Monday 16 September 2013

Monthly Summary #6B: Aug/Sept 2013 Part 2: Cassiopeia

     My late night constellation has been Cassiopeia.  Rich in clusters and nebula, I have also been surprised by some impressive galaxies.  I will begin with NGC objects observed this past session, followed by any IC objects.  Lastly will come clusters from other catalogues.  Underlined objects are personal favourites.

NGC Objects Observed During Past Session

oc 0103:  5'.  Brightest * mag. 11.  30 stars on a stem with a branch.
oc 0129:  12'. Brightest * mag. 11. Large group seen well at 60x and 83x. 35 stars near a triangle.
oc 0136:  1'.5.  Brightest * mag. 13. 8 stars resolved at 250x.
oc 0189:  5'. Brightest * mag. 10.9.  Medium rich, dense.  Near a mini-Cepheus, and oc 225.
oc 0225:  15'. Brightest * mag. 9.3.  40 stars at 83x.  Good for 6" and up.
eg 0278:  2'.1 x 2'. Mag. 11.4.  Bright, oval.  Try with 6".  Seen on a very dewy night.
gn 0281:  35' x 30'.  Seen best at 60x with filter.  Very large.
oc 0358:  3'. Asterism of 4 stars.  Faint group south, involved with a 2nd asterism.
oc 0366:  4'. Brightest * mag. 10. 4 bright and 4 dim stars.
oc 0381:  7'. Brightest * mag. 10. 30+ stars at 150x, resolved well.  Dense group.
gn 7635:  Bubble Nebula.  Some nebulosity near bright star.  Disappointing.
oc 7654/M52:  16'. A deep sky wonder!  60x shows well. 125x resolves all. Also see Cz 43.
oc 7788:  4'.  Cone-shaped.  Pair with larger 7790.
oc 7789:  25'.  One of the finest ocs!  For 6" or higher.  Do not miss!  Uncountable stars in 12".
oc 7790:  5'.  A must with a 12".  Middle of 3 clusters, including 7788.  Medium rich at high x.

IC Objects

eg I 10:  6'.4 x 5'.3:  Mag. 12.95.  Seen at 60x and 100x.  Large, faint, oval.  Star near center.
gn I 59:  10' x 5'.  Fairly large, solid block of nebulosity, near faint circlet of stars.
gn I 63:  10' x 3'.  More clumpy, but just as faint as I 59.  Bright star hinders views.
oc I 1590:  4'. Within gn 281!  At 200x a few faint stars around a close triple star.

Other Clusters

oc SkiffJ23302+ 6015:  Small, very faint cloud.  6 or 7 faint stars.
oc Be 02:  2'. Brightest * mag. 15.  Very very small, very very faint.  4 stars at 250x.
oc Be 01:  5'.  15 stars at 150x.  Pendant on a necklace!  Pendant is the cluster.
oc Be 58:  8'.  3rd member of group with 7788 and 7790.  25 stars along a zigzag line.
oc Be 60:  4'. Barely noticed at 60x  250x shows small circle, about 6 very very faint stars.
oc Be 102:  5'. 8 stars in faint cloud N of triple star.
oc Be 103:  4'.  Threshold group begins to resolve at 150x.
oc Cz 01:  4'. 8 tiny, dim stars at end of brighter line of slightly curving stars.
oc Cz 02:  10'. Mostly resolved at 100x.  25 stars at 150x.
oc Cz 43:  6':  Double cluster with M 52, but fine on its own.  Low x shows both.
oc Do 46:  12'.  Brighter white star surrounded by a large cloud of very faint haze.
oc Fr 01:  Brightest * 10.6.  5 bright stars and a dozen faint ones.
oc Ha 21:  3'. Mag. 9.  Seen well at 125x. 5 bright stars with some very faint ones.
oc King 02:  4'. Brightest * mag. 17.  3 stars at 200x. Small, faint haze near bright, compact group.
oc King 12:  3'. Brightest * mag. 10.  A true cluster. 200x shows 15 stars around a close double.
oc King 13:  Very small, very faint.  About 12 stars near a brighter one.
oc King 15:  3'. Brightest * mag. 18.  I saw a moderately rich group at 125x, surrounding a gold star.
oc King 20:  4'.  4 11 mag. stars amidst small cloud of mag. 13 and 14 stars.
oc Mayer 01:  8'. Curving line of stars, S-shape, about 25.
oc St 11:  10'.  10 white stars.  Triple star within.
oc St 12:  30'. Very large.  15 bright stars on Uranometria.  I saw 40 bright ones at 43x.
oc St 19:  3'.  6 stars seen.
oc St 24:  5'. Brightest * mag. 13. 200x shows 9 faint stars.  Very close double involved. 

