Israel Sevilla

A new object report from latest spring nights (from my observation in the new moon of May 2022). If you prefer to read it in PDF format with the support of some images that helps me to explain better myself you can check it in the web: https://theferretofcomets.com/index.php/en/messier-catalog/ Please take into account those images are pictures not sketches. As you can read in my web they have been gathered from public databases, mainly from telescopes in Palomar Mountain, HST and Calar Alto (Spain). What I have tried (quite successfully, I think) is to reflect how the object shifts with the change of eyepieces. The images can become a composite of several to show a better result. Also I have added a fixed rectangle to show the effect of the apparent field of the eyepiece. I play a little bit with the brightness and contrast to show how your eyepiece field is darker at lower eye pupil, but you lose details in the object. I mean, if you try to find exactly the same picture in the web you are going to fail. It takes a couple of hours (sometimes more) to generate all the pictures to get the better result, plus an extra hour to write down my voice-notes. Nagler 31mm (70x - 1º 10’ - 6.6mm). The first impression with this galaxy is quite good, it has a round shape, the nucleus is perfectly visible and, even at these magnifications, you start to see a structure of arms, especially at 12 o'clock in my eyepiece, but also around 6 o'clock. I only see a single arm with a very pronounced S-shape. With the arm rotating from 12 to 9 o'clock and from 6 o'clock towards 3 o'clock respectively. The nucleus is round with a brightness clearly superior to the rest of the galaxy. It is a promising object, I am also seeing it at the same time I jump to M98 and the contrast of the two types of galaxies is very striking. And although M99 seems fainter than M98, its structure seems more complex and I like it more. Nagler 22mm (98x - 50’ - 4.7mm). I am quite surprised by this galaxy because as I increase the magnification I see surprising details. For example the difference between the two ‘hemispheres’ of the galaxy. The arm that looks better and better is very well defined in what would be my northern hemisphere while in the southern hemisphere it is lost more in the haze of the galaxy and it is as if it had a lower brightness. Or rather, the contrast of the arm in the 12 o'clock zone is much greater than in the 6 o'clock zone. So much so that in the 12 o'clock zone I see it almost effortlessly while in the 6 o'clock zone I have to use averted vision intensely to be able to follow its path. It is very strange and curious. The shape of the galaxy is still quite round and the nucleus is taking more presence and volume, not being punctual but as a small bright ball in the center of the galaxy. I can't see more details so I switch to the 14mm eyepiece. Delos 14mm (154x - 28’ - 3mm). Now it really is. Indeed the galaxy is quite strange. You can fully appreciate the arm that runs through the galaxy from 12 to 6, however the region at 12 o'clock is very different from the one at 6 o'clock. The northernmost region in my eyepiece is very elongated, I say in my voice notes that it is veeeeeery long. It appears to be escaping the galaxy with a very pronounced dark area between the arm and the nucleus. However in the southernmost region of my eyepiece what I see is an arm closer to the nucleus that ends in a star that is almost at 5 o'clock looking from the nucleus. This arm, I don't know if it is because it is closer to the nucleus or some other reason I don't see it as contrasted but more surrounded by a bright halo of the galaxy. I cannot be able to see that bright halo in the same arm to the north , but clearly see that the background is just as dark as the rest of the eyepiece field. To add complexity, when I use the averted vision to bring out more detail in the nucleus I seem to see a second arm that starts from the nucleus and runs parallel to the main one. I try to explain better, when using the averted vision, I see the nucleus more punctual and I see more contrast in the area close to it, then is when I start to see this second arm, what happens is that it is very small and I see it rarely, not ALWAYS. And that leads me to doubt that I am really seeing a second arm, of which there is no trace in the 12 o'clock region. Apart from this curious detail of the very different shape of the galaxy in one area and another, I do not see more detail. I forgot to comment, the galaxy is beautiful. Because rarely do you find a galaxy completely in front of us and with such a clear structure