Below are observations made using 105mm refractors. The observing reports below will give you an idea of what can be seen with this type of instrument.
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| Date and time of Observation: | July 23 2002 22:20 - 23:45 PDT |
| Observing Location: | Ballard, Seattle WA |
| Object Observed: | Cygnus: Albireo, Delta Cyg, NGC 6871/Biurakan 1(?), M29 Sagitta: M71 (negative) Vulpecula: M27, NGC 6885(?), NGC 6940 (negative) |
| Viewing conditions: | Seeing 3/5, fair transparency, urban sky, moon, ZLM = 3~3.5 |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 APO |
| Eyepiece | Optiluxe 40mm (15x), Nagler 9mm (68x), Takahashi Ortho 2.8mm (218x), Lumicon UHC filter, 7x42 binoculars |
| Observing notes: |
Finally I'm getting a hang of how to do a satisfying DSO observing from
home in spite of light pollution and, for the last several nights, the
moon. First principle: Try it anyway! The worst that can happen is that
I cannot see an object. I find it effective to mix in double star
observations, which create variety and also give me some sure
successes;
missing one object after another could get stressful. The UHC filter is
a great help - I cannot believe for how long I got by without it! Last
Saturday I was able to spot from home M8, M17 and even M20 even though
the south is heavily light-polluted and the moon was right next to them
in the southern Ophiuchus.
Tonight I started with Albireo, wanting to calibrate my color
perception. I saw the primary as golden and secondary as white with a
blue tinge. ENE-WSW alignment with secondary to ENE. (15x, 68x)
Delta Cygni - double star - Secondary just outside the first
diffraction
ring, to the SW of the primary. Primary is bright white with a cream
tinge, secondary looked blue. (218x)
I looked for M71 in Sagitta, but I could not see it even though I knew
well where it is located. It was pretty murky night and even felt
humid,
unusual for Seattle summer.
M27 - Planetary nebula in Vulpecula - was visible, but even with a
Lumicon UHC filter it looked fuzzed out and ill-defined tonight. The
overall shape was there, but no detail. (68x)
NGC 6885 - Open cluster in Vulpecula - An easy starhop from M27. A
coarse, bright grouping of stars around 20 Vul. I counted six stars to
the SW of 20 Vul, six in the region generally E of 20 Vul, and a
sprinkle of dimmer stars around. Also in the FOV were bright stars to
the north (18, 19 Vul) forming an attactive FOV. To what extent the
stars I saw belonged to the cluster I'm not sure at this point. (68x)
I then looked for NGC 6940 further to the east. I could not come up
with
a positive identification, but I did come across an attractive field of
dim starlets.
NGC 6871 - Open cluster in Cygnus - This should be easy to locate next
to 27 Cygni. SSW of 27 Cyg is two pairs of doubles, with two more
bright
stars to the south of this and two more stars to the east. I presume
these stars form the core of the cluster. The field of view is
attractive with many stars, but again I was not sure which ones
belonged
to NGC 6871 or the cluster Biurakan 1 to the east. (68x)
M29 - Open cluster in Cygnus - This cluster didn't disappoint. It
looked
like a tiny Pleiades, with four stars in a rectangle like a box, and
two
more stars, one on each side, like a pair of handles for the box. A
seventh star was to the east of the box, and a few dimmer stars were
"sensed". (68x)
|
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| Date and time of Observation: | July 21 2002 22:10 - 23:20 PDT |
| Observing Location: | Ballard, Seattle WA |
| Object Observed: | Ophiuchus: IC 4665, 70 Oph, NGC 6633 Serpens Cauda: IC 4756, Theta Ser Aquila: NGC 6709, 23 Aql (negative), V Aql |
| Viewing conditions: | Seeing 3~4/5, good transparency, urban sky, moon, ZLM = 3.5 |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 APO |
| Eyepiece | Optiluxe 40mm (15x), Nagler 9mm (68x), Takahashi Ortho 2.8mm (218x), 7x42 binoculars |
| Observing notes: |
The nearly full moon and urban sky didn't deter me from taking
advantage
of a beautiful summer evening. I focused on double stars and bright
open
clusters at altitudes comfortable for viewing. Because of the
brightness
of the sky, I could not see many "signpost" stars for star-hopping; so
I
used the binoculars to survey sky regions and the lowest power (15x) on
the scope to hunt down objects. It is great to have a rich-field
capability in your scope under such conditions.
IC 4665 - Open cluster in Ophiuchus - One of my favorite objects, the
"Hi!" cluster. It's big and immediately accessible from Beta Ophiuchi.
There are many way to spell "HI" in this cluster. It can be described
as
consisting of a western and an eastern unit. The eastern unit looks
like
an "H" with the lower right part chopped off, consisting of six stars.
The western unit consists of two bright stars in NNE-SSW alignment
forming "I", but there are three more stars to the south forming a
crooked trail, while there are three stars in NNE-SSW alignment to the
east of the eastern unit, which could be considered another "I".
(Thanks
for reading this far! If you think my description is labored, it is! I
have very hard time verbalizing what I observe in an open cluster.)
(15x)
70 Ophiuchi - Double star - Clean split at 68x with NNW-SSE or NW-SE
alignment, secondary to SE. 218x shows the primary as yellow-white
while
the secondary is darker yellow.
NGC 6633 - Open cluster in Ophiuchus - Coarse, but pretty. The core of
the cluster is an elongated quadrilateral of four bright stars in
NNE-SSW alignment with the SSW end pointed, like a little boat. Ahead
of
the SSW corner is another bright star, like a figurehead, and a tiny
triangle rides on the deck. Behind the boat is a trail of stars, like a
wake, and a pair of dimmer stars below the keel. Several more stars are
scattered around, giving total of about thirty stars (OK, another lame
try at describing an open cluster....) (68x)
IC 4756 - Open cluster in Serpens Cauda - Appears very coarse, perhaps
best seen with binoculars. With so much sky glow, it couldn't be seen
to
an advantage. (15x)
Theta Serpentis - Double star - Very pretty twin stars easily split at
15x. ESE-WNW alignment, equally bright, both are cream-white. Four
other
dimmer stars are nearby to the N.
NGC 6709 - Open cluster in Aquila - Large cluster whose overall shape
seems to resemble a lower-case "y" in the FOV with south up. The upper
right (SE) tip of "y" is a small triangle of three stars. The upper
left
(SW) tip is marker by a lone star. The bottom part of "y" seems to
merge
with the relatively rich field of stars to the north. Behind "y" seemed
to be an unresolved glow. (68x)
23 Aquilae - Double star - I could not see the secondary of this pair
(m=9.3). Perhaps too much sky glow.
