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Views from the Volcano

Special K

By Special K
in Observing - Deep Sky

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Special K

Special K

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On holiday in Tenerife with the family and I travelled quite heavy :)

With the ED80 on an AZ4 mount, 31T5 Nagler, filters and other bits, and a rented car, I managed the following:

Session 1: Tuesday

My first attempt to go up the mountain and observe was met with mixed results, but I learned to respect the weather here in any case. There has been a mixed weather pattern causing some unexpected August rain and cloud due to the collision of North African winds with Atlantic systems. I went up to the Caldera by night and there was a break in the clouds at dusk which looked promising. The Milky Way was very bright and glorious so I spent some time just admiring it before going back to the car to set up. Once up and running some clouds started to dodge around and I had also attracted the attention of a Belgian family wanting to have a look. I had a fleeting look at zenith in the region of Deneb with a 4 degree FOV and it was littered with stars. This image is one of the most striking of the whole trip. However, after sharing some views of the Lagoon Nebula and Saturn, the clouds became ominous and shut down the whole show. Feeling frustrated I had to pull the plug after hanging around hoping for another clearing.

Session 2: Saturday

After a lot of doubt about the forecast I decided to give it a last attempt which turned out to be a winner. The drive from sea level to the Caldera is about 2000 meters and I drove through the marine cloud layer at about 1000 meters. After that and for the duration it was perfectly clear. At last! Friday had been the new moon so there was no interference to having a good session. I decided to go for the more social setting near to the information point rather than set up solitary in the wilds. However this time I was determined to be a bit more selfish with my time! At 11pm the Milky Way was adorning the sky end to end; from Cassiopeia across to Scorpio.

M7 Ptolemy's Cluster is a great starting point and is positively a naked eye object. It looks nebulous to the naked eye and a real treat for those desperate for some magnified star shine! These appeared cool in color, and I thought they resembled the Pleiades.

M4 looked pretty good at various magnifications but being low at this time didn't blitz me the way I thought it would.

IC4604 Rho Ophiuchi Nebula is a reflection nebula near M4 and Antares. This was one of my ambitions for the session and there just might have been a suggestion of something with the O-III, but too faint to claim it. Big dob required for this one.

Between Mu 1&2 and Zeta 1&2 Scorpius lie an enchanting belt of star clusters that dazzle! There's something very engaging about all the activity between these pairs which kept me coming back to it again and again. Not having my most detailed atlases to hand, I can only make these out as NGC6231 and Tr24, but there are several smaller clusters involved. I will miss not being able to see this from the UK as it is the most southerly portion of the main Scorpius asterism. I'd also rate this a fine bino target given the chance.

M8 Lagoon Nebula is a real treat! It is shockingly bright and a fair rival of the Orion Nebula. This responded very generously to UHC and O-III, and gives a lot of pleasure with no filter at all. It almost looked like it was divided in three which caused me no end of confusion with the star diagonal in thinking it might be the Triffid. But further obs kind of demonstrated that it is hollow in the middle and thus a 'lagoon'. Now I get it :) It's big too.

M20 Triffid Nebula is a smaller nebula which was more tricky than the Lagoon. Nice to have this in the same FOV, and the image is completed by the faint ghost of B88 between the two. I could detect this with the O-III.

NGC6544 & 6553 tight globs are further compliments to the Lagoon. I have to admit with so much activity in the area, it's hard to be sure which designations fit the objects in view as there is so much to see.

M24 Star Cloud just blew me away.......again! I love this one and with the Nagler on the business end of the OTA, this is a jaw dropper. It looks impossible to find the outline of the cloud as it sits in a densely packed area of Milky Way with its glittering background. On viewing from a dark site it filled the length of the 4 degree FOV.

M25 cluster was not to be missed. Shame I was in a bit of a rush but had a look two or three times I n passing around the area.

M17 is something I used to called the Omega (as it is sometimes known as) but it will forever now be the Swan Nebula to me! It has a bright shard with a protruding neck that looked iridescent with the filter. I get this one now too.

M16 Eagle Nebula is a tougher customer and think this needs much more aperture. I could see it easily enough, but could not tease out the particulars as nicely.

NGC7000 North American Nebula was initially a little hard to find. This was down to the abundance of extra background activity I don't normally see from LP skies. What a treasure when found though, and the Gulf of Mexico region was super contrasty with the dark nebula between it and the Pelican (which gave some indication of itself in the O-III).

Cygnus Loop Complex: getting the whole Veil Nebula in the FOV of the Nagler was a crowning moment of the whole session. How immense this is! The Eastern Veil was this time complimented with a striking Western Veil, including Pickering's Triangle and all three were fluorescent. That is one image I won't soon forget.

A party of star walkers ascended the hill in front of me as I was nearing completion so I gave them a closer look at M24 before packing up. The atmosphere at this site is nice with plenty of photographers and a star-party feel to it. There's quite a bit of undisciplined flashlights being bandied about, but it's good to be able to share and talk with others about these terrific targets.

Thanks for reading if you survived all of the above :)

Highly recommend this vantage point and if you bring some kit it is very rewarding for the effort. K

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clarkpm4242

clarkpm4242

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'Between Mu 1&2 and Zeta 1&2 Scorpius lie an enchanting belt of star clusters that dazzle! There's something very engaging about all the activity between these pairs which kept me coming back to it again and again. Not having my most detailed atlases to hand, I can only make these out as NGC6231 and Tr24, but there are several smaller clusters involved. I will miss not being able to see this from the UK as it is the most southerly portion of the main Scorpius asterism. I'd also rate this a fine bino target given the chance.'

Excellent stuff!

That area is known as the Table of Scorpius...a favourite of mine when down south.

The Veil is brilliant in dark skies and a wide field  :)

Reflection nebs tend not to respond to OIII filters.

Glad it worked out for you after the planning and effort!!!

Paul

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Special K

Special K

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That area is known as the Table of Scorpius...a favourite of mine when down south.

The Veil is brilliant in dark skies and a wide field :)

Reflection nebs tend not to respond to OIII filters.

Glad it worked out for you after the planning and effort!!!

Paul

Thanks Paul, I'll have a look into the Table of Scorpius. I need to get back to my books and a steady wifi connection!
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Special K

Special K

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Very nice, it's just kind of unbelievable how a litte 80ED can do under a dark sky :smiley:

Last year's adventures inspired my choice for the ED80 so that I could take it on holiday. It might just be at the limit of portability onto a plane. I've put it in the hold and the suitcase comes out to 21kg without EPs. Fortunately bubble wrap doesn't weigh much!

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Martin Meredith

Martin Meredith

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Excellent reports both here and re observing conditions on the other thread -- very useful. Ptolemy's is a fantastic cluster and as you say has something of the Pleiades about it, and its location in a denser star field with a few dark nebulae dotted around makes it even more interesting. M24 is also a big favourite of mine.

Martin

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