of arms (especially in its northern zone). One has the impression of contemplating a really complex artifact of nature, with millions of suns and a wonderful structure. Very beautiful. Ethos 10mm (216x - 27’ - 2.1mm). What a pleasure! Now I see much better how the arms are created from the core itself. They do not emerge from the 12 and 6 o'clock as I previously imagined but rather from the 3 and 9 o'clock of the nucleus. And the arm that emerges from the 9 o'clock is not single but double or so it seems at the beginning. I'm looking forward to putting more magnification on it to confirm this. In the loooong arm that comes at 3 o'clock from the nucleus and that extends very defined in space, I also begin to see a more complex structure. Some areas of higher concentration of brightness begin to appear. It is a bit strange because the arm of a thin thickness starts with an intense brightness that fades as it turns towards 9 o'clock but increases again almost at the end. I think it is a galaxy that deserves to be observed calmly for the challenge it represents. Ethos 8mm (270x - 22’ - 1.7mm). What a beauty! Now the galaxy is much larger and I can verify without any fear of being wrong the existence of two arms in one region while in the other there is only one of them. It is also true that these two arms are much shorter and run parallel to each other until they disappear when they reach a bright star in the south of the galaxy. The longer northern arm is very striking because of this peculiarity that it has a concentration of brightness at the end of it. I am tempted to imagine that it is some object within the galaxy, although it may be a star in our own galaxy. The minutes are passing and I have caught the object once it had already passed its south so every minute that passes is lower in the sky and there is more atmosphere between the object and my telescope. But the image is beautiful with this telescope. I have lost little brightness overall. I have the feeling that the long arm was longer before and that the arms of the 6 before were a little more extended but as I see the galaxy so well I don't mind as I enjoy a beautiful view of the arms. Delos 4.5mm (480x - 9’ - 1mm). This eyepiece is already too much for the galaxy. Practically the only thing that can be seen in the eyepiece is the galaxy and of it especially its nucleus. That seems to me that with the averted vision it ‘contracts’ into an even brighter region in the very center, it even looks like it has some structure but I am not able to define it correctly. The two parallel arms look pretty good although one is much fainter than the other and now I get the feeling that they are more separated from each other. The long arm has almost disappeared in its end zone and I am having a harder time seeing where it used to end. It is true that I see concentrations of brightness in it, not only in this region at the end of it but in its beginning, it does not look like a uniform brightness but formed by clumps. I also like to observe the stars to the south of the galaxy that serve me as a reference to improve the focus, they are quite bright and good companions to this beautiful image of such a particular galaxy (a galaxy with two very different areas that even have different number of arms). I think this is something new to me and I have never observed it before if I can remember correctly. Good object that offers important challenges for observation. Dark and clear skies from Spain!!

Hi Kon, Davie! Thanks for your answer. No Kon, they are pictures from different resources, all of them from public images (mainly from telescopes in Palomar Mountain, HST and Calar Alto-Spain). It takes me several hours to generate them because I'm trying to represent properly what I have seen that night, but it is not simple and, honestly, I'm not very good treating images. I have added a fixed rectangle to show the effect of the apparent field of the eyepiece. I play a little bit with the brightness and contrast to show how your eyepiece field is darker at lower eye pupil, but you lose details in the object. I mean, if you try to find exactly the same picture in the web you are going to fail, but they are images from public resources. They are used as support for the report. And the main objective of them is to reflect how the object shifts with the change of eyepieces. If you want you can check for example my report of M8: https://theferretofcomets.com/wp-content/uploads/fichas/ficha_m8_en-US.pdf where I tried to explain how I was able to see the hourglass nebula inside M8 but only at high magnifications. Clear and dark skies!!

