uranometria atlas.  Some previously seen objects that I revisited in Perseus included gn 1579, a large reflection nebula last seen in 2004.  Even larger is gn 1491, an emission nebula greatly improved with my Orion Skyglow nebula filter.  Two open clusters, oc 1548 and 1528, also wowed me.  1528 is large and the stars are quite scattered, but the sheer number of bright stars makes a pleasant surprise.  At 120x there are at least 100 stars.  A lovely cluster and a minor showpiece.

 

A fine cluster in Perseus, oc 1528. *

 

On a second night I re-observed oc 1342.  At 86x a curving line of bright stars is seen, in a rough "S" shape.  Involved with it is a close and bright double star at the preceding end.  107x and 120x bring out fainter members.  Again, though scattered, the cluster is pretty rich.  I counted about 60 stars.  I also observed a gorgeous triple star, Epsilon (Stf 471).  The main pair is mag. 3 and 8, separated by 9".  To me it appeared white and emerald at 43x and 86x  A real beauty!  There is also a mag. 14 star at 78".  It was seen at 166x, but I had to put the main star just out of the field of view.

oc 1342 in Perseus. 

 

Though actually in Taurus, pn 1514 is easily accessed from Perseus.  Located at 43x, the planetary nebula was bluish-gray in colour.  Up to 120x without a filter I could see bright spots north of the main star, and also south following it.  At 166x with a Skyglow filter, views are bright and quite impressive.  The O III filter also worked well here, darkening the background even more.  221x shows several areas of varying brightness.  This is an impressive object worth seeking. 

 

pn 1514 in Taurus, easily accessed from Perseus. 

 

On a third February night I finished up work in Perseus until next year.  Oc 1545 shows many faint stars at 86x, with a bright double over top (S 445), being an orange and blue pair.  At 107x about 30 stars show up, including a central curving line.  Another bright star, a triple, sits at the north end.  Worth a look.  Also noteworthy was oc 1513.  At 120x and 166x the group is moderately rich.  About 20 brighter stars are noted, and about the same number of faint ones.  There are several pairs, and the brightest clump is in the southern section.  A mag. 9.5 star is in the north end.

Oc 1513 in Perseus. 

 

During those three February nights I observed Perseus early on, turning to Canis Major later in the evening.  Canis Major is mostly new territory for me, with only M 41 being previously studied in depth.  This constellation is loaded with open clusters, though many of them are small, faint, and non NGC objects.  But there are a few galaxies, too.  An example is eg I. 456, which sits just below -30 degrees declination.  It is a bright galaxy that is just separated from a 9.5 mag. star south following it.  At 120x it is oval; 166x shows a distinct bright center.  At 221x it isn't half bad, being fairly large and bright.  Another pretty fine galaxy is eg 2325.  333x gives the best view of this somewhat bright, large object, and shows a very faint star involved.  Most of these galaxies are considerably further south than I usually travel for such objects (my limit is usually -25 degrees for galaxies, and around -39 degrees for clusters and doubles).

 

Eg 2325 in Canis Major. 

 

 Oc 2354 in Canis Major is a very large group at 86x, with my best view of it at 107x.  There are curving lines of brighter stars, along with many fainter ones.  A quick count got me to around 60 stars.

Oc 2354 in Canis Major. 

 

Another beauty is oc 2362, a lovely sight at 86x.  120x resolves all members, looking like little bees swarming around a bright hive.  The central star 30, or Tau, is also a very pretty sight.  Best view was at 166x, where about 60 stars can be counted.  The main pair of the triple is yellow and blue, at mag. 4.5 and 10, separated by 8" of arc.  The other member is mag. 11 at 15".

 

A regular beehive cluster, this is oc 2362 in Canis Major.
 

I must mention a beautiful double star, h 3495.  Magnitudes 5 and 7 with a separation of 27", the colours are a striking orange and blue, very similar to B Cygni!!  And just to give a (decent) sample of the many non NGC clusters that this constellation contains, let me talk about Ru 10.  This is one of the larger "small" clusters, of which there are literally dozens in this area (and also in Monoceros and Puppis).   At 7' in size, the brightest stars are mag. 12.  North/south lines of stars precede a mag. 9.7 star.  3 somewhat bright stars sit in the central area, with many fainter ones surrounding them.  Best view was at 221x.  Some of these clusters (Ru, Be, Cz, and others) only begin at mag. 15, and even mag. 16, so aren't even worth bothering about with anything less than a 12" scope.

