Damian's (Deep Sky) Welsh 'Fishing Trip' - Amroth 22-23rd Aug

[TakMan]

Written notes for the Rosliston Astronomy Group.

The Prelude…

Quick Observations from South Wales - Thursday 21st Aug

Well actually the 22nd by the time we'd unpacked at my mum's caravan at Amroth in Pembrokeshire ready to enjoy an extended Bank Holiday weekend break!

Upon arrival around 11.50pm it was pretty clear, the rain bank having just about moved on (what we'd just driven through!)... I shouted to Julie to come outside and view the arm of the Milky Way stretching from beyond Cassiopeia, breaking up over Cygnus and beyond - a breathtaking sight with mottling and 'clouds' of stars... As good as when I stop over at work just out of Leominster in Herefordshire!

Went outside half an hour later though and it was almost clouded out - damn!

Sat down to take a breather and watch the telly whilst the other half had shower and got ready for bed... Around 1, took a peak out of the door before heading for bed... clear - no, crystal clear - grabbed 15x70 binos and a lightweight jacket and headed out.

In an impromptu half hour of binocular and unaided observing, I viewed (checked via Stellarium and my Pocket Sky Atlas afterwards):

A multitude of open clusters in Cassiopeia, including a string of three prominent ones, almost certainly NGC 663, M103 and NGC 457.

Beneath ε Cas, the bottom left star in the 'W' -  I could see a 'bright' diffuse orb, perhaps with a central bright core... Was this the comet 'Jacques' that everyone has been talking about...? I returned to it a number of times to check it's position for verification later - there was nothing apparent in either atlas I have with me, so I suspect it must be! It must be amazing in a scope if it was so relatively bright and obvious in cheapo hand held binoculars!

Further down was the Double Cluster - visible by naked eye. I wandered around this region and down into Perseus - centering on star Mirphak. There were numerous groupings of stars, probably not all with 'designations'...  

The Cygnus region was splendid. I could roughly make out the shapes of the Rocking Horse Cluster NGC 6910 above Sadr and 'The Cooling Tower' M29 to the lower left.

I went left to the first star in the wing - Gienah and dropped down to 41 Cyg. NGC 6940 is a large faint open cluster from home. Here in binos it was a fairly compact yet bright rugby ball shaped 'cloud', most stars unresolved.

Star 52 Cyg sits above and slight left of the cluster (within the same field). I could not see the Witch's Broom, but scanning left and removing the star from the FOV helped define the arc of the Veil Nebula NGC 6992/95. No detail of course, perhaps a slight thickening to the lower portion, but I'm not sure.

Can't be certain of a sighting of The North America Nebula either - there were millions of stars in this region that my observing buddy (and Rosliston Astonomy Group member), Andy has quite rightly said could be misinterpreted as the Nebula. It was easy though to recognise denser groupings of stars and 'dark' patches of sky - dust obscuring the background stars.... it just didn't reveal itself tonight despite the excellent conditions.

To finish off I scanned for the Andromeda Galaxy M31, and realised that I could see it naked eye. I put the binos to my face and was greeted with a glorious view of the galaxy spanning across the field.

Feeling somewhat flushed with success and the fact that Andromeda was an easy naked eye observation I thought I'd have a go for the Triangulum Galaxy M33. It would help to go to the right place....! At first I thought I'd found it above the 'thicker end' of the Triangulum - I had not, instead a massive open cluster NGC 752 - definitely worth adding to your list of things to look out for! Roughly the same height, but over to the right was M33 - first impression was that it looked like a bright Crab Nebula, Oval shaped (horizontal), slight central/core brightening. Not visible naked eye, but easy to go back to once found - did not require averted vision, in fact, 'easy'!

Lastly a view of the Pleiades and back to the 'comet'....

Hoping for a clear night tomorrow now (as forecast) - binos now attached to tripod in anticipation + home made dew shields + red light and Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas to hand.... fingers crossed!

_____

Damian's (Deep Sky) 'Fishing Trip' - Amroth, Pembrokeshire (down from Tenby) 22-23rd Aug

15x70 Telescope House 'Revelation' binoculars - Manfrotto tripod with a hydrostatic ball head

Stellarium on my MacBook Pro

Chair - I prefer to sit!