A new object report from summer nights. If you prefer to read it in PDF format with the support of some images that helps me to explain better myself you can check it in the web: https://theferretofcomets.com/index.php/en/messier-catalog/ Nagler 31mm (70x - 1º 10’ - 6.6mm). Being used to modest telescopes, seeing these objects in the 18" is taking my breath away. With this eyepiece the galaxies look quite small but you can see PERFECTLY the arm structure of M51. You do not need to use the lateral vision. It is obvious. The bridge that joins both galaxies is also visible although very faint. The central nucleus of both galaxies appears dotted, with a great brightness, and there is a fainter halo surrounding both galaxies. This halo shows a structure of a pair of rotating arms in the larger galaxy while the smaller galaxy shows no structure at all. There is also a star at 9 o'clock in the fairly bright galaxy that serves to frame the galaxy. One thing that is very much appreciated by me is the amount of field I see around the galaxy. At low magnifications the object stands out but it has a size that allows you to enjoy relaxed a poor background of stars that also highlight the beauty of the galaxy due to its loneliness. You can spend minutes and minutes in front of the eyepiece and not get tired of the view. I tell myself that it is almost better than any photograph for the feeling of realism that my mind generates. Nagler 22mm (98x - 50’ - 4.7mm). I am very surprised by the view I get of this object, used as I am to smaller apertures. I am freaking because the arms, it is not that I observe them perfectly, but they transmit me a beautiful sensation of volume. That is to say, I am able to distinguish the thickness of the arms, as well as the gradient of gradual decrease that exists between the brightest and the dimmest area. This sensation is overwhelmingly beautiful. It is because the area between the arms is itself shiny and, as I mentioned earlier, the change from one area to the other is not abrupt but a certain gradient is visible. In addition, the fact that the arms are so bright against the rest of the galaxy causes in my mind the image that they are emerging. Needless to say that the shape of the arms is perfectly reminiscent of a whirlpool (hence the famous name of the galaxy), as the two arms that I see make a 360º turn around the galaxy, it is this turn that conveys the feeling that the nucleus is immersed in the deep of the galaxy dragged by this whirlpool. Speaking of the nucleus, it appears very bright and punctual, and the birth of the arms is fully appreciated from the innermost part of the galaxy. I am also struck by a star in the galaxy itself that is obviously part of our own. Placed at 3 o'clock from the nucleus of the galaxy. An unforgettable image. Delos 14mm (154x - 28’ - 3mm). What detail you see with this eyepiece! In addition to the arms that are much better defined I begin to see more stars within the galaxy itself. Near the star I saw previously, I observe two more, one at 1 o'clock very close and another, a little farther away at 7 o'clock. Regarding the arms I begin to perceive some regions with higher brightness density than others, like clots in them. In particular in the area between the two galaxies, at 11 o'clock from the nucleus of the main galaxy. That is where the concentration of clots and brightness is higher than the rest of the arm. I further describe in my voice notes that the thickness of the bright arms versus the fainter ones is much less, about half as much. And it's not that the arms look small, it's that the space between them is very large in this eyepiece. On the other hand, the thickness of the bright arms is not uniform, there are areas where they narrow and others where they widen, but they never break. The nucleus has also gone from being a dot to a very bright sphere, it begins to acquire a sense of precious volume. The bridge that joins the two galaxies looks pretty bad, it almost seems to disappear at one point. The same happens with the end of the arm on the right side of the eyepiece, if you follow it with your eyes you have the feeling that it fades into the sky without being able to determine clearly where it really ends. Ethos 10mm (216x - 27’ - 2.1mm). I thought I could not increase the beauty of the object but I was wrong. With the 10mm it increases even more the already described details of the galaxy. Unfortunately I do not provide more information about it but the image that is being burned in my memory is amazing. The structure of the arms, so well defined, their varying thickness, the difference in width with the faint and bright parts, the totally spherical