V Aquilae - Carbon star - Pretty! The star's color makes me think of a
glass of tawny port |
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| Date and time of Observation: | July 15 2002 23:00 - July 16 2002 01:30 PDT |
| Observing Location: | Rattlesnake Lake, near North Bend, WA |
| Object Observed: | Ophiuchus: NGC 6384 Bootes: NGC 5660, 5676, 5689 |
| Viewing conditions: | Seeing 3/5, Very good transparency, LM = 6- after moon set |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 APO |
| Eyepiece | Optiluxe 40mm (15x), Plossl 25mm (24x), Nagler 9mm (68x), Radian 6mm (102x), Lumicon UHC filter, 7x42 binoculars |
| Observing notes: |
NGC 6384 in Ophiuchus - Approximately on the neck of the snake handler,
it's an easy starhop from Beta Ophiuchi (near which is the wonderful
"Hi!" cluster IC 4665). Just barely perceivable with averted vision. An
amorphous glow with no apparent elongation or concentration, brought
out
by jiggling the FOV of the telescope. For this and all following
galaxies, I made a sketch of FOV with field stars for a later
verification of my observation. (68x)
NGC 5676 in Bootes - This galaxy is plotted in Cambridge Star Atlas
2000, which motivated me to try it. (What's a mag. 10.9 galaxy doing in
a mag. 6 atlas, though?) It is in the northwest corner of Bootes, just
across the border from Alkaid. A compact triangle of Kappa, Iota and
Theta Bootis serves as a signpost; from Theta, jump S. to 24 Bootis
near
which this galaxy is located. A faint, small/mid-size glow with NE-SW
elongation apparent with averted vision. Not easy, but not
frustratingly
difficult either. (68x)
NGC 5660 in Bootes - SkyAtlas 2000 shows two more galaxies in the
vicinity of NGC 5676, this and NGC 5689. This one was really marginal
with a 4 inch. Like with NGC 4236 earlier in the year, I noticed a
small
patch in the sky whose luminosity I tried to doubt, but could not deny.
I made a careful sketch of its location relative to field stars. A
later
comparison with DSS and sky-plotting software verified to my
satisfaction that I had indeed caught photons from NGC 5660 in my eye.
(68x)
NGC 5689 in Bootes - Intermittently visible perhaps because of seeing.
When seen it was rather well defined with E-W elongation and even a
hint
of a core, though it was small. I could apply the 102x power fruitfully
on this object. This was the best of the smudges I saw tonight, and
also
the dimmest galaxy I've observed so far (mag. 11.9) that has actually
given me a satisfying experience - in the sense that I could really
perceive the character of the object, as opposed to just registering
that something was there.
|
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| Date and time of Observation: | June 9 2002 22:10 - June 10 2002 03:00 PDT |
| Observing Location: | Rattlesnake Lake, near North Bend, WA |
| Object Observed: | Serpens Caput: M5, NGC 5921 Libra: NGC 5897 Hercules: M13, M92, NGC 6207 Ophiuchus: M10, M12, M107 Lyra: Epsilon, M57 Several others |
| Viewing conditions: | Seeing 3~4/5, Partly cloudy with good transparency while clear, LM = 5.5+ |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 APO ("4 inch") |
| Eyepiece | Optiluxe 40mm (15x), Plossl 25mm (24x), Nagler 9mm (68x), Radian 6mm (102x),7x42 binoculars |
| Observing notes: |
The weather on Sunday was beautiful and continued so into the night.
Telescopes were out in force at Rattlesnake Lake. These included a
Starmax 127 (belonging to a buddy Mike W.), a Discovery 17.5" truss
Dob,
an 8 inch LX200, and a magnificent six-inch, F15 refractor with an
optical tube of machined titanium. The OTA of this telescope is over
two
meters long but weighs only 18 pounds and rides on a Losmandy G-11! Our
observing location is in the foothills of the Cascade mountains, and
mountain clouds would drift in from time to time to obscure the view.
Compared with my last outing (June 1/2) when the viewing condition was
exemplary, this night was a tad hazier and less steady, but still it
was
worth lingering until early hours of the morning.
My program tonight was to survey some scarcely visited constellations
that come between the springtime galaxy fields and the summer Milky
Way.
As with the last time, I started with Epsilon Lyrae to let the twilight
fade and the scope cool down. Both components were well-resolved at
102x
but they indicated more disturbed seeing than the last time.
M5 - Globular cluster in Serpens Caput - One of my favorite globulars.
Not very condensed and well resolved to the core, it has a certain
airy,
transparent feel to it. (68x)
NGC 5921 - Galaxy in Serpens Caput - This galaxy is really smudgy and
indefinite. A few field stars are mingling with it, making it all the
more difficult to assess its extent and shape, although I thought I
detected a NE-SW elongation. Detectable at 24x, 68x but loses
definition
at 102x.
NGC 5897 - Globular cluster in Libra - Libra has few DSOs to offer for
small scope owners, and this RASC "challenge" object seems to be the
best. It's a rather large GC - not much smaller than M5 - but really
spread out thin and dim overall. I tried for resolution at 102x but
couldn't detect any, save three or so stars which I suspect are
foreground objects. Nevertheless, just locating it was not a difficult
challenge, even for a 4-inch scope.
M13 - Globular cluster in Hercules - Magnificent! As always. Bright and
well-resolved throughout. Tonight, I took time to locate the small
nearby galaxy NGC 6207 (a small spindle NNE-SSW elongation). This
galaxy
looked good through the 6 inch titanium telescope. (68x)
M92 - Globular cluster in Hercules - This too is a favorite of mine, a
little smaller than M13 with a well-concentrated, very rich feel to it
(like M53 in Coma Berenices and in contrast to M5). Resolution is good
throughout. (102x)
I then tried for the globular NGC 6229, but I found that a tripod leg
of
my GEM was in the way of my head! Some other time. After this, I did
the
M57 limiting magnitude observation, on which I have reported earlier.
Back to the tour:
M107 - Globular cluster in Ophiuchus - Tonight was the first time I
spotted this globular through my 7x42 binoculars. I had tried it a
number of times before and failed; what made the difference was a
detailed SkyAtlas 2000 chart of the area, with field stars down to a
limiting magnitude of 8 (previously I had used CSA 2000, with LM=6).
This helped me sort out the globular from several nearby field stars.
Through the 4 inch, this is a fairly large but really anemic-looking
globular, without resolution up to 102x but mottled texture was sensed
at that magnification. "Hey, how the heck did you make it onto the
Messier list!?"
M12 - Globular cluster in Ophiuchus - Much brighter than M107,
mottly-grainy texture with some individual stars standing out. Not
quite
round but rather looks triangular in shape. (68x)
M10 - Globular cluster in Ophiuchus - More rounded than M12 with a
well-defined core, abundant resolved stars with averted vision. Very
nice. M10 and M12 look very much alike when seen through binoculars,
but
a telescope really brings out their individuality. (68x)
At this point I lost focus and spent the rest of the night poking into
this and that objects without note-taking. Objects seen included Comet
Ikeya-Zhang (a big fuzzball both with binoculars and the 4 inch; did
not
notice a tail), M17 and M18 (in the same FOV), M8 and M20 (also in the
same FOV), and the Double Cluster (the last object of the night,
through
the titanium telescope). |
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| Date and time of Observation: | June 1 2002 22:30 - June 2 2002 01:30 PDT |
| Observing Location: | Rattlesnake Lake, near North Bend, WA |
| Object Observed: | Lyra: Epsilon Canes Venatici: M3 Bootes: NGC 5248, NGC 5466 Draco: NGC 4125, NGC 4236, NGC 5877, NGC 5907, NGC 6503, NGC 6543 |
| Viewing conditions: | Seeing 4~5/5, Very good transparency with occasional cloud patches, LM = 6 |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 APO ("4 inch") |
| Eyepiece | Optiluxe 40mm (15x), Plossl 25mm (24x), Nagler 9mm (68x),Radian 6mm (102x), AP 2 inch Barlow (2x with diagonal) |
| Observing notes: |
I got to my usual dark site earlier than usual, before the sunset. A
layer of cloud had been forming, and depending on its development I
thought I may have to move to another site if the cloud coverage became
excessive. Fortunately, the cloud layer stopped growing and showed
signs
of dissipating as the sun went down. While waiting, I could watch a
pair
of ospreys carrying fish caught at the lake to (presumably) their aerie
somewhere in the woods.
