Mike JW

Good to see someone is taking a look at these comets with EAA. I can spend much time trying to locate comets with my somewhat narrow fov. Mike

Tricky to ID the SHK groups which adds to the challenge, especially if GOTO slightly out. Using the C11 does make it easier. If I have had time I have noted the Pretty Deep map reference beforehand and will quickly call it up to confirm I am in the right area.

I did a 5 hr session last night - much to process/sort.

Thanks for adding your shots of these groups.

Mike

Nice one Bill, The V asterism is the first thing I see now (and oh yes there is a galaxy nearby as well!!!). Mike

Martin - glad you managed to get out there and as always good to compare.

Bill - more than enough to keep us occupied.

I am only posting a small sample of my observations. Currently making a big effort when ever there is a gap.

Mike

Hi Marvin,

Why did I wait? In the course of about 4 nights I had about 70 images to sort out, read about, ........Meanwhile there is the rest of life to enjoy. Currently sitting outside and just "caught"  five flat galaxies........currently cloudy. Target DSOs for the next hour - at least 6. Having fun. Mike

I did this observation back in Feb but have only just got around to reviewing it. UGC 3489 is a flat spiral galaxy, mag 15.5 in Gemini.  However I could not believe the image as it appeared on the screen. I had to double check against professional images of the area - look above the galaxy - what a great line of stars, in fact it is a V-shaped group. There are various "asterisms" in the area.  Image cleaned up in photoshop. 

UGC 3573 is also around mag 15. It seems to have a very tight and bright nucleus. Also captured the nearby PGC galaxy (mag 15). Mike

Hi Marv,

Totally agree - I never cease to be fascinated by astronomy.  Always happy to help whether it be EEVA or visual questions.  Have fun. Mike

Great as always to view your achievements. Tend to agree that there may well be more galaxies in the area. Some of the unnumbered fuzz spots look more like galaxies than stars. Mike

SHK 280, I thought was worth posting because it is a chain of very faint galaxies - 16 of them in a pretty pattern. Mag 18 or fainter.

SHK 346 in contrast is a tight group of faint galaxies, mag 18/19.  Between 4 and 7 is a fuzz patch mag 20 galaxy? 

Just goes to show what can be achieved with 8" of aperture. You have captured all the galaxies I ringed and also the Quasar. Mike

Thanks David, That is very helpful information/thoughts. I have a couple of friends visiting this week to find out more about EAA so combined with Martin's link this thread is very useful. Currently I am sticking with my Ultrastar but still fancy exploring a CMOS camera at some point. Mike

I am slowly catching up sorting through images from recent excellent nights.

This one of Arp 255 is interesting for what else I picked up. The distant quasar is a real bonus.  UGC 5304 are obviously doing a merry dance as they collide/interact. They lie about 560/570 million lyrs away. There are three other galaxies at similar distance so presumably are part of the group. Using the 15"inch Dob does enable these shots in a "short" time.

Mike

Thanks Martin. I had not thought to check them out against the Flat Galaxy list because I have limited myself to mag 15.5 and brighter, so now I shall have to start an addendum!!!!!! These technical articles you find add a new dimension as well. I tend to speed read them and pick up the key points. I had thought they might be interacting because better images seem to give a hint of extensions to the pair. Mike

A mate pointed these guys out. They are about 4 million lyrs apart and in the region of 520 million lyrs away. They do look a bit like a pair of comets. UGC 5938 is mag 16.5 and classed as peculiar? 5942 is mag 17.5 and also classed as peculiar or irrgeular?

This shot was done last night under a blazing moon!!!!

Mike

Hi Marv,

No simple answer to your question. Popular size scopes are 6 to 8 inch aperture but EEVA can be carried out with any scope. Shorter focal length scopes will give you a wider field of view and thus are good for large extended objects - nebulae. My particular interest is galaxies (Arps, VV, SHK groups, Hicksons......) and for that I prefer larger aperture and narrower field of view.

I note you have been observing for about three years. I observed visually for 20 years before I thought about going down the digital route. I still observe visually - double stars, lunar, planets, clusters, comets and the brighter Deep Sky Objects. Personally I still prefer visual observing with no electronic aids over EEVA . If I was in a very dark sky and had silly money to spare then I would love a 30" Dob for a life time of visual work.

I appreciate the wonder of EEVA because it has enabled me to "see" DSOs in more detail than I could when I owned a big Dob. To me doing direct visual astronomy first is a bit like doing an apprenticeship to learn the trade (in this case to learn and understand the heavens). 