     Clusters dominate Cassiopeia, with 7789, 7790, 7788 and 7654 (M 52) dominating the group.  Both galaxies viewed this month are also of interest with large mirrors (278, I 10).  Lots and lots of fine sweeping at low power.
Mapman Mike

Sunday 15 September 2013

Monthly Summary #6A: Aug/Sept 2013 Part 1: Cygnus

    Eight observing sessions.  33 hours of deep sky observing.  100 objects.  My observing friends, it was quite a time!  For the first time since getting my scope nearly one year ago, I had a plethora of observing nights within last quarter moon and first quarter ("Just what is a plethora?"--any Three Amigos fans out there).  50 NGC and IC objects, and 50 other open clusters from different catalogues were bagged.  3 objects per hour, on average, which is just about perfect for me.
     21 NGC/IC objects were new to me, and 29 were reviews from my days with the Edmund 8".  However, as it had been over 20 years since most of these review objects have been seen, and since viewing them in a highly reflective 12" mirror is not really comparable to viewing them in an older 8" one, they seemed all new to me.  My nights were split between observing in Cygnus (up to midnight) and then Cassiopeia (later hours).  Since both constellations are deep in the milky way, there are many of the sky's finest objects mixed in with some pretty faint ones.  There are galaxies, planetaries, open clusters galore, and nebula, too.  No globulars, though.  Here, then is the list of objects seen this past cycle in Cygnus, beginning with NGC, then IC, then other clusters.  Underlined objects are my personal favourites.
NGC Objects Observed in Cygnus (August 28th-Sept. 10th/11th)
eg 6798:  1'.6 x 0'.9. Mag. 13.35.  New for me.  Near Kappa (1).  Easy at 60x.  Oval, bright middle.
eg 6801:  1'.3 x 0'.7. Mag. 13.75.  New for me.  Good elongation at 150x.  Spotted at 100x.
eg 6824:  1.9 x 1'.4.  Mag. 12.65.  New for me.  Bright, round, bright middle.  Try with a 6"?
pn 6826:  0'.6. Mag. 8.8.  The Blinking Planetary, a great object for a 12"!
pn 6833:  0'.1. Mag. 12.1.  Easy to locate, but virtually stellar.
oc 6834:  6'. Mag. 7.8.  Well worth a stop, even with a 6"!  Lots of faint stars.
oc 6846:  0'.8. Mag. 14.2.  New for me.  Just faint haze.
oc 6856:  3'. Stars mag. 12--16.  New for me.  Resolved at 200x.  Few stars.
gn 6857:  0'.6 x 0'.6.  Seen well with and without ultra-block filter, up to 150x.
oc 6866:  7'. Mag. 7.6.  30 stars at 150x.  Fine object for 12".
oc 6871:  30'.  A low power beauty.  Great at 83x.
oc 6874:  7'.  New for me.  50 stars at 200x.  Cone-shaped. 
oc 6883:  Very rich area of the Milky Way.  Bright, wide pair in center of cluster.
pn 6884:  25".  Mag. 10.9.  Bright, round, small. 
pn 6894:  55".  Mag. 12.3.  Ghostly, large.  Good for 12", though 8" will show it.
eg 6916:  1'.8 x 1'.2.  Mag. 14.45.  My faintest galaxy to date!  Elongated at 200x.
eg 6946:  11'.5 x 9'.8.  Mag. 11.5.  On border with Cepheus.  Huge!!  0c 6939 close by!!
gn 6960:  70' x 6'.  Westernmost part of the Veil.  See separate entry below.
gn 6974:  6' x 4'.  Part of the Veil.  See separate entry below.
gn 6979:  Part of the Veil.  See separate entry below.
gn 6992:  60' x 8'.  North eastern part of the Veil.  See separate entry below.
gn 6995:  12' x 12'.  South eastern part of the Veil.  See separate entry below.
pn 7008:  1'.43.  Mag. 10.7.  Exceptional planetary in 12".  Lots of detail to see.
eg 7013:  4' x 1'.4.  Mag. 12.2.  Large, bright, very elongated.  Try with 6".  New for me.
oc 7037:  7'.  3 stars at 60x.  New.  Higher x shows a "pistol" shape, more stars.  Impressive star field adjacent.
IC Objects
eg I 1302:  0'.9 x 0'.4. Mag. 13.2.  Involved with stars and quite tricky.
eg I 1303:  1'.3 x 0'.8. Mag. 13.85  Close to I 1302.  Good sky needed for both.
oc I 1310:  3'.  Brightest star mag. 14.  6 stars resolved at 200x.
gn I 1340:  25' x 20'.  Part of Veil Nebula.  See separate entry below.

