Another great session with the Megrez 72

[RobertI]

Following the success of a great session a few weeks ago with my little Megrez72, I have been itching to get out again. After a long run of appalling weather I could finally see stars last night. So, despite low mist, a moon at first quarter and suffering from a stinking cold, I ventured out to the local park on foot with the scope in a rucksack and tripod in hand.

The park is a great location for observing. The rubberised flooring around the climbing frames gives a firm footing for the tripod and reduced risk of damage if equipment is dropped. This was my first time out using my new Horizon camera tripod and I shall be posting an equipment review later.

So using a Baader 10mm eyepiece giving a magnification of 43x and a field of view of 1.57 degrees, I began observing.

First up was a tour of clusters in Auriga. M36 or Pinwheel cluster in Auriga was a small cluster about 1/10th field of view. I could see around 15 main stars and a large number of fainter stars which could not be resolved and gave the impression of nebulosity.

M38 or the Starfish Cluster was more densely populated and about twice the size of M36. I imagine the name comes from the appearance of a couple of radial arms of stars which were clearly visible.

M37 was about the same size as M36 but very compact and oval shaped with a haze of probably hundreds of stars which could not quite be resolved except for bright central star and a handful of dimmer stars. Overall was the faintest of the three, although it had become pretty foggy by this point.

Next up was the asterism Kemble's Cascade. This could be seen as a beautiful meandering arcing line of around 20 bright stars which ends in the open cluster NGC1502 (the 'pool' into which the cascade falls). The entire cascade could fit into the field of view of the 21mm eyepiece but it was nicer to observe with the 10mm as the sky was darker and the stars brighter. NGC1502 comprised a bright close pair of equal brightness in the centre with around 15 fainter stars comprising the body of the cluster. The whole thing was really pretty.

I spotted Caroline's Rose while using the 21mm as I was expecting a large and loose open cluster. In fact it was a small and very faint nebulous patch which Would have been difficult to find using the 10mm given the poor conditions. Switching. From the 21mm to the 10mm, it took up around 1/8 of the field of view and a handful of the brighter stars could be resolved with the remaining stars, seemingly hundreds of them, visible as a nebulous patch with well defined edges.

Eta Cassiopeiae was a pretty double with a bright orange/yellow primary and a much fainter white companion very close by.

On to M103 in Cassiopeia, a loose open cluster about an eight of the field of view of the 10mm eyepiece. Around 20 evenly spaced brighter stars and I am guessing 30 fainter stars of the edge of visibility which could probably be easily seen on a darker night.

Next was NGC458 or the Owl cluster or ET cluster. To be honest my initial impression was of a frog, but eventually I could clearly see why it is called the ET cluster with two bright stars (the brighter having an orange hue) at the top for the head, two long snaking arms either side just like ET, and a small body below. Superb!

Finally my first look at the Orion Nebula, which had crept above the mist to around 15 degrees elevation. I have to say that of all the clusters viewed on the night the trapezium was the biggest WOW. The four pinpoint white stars sitting close together and looking like jewels in the cotton wool of the nebula was really something to behold. The nebulous background really made the sharpness of the stars stand out. I am looking forward to applying some more power to this object next time.

Another great session with brilliant little Megrez72.

[cotterless45]

Sounds lovely , good to have some clear skies. NGC 7789 is one of my favourite clusters, really lovely under dark skies. For those frantically searching, the Owl Cluster is NGC 457 , an easy star hop,

Nick.

[RobertI]

Thanks for spotting the error Nick, the perils of soft keyboards and tiny screens!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very nice report. Small scopes can pack a big punch under clear skies, very nice for wide field views. I use my 80mm triplet in much the same way next to the good old C8

[Special K]

Sounds like a nice little scope and a Horizon tripod is going to be a light rig overall and very portable. I find M36 to be a bit brighter though with fewer stars, and M37 to be the most spectacular when conditions are good. Clear skies!