I first pointed the scope to Epsilon Lyrae under twilight and let it
cool down. I enjoyed the recent discussion on this object here. Both
stars were split cleanly at 102x, but seeing was somewhat unsteady and
both pairs were jiggling like two pairs of dancers doing jitterbug.
I then pointed it to M3. Nothing particular to report on this object
here, I watched it for a while at 24x.
NGC 5466 - Globular cluster in Bootes - Still somewhat under twilight,
this globular was visible at magnifications 15x, 24x, 68x. It looked as
large as - if not larger than - M3, but much dimmer and indistinct. It
resembled a weak face-on galaxy. I thought, "this is a sorry excuse of
a
globular", but as the twilight faded it gradually stood out better,
eventually showing some concentration. I was going to come back and try
for resolution at 102x, but forgot about it....
NGC 5248 - Galaxy in Bootes - Fairly large, dim oval glow with NW-SE
elongation and a hint of a core. (68x)
Swinging over to a different part of the sky...
NGC 4125 - Galaxy in Draco - Small galaxy but nice. Small distinct core
with E-W or ENE-WSW elongation and a surrounding halo that looked
rounder. (102x)
NGC 4236 - Galaxy in Draco - This was not in my target list, but it was
shown on a printed chart near the previous object so I decided to take
a
look. At first nothing stood out in the FOV, but as I swept and jiggled
the FOV I found a patch of the sky that persistently suggested some
luminosity. It appeared N-S elongated but of uncertain length/width. I
made a careful sketch of this and the surrounding stars for later
verification. Using XEphem and DSS image, I verified that this patch is
indeed the galaxy in question. (24x)
As the night wore on, the seeing improved to excellent. Stars snapped
into pinpoint foci, and once in focus they remained still (like usually
fidgety children being mysteriously quiet
NGC 5907 - Galaxy in Draco - A subtle, thin streak of light, NNW-SSE
elongation. Barely noticeable at first but averted vision and jiggling
brings out brightening of the streak towards the center. A mysterious
object that grew on me as I studied it longer. Very much the kind of
object for me, an "edge-on fan". (24x, 68x)
NGC 5866 "Messier 102" - Galaxy in Draco - Bright, unlike the previous
object, NW-SE elongation with one bright and one dim stars nearby. No
distinct core. (102x)
NGC 6503 - Galaxy in Draco - Another beautiful edge-on in Draco.
WNW-ESE
elongation, no sign of a core-like feature. It shows up well even at
102x.
NGC 6543 - Planetary nebula in Draco - Egg-shaped with slight NNE-SSW
elongation. Averted vision seemed to shows an outer shell which seems
to
be separate from the core glow, indicative of the "cat's-eye", but this
could not be held steadily in view. |
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| Date and time of Observation: | May 10 2002 21:45 - May 11 2002 00:30 PDT |
| Observing Location: | Rattlesnake Lake, near North Bend, WA |
| Object Observed: | Canes Venatici: M3, M51, M63, M94, NGC 5005, NGC 5033, NGC 5353/4, NGC
5371 Coma Berenices: Melotte 111, NGC 4494, NGC 4565, NGC 4559, NGC 4278 |
| Viewing conditions: | Seeing 3/5, clear sky, LM=6- |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 APO ("4 inch") |
| Eyepiece | Optiluxe 40mm (15x), Plossl 25mm (24x), Nagler 9mm (68x), Radian 6mm (102x) |
| Observing notes: |
Clear sky, dark night, free evening! Too rare a combination in my life
lately, especially on a weekend, so I took a full advantage of it.
M3 - Observed in twilight. Nestled inside an acute triangle of three
stars, this globular was granular with 68x but not resolved. With 102x
resolution was starting to happen. Some individual stars around and in
front of the cluster stood out like pinpricks. An interesting I noticed
was that these stars really stood out when I looked into the exit pupil
of the eyepiece obliquely so that the globular was on the edge of FOV.
Wonder if anyone else has noticed such an effect. A little averted
vision brought out the full extent of the globular well.
M51 - Still in twilight, 102x showed NGC 5194 distinctly larger than
5195 with a distinct core. Nuclei of both galaxies appeared quite
stellar, with NGC 5195's even a tad brighter.
M94 - Bright, compact, dead-on circular galaxy with a core that
reminded
me of a bright, small planetary nebula. Halo looked smooth. This galaxy
is *bright*! (68x, 102x)
NGC 5005 - A nice object. Spindle-shaped, ENE-WSW elongation, slightly
asymmetric with a tad more elongation to ENE. Brightening to the center
with a core apparently elongated along the galaxy's axis. (102x)
NGC 5033 - A little dimmer and slimmer than NGC 5005. N-S elongation,
suggestion of a weak core. (68x)
M63 - This galaxy is a real favorite of mine. A bright, large oval, E-W
or ESE-WNW elongation, with two prominent field stars next to it.
Brightening towards the center. It seems to really proclaim "I'm a
galaxy!" The nickname "Sunflower" seems to add a nice, warm character
to
it.
NGC 5371 - From the listed magnitude of 10.6 and surface brightness of
13.3 (NSOG), I had expected a fairly distinct object. When I pointed my
scope to what I was sure was the right spot and looked through, nothing
jumped at me. Looking very carefully, however, I noticed what appeared
to be a very, very dim patch next to a circlet of six stars. This patch
was barely visible, but I could sense it follow around the circlet as I
jiggled the FOV. I made a rough sketch for a later identification.
(68x)
To make the matter more confusing, nearby there was another, tiny
non-stellar object next to a bright field star of a distinctly yellow
hue. The odd shape of this object (it looked like a microscopic
triangle) suggested it might be a double of some sort. I also noted the
location of this object in the sketch.
The next day, using NSOG and XEphem I confirmed that the dim patch was
indeed NGC 5371, and the tiny object was the galaxy pair NGC 5353/4.
The
photograph on p. 57 of NSOG Vol.2 depicts these objects (the yellow
star
is the one marked "Mag 6.5"). I'm so indebted to such modern resources
as NSOG and sky-plotting software in making my way through the sky. It
would have been interesting to look at the pair galaxy with high power.
With this object, I finished my list of targets in Canes Venatici. My
next program was "Galaxies Tangled in Berenice's Hair", those around
the
Coma Berenices cluster Melotte 111.
First of all, Melotte 111 is itself a beautiful object. With a
wide-angle eyepiece (15x), the field of view is a feast of beautiful
starlight. It's a wonderful homebase for further exploration.
NGC 4494 - Compact, circular galaxy with a stellar nucleus. It looked
like a dimmed version of M95. Next to a bright field star. (68x)
NGC 4565 - Must be the most renowned beauty in Coma Berenices! Large,
NW-SE elongated streak with the ends fading gradually into the
background. Not a very bright object, though. Brightening of the
central
bulge was unmistakable with the galaxy appearing to extend further to
SE
than to NW; but the dust lane was not detectable. (68x)
NGC 4559 - Better known around here as "Ron's Koi Fish". A large,
irregular, dim glow, NW-SE elongation with a couple of field stars
superimposed on it. 24x gave it a better definition than the higher
power at 68x. Not sure if I get the "Koi Fish" image, but nonetheless
an
interesting object.