shape of the nucleus, the clumps that are perceived here and there as major condensations of stars, these no longer from our galaxy but from M51. In short, everything is so overwhelmingly beautiful that I am almost speechless. I continue with the progression of my eyepieces to try to obtain more details but I am already totally satisfied with what I have observed in M51. Ethos 8mm (270x - 22’ - 1.7mm). UNBELIEVABLE!!! The best view of the galaxy without any doubt. In spite of the gained magnifications the galaxy gains in contrast without losing details. Right now it is pure delight to observe it. Only note that in the area of 5 o'clock with respect to the nucleus of M51 I see a new concentration of clumps. But that is the only thing I can add to what has been described above. That and the image is simply SPECTACULAR. It steals your breath away. I think that one positive thing about using one eyepiece after another is that my eyes get more accustomed to the object and my sensation of perceiving more details increases. I don't know if it is a suggestion, but sometimes I have felt that it is not the same to see an object after going through several eyepieces, spending several minutes (three or five are enough) in each one of them, than to take the eyepiece that gives you the best exit pupil and place it so quietly. Or jumping from one eyepiece to another almost without realizing what you are doing. When I have done that exercise the image was always poorer than when I have spent my quiet time on each eyepiece. It may very well be suggestion but I confirm that the beauty, contrast, detail and wonder that an image of any object offers once you have gone through several eyepieces QUIETLY is not the same. In M51 I have only confirmed this impression because right now I can't take my eyes off my eyepiece, delighting with those twists of the arms towards the interior of the galaxy, with that well-defined volume of the arms that seems that the galaxy is going to emerge from the eyepiece. Simply overwhelming. Delos 4.5mm (480x - 9’ - 1mm). HOLY MOLY! I was not going to place the 4.5mm because I thought that the brightness of the galaxy was going to decrease so much that I was going to be disappointed. I was so convinced that when I placed the eyepiece the first impression was: "what a pity, I have lost all the arms and I can only see the nucleus without any structure". Then I realized, fool of me, that I was not seeing the main galaxy but the companion. I moved the engines a little and VOILA, a HUGE galaxy with all the complexity of its structure just in front of my eye. With intense brightness, beastly contrast and very good definition. I almost fell off the ladder where I'm standing. To point out some new details, the nucleus has totally changed. Now it does not seem to be immersed in the galaxy but floating above it because it is completely surrounded by fainter areas. Note, not black areas like the background that can be seen outside the galaxy, but of a very pale gray that in front of the brightness of the nucleus pales even more and, therefore, the nucleus seems to stand out as a bright sphere floating on. The arms are perceived much better, they do not seem to be formed from the nucleus but from the side of it. They are so wide that I perceive incoming and outgoing in them. Say, the image of different thickness is now enhanced being able to see where there is less concentration of stars (or perhaps more concentration of galactic dust) that hides part of the arm and where these dust clouds are withdrawn showing a greater brightness. The clumps are now vastly more evident at 11 and 5 o'clock in the galaxy, and the width of the faint zone between the arms is enormous, especially at 12 o'clock in the core. I can't help but be amazed at the beauty I am able to perceive even with 1mm exit pupil and 480x in the galaxy. It is true that I have lost some details, especially I think the galaxy is smaller. For example, I lose the end of the arm that comes out of the 3 o'clock area on the side of the nucleus and goes around it until it reaches the region I have described of clumps at 11 o'clock in the nucleus. Before I think it reached almost to 3 o'clock again, outside the other brighter arm where the stars of our galaxy are. Now it disappears much earlier, about 1 o'clock or so. And overall it looks like the galaxy has shrunk in size. But the sharpness and the size with which I see what remains is AMAZING. It is all of such a brutal size that it seems unbelievable to me that I am looking at 35,000,000 light years away and the same in time. If it looks like it's just around the corner. Wonderful, in all honesty. Clear and dark skies!