The Caravan door faces roughly South East.... Upon opening I was greeted with a view of the lower section of Auriga.

Stepping out into a crystal clear night around 10.45, I'm greeted with the Summer Triangle, the bright Milky Way arcs overhead into Cygnus, the 'Cygnus Rift' is evident. The view is perhaps better than my B&B in Leominster.... There is less distant light pollution - straight on is the beach and not a small market town! There is however the odd caravan light plus those of the site to contend with, but it's not too bad, especially once hunkered down in my chair between mum's caravan and my sisters next door - it's a family affair!

Julie is finishing her shower but wants to quickly see the comet (Jacques) before bed after I'd spent the day talking about it(!), so I get the binos pointed and locked down ready. Star Epsilon Cassiopeiae (ε Cas or Segin), the furthest left one of the 'W', is in the very bottom of the FOV with the comet in the centre - so it has moved from the previous night when it was half a FOV below and to the right of this star - it's certainly moving!

Usually I wouldn't try and show a relative newcomer such a 'faint' object, but J has been out occasionally with Andy and myself, and despite only having binoculars, the centre of our attention is 'bright', well defined and sports an obvious brighter 'core' region. She is impressed after identifying the subject in the binos! So I move onto some other 'star' attractions before she goes cold... The Double Cluster sparkles, next I ask if she can see a faint fuzzy patch to the right of Cassiopeia - naked eye...? "Yes" is the reply and the next view is M31 The Andromeda Galaxy filling over half the view - "or the An-dro-Media Galaxy", she says with a chuckle - a reference to Andy's way of pronouncing it in our monthly presentations!

Now she has seen a big/bright galaxy, I try for something a tad more difficult. Firstly I bring up the correct FOV in Stellarium so she has a reference point, then she takes a peak through the binoculars - I get confirmation that she can see M81 and M82 clearly that matches the red-screen of Stellarium starring back.

She goes to collect her camera to take a picture through one of the bino eyepieces (if only imaging were that easy) but to no avail. To finish off I swing to a different target and ask her for identification... "Looks like a coathanger", comes the reply - indeed, well, an upside down one anyway- Cr399 obviously!

Ten past eleven... She's gone and so I settle down to some 'serious' observing - well, the best of what can be done with cheap 15x70 binoculars... 'Cheap', because they show a far amount of field curvature three quarters out from the centre of vision, bright stars give off a small  spike (and flare) when in focus, plus reading on the web (SGL) would suggest these 70mm binos are actually stopped down to around 62-64mm....hhmmm

In our favour, a tripod and a dark site will allow them to punch above their weight...

I opted to take screen grabs as I went to record the FOV and timings, so I could jot down some notes later... Here goes with my Welsh 'fishing trip' ('fishing'  or 'box ticking' being something Andy and I try to stay away from):

M71, a 8.3 mag globular cluster in Sagitta the arrow, just to the upper left of the Coathanger. The two central stars are on opposite ends in the field and M71 resolves into a small fuzzy mass in the centre. It has a brighter core but only stars on the very periphery resolve individually.  

The Dumbbell Nebula (M27) sits above M71 and is slightly bigger than the previous target. It is almost one tone of grey, with the slightest hint of some brighter areas....

Further left and a bit up is something highlighted as the Vulpecula Cluster NGC 6885 Caldwell 37. At mag 6, this open cluster resolves in to a main single bright star with 5 or 6 dimmer ones at around 5 o'clock. The FOV matches that of Stellarium (so at least I am in the correct region), with another two bright stars sitting directly above. Are these part of the designation as well...? Quite barren would be a good description.

11.30 and the Wild Duck Cluster sits in the FOV. I should have tried for this region and below earlier.... There is a small amount of low 'sea mist/haze' in this area, but it doesn't hinder the low power view of M11. The outer region does show separate stars before coming to a single (80+%) unresolved mass in the centre.

Directly right of M11, over in the top corner of Ophiuchus sits something called IC 4665 that catches my eye on the computer screen. It's a large messy open cluster - mag 4.2 that is made up of a dozen or so 'bright' stars of similar brightness. It sits comfortably in the field above star Cebalrai so is easy to spot.