NGC 4278 - A dim circular glow. However, the sky started to lose
definition very rapidly at this point, perhaps a combination of high
cloudiness and the constellation starting to enter the western light
dome of Seattle-Tacoma. So I decided to wrap up and go home. |
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| Date and time of Observation: | April 4 2002 19:45 - 22:45 PST |
| Observing Location: | Rattlesnake Lake, near North Bend, WA |
| Object Observed: | Canes Venatici: M51 Ursa Major: M97, M108, M109, NGC 3631, NGC 3675, NGC 3726, NGC 3893, NGC 3938, NGC 3941, NGC 3953, NGC 4051, NGC 4605 |
| Viewing conditions: | Seeing 3/5, Scattered high clouds, LM = 6- between clouds |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 APO ("4 inch") |
| Eyepiece | Optiluxe 40mm (15x), Plossl 25mm (24x), Nagler 9mm (68x), AP 2 inch barlow, 1.25inch Everbrite diagonal |
| Observing notes: |
Back to galaxy grooving in a more familiar zenithal territory. All
objects I viewed tonight were galaxies except M97. At sunset time
abundant scattered high clouds were seen, and although the sky between
them was nice and clear, I may have gotten one of these clouds in the
way from time to time. Waiting for the twilight to fade, I had my
telescope pointed to M51, which eventually showed up quite nicely like
three days ago. I picked up where I left off in my last month's survey
of Ursa Major.
M97 and M108 - These two objects fit in the FOV of 25mm (24x). Together
they look a bit like the M81/82 pair, with M97 taking the place of M81
and the elongated M108 for M82, although both are smaller and they are
further apart.
NGC 3631 - 4 inch at 15x did not show the object, but 24x showed a weak
glow. Best at 49x (2 inch barlow + diagonal + 25mm). Diffuse circular
glow with weak and definite core, suggesting it is a face-on spiral
(verified to be so afterwards). Field stars include a nice double.
NGC 3675 - Easy star-hop from 56 UMa. NNE-SSW elongated nearly edge-on
galaxy, nice and sharp. 49x shows small distinct core.
NGC 3726 - Easy star-hop from Chi Uma, the Bear's hind heel. Not
visible
with 15x but magnifying to 49x shows the galaxy. This is a large
galaxy,
N-S elongation, with the light appearing to be concentrated to the N.
(Judging from the sketches in NSOG my elongation estimate were off on
the
previous two objects.)
NGC 3893 - Also starting from Chi Uma and moving towards Phecda locates
this galaxy. Visible with 15x and nice. 49x shows NNW-SSE elongation
and
a suggestion of a core.
M109 - Right next to Phecda, this is larger than the previous galaxies.
With 49x I saw a NE-SW oriented oval, which (judging from the
photograph) is the central bar of the galaxy, with a suggestion of a
core.
NGC 3953 - Also an easy star-hop from Phecda, this is much smaller than
M109 but not bad. NNE-SSW elongation, distinct somewhat diffuse core.
Averted vision shows fairly extensive disk. Several close-by stars with
magnitudes similar to that of the galaxy. 68x worked well on this
object.
NGC 4051 - Was looking for NGC 3938 and stumbled on this instead.
Exceedingly diffuse and week with NW-SE elongation and no suggestion of
a core. Reading the NSOG description afterwards, I suspect this one may
have suffered from an intervening high cloud. (68x)
NGC 3938 - Having correctly pointed the telescope, I saw with 68x a
very
diffuse circular glow without a core.
High clouds were beginning to invade the sky, so I again pointed the
scope to M51. The sky, in that direction at least, remained good so I
continued.
NGC 3941 - This galaxy is in the "boondocks" and it took some thinking
in star-hopping. I started from Nu and Xi Uma and followed a string of
stars towards Groombridge 1830 (the "Runaway Star"), near which this
galaxy is located. I practiced the star-hopping a few times with my
binoculars, then did it with the telescope and nailed the galaxy on the
first try. 68x shows a midsize galaxy with a bright starlike core,
surrounded by a disk with slight NNE-SSW elongation. It is a good
object, perhaps seldom visited because of its isolation.
NGC 4605 - In a different part of Ursa Major, north of the Bear's
unnaturally long tail and close to the border with Draco. Starting from
Megrez, a number of helpful stars guide easily to the galaxy.
Unfortunately, as soon as I nailed this one high clouds moved into this
part of the sky, spoiling the view. I registered it only as a
spindle-shaped glow with NW-SE elongation and without a core. This one
seems to be potentially a good object. (68x)
That was the end of my target list, and the sky was starting to cloud
over, so I packed up and went home.
|
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| Date and time of Observation: | April 2, 2002 20:25-23:10 PST |
| Observing Location: | Rattlesnake Lake, near North Bend, WA |
| Object Observed: | Monoceros: NGC 2249, NGC 2506 Puppis: NGC 2509, NGC 2539 Hydra: M48, NGC 2784, NGC 3242 Canes Venatici: M51 Virgo: M104 |
| Viewing conditions: | Seeing 2-3/5, occasional high cloudiness, LM = 5.5 |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 APO ("4 inch"), 7x42 binoculars |
| Eyepiece | Optiluxe 40mm (15x), Plossl 25mm (24x), Nagler 9mm (68x), Radian 6mm (102x) |
| Observing notes: |
Alister Ling's and Tom Polakis's articles in April Astronomy inspired
me
to attempted a tour of Hydra, but it was difficult from this high a
latitude at least under tonight's conditions. I started with several
late-winter open clusters and ended with random visits to springtime
showpieces.
NGC 2249 - Open Cluster in Monoceros - I started with this cluster
associated with the Rosette Nebula. With 7x42, a group of about six
stars forming a long rectangle elongated NW-SE could be seen. The
nebulosity was not detected with 7x42 nor with 4 inch at 15x. I wasn't
expecting it anyway because it had already entered the western light
dome.
M48 - Open Cluster in Hydra - Inside a triangle formed by three stars,
7x42 shows it to be like a ghostly rose or a cat's eye, with a N-S
elongated central core surrounded by areas of darkness beyond which is
further luminosity. Very pretty. 4 inch at 24x resolves the central
core
into a narrow "Y" consisting of seven stars (three pairs plus a
solitary), NNE-SSW elongation, surrounded by about 25 stars of similar
magnitude forming an E-W rectangle. East of the core is a void; more
stars seemingly belonging to the cluster are scattered to the N and NW
of the rectangle.
I then sought out several DSOs to the south of M48 which can be reached
using M48 as a homebase.
NGC 2506 - Open Cluster in Monoceros - An easy starhop from M48. With
7x42 I thought I could detect a vague glow but I could not be sure. 4
inch at 15x detected a weak circular glow. 24x shows 4 - 5 stars
superimposed on an amorphous, weak glow. 68x shows this to be a double,
with two stars in the western unit and 4 - 5 stars in the eastern unit,
and hints of further unresolved stars which remained unresolved even at
102x.