The Veil Nebula (also known by many other names) consists of gn 6960, 6974, 6979, 6992, 6995 and I 1340.  With or without a nebula filter, this is one of the finest sights in the heavens.  I held my 11/4" ultrablock filter overtop of my low power 2" eyepeiece (43x), sweeping the area again and again.  This is a spectacular area, especially if you learn the area well enough to "nebula-hop" from one to the other.  The entire supernova remnant can be traced, even in a 6" scope.  In a 12" it is breathtaking!  6960 is bright north and south of star 52.  6974 and 6979 are both much fainter.  I 1340 is the southeast part of 6995, the part that drifts off into tendrils pointing back towards 6960.  A real showpiece for the patient viewer, this is one of my favourite parts of the sky.
**Other Clusters

oc ADS 13292:  A multiple star with 8 members!
oc Om-2 Cyg:  19'.  Large, southeast of star 32.  12 bright stars.
oc SkiffJ1942.3 +3839:  Fine little cluster, worth a look.  Nice double star, too.
oc sswz94-6:  Small, very faint haze.
oc Be 49:  3'.  Brightest * mag. 16.  200x shows 6 stars.  Not noticed until 100x.
oc Be 51:  2'.  Brightest * mag. 15.  Very very faint.  200x begins to resolve.
oc Be 54:  4'.  Brightest * mag. 17.  Small, very very faint patch at 100x.
oc Be 84:  2'.  Brightest * mag. 16.  Comma-shape.  150x shows well, with 12 stars.
oc Be 89:  3'.  Brightest star mag. 15.  12 faint stars resolved.
oc Be 90:  3'.  Brightest star mag. 14.  10 stars resolved beneath 2 brighter ones.
oc Bi 01:  10'.  Within oc 6871.  Rich background.
oc Bi 02:  20'.  Brightest star mag. 16.  Large, with a stunning double in center.  3 dense clumps.
oc Do 01:  6'.  15 stars S of a bright, wide pair, which also has faint stars around it.
oc Do 03:  7'.  A fine cluster!  E of star 29.  100x shows 50 stars.  Recommended.
oc Do 04:  9':  20 stars at 125x.
oc Do 36:  14'.  Circular group of 25-30 stars.  83x is perfect.
oc Do 37:  8'.  Exact area shows 6 brighter stars.  S are two dense areas of faint stars.
oc Do 38:  15'.  83x  good for large, bright group.  Contains small, rich section.
oc Do 45:  18'.  Large, bright, shaped like a 'G'.  30+ stars at 100x.  Recommended.
oc Do 47:  5'.  17 stars counted, including bright, wide double star.
oc DoDz 10:  24'.  Good at 83x.  N/S line of bright stars with a branch on E side.
oc DoDz 11:  5'.  9 stars in small circle; attached to X-shaped asterism.
oc Ro 05:  50'.  Many doubles.  Sweep area at lowest power (43x for me).
oc Ru 172:  5'.  Brightest star mag. 12.  Within oc 6883.  Rich area of Milky Way.
oc Ru 173:  40'.  Circle of bright stars with faint middle.  2 clumps, in NW and SE.  60x.
oc Ru 174: 2'.  Brightest * mag. 14.  20+ stars at 200x.
oc Ru 175:  15'.  Rich, with many bright pairs.  'Z' pattern in N.  Very near Ru 173.  Fun pair!

