Thursday 30 July 2015

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

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

IC Objects in Cepheus

I. 455:  1'.1 x 0'.7:  Vis. 13.3; SB 12.9:  Not far south following eg 2300, this oval galaxy was picked up at 125x and 150x.  It was seen best at 187x, but faint, and viewed decently only with averted vision.  It was very faint at 200x.
I. 469:  2'.2 x 0'.8:  Vis. 12.6; SB 13.1:  Picked off at 100x, it was very elongated.  Good views were enjoyed at 125x, 150x, and 187x.  The galaxy was large and ghostly in appearance, with a wider center and much narrower ends.  A remarkable object, and worth a visit.
http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ic4a.htm

oc I. 1396:  90'; Vis 3.5; Br. * 3.8; 50 *s:  At 43x this is a fantastic cluster, and one of the largest, too!  Despite its enormous dimension, most stars are in the central area, surrounding Struve 2816.  Thus, at 60x the richest section is seen, along with the main triple star.
gn I. 1396:  170' x 140'; Emission:  Nebulosity was noted around the triple star, and around U, the showpiece variable star in Cepheus.  With a Skyglow filter it was also noted in a wide area, even and especially behond the cluster.  Worth many visits.  Photos tend to over-emphasize the cluster, which is not what is seen in the eyepiece.  The cluster is the main attraction for visual observers.
pn I 1454:  38"; Vis. mag. 14; Cent * mag. 18.8:  One of very few objects observed in Cepheus with my new, improved eye.  Large and pelasingly ghostly at 120x with the Skyglow filter, then seen without it.  The 8' aperture stop also showed it, even ghostlier!  A very faint star is on the north following edge.  This is a remarkable object, and viewable up to 200x.  150x with the filter shows it best.
http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ic4a.htm

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

Objects From Other Catalogues

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy observing!
Mapman Mike
 

Tuesday 28 July 2015

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

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

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

NGC OBJECTS

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

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

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

eg 1544:  1'.3 x 0'.9:  Vis. 13.3; SB 13.3:  Located at 100x, good views were also had at 125x and 150x.  It was noticeably oval.  A threshold star is involved, along with another one just north.
eg 2276:  2'.3 x 1'.9:  Vis. 11.4; SB 12.9:  Both galaxies were spotted at 60x, already looking large
eg 2300:  2'8 x 2':  Vis. 11; SB 12.7:  and splendid!  2300 is way brighter than 2276, much more than the numbers would indicate.  I enjoyed my best view of both together at 187x, with 2276 appearing very large, and 2300 slightly smaller and more concentrated.  The pair make for a great comparison, with 2276 held back somewhat by its proximity to a bright star.
NGC 2276, 2300
http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc00.htm

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

eg 6949:  1'.4 x 1'.2:  V. 13.6; SB 14:  Spotted at 150x, it was very faint, quite large, and round.  187x and 200x also gave decent views with averted vision.
eg 6951:  3'.9 x 3'.2:  Vis. 10.7; SB 13.2:  Seen from northern Ontario back in the day with my 8".  This time I saw it at 60x, and it was already big and bright, right near a faint star.  Good views were had at 100x and 150x.  At 187x and 200x, the galaxy was oval, with a stellar core.  It was still bright.  Recommended.
eg 6951
http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc00.htm

gn 7023:  10' x 18'; Reflection:  Not a lot to see here, though oc Cr. 427 is involved (see entry on objects from other catalogues).  The nebula surrounds a 7.5 mag. star, seeming stronger south preceding it.  Filters do not help. 
oc 7055:  10 *s; cluster?:  Located at 60x, it was very faint, showing some resolution and some background haze.  It is a small object (3' to 4'?).  I resolved 10 faint stars at 187x and 200x.  Seems like a cluster to me, but a very minor one.
pn 7076:  56"; V. 13.5; Cent. * mag. 18:  Noted at 43x with an O3 filter, it resembled a faint, round galaxy.  Though eventually seen at all magnifications, for the longest time I could not find it with other eyepieces.  It was finally pinpointed, large and very faint, best seen with averted vision.  A fun challenge!
oc 7129:  8'; Vis. 11.5:  Though a relatively poor cluster, it is a conspicuous one, as is the nebula. 
gn 7129:  7' x 7': Reflection:  While the object is attractive at all powers, the nebula comes out really well at 187x.  Worth a visit.  oc 7142 is in the same low power field.
oc/gn 7129, bottom right; oc 7142 top left

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

oc 7142:  12'; Vis. 9.3; Br. * mag. 11; 186 *s:  At 60x a rich sprinkling of faint stars lies behind 3 bright foreground stars, part of something I have dubbed "Mapman's Cascade" (with apologies to Kemble).  This is a chain of about 15 stars, mostly following the cluster, though a pair precedes it.  oc/gn 7129 is in the same low power field, and an unnamed "cluster X" also, just south preceding 7142.  The main cluster appears large and very rich.  At 100x many stars resolve.  200x resolves over 100 faint stars, with the main group preceding 2 of the 3 brighter stars, the south one of these being a double star.  Another star group lies between the 2 stars.  We also viewed 7142 in the 6", with good resolution at 125x.  Using the 2" eyepiece with the 12" (43x) shows a large, round haze with resolution just beginning to occur.  This is a very fine object!
http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/dss_ngc.asp
 