NGC 2539 - Open Cluster in Puppis - This cluster is right next to a
relatively bright star 19 Puppis. I could not detect it with 7x42
perhaps because of the star's glow, but it was visible at all
magnifications with the 4 inch. A fairly large, scattered group W of 19
Puppis, I counted at least 25 apparent cluster members with 68x. They
form a nice contrast to the bright, yellow 19 Pup.
NGC 2509 - Open Cluster in Puppis - 4 inch at 25x reveals an odd-shaped
glow next to a field star. It's difficult to describe this object - it
looks like a tilted "L" with the bend sticking out to W. Appeared
completely resolved at 102x, but stars are dim and few.
I then sought out NGC 2613, a galaxy in Pyxis, but it didn't respond to
my repeated sweep. Moving further east...
NGC 2784 - Galaxy in Hydra - Spotted with 4 inch at 68x as an extremely
weak, amorphous glow within an acute triangle of stars pointing WNW.
Further details (shape etc.) could not be detected.
Also no-show was NGC 2835, a nearby galaxy. It appeared these southern
objects were really tough to detect from this latitude, even though
straight south is relatively dark from my location. Earlier on at
sunset
time, there were high clouds in the sky, so there might have been an
interference. Wanting to check the sky condition, I swung away my
telescope and pointed it to M51. To my dismay (?), M51 was beautiful
tonight! So that excuse gone. Both NGC 5194 and 5195 were showing their
disks and motley texture was sensed on the disk of the former. My
imagination kept on whispering to me I could see the spiral arm, but I
was able to dismiss this suggestion, because I was sensing the bridge
from NGC 5194 to 5195 as veering clockwise, as in photographs, while I
was using a star diagonal!
Getting rather tired, I decided to end the session with a couple of
easy
showpiece objects. I saw Corvus coming out from behind a tree so I
thought of M104, the Sombrero Galaxy. Although I'd seen this several
times I had never taken a proper note on this object.
M104 - Galaxy in Virgo - Easily reached from Delta Corvi via a series
of
asterisms (I believe one of them is called "Stargate"), this is a
beautiful E-W streak of light with a bright central core. Through my 4
inch at 68x, it appears a lot more elongated than seen in photographs -
the central bulge appears much less extended visually. In fact, the
visual appearance is similar to that of a photograph of NGC 4565 in
Coma
Berenices, although I could not detect the dust lane in M104. I also
gave another shot at locating this galaxy with 7x42. With the object's
location firmly in my mind from the telescopic observation, I looked
hard at the expected location through 7x42 and thought I could detect a
presence there, but there were nearby field stars of similar or greater
magnitude that seemed to confuse my visual sense.
NGC 3242 - Planetary Nebula in Hydra - the "Ghost of Jupiter". First
time for me. This bright planetary is visible as a star in 7x42. 4 inch
at 102x shows a compact, distinct disk, exactly like Jupiter in size
but
of course much fainter. The color was pale blue-green. Also like a
planet it was quivering under the mediocre seeing of the night.
|
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| Observing Location: | Rattlesnake Lake, WA |
| Object Observed: | Western Ursa Major DSOs, plus three others |
| Viewing conditions: | Seeing 3~4/5 Transparency 4.5/5 LM=6- |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 APO |
| Eyepiece | Optiluxe 40mm (15x, for navigation), Nagler 9mm (68x), Radian 6mm (102x) |
| Observing notes: |
A mild and beautiful night. It was the first outing with a new mount (Takahashi EM-2) for my 4 inch. This is a very solid mount and a pleasure to work with. The objects I viewed were all galaxies except M97, which is a planetary nebula. M81/M82: Both fit nicely in the FOV of Nagler 9. M81 looked large and beautiful tonight and M82 was sharp. They indicated a good viewing night. NGC 2681: An easy star-hop from Iota and Kappa UMa (the bear's front paw). Starlike weak nucleus was surrounded by a weak indistinct halo. What appeared to be a diffuse westward streamer might be just field stars (later confirmed to be so with a DSS image). (Nagler 9, Radian 6) NGC 2841: Also an easy star-hop from Theta and 26 UMa, which are also part of the bear's front leg. Distinct compact nucleus and a NW-SE elongation. A nice, elegant nearly edge-on galaxy. Nearby to NE is a bright field star, and another weak one is superimposed on the NW corner. (Nagler 9) NGC 2768: A tricky star-hop. I located it relative to a triangle formed by Tau, 23 and 16 UMa. Elongation ESE-WNW (DSS shows more E-W). No sign of a nucleus with Nagler 6, but perhaps a hint of it with Radian 6. Two bright field stars and a third dimmer one are nearby. NGC 3079: Also a difficult star-hop. I located it relative to Nu and Phi UMa. Once found, it is more distinct than the previous one. Next to a triangular asterism, with a long N-S elongation, and without an apparent core. "Jiggling" FOV was helpful in defining the location and extent of this galaxy. A little too faint for Radian 6 but quite good with Nagler 9. NGC 3184: Much easier star-hop off Mu Uma (bear's back paw). This one looks to be a face-on (later confirmed by DSS); a circular, somewhat amorphous glow with no apparent core or nucleus. A field star is superimposed on the edge. Again, jiggling FOV was helpful. (Nagler 9) NGC 3198: Also an easy star-hop from Lambda UMa (next to Mu). Again a fairly large but vague galaxy, with ENE-WSW elongation (DSS shows more NE-SW). No core or nucleus apparent. (Nagler 9) M108: E-W elongation with brightening towards the core. An apparent star-like nucleus may be a field star (later confirmed it is). Having looked at weak galaxies makes me appreciate a Messier object more. Nagler 9 is very nice on this object.
M97(Owl Nebula):
Easily reached without changing eyepiece from M108. A
fairly distinct, gray circular glow. I couldn't detect any texture such
as the owl's eyes. (Nagler 9)
Now onto a different part of the sky.
NGC 3166/3169
- Galaxies in Sextans: This pair is in an awkward region
to star-hop. I started from Regulus and worked towards Alpha Sextantis
but it took several trips before I centered the scope on the correct
location. Both are compact, bright galaxies, lined up E-W and separated
by about a quarter of Radian 6's FOV (which would make it to be about
0.15 degrees or 9 arc minutes, which appear to be in the ballpark). The
western one (NGC 3166) is noticeably brighter. Both suggest a core
(Actually, DSS indicates what I was seeing were the cores of the
galaxies). They compete with field stars and together form a nice FOV,
the kind of galaxies I find fun to look at.
I finished the session with one of my favorites.
NGC 2683
- Galaxy in Lynx: The "UFO" galaxy, so called because of its
edge-on saucer-like shape. I like it because of its large size,
relative
brightness and the distinct, elegant shape. The moon had risen and the
UFO was starting to pale.
My orientation estimates were rather off tonight (I do it from watching
the drift). No doubt I have some catching up to do in my skills.
|
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| E-mail address: | Goshawk301@yahoo.com |
| Date and time of Observation: | May 24 2001 22:30 - May 25 00:30 PDT |
| Observing Location: | Rattlesnake Lake, North Bend WA |
| Object Observed: | Mostly Canes Venatici galaxies |
| Viewing conditions: | Excellent seeing (5/5), fair transparency, LM=5.5 |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 APO |
| Eyepiece | Plossl 25mm (24x, 61x with Powermate), Radian 6mm (101x),Takahashi Ortho 2.8mm (218x), Televue Powermate 2.5x |
| Observing notes: |
I came across a lively group of high school students at my regular
observational site, who were doing a class exercise looking at
various objects in the sky with naked eye and through various
binoculars and telescopes. It was nice to see young people involved in
astronomy and getting a first hand view of the Universe.
