Observing DSOs in Auriga

[perrin6]

Ok I found IC 2149 it is a very small but bright blob....UIII helps make it brighter than the stars around..must come back when the moon is less bright and the object is higher up..

Mark

Oh good - yes it's brighter than you might expect. I like planetary nebulae, they're all fairly unique and most are small and need a bit of hunting. I haven't a UIII filter, does it show much more in PN's ?

[Mark at Beaufort]

Last night was really special viewing Jupiter's GRS and the Io transit.

Because I had both the 6" Newt and the 4" frac both mounted on the dual alt/az I decided to return to Theta Auriga. This double has a large mag difference 2.7 for the primary and 7.2 for the secondary. It has a separation of 4".

On the 6" Newt with the 3mm part of the Nagler zoom I was getting 250x unfortunately I could not make out the double. The position on the frac was completely different. Same EP mag 236x and there it was - faint but quite noticeable. Perhaps it confirms that a well corrected APO is ideal for doubles.

Mark

[mdstuart]

Alan

The UIII filter is helpful in confirming the sighting. When used the other stars fade but IC2149 stays bright as it is emitting light that mostly passes through the filter.

I find it was an expensive but useful little piece of kit if you are in to Planetaries..

Mark

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Despite moonlight I got a look at NGC 2281 this evening. The break in the cloud was not big enough to set up the scope, but the 15x70 bins got the ball of fuzz. Really bright and surprising it is not in the Messier catalogue.