Fantastic Sunday night

[Glaiden]

Yesterday was possibly the best night I´ve ever had. The atmosphere was clear and steady and the faintest star i could see without averted vision was around magnitude 6.0

My main target was comet Jacques. I managed to center her almost immediatly. The halo and nucleus were clearly visible and i saw faint hints of a tail. 

The i ran through classics like:

Andromeda (M31) was clearly visible even with naked eye (and it was gigantic). In telescope at low power, relatively bright extensions (which I assumed to be arms) extended beyond field of view of my eyepiece (48x). Both her neighbour galaxies were visible and bright.

Ring nebula (M57) - Finally, for the first time, I saw greenish-blueish tint in nebula. With higher magnification (120x) many details were visible (elliptic ring, brightness variations and something which looked like ragged edges).

Dumbbell nebula (M27) also displayed slightly green colour and at higher magnification I was able to make out huge amount of details. Poles were brightest while interior was slightly fainter and filled with brightness differences. Also, halo extending beyond the dumbbell shape was visible and bright, which gave the nebula appereance of an eye.

Double cluster - Again, clearly visible with naked eye. In telesope many bright and faint stars were visible.

Whirlpool galaxy (M51) was unfortunately low in the sky and washed out because of the skyglow from nearby city, still both nuclei were visible and halo was brighter than usual. Sometimes I caught faint hints of her arms, but it also could be an optical illusion

Bode´s nebulae (M81+M82) - M81 was visible and fairly bright. Disc was also visible but I couldn´t make out the arms clearly. However, dust in M82 was clearly visible and galaxy responded well to higher magnification (120x). 

Hercules cluster (M13)  - The stars in this cluster looked like salt or sugar sprinkled onto the sky. I counted four or five star streams (the cluster looked a bit like pentagram) and few bubbles of void between those streams.

After these showpieces went for some new sights.

Wild duck cluster (M11) - It was surprising that I was able to see the "flying duck" shape almost immediatly. Bar and arches were visible, whole cluster was bright and it was a pretty sight.

Fireworks galaxy (NGC 6946) - This galaxy was so faint, that I almost missed her. But once I saw her, slight uniformity of the smudge became visible (arms, maybe?). And there was nice little open cluster nearby.

Owl nebula (M97) - To be honest, this object was a little disappointment for me. It was propably the faintest object I ever saw. I didn´t even see the circular shape, I had to look for ten minutes to see it. Also, when I tried to find nearby M108, I failed.

Triangulum galaxy (M33) was actually brighter than I expected it to be. Yes, it was faint but the arms were definitely there. One thing that surprised me, was that the nucleus was unusually small and faint. I tried to also see H-II regions but i failed. 

Little Dumbbell nebula (M76) was also brighter than I expected. Dumbbell shape was clear and visible (althought it looked more elliptical) and something which looked like seriously faint halo was also visible.

Eastern Veil nebula (NGC 6992) - I tried to see this sight during many occasions and repeatedly failed. And this night wasn´t really different. In my finder and in telescope were really faint hints of something, but it could easily be optical illusions created by the amount of stars in Milky Way

And one last sight - one really special sight - Pleiades!

Pleiades (M45) are special for me because it was first deep sky object I ever learned (along with M42 and M31). And when I saw them, emerging from the eastern skyglow, I got hit with sudden feelling of nostalgia and I knew, that I had to see them. The stars looked like diamonds in telescope and at low power, the reflection nebula was clear and bright. The brightest halo was around Merope.

After this sight I packed my Dob and went back home, because it was freezing (8 °C) and I am still sick. But still, this was without a question the best night I ever had. Now i´m looking forward to Wednesday night which is supposed to be also clear and steady.

Meanwhile, clear skies! 

[Pig]

Hi,

Great report, a wonderful night by all accounts and you managed to see a great many targets   It has been a fruitful week for stargazing.

I was pleased I finally got to see comet Jacques on Saturday night

[Daniel-K]

Nice report. Strange you couldn't see the veil . Maybe you where looking through it.what eyepiece was you using

[Stu]

Fantastic report, sounds like you had a very good night.

Which scope were you using?

The Veil should be visible under mag 6 skies. It needs a wide field of view and a UHC filter helps a lot, an OIII is even better.

Stu

[DazC]

Nice report Glaiden,

I also had a good weekend under the stars.

What scope are you using?

D.C

[Glaiden]

Nice report Glaiden,

I also had a good weekend under the stars.

What scope are you using?

 D.C

8 inch Dobsonian

Nice report. Strange you couldn't see the veil . Maybe you where looking through it.what eyepiece was you using

PL 25mm - 48x magnification. Technically, I saw something which looked like a faint streaks and archs but they were so faint that I wasn´t sure what to make of it. I already considered buying UHC/OIII filter so as soon as i get it I´ll give it another chance. Meanwhile, I´ll just keep looking.

[Lowjiber]

Very nice, well written report.  Nights like that are rare anywhere, and I'm glad you had the experience.

Clear Skies

[Stu]

8 inch Dobsonian

PL 25mm - 48x magnification. Technically, I saw something which looked like a faint streaks and archs but they were so faint that I wasn´t sure what to make of it. I already considered buying UHC/OIII filter so as soon as i get it I´ll give it another chance. Meanwhile, I´ll just keep looking.

I'm sure the issue is field of view. This snapshot from SkySafari showing the field of view of the 25mm Plossl in the 8" giving a 1 degree field vs a 31mm Nagler in my Genesis which gives a 5 degree field.

You are basically more looking through it than at it so I'm sure that is the issue. You will need a wider field/longer focal length eyepiece to see it properly.

Stu

EDIT

Something like a 24mm Maxvision would get the whole Eastern Veil in.

[Glaiden]

Thanks for the advice. I'll work on it on Wednesday night and meanwhile I'll look around for some wide fields.