oc 7160:  5'; Vis 6.1; Br. * mag. 7; 61 *s:  Noted at 60x, it was an elongated group of 6 bright stars, with a few fainter ones sprinkled in.  There was better resolution of faint stars at 100x.  About 25 stars were counted at 125x and 150x.  The official star count is way too high.
oc 7226:  2'; vis. 9.6; Br. * 10.8; 83 *s:  This very faint, tiny cluster is near 2 bright stars.  100x resolves a few faint ones.  Up to 200x was used to resolve perhaps 20 stars.  A rich star group, faint, follows the NGC cluster.
oc 7234:  3'.5; 8 *s: cluster?:  Several websites say that this cluster is a duplicate of more interesting nearby oc 7235.  Others say it is non-existent, and still others claim it to be an asterism (a chance grouping of stars at different distances, thus not a true cluster).  At 100x, exactly where Uranometria says, is a very faint and tiny smudge showing 2 or 3 stars.  At 200x 8-10 stars show up using averted vision, not all showing at once.  Much smaller than 3'.5; perhaps 2'?
oc 7235:  6'; Vis. 7.7; Br. * 8.8; 98 *s:  At 60x this is a minor though somewhat attractive cluster, containing several bright stars and many fainter ones.  100x resolves the group well, even when stopping the aperture down to 8".  200x shows about 35 stars.  A recommended stopover.
oc 7261:  6'; Vis. 8.4; Br. * 9.6; 62 *s:  At 100x a bright yellow star (a double) is involved (mag. 9.6), with most of the cluster just north of it, and much fainter.  At 150x the cluster is medium rich, and at 200x it is well resolved and pretty bright.  There are about 25 stars, 6 of them being quite bright.
oc 7281:  12'; 20 *s:  At 100x a line of 3 bright stars mark the cluster's north preceding end.  A bright gold star (mag. 8.5) is preceding the cluster's center.  At 125x I counted about 30 stars, including an attachment immediately following the main group.  The cluster is large and pretty scattered, with many brighter stars.
oc 7352:  5'; cluster?:  Viewed at length at 60x, 100x, and 125x.  Two groups of stars were near 2 bright stars (mag. 8.5 and 9.5).  The main cluster is preceding, where about 25 stars were counted at 125x.  A smaller group of 10 stars lay on the north side.  The two bright stars were white and orange, with a fainter one between them and closer to the 9.5.
pn 7354:  36"; Vis. 12.2; Cent. * 16.2:  This was a decent object, a nice break from so many clusters!  It is large, bright and distinct at 60x and 100x.  A faint star is nearly attached, preceding.  At 200x and 250x the nebula is still bright, large and round, but appears to be flaring with averted vision and seeming to glow from within.  The faint star near it is now a double star.  Quite a lovely object.
oc 7380:  20'; Vis. 7.2;  Br. * mag 10; 125 *s:  Located at 60x, a lovely double star is attached, preceding, yellow and lavender.  A fainter pair (DH) lies amidst 20 stars.  DH is split at 100x, where the group is rich and mostly resolved.  125x shows the cluster as large in size, scattered but rich, with many faint stars near the very center.  The cluster is now triangular in shape, with the bright double preceding at the apex.  200x continues to resolve tiny, faints stars, all adding up to about 100.  Recommended!  The surrounding emission nebula is virtually invisible and does not affect viewing the cluster.
oc 7419:  6'; Vis. mag. 13; Br. * mag. 10; 40 *s:  At 60x an elliptical cloud was noted, with a somewhat bright star resolved at each end.  It was located near a bright yellow star.  100x, 125x and 150x resolves the cloud with averted vision.  187x and 200x resolves all the members more easily.  At 250x one of the brighter end stars is doubled.  25-30 cluster stars were counted.
oc 7423:  5'; Br. * mag. 15; 40 *s:  Located at 60x as a hazy patch behind 2 bright stars (mag. 9.5 and 9.7).  The main cluster is preceding this pair.  Resolution remains poor at 150x.  At 250x and 300x a cloud of tiny, faint stars is resolved.  It is a dense cluster. 
oc 7429:  15'; Br. * mag. 11;  15 *s:  18 stars were counted here at 60x, with a lovely double star following the group.  V456 is yellow and lilac at 100x.  The cluster is pretty big and loose.  It is not rich, even at 187x.  A very very faint double star is in the south, close to a bright star. 

oc 7510:  7'; Vis. 7.9; Br. * mag. 10; 75 *s:  Noted at 60x, it was very conspicuous.  Two lines of bright stars, one side longer by a star, point to a 9.7 mag. star.  There are 8 bright stars altogether.  At 100x many fainter stars were noted surrounding the 9.7 mag. one.  There is good resolution of these fainter ones with averted vision.  The cluster appears rectangular, very tight, and quite lovely at 125x and 150x.  At 187x and 200x 35 stars were counted, with 25 of them found south of the 9.7 mag. star and 10 of them north of it.
oc 7510 is a very pretty sight in a 12" scope.
 http://www.ngcicproject.org/dss/dss_ngc.asp

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

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

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



 
 

Sunday 26 July 2015

#71 2015 Observing: Terrible but Improving

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

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

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

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

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