Observing report - Saturday 5/1/08

[spacemonkey]

Hi All.

I posted this on our society (N.A.S.) yahoo group, but have copy & pasted it here as well just so you know that there is night-life in Norfick!

Along with all the usual ones involving giving up my vices (no

success on that front yet...), my main goal this year is to record

more of my observing sessions, so here's a rundown of what we (Ivan,

Dave B., Mark T. and myself) got up to on Saturday night.

The weather was clearing from the west when we set up at about 8.00,

and was totally clear by about 9.30. Transparency was not brilliant,

but mag 5.25 stars could be seen with averted vision in Ursa Minor,

and the seeing was fairly steady. My plan was to make a start on the

lists in the "Astronomical Wonders" book (to be reviewed in the next

Cygnus) with the TV102. Most of the targets were fairly prominent

DSO's (Deep Sky Objects) and were easily found, but one or two gave

the 4" a few problems. Also, (sit down before you read this bit.....)

I have been observing, wait for it... DOUBLE STARS!!!

However, there is something about using a "gentleman's telescope" ;o)

to find this stuff that makes me realise you don't always need

aperture to get the most rewarding view. All the objects are NGC's so

I've just given that number. The notes are mostly as they were

written on the night. Also, just in case you wondered why I didn't

use anything higher, I've sold my 4.8 & 7mm nagler's, so my current

maximum magnification is 88X.

Comet 8P/Tuttle : Easy to find heading south through Pisces. About

the same size, but slightly fainter than M13. Central region slightly

brighter, no stellar nucleus seen, no tail.

ARIES -

772 : Small faint hazy patch, difficult @ 46x, more obvious @ 88x.

Averted vision needed to detect slightly brighter core.

5-gamma : Easy split at 46x, both pure white, similar brightness

(m3.9)

9-lambda : Wide, easy pair @ 46x. m4.8 yellow primary, m7.3 companion

pale blue. Looks like the "Scottish Star"!

ORION -

1973/1975 : Small, disjointed patches of nebuosity @ 46x, more

distinct @ 88x. A few embedded stars. UHC made ?emission areas more

obvious but reflection areas were then invisible.

1981 : Loose but bright OC. 12 stars seen, but some background haze

could be stars, or more nebulosity from 1973/75 to the south.

1976 : (M42) Brilliant at 25x, better in 4" without UHC, fills f.o.v.

@ 46x. Well defined arcs of nebulosity and dark patches.

1982 : (M43) Seen with M42. No obvious separation from M42.

2024 : On edge of field @ 46x, central dark lane fairly clear. Easier

with UHC, but still poorly defined.

2068 : (M78) Very easy @ 46x + 88x. Circular hazy patch fading to one

side, 2 embedded stars m11.

2022 : Difficult @ 88x, almost stellar, tiny gray disk. Found with

UHC, then easy with averted vision/no filter.

2169 : One of my favourites. "37" cluster. 14 stars seen forming 3 &

7. Better @ 88x.

2194 : 3 or 4 faint stars seen @ 46x, but obvious background haze of

unresolved stars.

1662 : Unusual shape, look like an albatross's wings in flight. 14

stars seen @ 88x, no grainy background seen.

1788 : Faint, small patch of nebulosity. Needs averted vision to see

clearly, but seen without at times. No obvious shape.

19-beta : (Rigel) Steady but difficult split @ 88x, but needs more

power. Both white.

34-delta : (Mintaka) Easy @ 46x, both blue/white.

44-iota : Neat triple @ 88x. All stars look blue/white.

39-lambda : Steady @ 88x, but needs more. Both white.

41-theta : (Trapezium) Easy split @ 88x, E seen occasionally, F not

seen.

48-sigma : Familiar sight @ 88x, like small planetary system. All

components white.

50-zeta : (Alnitak) Appears elongated but not split @ 88x (2.2").

Tried with UHC, but m3.6 companion still not seen.

TAURUS -

1432 : (Pleiades) 7 steadily with naked eye.

1514 : Seen @ 88x without UHC, but better @ 46x with. Larger than

expected, same size as Eskimo. Bright central star.

1647 : Loose OC, many m8-10 stars arranged in arcs or pairs. More

detatched from background stars @ 88x.

1746 : Easy @ 25x, looks like fainter version of ET cluster (NGC457),

same basic shape.

1807/1817 : Nice pair of OC's @ 25x & 46x, although not quite the

double cluster! 1807 larger and brighter, but more sparse. Both fade

gradually into background stars.

1952 : (M1) Easy with 88x, UHC useful to define extent of nebulosity.

No structure seen.

59-chi : Easy @ 46x. Primary light yellow, companion blue/white.

118 : Just split @ 46x, both white.

Finished at around 02.00 as the wind was picking up, bringing in high

cloud from the west. A quick look at Saturn and Mars, but no detail

seen in the 102, although this was expected at 88x. Can't wait till

the 3-6mm nagler zoom arrives. Saturn was much better in Mark's Mak-

Cas, Cassini division seen even though the rings are only a few

degrees wide at present, and 5 (or possibly 6) satellites.

Something Dave B. had pointed out earlier rounded off the night -

seeing a naked eye triangle of Comet Holmes, M31, and the Double

Cluster. Same shape as the Summer Triangle, but smaller and made

of "faint fuzzies".

Not a bad night for the first session of the year, all being well

I'll carry on with the observing log and write-ups throughout the

rest of the year.

Cheers, Dave.

[Sam]

Thanks for posting that really great report. It is so amazing just how much there is to see!

Sam

[jgs001]

Dave, great report. Thanks.