While my telescope was cooling down I had it pointed to Izar (Epsilon
Bootis), a classic double star. It took about ten minutes before the
view settled down and Izar was resolved into an unequal pair with the
gap between them falling right into the separation between the Airy
disk and the first diffraction ring (218x). I then pointed the scope
to the Double-double (Epsilon Lyrae), which were cleanly resolved at
101x even while at a low altitude. It indicated that seeing was
excellent this night; I regretted not being able to stay until Mars
came up.
I then turned the scope to galaxies in Canes Venatici, which I had
been waiting for all spring to see. Canes Venatici is a tricky
region to star-hop; the two Messiers mentioned below can best be
approached from the Big Dipper (M51 from Alkaid and M106 from Phecda);
others I reached by starting from Cor Caroli.
M51: The Whirlpool Galaxy is an excellent measure of sky brightness and transparency because of large gradations in surface brightness. Tonight, I could see NGC 5194 as distinctly larger than NGC 5195 (on poor nights, only the nuclei of the pair could be seen and they look about the same size), but no further detail could be discerned. I would characterize the sky transparency (which is often a trade-off with seeing) as fair but not great. On good nights I can usually sense some texture in the disk of NGC 5194; my best has been one exceptionally clear night last September from a remote ridgetop, when I could see a portion of the spiral arm with my 4 inch. M106: This galaxy is large and bright, and is an elongated oval in NNW-SSE direction. No particular texture, including a core, could be discerned. The galaxy makes me think of a glowing paramecium. I always wonder why this one (which can be spotted with 7x42 binoculars) does not get more attention. NGC 4244: This edge-on is a remarkable object, a thin streak of faint light in NE-SW orientation extending about a quarter of the FOV at 61x. To all intents and purposes it looks like an airplane contrail. Given the low surface brightness of 14.2 I had expected this to be a tough object, but I easily swept it up. It was easier to nab than NGC 891 in Andromeda. Two bright field stars to SW, and a sprinkle of dimmer ones in the FOV. NGC 4214: In contrast to the previous one this was a difficult object to locate. Indistinct oval with no apparent core. NGC 4449: This is a compact but fairly bright galaxy which was easy to locate. An irregular, mottly oval in NE-SW elongation. Sparse field stars.
NGC 4490:
Dim oval, WNW-ESE elongation, no apparent core. Right next
to it to NW is another smaller (circular) galaxy, which I identified
afterwards as NGC 4485.
I could not locate NGC 4395, which in spite of magnitude 10.2 has an
extraordinarily low surface brightness of 15.4.
NGC 4631:
The Whale Galaxy. Another remarkable edge-on, this is a long
E-W streak of light without apparent texture. It stands out somewhat
better than NGC 4244. Sparse field stars.
I hoped to finish with the pair NGC 4656/7, but was unable to locate
them.
|
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| E-mail address: | goshawk301@yahoo.com |
| Date and time of Observation: | February 25 2001 2040-2245 PST |
| Observing Location: | Rattlesnake Lake, North Bend WA |
| Object Observed: | Galaxies in and around Leo |
| Viewing conditions: | Good seeing (4/5), very good transparency, LM=6 |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 APO |
| Eyepiece | Plossl 25mm (24x, 41x with barlow), Radian 6mm (101x), AP 2 inch barlow |
| Observing notes: |
When it comes to deep-sky objects, Leo has galaxies and nothing but galaxies. I couldn't find a single non-galactic entry in Night Sky Observer's Guide (NSOG)'s Deep Sky section (even Virgo has one globular listed in NSOG.) Most are in and around the distinct asterism of the Lion, which makes star-hopping a breeze. I consulted NSOG and listed 15 galaxies that I thought I would have a good chance of seeing, and prepared detailed star charts using a star-plotting software. This was a clear and moonless night, and I drove to my usual site and set up off a deadend road. Great horned owls were hooting in the surrounding woods. All galaxies below are in Leo unless otherwise noted.
NGC 2775 (Cancer):
NGC 2903:
NGC 3227:
NGC 3344 (Leo Minor):
Leo Trio I (M95, M96, M105):
NGC 3377:
NGC 3412:
NGC 3489:
Leo Trio II (M65, M66, NGC 3628):
NGC 3607/3608:
NGC 3521:
NGC 3640:
At 22:45 I took down the scope and drove back to the city, leaving the
night sky to creatures of the night. In one evening I managed to see
all the Leo galaxies I had hoped to see in a whirlwind tour. Now I
need to spend more time with some of the showpieces. Certainly the
brighter ones - the two Trios, NGC 3521, and NGC 3607/3608 duo - are
sketch-worthy.
|
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| E-mail address: | goshawk301@yahoo.com |
| Date and time of Observation: | January 26 2100 - January 27 0045 PST (27 0500-0845 UT) |
| Observing Location: | Rattlesnake Lake, North Bend WA |
| Object Observed: | Early spring galaxies |
| Viewing conditions: | Fair, good transparency, LM=5.5 |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 APO |
| Eyepiece | Optiluxe 40mm, Plossl 25mm, Radian 6mm, AP 2inch barlow |
| Observing notes: |
After a long wait a truly dark and clear night finally arrived and I headed out to my usual dark sky site with a lot of anticipation. No doubt everyone was eagerly waiting for this, for I ran into several other observers at the site.
M81 Group in Ursa Major:
My first target was this classic group. I
started out viewing the M81-82 pair with 4 inch at 41x, then switched
to 101x to study M82's features. Specifically I wanted to see where
the main dark notch that crosses the sliver of light was. This turned
out to be rather difficult, and although I felt I was seeing this
feature I could not be sure. But then my eyes weren't yet dark-
adapted.
I then went looking for companions of the pair. I searched with 15x
and looked at 41x (25mm+ barlow straight through). NGC 2976, SW of
M81, was the first. A small glow with notable NW-SE elongation, for
some reason it looked comma-shaped to me but this doesn't agree with
the DSS image of the object. I've often noted that my brain's pattern-
recognition function seems to get influenced by the pattern of field
stars, so I may chalk this up to this effect.
Next was NGC 3077, SE of M81 and closer. Another small galaxy, close
to a bright (8th mag.) field star, ENE-WSW elongation with a nucleus.
Finally NGC 2985, due north of M82 and some distance away. Weakest of
the three in magnitude but pretty. A small circular glow with a
bright nucleus, like a tiny flower.