A new object report from summer nights. If you prefer to read it in PDF format with the support of some images that helps me to explain better myself you can check it in the web: https://theferretofcomets.com/index.php/en/messier-catalog/ Nagler 31mm (70x - 1º 10’ - 6.6mm). At first glance it catches my attention and I liked very much what I see. The field is poor of stars and I see a lot of space around the object because it is a very small and very concentrated. The core is very bright and spherical. It also looks quite small and concentrated to me, I note that the size of this central region must be about a quarter of the total size of the object. I enjoy this overview and tell myself that it is a very nice object to observe because it shows a great contrast between the halo and the central core, with such a concentrated region, it is a joy to observe it with such a wide field. From the outer halo I am able to resolve some stars; from the core I am not. I have the feeling that I observe a yellowish color in the core but it is so concentrated that it is difficult to be sure. Nagler 22mm (98x - 50’ - 4.7mm), When I switch to the 22mm eyepiece the globular cluster looks a little bigger and I can see the outer stars. However now I have lost the sense of color that I had before and I can't quite verify it, I mean, now I only see gray contrast. I am not able to add any extra detail that catches my attention. This does not mean that the object is not beautiful, on the contrary, I still find the contrast between the bright and variegated nucleus and the more extensive and faint halo beautiful. It is a magnificent globular cluster to observe contrasts between its two zones. Ethos 10mm (216x - 27’ - 2.1mm), The jump to 10mm is very good. The object has acquired a considerable size and I begin to see more details, although on the other hand I have lost the fainter stars of the halo that now I no longer resolve, but I do resolve the innermost ones. Perhaps, thanks to this loss of faint stars I now see more clearly the brightest stars of the object in this area. It is very beautiful how they stand out shining so far away from the most central part of the core of the globular cluster. It is also very curious how the object transforms as it gains magnification. I have mentioned it for other objects but it really seems that I am seeing a new object very different from the one seen at low magnification. At low magnification it has a very strong contrast between the outer halo and the inner halo. At higher magnifications the contrast disappears because the outer halo almost disappears, taking its place with individual star gazes and concentric circles of brightness in the core, which was impossible to see before. Ethos 8mm (270x - 22’ - 1.7mm), With the 8mm I can't see much more detail than already indicated, it is true that the object looks much larger but it only serves to confirm the previous impressions, so I'm going for full power and jump to the 4.5mm to see if I can discover something more. Delos 4.5mm (480x - 9’ - 1mm), This is when I get a better definition of the interior of the object. The stability of the night must be very good because I manage to resolve several stars inside the core. I insist on my impression of seeing up to three rings in the core of the cluster. Describing it from the outside to the inside, I would say that I see, first, an external halo, extensive, that with these magnifications has practically disappeared but that I remember it from the vision of the previous eyepieces, especially the 31 and 22mm. This halo has a series of stars a little brighter surrounding it. Then, after this halo, comes the bright and very concentrated core, but this core is not simple rather complex. It begins with a bright ring that surrounds the cluster uniformly, if you continue looking inward, the brightness is now not uniform but gives the impression of being a little dimmer than this outer ring, and then again is increased in brightness in a very concentrated sphere in which it is impossible to highlight any star. Stretching the view to the maximum, I have the sensation of seeing individual stars forming part of the fainter ‘in-the-middle’ ring that is just before reaching the central zone. These stars seem to connect with the most inner core which shows an intense brightness of very high intensity. Overall I liked it very much for that feeling of observing two objects at once. On the one hand at low magnifications it shows a very beautiful contrast, and on the other hand when you add magnifications it shows that complexity that seems to hide the central part, and that challenges you to try to define it correctly. A difficult object because, although it may seem bland at first, it is far from being so. Thanks for reading this report, clear and dark skies for everyone!

