A night of great globs and more...

[DRT]

Tonight was the clearest, darkest sky I have had since last winter so I decided to go on a bit of a tour.

I usually spend my time switching EPs in and out of the scope but decided to give one of my new boys a chance to show what he can do. So the Nag T4 22mm went into the CPC1100's diagonal and off we went...

M10 (First Light) - Lying in the south west just above the ecliptic on a bright part of the sky. A very faint glob but clearly visible and definitely one to come back to when it is higher in the sky.

M12 (First Light) - Same patch of sky as M10 so dim and low. Some bright and sharp stars but mostly just a nebulous blob.

M11 (First Light) - WOW!!!! - A wonderful open cluster against a dark sky. It filled 50% of the FOV of the Nag 22mm and was simply stunning. A couple of hours later I came back to it with the Nag 17mm and it was even sharper and filled the eyepiece. A stunning object and not to be missed.

M13 - Hercules Cluster - Great position in the sky, high overhead to the south west and in the darkest part of the sky. I find this fascinating to look at - the longer you lokk the more stars you see - a seemingly endless collection of sharp, bright stars. A brilliant object that you just don't get tired of looking at. Later I came back with the Ethos 13mm. WOW! What a difference. The higher mag makes the sky much darker and the glob fills the FOV - until you move your head from side to side and realise the field goes on forever. A great match of EP and object in this scope.

M23 & M25 (First Light) - Too low and dim by the time I got to them but I will come back another time.

M71 (First Light) - High in the dark southern sky. A very dense star field across the entire FOV with M17 looking very faint and best observed with averted vision. Some bright stars but mostly nebulous and in a stunning neighbourhood. The glob is surrounded by so many stars it looks more like an open cluster.

M27 - Dumbbell Nebula - Shape clearly visible but just looks like a smudge on the lens as the sky is too bright. OII filter didn't improve anything.

NGC6826 (First Light) - Blinking Planetary Nebula - Directly overhead. Bright blue on a dark sky. I see why it gets its name! Look straight at it and it looks like one of dozens of stars in a cluster. Avert your eye and it gows into a blue disk about the size of Mars. Look back and its a star again. A very unusual and great object to observe.

M56 (First Light) - High in the south against a rish star field but very faint. A few minutes patience brings out some bright stars in the centre of the glob.

M57 - The Ring Nebula - This is rapidly becoming one of my favourite objects in the sky. High to the south against a dark sky and the best view I have had of it yet. Petrol blue with a clear ring and dark core. Absolutely fabulous and looked even better a couple of hours later through the 17mm Nag.

M2 (First Light) - Low and in the haze. Dim and nebulous. One to come back to.

M15 (First Light) - Mid elevation in the southern sky. A lovely glob which is very clear and bright.

Neptune (First Light) - Low in the south east against a bright haze. The blue colour was clearly visible but I wasn't convinced I was looking at Neptue as it was the same pin-[removed word] size as a star. I switched to the Baader Zoom and when I zoomed in and out I could clearly see that this was a planet, not a star. Nice to see it for the first time.

A fantastic night so far.

Now, if you don't mind, I've got to pop out and look at Uranus…

{sorry, I just can't help it even though I am 49 years old }

[DRT]

All packed up now. A few extra targets…

M31 - Andromeda Galaxy - The only galaxy I have been able to get a clear view of tonight. Very large cloud with a bright core. Probably the best view I have had of this near neighbour so far.

M92 - (TV Ethos 13mm) A lovely glob but the sky was starting to brighten so not as sharp as I have seen it on other occasions. Lots of bright stars in the core but the full glob is quite nebulous and rather washed out. Was much better when I swapped to the Nag 22mm as the lower mag was more forgiving on the sky conditions.

Uranus (First Light) - Nagler 12mm - Low in the south east on a brightening and hazy dawn sky. Greenish-blue, bright planetary disk clearly distinguishable with a couple of very small and dim objects in attendance which are presumably its moons? I switched to the Ethos 13mm and it showed a significant improvement in contrast and an extra moon(?) that wasn't visible with the nag 12mm.

A great night out with the CPC and my new collection of EPs. Time for a celebratory Talisker 10 yr old and then bed.

Can't wait for my 12" Dob to turn up on Sunday

[DRT]

Forgot to mention that I navigated my way around these targets courtesy of Turn Left at Orion. An indispensable resource for those like me who are still learning the sky.

[estwing]

Cracking read well done... The 13E on M13 is simply one of the best combos in this game and just give M57 time on the eye it's sheer wonderment is hard to beat

[cotterless45]

Lovely report Derek ! M11 is a stunner. Got it to fill the fov at x150 last night. Just so much detail and contrast ! It's a

glob fest time. I also had a super view of M76 last night, hurrah !

Nick.

[kev100]

Great report, and a very similar evening to mine! I too had a glob, neb and galaxy fest last night, many of the same ones as you.

Globs and other clusters: M2, M3, M10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 26, 27, 71 & 103.

Galaxies: M31, 33, 51, 81 & 82

Planetary nebs: M27, 57

And finally, Neptune!

Absolutely brilliant night, if just a touch hazy at times.

Kev

[Walshie79]

Managed to bag M30 in the binoculars last night, a nice little globular that I think would rival M3 if only it were higher up. M2 and M15 were easily seen as well, though I couldn't find M72 (that one is pushing it I think, but I'll keep trying). Milky Way through Cygnus down to Scutum stood out again.