Back above M11 sits star Alya - it's still part of Ophiuchus and marks the tail end of the snake/serpent. Naked eye shows it to be 'fuzzy', in fact, binoculars show what looks like a multiple star system (probably isn't), that's worth a view as another 5/6 pop up!

I use Alya as a useful pointer to my 'Map of the World'... Directly right, only two full FOVs distant, sit dual open clusters; IC 4756 and the more compact and 'vertically orientated' NGC 6633. The IC is bigger but slightly fainter due to the star light being spread over a bigger distance.... These two only just fit within the field so there is something of a 'gap' in the middle... to me they resemble a world map laid out flat!

Next on the list is the Ring Nebula M57. Both 'end' stars Sulafat and Sheliak fit the FOV. M57 at this mag is going to be very small - almost stellar (with added 'glow') - slightly fuzzy. A sighting is confirmed via Stellarium - two brighter stars sit above it making M57 the downward facing 'pointy bit' of an imaginary triangle!

Back to Andromeda. It's easily seen naked eye as a faint patch of cloud. Now with binoculars it stretches across the field. I try different techniques to grab more detail, tapping the binos and resort to stretching open the eyes - like a rabbit caught in headlights style! With that and averted vision the galaxy stretches fully across the field of view. In the centre is a large bright circular core. M10 is a faint patch of light directly above this bright centre and separate from the M31 bulk. It takes glancing back to the laptop to confirm M32 the other companion galaxy sitting below at 5 o'clock. It is just outside the outer glow of M31 that reveals the slightest glimpse of a dark lane. M32 is obvious with the use of the star chart. Star 32 Andromeda sits further away to 4 o'clock on the edge of the field, The next bright star back towards M31 is HIP3206, followed by HIP3293. Between that and another brightish star, sitting just right of bottom centre is M32 - looking like a  fuzzy star. I'm pleased as that's the first sighting for me of all three in lowly binoculars! With a tripod and wide field (that's not inverted or mirrored), it allows this simple sort of star hopping to confirm observations...

Over to The Triangulum. I know which side M33 is tonight - above left of star Mothallah that forms the pointy bit of the triangle on the right hand side. M33 resolves into an oval orb that extends 'diagonally' from the 10 to 4 o'clock position. Averted vision hints at arm extensions... Or does it and that's just my imagination kicking in...? 

5 to midnight...

To the left of M33 is NGC 752, what I got confused with the previous night. It resides above the two stars that make up the thicker part of The Triangulum 'Triangle'. In binoculars it reminds me of an inverted Pleiades - but smaller and less sparkly... It even has a bit of a 'tail' that I see when observing (and imaging) M45.

The Double Cluster hangs beneath Cassiopeia and is visible as a 'cloud' in the sky by eye. The binoculars are filled with the classic 'diamonds on black velvet', with the hint of colour (orange) showing in a few stars. There is a well trodden trail of single stars (Pleiades again!) that continue north in a shallow arc and to the left.... Following this trail leads to a bright open cluster of stars that fill most of the field - but has no catalogue number? Moving this 'cluster' to the upper right edge of the field allows a simple star hop to the Heart Nebula beneath.

No 'nebula' though, just the mag 6.5, small, arrow head shaped open cluster (IC 1805) of stars that reside in the centre of this well imaged region. A small drop below-left is NGC 1027 - another small open cluster of similar size and brightness - both visible together in the field which is attractive

Back to the 'W' of Cassiopeia. Extend the line from the last two right stars of Shedir and Caph and head towards the House of Cepheus. Just over halfway distance is the 'Salt and Pepper' (according to Stellarium), open cluster. It looks rather circular at 15x magnification. Better known as M52/NGC 7654.

NGC 7510 could be glimpsed above M52, again, the two well within the same FOV - wide field binoculars making it easy to 'cluster hop' rather than the usually singular star affair....

Back to Shedir in the 'W'. Drop down to the 7 o'clock position and again, within the same field - NGC 281, aka the PacMan Nebula. Never seen it from home. Remove star Shedir from view once the area is located and this mag 7 open cluster takes on a luminous dusty appearance... Perhaps some of this glow IS the associated nebulosity or perhaps just a mass of unresolved stars...? The famous PacMan shape that sits on the edge of the Ha region is not to be seen though!