Hi, I'm afraid I was not able to detect any colour, only gradients of grey. @Voyager 3 thanks for your comment. I am using that process trying to squeeze all the juice out to Messier objects. You can see other reports in the web: https://theferretofcomets.com/index.php/en/messier-catalog/ I'm creating those observations cards to be used for anyone. Clear skies, Israel

Thank you so much for your comments. I have NEVER seen the interior of the nebula in such detail and with such beautiful gradients.It was AMAIZING. I must emphasize the sensation of volume and of being immersed in the depth of the object, as if you were really sliding down a slope towards a small black central area, where a tiny star emerged and broke the black disk (well, no so tiny start because focusing was a nightmare). I have tried to find an image to describe what I saw, but it is quite hard because those kind of pinctures are full of details and I see everything with bad 'resolution', I mean, without fine details, but maybe this is a good image to try to understand the 'treasures' of the inner parts of M57. Maybe with that image I have been able to show those slopes Clear skies, Israel

I am sharing with you have another report of M57, this time is an observation of about 1h with a dob 18". I hope you find useful. If you prefer to read it with the support of some images that helps me to explain better myself you can check it in the web: https://theferretofcomets.com/index.php/en/messier-catalog/ Nagler 31mm (70x - 1º 10’ - 6.6mm). The first thing that surprises me at these low magnifications is the shape of the nebula. It is well known for its ring shape with a bright central part in addition to the outer ring, but this time, in addition to seeing it more luminous, what strikes me is its shape at the narrowest edges of the nebula. As is well known it has an oval shape, and if we look at the major axis of the oval, at its closure or turn there is a very bright star, at the opposite end I seem to see that the nebula is not uniform in that part, but it loses a little brightness when making the turn and also extends outward. It is like the image that causes the Saturn nebula, which has a kind of protrusions on both sides of the circle that is the nebula. Well, something like that but only at one of its ends. Like a small fainter halo protruding from the nebula at its end. In the area near the star the vision is similar, but here the bright star makes it difficult to see this fainter halo with attention. In addition both ends appear as if the ring did not close, that is, the shape of the nebula is clearly this ring, however the ring has a very defined brightness and thickness in the short axis but in the long axis of the oval the ring seems to lose brightness and although it is perfectly visible it transmits the sensation that it does not end up closing with the same brightness, as if in that area the nebula was more tenuous. In addition we have these ‘extensions’ on the outer edges of the ring on its major axis that still gives it a more complex structure. I am also very struck by the brightness of the interior of the ring, I had always seen it as significantly smaller and playing with the side view and direct vision, in my old Visac 200L I even made it disappear seeing only the ring. Now it is impossible, it is tremendously bright all the inside of the ring although no more detail is visible. Nagler 22mm (98x - 50’ - 4.7mm) The image does not vary much from the previous one, the object has obviously gained in size, but the image is still very similar. Perhaps now I see the edges of the nebula a little more complex, it gives me the feeling that it has a soft semi-transparent silk scarf above the brightest part of the edge of the ring, so that when this ‘veil’ protrudes from the bright area is seen as a kind of very faint wave that extends a little beyond the nebula, very little, almost half or even a quarter of the width of the bright area of the nebula that gives it its ring shape. It is most significant in the area farthest from the bright star near the nebula. I am also struck by the outline of the nebula because it appears surrounded by stars that I don't think I have ever seen before or not so closely. I try to describe it. First I see the bright star that in the position in which the object is and as I am seeing it is in my lower part of the nebula to the right, then in the upper part of the nebula and in the left zone I see as a first blurred point that when I focus a little better the view I discover are 2 stars close to the nebula. But in the same area to the left but further down, approaching the bright star, I see another star framing the nebula. It is only the uppermost part of the nebula where I do not see any star close to the nebula. Delos 14mm (154x - 28’ - 3mm) Incredible how the image is enhanced by adding magnification. First I am surprised by the ‘surroundings’ of the nebula. The two stars that I had trouble identifying in the previous eyepiece are evident here. To try to describe it better, in my voice notes I use the clock