NGC 2903 in Leo - Just a hop S from Lambda Leonis, the end star (as I think) of the Sickle. This is a large and bright galaxy, NNE-SSW elongation with bright stellar nucleus. The galaxy is bright enough to be viewed advantageously with 101x magnification. NGC 3115 in Sextans - the famous "Spindle". I star-hopped from Alphard (Alpha Hydrae), going east to Gamma Sextantis first, then go east half again to land on the galaxy, which 4 inch at 15x shows as an odd-looking star. It was smaller than I thought but bright and very sharp. NE-SW elongation, bright core (but shorter and less "spindly" than I thought); in fact it looked to me like a smaller, thinner (anorexic?) version of M31. NGC 2683 in Lynx - this one's a beauty! Star-hopping is not difficult if you can spot the relatively bright (3rd mag.) Alpha Lyncis NW of the Sickle of Leo. About 5 degrees to the west is a gathering of 5th and 6th mag. stars that form the Sigma Cancri group; extend the line formed by Sigma-2 and Sigma-3 1.5 times to NW and you will land on the galaxy. I enjoyed the view at 49x (25mm + barlow + diagonal). It is large and bright, highly elongated NE-SW, with a central bulge. One edge of the galaxy looked sharp yet rugged, indicating it is pointed towards us, while the other edge faded more smoothly. Bright field stars added to a nice FOV. |
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| E-mail address: | goshawk301@yahoo.com |
| Date and time of Observation: | November 6, 2000 2230-2315 PST |
| Observing Location: | Seattle, WA USA |
| Object Observed: | Transit of Io across Jupiter |
| Viewing conditions: | Excellent (5/5) |
| Telescope | 105mm (4 inch) f5.8 APO |
| Eyepiece | TeleVue Radian 6mm (101x), Takahashi Ortho 2.8mm (218x) |
| Observing notes: |
This was a great "live event" that could be watched during an evening's
session. By the time I started observing the transit was more than half
over. The shadow of Io was immediately apparent with 101x on the
southern component of the South Equatorial Belt (SEB). It was already getting
close to the western limb, and it exited out by 22:40.
The fun part was to see
the exit of Io itself from Jupiter's disk, which I observed using 218x. At first I
could not see the moon; then, around 23:00 I noticed what looked like a little
gap in SEB southern component near the western limb. This "gap" gradually
approached the limb, became more distinct, and eventually revealed
itself as the satellite. Just before the exit it stood out very well against
the limb darkening, giving Jupiter a pimpled look.
I followed the satellite as it slid off the disk of the planet and became a separate entity again,
around 23:10.
|
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| E-mail address: | goshawk301@yahoo.com |
| Date and time of Observation: | October 21, 2000, 8-11 p.m. PDT |
| Observing Location: | Potholes State Park, Moses Lake, WA, USA |
| Object Observed: | Deep-sky challenges of Autumn |
| Viewing conditions: | Good seeing, very good transparency, limiting magnitude 6.5, some light domes |
| Telescope | 105mm (4in.) f5.8 APO |
| Eyepiece | Orion Optiluxe 40mm, TeleVue Plossl 25mm, TeleVue Radian 6mm, Astro-Physics 2in Barlow |
| Observing notes: |
Here I report observations of some challenging deep-sky objects I made
during a weekend trip to Eastern Washington. Most of them were just
barely
visible with my 4in refractor.
NGC 891 - Galaxy in Andromeda - Earlier in the month I reported
glimpsing
this edge-on galaxy through my 4in from a dark-sky location near
Seattle on "Starrynights" electronic discussion group. This
resulted in a discussion of visibility of this object through
various scopes; so I wanted to confirm my observation.
Tonight, with 4in at 24x, I was quite sure I was seeing a thinnest,
merest sliver of light. I confirmed that I was seeing the correct
object by sketching it and later comparing the sketch to a
computer-generated field chart.
NGC 6934 - Globular in Delphinus - 4in at 101x showed a small globular
with weak but definite condensation and a pretty extensive
halo. Resolution was not apparent. Next to a 10th mag (?) field star.
M76 - Planetary nebula in Perseus - "The Little Dumbbell" looked a lot
more like a dumbbell than M27! Still, I would rather call this "the
Peanuts Nebula" - that's how it looked like through 4in at 101x. I
could see two circular glows sitting side by side. Another thing about
this nebula is it's pretty bright. Some references state this is the
dimmest Messier object, but it looks certainly brighter than, say,
galaxy M74 in Pisces. All in all a very cute object.
NGC 925 - Galaxy in Triangulum - Duh! This galaxy showed up only as a
very dim, circular glow (24x). In fairness, 4in is probably too wimpy
to
show anything much on this object. Actually the field stars were
prettier, including a nice, wide orange-blue double (15 Tri?) and a
straight-line asterism, both to the east of the galaxy.
NGC 936 - Galaxy in Cetus - 4in at 41x showed a mid-size, circular,
diffuse glow with a star-like nucleus. This one was in a direction
where a light dome was noticeable and seemed to suffer from
it.
NGC 246 - Planetary nebula in Cetus - This planetary looked different
from any others that I have seen. 4in at 24x showed a dull, amorphous
glow (rather than bright and well-defined like M57 Ring Nebula or M76),
large in extent, with three (?) stars superimposed on it. Not sure if
one
of them is the central star. This one too suffered from the light
dome. Perhaps a nebula filter would help.
NGC 6939, Open cluster, and NGC 6946, Galaxy, both in Cepheus - The
finale of the evening. Two nebulosities side by side, at first
glance similar to each other but in reality objects of vastly
different scale and distance. 4in at 24x framed both nicely, with NGC
6939 a little brighter and definitely granular in texture (41x showed
incipient resolution). It must be a very rich cluster. NGC 6946 was
diffuse and amorphous, and looked slightly larger in extent. A
profusion of field stars made up a beautiful field of view. To think
that one is a gathering of thousands (?) of stars, each probably much
brighter than the sun, thousands of light-years away; and the other, a
gathering of billions of suns, perhaps including thousands of objects
like NGC 6939, and lying millions of light-years away - wouldn't that
really bring home how unimaginably big this universe is? They are a
very, very cool pair to view and to comtenplate.
|
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| E-mail address: | goshawk301@yahoo.com |
| Date and time of Observation: | September 22, 2000 11 p.m.-midnight PDT |
| Observing Location: | Cooper Mountain, Chelan Ridge, WA USA |
| Object Observed: | Globular clusters in southern Sagittarius |
| Viewing conditions: | Mediocre seeing, excellent transparency, limiting magnitude 6.5 |
| Telescope | 105mm (4in.) f5.8 APO |
| Eyepiece | Orion Optiluxe 40mm, TeleVue Plossl 25mm, TeleVue Radian 6mm, Astro-Physics 2inch Barlow |
| Observing notes: |
Later the same night following observations of Sagittarius globulars
(separate report - below), I turned to deep-sky objects near the
Sculptor-Cetus Border.
NGC 253 - Galaxy in Sculptor - 4in showed this beautiful galaxy to be
a very elongated, more or less uniformly bright glow without
noticeable central core. The view was the best at low powers: At 24x,
the galaxy floated dream-like amid field stars, an exquisite view. This is one of "Messier's Misses", but Caroline Herschel,
operating from even further north than Messier, spotted it for the
first time. It rides almost as high as M22, so I highly recommend it
to anyone who can see that object.
NGC 288 - Globular in Sculptor - With binoculars I could just detect it
(again it seemed to suffer from low altitude). It looked large, but of
low surface brightness and no apparent condensation. 4in at 101x
seemed to depict the brightest individual stars, but this was rather
uncertain.