** While many of these other clusters are too faint to do much other than locate, several are actually quite good.  Some are even better than some of the NGC objects.  I have underlined recommended ones.  All clusters are from Uranometria 2000, All-Sky Edition.

     I'll be back in a few days with Part 2, the Cassiopeia update.
Mapman Mike

Thursday 12 September 2013

An Observing Buddy

     I know it's been a long time since my last post.  Believe it or not there have been any number of clear skies lately, and I have been observing a lot.  I don't even know how I am going to handle the monthly reports, as there is now so much to report (over 100 objects).  Even though I've been travelling 40 minutes each way to the club observatory every time, it's been really quiet around there.  Of course being retired means I can get out there whenever I want, something my working friends can only dream of.  Seldom are there other observers out with me.  I use to be the only one some nights, listening to the coyotes howling and the cows mooing.  However, for a while now I have had an observing buddy on my late night expeditions.
     My wife Deborah has always been interested in the hobby, and for many years she sketched the objects at the eyepiece of the Edmund 8" for me.  I did the written notes and she loaned me her artistic skills.  But back in March we dusted off the old Astroscan (1982) and she began to use it on her own.  The mirror was in bad shape, so we sent it back to Edmund Scientific and had it cleaned.  We also bought Deb some new eyepieces, a tripod and a better finder.  Just when she was really beginning to get enthused, she became seriously ill.  No observing for five months (nor much of anything else, either).  She began feeling better by the end of August, and got right back into using the 4 1/4" reflector again.  In just over two nights she found 60 Messier objects with it!  She was bit by the astronomy bug.
     She became so interested that we decided to upgrade her scope.  She is now the proud owner of a brand new Orion 6" Starblaster Intelliscope.  It is a push-to just like my 12", and it really is a sweet little scope.  It's main disadvantage is that being a Dobsonian f5, it is so small it must be placed on a table to use it.  Fine for at home, or at a campground.  But what to do out at Hallam Observatory?  She decided on a small portable work bench, which cost less than $20 at the local hardware store.  And guess what?  It works perfectly!

Deb's new Orion Starblaster, atop
a portable work bench.  It's a 6"
Dob, and it's a real worker.

Another view of the new scope.

My observing buddy with her new scope.  What
an amazingly portable scope!  My 12" and her 6"
fit in the VW, along with two tables and all our
books and maps.


     I have looked through it at many objects, including double stars, Messier, NGC and others, and the views are fantastic.  It was easy to assemble, though the push-to components take some patience and dexterity to piece together.  We don't yet have the accuracy we want, but we are still refining things.  It's easy to collimate, and it stays that way, too.  So Deb is in 7th astronomy heaven right now, and eager to see all of the splendours of the galaxy and beyond.  It's fun walking back and forth to each other's eyepiece to see what's there.  Sounds like a fun marriage to me.
Mapman Mike