distribution, and I note: if we place the brightest star at 6 o'clock in the nebula the two nearby stars would be at their 10 and 11 o'clock, another new star appears at 3 o'clock, and another one, a little more separated from the ring at 8 o'clock. In addition I seem to see one more star in the area that indicated that the ring was as ‘blurred’, as at its 1 o'clock or near 12 o'clock, but this star is much fainter and is very close to the nebula. Regarding the ring itself, in addition to confirming its oval shape, and that at the ends it is blurred, that is, without continuing with the same intensity of brightness, the outer part of the ring seems to me really complex. In particular in the zone that would be the 9 o'clock of the ring taking as reference the bright star at 6 o'clock, and the zone at 3 o'clock. The zone at 9 o'clock what I see (or I think I see) is that kind of wave that I commented above as a very soft silk veil that protrudes a little more of the ring giving it an even more oval shape. But in the 3 o'clock zone what gives me the sensation is to see a double ring, much fainter the second one, of a minimum thickness, I would say a fifth of the thickness of the main ring, protruding from the main ring. Regarding the interior of the ring, with these magnifications the brightness is not so intense and it seems to me that it is not uniform, so that some kind of granules appear inside it, that is, I am unable to see a flat and homogeneous surface of brightness inside the nebula, but rather a blur of different brightnesses but without being able to define it properly. Ethos 8mm (270x - 22’ - 1.7mm) It's beautiful to put more and more magnification on the object. Now the stars that I saw around the ring are really separated from the object because I have gained a lot of magnification, and I totally confirm the star that was at 1 or 12 o'clock, which is really faint but is confirmed very close to the ring. There also appears a new star that is more or less at 2 o'clock but more separated from the ring. Now I seem to be able to see the central star of the nebula as a tiny dot that appears brighter. I have to use the side view to confirm it but it is indeed there. What strikes me with so many magnifications is that the outer areas of the ring have a kind of ‘hairs’, i.e. the outer edge of the ring does not seem to me to be uniform and completely straight, but has a number of imperfections that makes it difficult to indicate where EXACTLY the ring ends on the outside. I also clearly observe how the size of the bright ring is much narrower at its 9 and its 3 than at its 6 or 12 (taking as reference this bright star), that is to say, the ring is clearly oval but it is that in addition, the thickness of the external bright ring varies according to the zone we see. The narrowest of all is the 9 o'clock region, then it would be the 3 o'clock region, then it is significantly wider at 12 o'clock (although blurred) and finally at 6 o'clock is where it shows its greatest width although again blurred and protruding a little towards the brightest star. Delos 4.5mm (480x - 9’ - 1mm) Although it might seem to me that I am over magnifying, it is impressive to see the ring at this magnification and at this size. It is much more difficult for me to focus the few stars that I can already see but the image is very worthwhile. On the one hand, the faint star at 12 - 1 o'clock in the nebula catches my attention because it seems to me that the nebula is trying to catch it, that is, I think I see a kind of ‘jet’ coming out of the nebula to try to reach this star. Although I doubt this image because the fact of having a star so close to the nebula sometimes distorts the image you see. But I would say that there is that extension of the nebula towards the star. Another detail that strikes me with this eyepiece is the sense of volume that the nebula gives me. As I described with the previous eyepiece the thickness of the ring is not the same in all its path, added to this now I see the nebula bigger and a little more blurred in general (the focus is more complex and the seeing will affect more I guess) so the overall impression is more of volume than of a flat image, that is to say that it seems more 3D and that gives it a beautiful aspect. I confirm everything described above, and I am delighted with this 3D image so suggestive. Delos 4.5mm + Powermate 2x (960x - 4.5’ - 0.5mm) WHAT A CRAZY THING TO DO! I totally freaked out and put the Powermate on with the 4.5, just out of curiosity and I was STUNNED. It is AMAZING how the ring looks at such extreme magnifications. I highly recommend that you do this effort and this madness. Too bad the motors are not tracking the telescope well for me. At these magnifications I have lost much of the brightness of the nebula, particularly in its most central part, but when I refer to the central part, it is not that it is simply the area inside the bright ring, but the central part of the area inside the ring. Because in the part that is close to the bright ring there are areas with brightness, and