Time, just past quarter past 12, plenty 'caught' so far on this trip...

Count another two stars down from Shedir to Ruchban. Headed right... with that star still in the field, the Dragon Fly Cluster comes into view.... NGC 457. Mag 6.4. Better known to most as the Owl/ET open cluster. Upside down with the two bright 'eyes' at around the 5 o'clock position. Another two brightish stars point out the 'feet' (at 10/11 o'clock). Extrusions each side mark out the arms (or wings if you prefer) and there is certainly a thickening around the 'chest' region - a denser amount of stars.

Beneath Ruchbah to the left sits M103, an easy catch - brighter than the mag 7.4 would suggest. Very compact and sparkling.

Moving M103 to the upper 2 o'clock region of the field allows the positioning of another three NGC open clusters to enter the field of view (654/663/659). The central one (663) appears the most prominent if I recall correctly, with 654 the most difficult as it is appears to be located right on a bright star.

Back to locate and mark the position of Comet Jacques more clearly... It's half past 12 and the sky has remained superb although I'm feeling cold.

So  aligned back onto ε Cas/Segin at the bottom of the W. In the binoculars, star HIP8362 is directly above and the faint open cluster NGC 637 (mag 8.2) above that. Above left (also held within the same field) is NGC 609 (Mag 11). It can't be this open cluster as it's brightness outstrips that of the supposedly brighter NGC below I say to myself...? Therefore Comet Jacques is about where NGC 609 should be. Very bright, slightly elongated - perhaps the shape of a  fat triangle with rounded edges(?).... the leading one being slightly brighter. Luminous circular core as well. 

At half twelve, the 'saucepan' is horizontal and the three stars in the handle shine brightly.... A drop beneath the first star to the left - Alkaid, sits the Whirlpool Galaxy, M51. It's dual cores visible as two fuzzy stars, the lower being more prominent. A bit low to the horizon now and the view affected by mist and lack of aperture and magnification - still though a result for binoculars as at home the light pollution can hide this object, even with a bigger instrument.

Slightly easier (due to the better altitude) is M101 The Pinwheel, another galaxy easily obscured with light pollution from home. Sits at the top of an imaginary equilateral  triangle using the first two stars in the handle of The Plough - Alkaid and Alcor/Mizar. Position confirmed via identifying stars with Stellarium - there are three to the left of the galaxy that form a stunted arrowhead that point directly to the galaxy, which is the 'tip'. Mag 7.7 results in a very faint oval patch... Better (slightly) with averted vision, but no additional detail....

Above M101, heading toward star Edasich in Draco is M102.... I click to select it on the computer and it says 'Mag 10'...hhmmm, a stretch I think for 70mm, although it's altitude is favourable. There are enough bright stars in recognisable formations below Edasich to allow an easy star hope (just over a single FOV). Two brightish stars sit below where M102 is expected to be... I use averted vision and gentle tapping to finally reveal that the fuzzy star where I expect the galaxy to be hints at being a grey smudge, just brighter than the background sky. It jumps from being  a dim 'stellar' pin-[removed word] of light to a just visible fuzz, and back again. There are enough other stars to frame and 'point' to its relative location. At ten to one I'm happy to note it as a confirmed sighting - just!

Hercules is falling... Towards a tree... I have to re-jig position to get M13 out of the branches. Compared to all the others viewed so far this evening it is big and bright. Most of it's structure is unresolved as a stippled mass but it does show a messy halo of stars around it's periphery.

Don't forget M92 I tell myself - it is smaller and greyer and more compact than it's famous neighbour. It's luminosity is helped by its altitude. It is an obvious globular that we've viewed plenty of time previously and doesn't disappoint again...

The bottom of Auriga is now more favourable as it has moved away from the hill and into the valley opening (where the caravan site is situated), although it is now even lower and setting into the Southwest... I re-find the Wild Duck Cluster which I viewed an hour and a half earlier. It is even more subdued now and does not have much of a peripheral glow of resolved stars. I use it though as a pointer to drop further down to the horizon - into Scutum...M26 is an open cluster even fainter - more just a grey patch now in the misty-murk. It is easily seen though without averted vision and is the central point of a shallow 'triangle', with two bright stars equidistant from it; one to the lower left at 8 o'clock and the other at 3.