My coldest observation (except when I lived in Sudbury, many moons ago) was the night of February 17th.  Upon arrival to set up it was already down to 18 F!!  By the time I left it was 16 F, and 80% humidity.  That was one chilly night!!  But what a sky it was!!

Now on to March observing, which was mostly in Canis Major, except for two very low objects in Puppis.  While waiting for last quarter to approach in March, I set up detailed worksheets for Puppis, in case I had a run of clear nights and managed to finish work in Canis Major (no need to worry, as it turned out).  I have about 19 pages of work awaiting in Puppis now, perhaps for next year.  But then I went ahead and prepared Pyxis, based on some low latitude successes recently.  and then I prepared Crater as well.  So I am set for the next 100 springs, at least.  Later in the season I will resume work in Sextans, and, of course, in my main spring area, the indomitable and inexhaustible Coma Berenices, which is well up by the time I stop now.

 

I will begin first with two low objects I observed in Puppis.  After all that prep work, I had to at least observe an object or two there.  Besides, I wanted to see how good my lowest sky was.  Things turned out quite well.  My first object was gc 2298, a globular that sits low for me at -36 degrees.  No problem!  I located it easily at 107x, and it appears quite large and reasonably bright.  But as the magnification increased, it quickly grew faint.  I was unable to resolve any but the most outer and brighter stars.  221x did show a brighter core with a fainter envelope surrounding it.

gc 2298 in Puppis is a very low object for me, at -36 degrees declination. 

 

The second and final Puppis object for me this season was Cr 135.  Monstrously sized at 49', it contains a 2.7 mag. orange star in the south end.  Uranometria clocks 13 stars, and that is about what can be seen at 43x and 86x.  Of course there are much fainter stars, too, but they must be background to the cluster.  The bright orange star has a blue companion, making a fine sight.  Wikipedia has a decent image, if interested.

With only two clear nights in March I was unable to complete my work in Canis Major this year.  At least one more (long) night will be required, before I move back to Puppis.  But I still got through an incredible 37 objects this month, a tribute to good planning (very necessary, especially in winter) and excellent skies (not to mention a very trustworthy scope!).  I usually use a hand held computer to find the first object of the night, but due to cold temps I didn't bother.  There are enough bright stars in Canis Major that it is easy to star hop and find one's way.

Here is one those minor, extremely faint clusters I was talking about earlier.  Oc Tom 2 was only 3' in size (a decent size for a galaxy, but not so much for a cluster).  It is supposed to have 50 stars, with the brightest star at mag. 16.  What I actually saw were 4 stars, exceedingly faint, at 221x and 333x, with some faint haze in behind.  A close pair was part of the deal.  Obviously at least an 18" would be needed here, but I went there anyway (because it's there).

Oc 2384 was considerably better, part of a double cluster with nearby 2383.  Both clusters fit into my field of view at all powers up to 221x.  2284 has two brighter stars within it at 86x, but at 120x both of these have their own little collection of stars near them.  And the preceding bright star is now a very close double star (Bu 199: 7.2-8.1 at 1.8" of arc).  At 166x, the following bright star has 6 little stars around it, while the preceding one has 7.  Best view was at 221x, and shows an attractive little group.  Oc 2383 is a moderately rich group at 120x and 166x, and it immediately follows a mag. 9.8 star.  At 221x and 333x there appears to be a distinct north group and a south one, relative to this star.  The richer of the pair is south; the north group is sparse by comparison.

Oc 2384, center, makes an attractive pair with 2383, upper right.  Both are in Canis Major.

 

A couple of half decent minor clusters came next.  Oc Ru 18 was located at 86x, where I saw a few brighter stars against some haze.  120x begins to resolve the haze.  At 166x and especially 221x the cluster is moderately rich, with about 30 stars counted.  Oc Ru 20 resolves into about 20 stars all around a brighter one.  It was a decent group at 166x, though it can be located at 86x. At the opposite extreme is Collinder 140, in the far corner (southeast) of Canis Major.  At 30', it is very large.  Near the center is Dunn 42, a superb gold and blue double star.  The magnitudes are 5.5 and 7.5, with a wide separation of 99".  Another orange and very blue pair are south preceding.  Unranometria shows 10 of the brightest stars.  The entire area makes for fine sweeping at 43x.

Taking a cluster break for a few moments, there are two small nebula to find.  2296 is tiny but bright, somewhat following Sirius.  It lies just beyond its bright influence.  I located the nebula at 166x, but the best view of this small, round nebula was at 221x.  No filter is needed to see it.  There may be a star involved.  It strongly resembles a galaxy, and was thought to be one for a long time.

gn 2296 resembles a small galaxy. The glow of nearby Sirius is obvious.