with such a gradient that it seems that I was seeing ‘cliffs’. IT’S IMPRESSIVE. The ring is tremendously bright, and the inside of the ring its central zone is totally dark (removing the accumulation of brightness by the central star) and therefore it is very easy to delimit if there really is a sharp jump in brightness from a black to a practically white area. And that doesn't happen nearly as much, but there is a gradient, a gradient almost as thick as the ring itself or perhaps a little smaller but significantly larger. That gray gradient, anticipating the black zone, and coming from the bright region is a JOY, because it gives you that feeling of sinking into the depth of the nebula. As if you were sailing into it and it is a simply SPECTACULAR image. The size of the object is BRUTAL. The outer structure I have not been able to define it better, but the image as a whole of the central area is incredible. And the most impressive thing is that I have NEVER, EVER, NEVER seen the ring nebula like this. Now I have the feeling that before I only ‘scratched’ its image, now I really contemplate it in its real complexity and beauty. It is really amazing. I am very happy to have reviewed the Messier objects. What a sense of volume I have in the object and what a sense of depth. It's mind-blowing. Also note that obviously the 18" telescope helps a lot to have this image by the amount of light it collects, but please, if you have the opportunity to use a telescope of considerable size with M57, put all the magnification you have. I think it is something that will make a mark on you. I have been amazed seeing M57 as I have never seen it before in my life. Before I had the feeling that I was seeing something somehow unreal, because it looked too flat in the eyepiece. With these magnifications it is as if I were flying over the nebula and everything becomes much more real. Undoubtedly it is because of that three-dimensional feeling of the different brightness levels. Between the intense brightness of the ring that looks like a donut, or bull to be more precise, since it certainly has volume, and the area of cliffs or slopes that are not uniform but are of a faint gray that is crossed by darker lines that lead to a completely black central area, in which in the center there is a concentration of brightness that playing with direct and peripheral vision can be reduced to look like a dot. It is that set, occupying ALL your field of vision, which makes you hallucinate and see the nebula as you have never seen it before. What a marvel. Clear skies, Israel.

Thank you to everyone for your kind welcome. @Gonariu I'm really looking forward to know your country, bella Sardigna. On 2020 I was about to go there for holidays but COVID stopped everything. Best regards from Spain

Welcome to SGL, this summer I'll visit Cotswold with my family!! I've seen some pictures and you live in a wonderful region. Best from Spain.

Not sure if this is the proper forum to debate this announcement from NASA and ESA: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-invites-media-public-to-view-webb-telescope-s-first-images It seems first image from WST will be released on Tuesday, July 12, they have named it Image Release Day!! (quite original by the way) Are you ready for that day? Have you already added to your agenda? I've just done it...

Thank you very much, Gordon, Miguel and Barbulo? I'm sure I'm going to enjoy a lot this forum... 😄

Hi! As I wrote in my welcome message I have acquired an expensive (at least for me at south of Spain), weight and important telescope just 18 months ago. Also, the effort to take it to the field is high (its main mirror + cell weights 30kgs), so I propose myself a simple but very rewarding challenge, to observe the Messier list again but with "other eyes". The images that showed the telescope with an aperture that I was not used to left me almost speechless, so I decided to create some cards that help to understand what can be seen visually with large apertures. I sincerely believe that it is something that, in as much detail as I am dedicating to it, had not been done before and the result seems to me that it can be very useful for many. Unfortunately I only have 13 cards created but I will expand it as the days go by, even so I would like to share it with you in case you find it useful. My main goal is to create a tool that helps the slow and detailed observation of the Messier list, because I feel if I do not share what I do it does not make sense at all. So here you have the web and its cards: https://theferretofcomets.com/index.php/en/messier-catalog/ Please let me know your ideas about it, any kind of criticism is most welcome. Best, Israel

Hi everyone! I've just joined to the family of stargazers lounge to follow up news and to share my observations with you. My name is Israel Perez de Tudela, I am from Seville (at the south of Spain) and 18 months ago I acquired a telescope that I had been dreaming about since I started with astronomy (24 years ago). It was an 18". Best regards to everyone, Israel.