NGC 247 - Galaxy in Cetus - With averted vision, 4in at 24x showed a
dim, N-S streak of light with a field star at the southern end. It
looked very much as if the starlight from that star had been smeared
out into a streak. Or perhaps a distant comet with a tail? I thought
about how such objects must have intrigued and confused pioneering
observers, and felt I understood how Messier got motivated to compile
his catalogue.
|
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| E-mail address: | goshawk301@yahoo.com |
| Date and time of Observation: | September 22, 2000 8-10 p.m. PDT |
| Observing Location: | Cooper Mountain, Chelan Ridge, WA USA |
| Object Observed: | Globular clusters in southern Sagittarius |
| Viewing conditions: | Mediocre seeing, excellent transparency, limiting magnitude 6.5 |
| Telescope | 105mm (4in.) f5.8 APO |
| Eyepiece | Orion Optiluxe 40mm, TeleVue Plossl 25mm, TeleVue Radian 6mm, Astro-Physics 2inch Barlow |
| Observing notes: |
I had an opportunity to observe from a remote ridgetop in northcentral
Washington state at the elevation of 5200 feet. The air was crystal
clear, and the sky was very dark except for a few distant light
domes. The sky was also wide open to the south all the way to the
horizon. Taking advantage of this, I set out to observe far southern
objects which are not accessible from my usual locations. Here I
report observations of globular clusters in southern and eastern
Sagittarius.
M69 - This was viewed while the sky still had some evening glow. 4in
at 15x showed it clearly as a small circular glow. Applying 101x power
showed
moderate condensation and granular texture but no resolution.
NGC 6652 - This is a teeny globular. 4in with 15x easily locates
it. With 41x, some condensation was apparent. It looked like a very
distant comet.
NGC 6723 - This one's right against the border with Corona Australis
and it was easier to starhop from stars of that constellation. 4in at
41x
showed it to be of moderate size, not very condensed, with granular
appearance.
M70 - I recall Comet Hale-Bopp was first found next to this
globular. 4in at 41x showed it to be a modestly-sized globular,
definite condensation and core, no texture apparent.
M54 - 4in at all powers showed it to be one with very high central
condensation - in fact, the higher the power the more condensed it
appeared! I even went to 170x and it was still showing nicely. Averted
vision showed an extensive halo. A remarkable object.
M55 - Should I call this the "unsung hero" of Sagittarius? It resides
in a rather non-descript region of eastern Sagittarius where there are
few "signpost" stars for hopping, but with binoculars I easily bumped
into
it. Surprisingly large - comparable in size with M22. 4in at 24x
showed it to be large, loosely condensed. At 41x it began to get
resolved, and at 101x resolution was definite if not complete. In many
ways it looked like a dimmer version of M22.
|
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| E-mail address: | goshawk301@yahoo.com |
| Date and time of Observation: | September 19, 2000 9-11 p.m. PDT |
| Observing Location: | Rattlesnake Lake, North Bend, WA USA |
| Object Observed: | Deep-sky Objects of Early Autumn: M75, M30, M72, M73 and NGC 7009 |
| Viewing conditions: | Rattlesnake Lake, North Bend, WA USA |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 refractor |
| Eyepiece | Orion Optiluxe 40mm, TeleVue Plossl 25mm, TeleVue Radian 6mm, Astro-Physics 2in Barlow |
| Observing notes: |
After several weeks of clouds and moonlight
in the evening, the sky finally
cleared to allow me an opportunity for DSO observations. My agenda was
to visit some of the less-seen DSOs of early autumn, wanting to catch
these before they rotated out.
The first target was M75, a globular cluster in Sagittarius. This
resides in a rather nondescript region in the extreme eastern Sagittarius, and
star hopping was easier from Capricornus to the east. I approached it
from 4 Capricorni and used a rhomboidal asterism to the west in Sagittarius
to guide me to the globular. 4in at 15x was able to locate it. Applying
101x power showed it to be a small globular with a very sharp, almost
starlike condensation towards the center - reminiscent of M53 in Canes Venatici
but in a smaller way. No resolution was possible.
Next, I aimed for M30, a globular in Capricornus. It is right next to
41 Cap, which in turn could be easily located from Epsilon and Zeta Cap.
It was low over the skyline, 4in at 41x showed a fairly condensed core; it
was larger than M75 but resolution was not apparent. At 101x, the
cluster seemed to show a pronounced asymmetry with a triangular extension
towards NE (this appears to be depicted in a picture of M30 in Steve O'Meara's
book The Messier Objects). A very nice globular.
I then moved to Aquarius, to M72, the dimmest globular in the Messier
Catalogue. I used Epsilon, Mu and 7 Aquarii to locate HD 198431, from
which I hopped to M72. 4in at 49x just showed a hazy patch with no
noticeable core, in striking contrast with the previous two. Higher
powers showed no signs of resolution. However, the gentle, misty glow of this
globular contrasting with sparse but pretty field stars formed a very
elegant field of view, and I lingered on this for quite a while,
enjoying the contemplative view.
From there I tracked almost due east to M73, a four-star asterism which
Messier apparently thought was a "tip of iceberg" of a real cluster. It
is a compact, cute asterism, looking like an aerobatic team flying in
formation.
Last was the nearby planetary nebula NGC 7009, a.k.a. the Saturn
Nebula. At low powers this bright nebula looks exactly like a field star, and
it took me several tries to land on the right one. 4in at 101x showed it
as a small, elongated oval, quite bright and looking indeed like a poorly
resolved Saturn. I could not detect any color, which is said to be
blue-green. Looking at this the moniker "planetary nebula" becomes very
understandable.
|
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| Date and time of Observation: | August 28, 2000 |
| Observing Location: | Rattlesnake Lake, North Bend, WA USA |
| Object Observed: | Globular Cluster in Pegasus, M15 |
| Viewing conditions: | Dark sky, good seeing |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 refractor |
| Eyepiece | 6mm Radian (101x) |
| Observing notes: |
M15 is a very good-looking globular! 4 inch at 101x just begins to depict brightest individual stars, which seem to form a transparent spherical "encasing". Contained within is a nebulous glow that dramatically increases to a bright central core. This aspect of the globular reminds me of 47 Tucanae which I once observed with binoculars during a southern trip. I could look at M15 forever and enjoy what looks like a jeweller's art. |
| Observer: | Mitsuhiro Kawase |
| Date and time of Observation: | August 28, 2000 |
| Observing Location: | Rattlesnake Lake, North Bend, WA USA |
| Object Observed: | Classic pairings: M17 and M18, M81 and M82 |
| Viewing conditions: | Dark sky, reasonable seeing |
| Telescope | 105mm f5.8 refractor |
| Eyepiece | 25mm Plossl (24x), 6mm Radian (101x) |
| Observing notes: |
M17 the Swan Nebula and M18, both in
Sagittarius, are nicely framed in the
same field of view by 24x. M18, in the upper part of the view, is a
modest gathering of a dozen stars or so, all pretty bright and completely
resolved by 4inch
at 24x. The Swan Nebula below shows itself exactly as the name suggests,
a profile of a waterfowl resting on the water. The whole field of view
forms a pretty picture, "a bouquet and a swan".
Elsewhere in the sky, the Ursa Major galaxies M81 and M82 are similarly
well-framed and show their differences well at 24x. M81 is a large
oval, gradually brightening to a fair-sized central region. No further
structure could be detected at this aperture. M82, in contrast, is needle-thin
and uniformly bright. Applying 101x power to M82 starts to show the
mottled,
disheveled texture this "Starburst" galaxy is famous for.
|
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