Moving M26 into the bottom right of the field, I followed four stars that form a backwards 7. Above that star is NGC 6712, a very small globular shining at mag 8.2 no structure to be seen, but another one in the (fishing) bag!

Staying with globs, between Albireo at the head of Cygnus and Sulafat in Lyra is M56 - more defined and much more 'globular' than M26. Displaying a variance in illumination. Perhaps one or two stars resolveable on the edges. I don't think I've had a better view of it from home using bigger scopes...

Beneath Cygnus and above Altair in Auriga can be seen Delphinus. A flattened diamond with a lower tail made from a single star. Off the 'tail', Stellarium highlights NGC 6934, another globular that glows at Mag 8.9. Just scanning around in the proper direction reveals it - an easy catch as the sky is dark and this globular sits in a pretty sparse area of sky, framed to the right with the Milky Way.

To the right of Delphinus is a single bright star - Enif, in Pegasus. Enif is a superb compass point to locate M15. Just over a single FOV, diagonally at 2 o'clock - another globular. Much brighter as expected - mag 6.4

Back for a second view of the (Bridal) Veil. It definitely helps removing star 52 Cyg from the view. Partly to aid contrast and also because although the binoculars can fit both into the FOV the outer 20-30% suffers from field curvature which hits the view. The 'Veil' NGC 6992/95 shows itself as a large shallow arc. It fills a good 50% the length of the FOV. No detail discernible but differences in illumination change the apparent thickness.

Now 1.20 and I'm cursing the fact that I didn't bring my thicker observing clothing. The fact it's clear means it's really cold...

So an easy one to cheer me up... Above Cygnus, leading off from star Deneb and over to the diamond tip of Lacerta is M39. This is a bright, mag 4.6 open cluster that's shaped in a V of around ten stars. Bright enough to be 'obvious' and properly separated from all the background stars. 

Back to check on the comet and the multitude of clusters around the bottom of Cassiopeia; NGC 654/663/659 plus of course M103.

Back to Deneb. Head left a single FOV (+ a bit to remove the lens distortions!) and remove the star. The North America Neb, NGC 7000.... No, I can't see it as such but a swathe of bright stars - like a massive open cluster in the vein of the Pleiades or looking into the heart of Melotte III. Within this foreground star field are the mass of Milky Way background stars. Xi Cygni denotes the far left of the Nebula when imaged. It shines brightly, orange veering on white.

Two vertical large dark diffuse areas can be seen to the left and right with a 'bridge' between them of sorts running across the bottom of the field of view... do these dark lanes help constitute the North America Nebula...?

Perhaps it's more obvious naked eye or with a greater/wider field instrument... tonight I can't decide...

By 1.45 though I was frozen and despite the continuing fantastic conditions, decided it was time to head in. The forecast for tomorrow (Sat 23rd) continues to look promising so there's no point running myself into the ground plus - it is supposed to be a hobby after-all! It'll be a chance to re-visit some of tonights targets and check the position of that Comet Jacques!

No customary cheese on toast or whiskey either plus it took half a hour to warm up enough before heading to bed.

Looking back I was quite pleased with how Stellarium worked in conjunction with the wide view of the binoculars. The screen grabs allowed for a record of what was observed and the timings and kept the flow of the session - and my night vision also.

Pleased with the selection of targets viewed and it shows just what can be seen with a small instrument under excellent conditions - with the help of a decent sky chart....

Must look at the purchase of a better pair of binoculars for the future; perhaps the Helios Apollo 15x70 HD that are raved about on here or the larger 20x80s from First Light Optics. Perhaps instead a small/cheap SkyWatcher 6-8" Dob to leave in mum's little shed here?

Thanks for reading, 

Clear skies...

Damian

[Paul73]

Great writing Damian. Thanks for taking the time to highlight the Numbers and for the detailed narrative.

I love a good observing report. They take me for ever to write so rarely make it as a post.

Paul

[Chinapig]

A thoroughly good read, and very informative - great stuff!

Also a very good guide as to what one can expect from 15x70s under dark skies. I hope to be spending a few days under some decently dark skies later this month, and will definitely take my binos.