2nd Tray at M81 ( and others) - SUCCESS!!

[JimBobs63]

Hi,

Well, having failed in my first attempt from light-polluted SW London skies, I packed up my telescope, laptop (with stellarium), and odds and sods (or "the family" as I should perhaps more correctly call them...!!), and headed down to my in-laws in SW Wales. Good move!

One the first of two nights viewing I spent time looking at M81 and M82 before moving on to M51 - all three seen clearly. M51 looked especially good - could distinguish the irregular shape of the galaxy due to its companion. It seemed to be a good dark steady sky so looked around some more and had a good look at a couple of clusters - the beehive (M44) followed by M67.

One the second night I had a look at M36, M37 and M38, before turning to M35. All visible as more or less tight blobs of stars. I then turned to some more galaxies - M65 and M66 along with NGC3628 - all in the one field of view with my UWA 20mm eyepiece. All small smudges but very nice!

Finally I tried to find NGC2392 in Gemini. It's called the Clown Face Nebula in Turn Left at Orion, but called the Eskimo Nebula in The Backyard Astronomer. Any idea why?

This was difficult - but after a while I finally spotted it - a fuzzy blob looking like a slightly defocussed star with a small bright centre. Not bad...

The clouds rolled in yesterday, and I'm back in London now with thunderstorms so I guess there won't be much to see tonight...!!

Hoping for more clear skies soon!

Jim

[Ursa Major]

Ahh, good to hear you finally managed to see the pair of galaxies Jim, and a lot else.

I bet it was a huge change from London being able to see so many more stars so you can actually pin point objects rather than star hopping from stars miles away from the target.

I saw the Eskimo neb for the first time a few nights ago and got about the same result as you. I don’t see how a clown can look anything like an Eskimo.

I bet you hated driving back to London.

Now you have a better idea where M81 and M82 are, you must try to find them in London.

Good luck.

[swamp thing]

Hi Jim

Nice to hear you got to see it, Its a great sight from a dark sky.

Now you should be able to find it from town. Have a go, let us know how you get on.

I guess the clown name is just how it appears to some people.

Some DS objects have more than one name like M17 that has at least two.

Regards Steve

[m_j_lyons]

Congrats - It's great every now and then to get the scope out into darker locations. Also agree with Ursa Major - now that you know roughly where Bodee's M81/82 are you can strive to see them from the big (light polluted) city.

[ChrisSnape]

Glad you saw them!

I am waiting for a clear night to try and find M81+82. Fingers crossed for this weekend.

[acey]

Finally I tried to find NGC2392 in Gemini. It's called the Clown Face Nebula in Turn Left at Orion, but called the Eskimo Nebula in The Backyard Astronomer. Any idea why?

The nebula has a bright, irregular centre surrounded by a thinner ring, and this has given rise to the nicknames. Both are in common use, though Eskimo is more popular. Robert Burnham's "Celestial Handbook" (1977) says:

"There are several bright condensations in the inner shell which make a pattern resembling a human face; the outer shell evidently suggests a parka-like hood to the imaginative observer since the nebula is popularly called the "Eskimo nebula". To the author of this book, the whole nebula irresistibly suggests the classic and unforgettable features of W. C. Fields."

The resemblance can be seen in the photograph in Burnham's book (if you know who W.C. Fields was), but I've never observed it visually. The "hood" is nevertheless clearly visible with my 12".

In "The Caldwell Objects" Stephen O'Meara writes:

"NGC 2392's most popular nickname is the Eskimo Nebula because of the way it resembles a face peering out from a fur-lined parka. Ultraviolet-light photographs tend to exaggerate the 'nose' (the planetary's hot central star), thus the nebula's other popular nickname, the Clown-Face... I have called NGC 2392 the Lion Nebula ever since childhood, for to me the pattern most resembles the face of a cartoon lion whose large and bristling mane surrounds its smiling countenance."