So back to your question. Use your existing scope to build up your knowledge and buy a suitable camera to have a go at EEVA.

As to the Arps. I saw some with my large Dob but much of the time not much more than grey fuzz. A mate with his 24" sees much more but generally not as much as I (and others) see using the EEVA technique.  Hence I dream of the monster 30" Dob in very dark skies and at least 100 clear nights a year.....

There are all sorts of lists. I have lists for suitable double stars for 8" scopes, lists of suitable DSOs for 8" scopes, lists for the large Dob...........some off the internet, others made up over the years.

Forgive me for being direct at this point - "are you trying to run before you can walk"? I have hours of visual fun and fascination with my small 7" scope and sometimes much prefer to get this little scope out rather than use a bigger scope or camera set up. Astronomy is a life long pursuit (and expensive).

Have fun and enjoy the interest.

Other folk will express a different view to mine which is one of the joys of sharing the hobby.

Feel free to ask more questions and to get different answers.

Mike

Hi Roelb,

Thanks for adding your shots into this post and others. It is good to compare and helps other folk to see what can be achieved with the different equipment and settings. Mike

Thanks for the confirmation. Mike

Hi Martin, Lynx is full of interesting DSOs.

Arp 195 - you did well picking up the arm on the southern galaxy. This grp are about 750 million lyrs away. I have have labelled some other galaxy distances on your image - below. To get 4 galaxies at 1 billion lyrs or more in the same image - nice one.

Arp215  - great shot and now eight distant galaxies (ringed)

Arp 315 - see below but I am fairly certain the smudge in the circle is a quasar at 9.9!!!!!!!!!! - it just gets better!!!!!!!

I was meant to be sorting some of my images on this very wet afternoon but closely inspecting your shots has been just as much fun. Can't wait to get to have another look at the Lynx Arps.  Mike

Hi Fraunhoffer, I gave up on filters years ago for the moon. As you say the more you look the more you see - true of life..........Once I decided to sketch the moon then I began to see things I had never observed on the lunar surface despite years of cruising the surface. The Hadley rille area is fascinating and deserves hours of close inspection. Thanks for firing me up to take a trip to this area. Must get the pencils out again.

Mike

Thanks Martin, Your shot gives me an idea of the exposure needed. If there is another very transparent night I shall try again. Good to know it can be done using the EAA approach.

Enjoyed your work and the ease of which you have captured the key details with simple pencil strokes and marks. Currently I am having a break from lunar sketching. Mike

Excellent presentation. Mike

Last night I cruised the length of Hydra picking up many galaxies. Conditions low down were good enough to allow for a look at Corvus and Crater.

Arp 22 (NGC 4027) in Corvus was classified by Dr Arp as a “one armed spiral”. Closer inspection suggests there is a second but much smaller arm. It is a barred spiral (SBc). There are different estimates of its distance. Sky Safari suggests 77 million lyrs away. The interesting question is why the galaxy has one very large arm and a much smaller second arm. Something in the past has messed up the galaxy. It is now suggested that nearby NGC 4027A (mag 14) may have passed by in the past and caused the disruption. It too has been messed up – type IB (irregular blue dwarf).  NGC 4027A is the irregular patch with a star knot just below the inset. Other folk have suggested NGC 4027 is a result of a merger.

Arp 244 (NGC 4038/39) – the Antennae Galaxies (63 million lyrs away or maybe even nearer at 45million lyrs away). These guys are busy colliding (an interacting galaxy pair) and in time the cores will become one giant core in a giant galaxy. I would love to have picked up the two streamers but at -18 DEC it is rare to get clear sky so low down. (I am sure the neighbours would have thought I was trying to see into their bedroom window!!!!!). Great to see the bursts of star formation. The collision began about 900 million years ago and they passed through each other and about 300 million years ago the two star streams began to form.

Arp 289 (NGC 3981) – “double galaxy with wind effect” in Crater. About 79 million lyrs away and mag 11.0. There is no obvious second galaxy. High resolution images show plumes, so what disrupted the galaxy to cause these star streams? But, these plumes maybe the nature of this galaxy, just faint extensions of the arms and not due to some interaction.

Martin thanks for the image - very useful. Good to have confirmation that the Quasar is in the plume as we suspected.

Below is a very enlarged cropped image. The dark patch you refer to - seems to be there in my image.

The fun of this lark is it is making us study the area, the details in the image and of course the reading up - love it. 

Mike

Agree. You guys with your shorter focal length set ups give the wider fov which I enjoy.