 

The other nebula is up near the border with Monoceros, being gn 2327.  This one is curiously located at the end of a curl of stars, and at low power can be mistaken for a star.  It is quite bright, with my best view at 221x, where small filaments could be seen coming away from the main brightness.  The star following it is also a nebula, though it appears stellar in the scope.

 

gn 2327 and a smaller companion can be found up near the border with Monceros. 

 

Along with 1528 in Perseus, perhaps the finest cluster of the winter sessions was oc 2345, with it's brightest star at mag. 9.  It's not a super standout object, but it has a curious overlay of bright stars in a horseshoe shape, with fainter ones in behind.  At the apex of the horseshoe, in the north, is a bright double star.  166x gives a fine view of this fairly large open cluster.  At this range, the 2nd star in the horseshoe in the following end is also a close double.  This pair has a particularly rich group of faint stars around it.  221x and 333x resolve more and more faint stars.  This is a moderately rich group with widely scattered fields, some of these being fairly dense.

Oc 2345 in Canis Major.  

 

With a cloudy week ahead (new moon is tomorrow), I am finished until April.  Last year I had 0 clear nights in March, so at least I scored twice this year.

 

*All images are taken from http://www.astrosurf.com/benoit/p23.html, which are in turn from NASA. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#137: 2022 Observing Summary

 It was not a great year, but some decent work got done with the 12" Dob.  I skipped out on the entire summer skies, despite some very good nights, for personal reasons.  Spring was almost a total washout due to clouds and wind.  Autumn was fairly good, especially October.  And my lone December outing was with binoculars to watch Mars slip behind the moon, amidst mostly cloudy skies.  So I ended up with 40 hours of observing time at the telescope, and 14 separate outings.  Compare that to 2021 with 22 outings, and 2020 with 45!  In Spring I only managed 6 hours of observing; that's how bad the weather was.  Autumn was much better, with 34 hours logged at the eyepiece.

In Spring skies work continues in Coma Berenices, a constellation I have observed years ago with my Edmund 8" reflector.  I am now observing it in much more detail, aiming for all the NGC objects and as many IC objects as my scope can reach.  In addition, I am including many UGC and M galaxies, and a large selection of double stars.  It is a project that will take many years to complete, like my similar one in Leo.  I also managed a small start on Canis Major in early Spring, before getting clouded over and postponed till 2023.  Autumn work includes Sextans, Aquarius, and Cetus, and some good progress was made there.  Sextans and Cetus have challenges due to low boundaries, but at certain times I get good southern skies, and was able to use them this year to advantage.

It was not a year of incredible discoveries from the NGC list, though I did retakes of some of the good ones seen previously with the 8".  Eg 210 in Cetus stands out as worth a stop on a fine night, as does pn 246.  This is the only NGC object in Cetus that isn't a galaxy.  It's an odd planetary nebula, with some bright stars within.  It's not that great an object until a filter is added; I used the Orion sky glow filter to good advantage to see this very large, often overlooked object.  Eg 255 is very close, and quite a good sight in a 12" scope, too.  And eg 217 looks like a tiny version of M 31.

eg 210 in Cetus.

Pn 246 (2nd above) and eg 255, in Cetus.

One of the trickiest and most disappointing views was of gc 7492 in Aquarius.  Good luck finding this faint globular in our southern skies!  Other decent galaxies in Cetus include NGC 273, 74, and 75, the last two an actual pair.

Saturn and Jupiter were on full display, especially fine in early autumn.  Virtually every night that I set up, I would begin and often end with these two planets.  I was able to get decent views of Mars in late autumn, too (along with the December occultation).

Mapman Mike

#136: A Six Galaxy Gathering in Aquarius

My first outing since early May was a grand success!  In addition to late night views of Saturn and Jupiter (which were spectacular!), my 12" Dob and I went galaxy hunting in Aquarius, and later in Cetus.  My main objective was a six galaxy NGC group in Aquarius.  I ran out of time last autumn and had to set aside the project until this year.  With temps in the mid 60s F, and humidity quite low, the transparency was perfect for southern sky galaxy work.  A few double stars were thrown into the mix as well.

Uranometria Chart 104 (left side) shows the group crammed into a small area between 00 and +01 degrees declination, and between 20 hr 44' and 20 hr 48' right ascension.  Fortunately, there are a few faint guide stars quite close by to help locate the group.  Here is an image to help with identification.  All objects were viewed with a 12" Orion Dob.  Five of them fit into a wide angle field of view at 166x.

A six galaxy group in Aquarius. 

NGC 6959:  0'.7 x 0'.3; Vis. mag. 13.7, Surface Brightness 11.9:  Easily located north of 6961, first find a small asterism of 3 faint stars in a curving line preceding the galaxy, and 2 others following.  The galaxy lies amidst the stars on the north edge.  Seen well at 166x, it is pretty small but very elongated and surprisingly bright.  Views improve at 231x, and are still good at 333x.  It is in the same low power field with three galaxies south of it.

NGC 6961:  0'.6 x 0'.5; Vis. mag. 13.7; SB 12.4:  This member is pretty small and faint, and slightly farther from 6962 than is 6964.  All three galaxies form a straight line.  Though later seen at 120x, it was first located at 166x.  Even at 231x it is a ghostly object, round.

NGC 6962:  2'.9 x 2'.3;  Vis. mag. 12.1; SB 14.1:  Both galaxies make a fine close pair, and can

NGC 6964:  1'.7 x 1'.3;  Vis. mag. 13; SB 13.8:  likely be seen in 8" scopes.  The size and brightness difference is easily noted.  62 really jumps out first, and then 64 is picked out just south following.  Both are easy to see and bright at 120x.  Views begin to get remarkable at 166x, and remain good at 231x and 333x.  Both have very bright centers and much fainter envelopes (the surface brightness stats appear to be accurate only for the outer envelopes).  62 is the largest and brightest of the six galaxies in the region, with 64 holding down the #2 spot.

NGC 6965:  0'.6 x 0'.4; Vis. mag. 14; SB 12.4:  The most northerly of the six, this is also the trickiest to locate.  However, by using a line of 3 faint stars near it (see above photo--one is south following, one is preceding, and one is north preceding) the area of its exact location can be easily found.  First located at 166x, better views were had at 231x and 333x.  It is faint, appears to be round, and has a center that is brighter than its tiny envelope.  Difficult, but in a good sky not a real problem.  Of course use averted vision.

NGC 6967:  1' x 0'.6; Vis. mag. 13.1; SB 12.4:  Located at 120x, the galaxy is bright and conspicuous, likely suitable for an 8".  It presents an elongated haze between two faint stars, with a very faint and tiny star seen preceding, and nearly attached, at 166x.  The galaxy remains bright at 231x, where the elongation shows up even better.

Mapman Mike

 

#135: Still Breathing

Yes, I am alive and well.  Why no observing reports?  Observing just hasn't been happening very much this spring.  Weather was the biggest problem, with a truly terrible spring session due to rain and clouds.  More recently, the price of gas has interfered with my observing program, too.  It's a 50 minute drive each way to my dark sky site, so that adds up even going out 3 or 4 times per month.  And I tend to avoid heading out near Summer Solstice anymore, as darkness arrives too late for this old duffer.  If I want to put in a solid 3 hours of observing, I would start around 10:45 pm EDT, finish up at 1:45, pack up the gear and drive home, not hitting the sack until around 3 am.  I used to be able to pull that kind of thing off, but it gets harder and harder with age.  I spend my days practicing piano, but I am too burnt out after a late night out to practice successfully.

Also in the summer, there is the bug problem.  Of course I use bug spray, and it's not too bad where I observe, but the twilight drive there, and the late night drive home, means that for each trip I make it leaves hundreds of squashed and dead bugs all over my car and windshield.  So next morning first thing after breakfast, I have to wash the car.  I mean really scrub it.

Sure, you might say, those are only excuses for not observing.  But taken together, this is no longer a season in which I observe.  I will likely crank up operations again in the latter half of August.  Also of note is the fact that my observing club (RASC Windsor) no longer publishes a newsletter.  I used to write articles for that publication 5 times per year, and it kept me on my toes.  Many of those articles are published here, but no longer.

I had begun a massive project related to my goal of seeing all the northern NGC objects, namely discussing each one and posting about it here.  That project was a tiresome thing to undertake, but it might get revived.  I like to take a chart from Uranometria and run through all the objects I was able to observe with my 12" reflector.  Of course some of the charts are so dense with objects (Coma B. and Canes V. for instance) that the very thought of writing about each object I have observed sends shudders up and down my spine.  I had left off in the middle of talking about Leo, so I might resume there in a few weeks.

Clear skies!

Mapman Mike