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Finally some sky to look at. Friday 28th

Casus belli

By Casus belli
in Observing - Reports

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Casus belli

Casus belli

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Not the best of nights but considering the weather we’ve had in the past month I thought I’d have a bash.

Weather was as follows. Some high cloud early on. Wind force 5-6 decreasing 4-5 later. Seeing 6 improving to 7 later. Cold and getting colder!

On set up I’m very much aware of neighbour’s lights. I try the old blanket over my head trick which has some limited success. However every time I move target I get my night vision ruined. I nearly pack in at 10pm to go to the pub but I decide to persevere. Saturn doesn’t look good and I can just see M51 (My fuzzy hunt guide to viewing conditions) I try M95 and 96 in Leo and although I can see them it’s not great. I peer at Orion nebulae before it’s hidden from view. It’s ok but nothing to write home about. Cuppa time.

I come out about 30 minutes later and there’s some improvement. Although there’s more high clouds the neighbours light is out. I try the realm of galaxies in Leo’s tail and I find some fuzzies but thin high cloud makes identifying them too difficult. My charts are getting blown about so I give up on them. I did see 15 to 20 blobs before the forecast clouds roll in. I should pack in but I was beginning to enjoy myself so its cuppa time again.

I came back out just after midnight and to my surprise it’s quite a lot clearer. The Leo area is still cloudy so I shift my focus to Ursa Major M51 looks a bit better and is now recognisable as M51 and not just a blob. I can’t find M81 or M82 probably due to a combination of wisps of cloud and my lack of a sense of direction. I try for M97 the owl nebulae which I find but I can’t find nearby M108. Cuppa time.

When I come back out I take a last look at Saturn. Wow! Banding on the planet, a distinct ring shadow and I can see the Cassini division. This is one of my best views of Saturn. The cloud has mostly cleared apart from an annoying bit right where I want to view. I’ve never seen the sombrero galaxy (M104) due to its low altitude from my latitude. Ah why not. I use the 26mm ep and by Jove I find it. I really hadn’t expected to as it was way lower than any other galaxy I’ve seen. Ok it was just a fuzzy blob but I’m delighted. Before I go in to check on stellarium just to make sure that there’s nothing else that I could be mistaking for M104 I move the scope over so I can catch Hercules and M57 in Lyre. This means I can’t observe Leo and Saturn any more but there’s some “new sky” for me to have a look at.

While inside I have a look at Stephen O’Meara’s book Hidden Treasures and memorise some likely targets. More tea.

Back out and the winds dropped a bit and there’s no cloud. A quick look at M51 shows a marked improvement. I finally find M109 which has taken me ages to locate. Its one of these that I shouldn’t be missing and after seeing it I can’t understand why I kept missing it. It’s a big galaxy. M106 is next and is surprisingly easy to find tonight. Now for a hidden treasure, NGC 4605. Draw a line up from Phad to Megrez and extend it the same distance that these two stars are apart and you’re right in the ball park. This is a nice dwarf galaxy which surprised me by how bright it is. And as a matter of interest it’s fairly close to the Hubble deep field view. I search again for M81 and 82 and this time I have no problems finding them. Again I’ve seen more detail but they’re always a rewarding target. On a whim I move the scope around looking for another galaxy that I know is in the area and I find a faint fuzzy. Another new one. I’m pretty sure this NGC 2976 but by now I’m really tired and my brain is suffering from fuzzy overload.

Another hidden treasure is NGC 4656, it’s pretty faint but I can just make out a hockey stick shape. I’ll say one thing for Stephen O’Meara he may whitter on a bit about pirates in his book but he does give good directions. The charts could in some cases be a bit better but I’m glad I bought this book.

I have a look at M13 in Hercules which wasn’t that great, only a bright fuzzy blob with no individual stars resolved and move on to the ring nebulae. I find it easy enough but again its not that great. I sit down in my chair to smoke a ciggy and ease the pain in my back my knees and my neck. I try again and this time it’s fantastic. M57 is one of the great sights in the sky, something I’ll never tire of looking at. I try to find the dumbbell nebulae but try as I might I can’t see it. I pull away from the ep and realise that it’s getting light. Jesus! Is that the time? I’ve pulled an all nighter.

Even when I finally get to my bed I can’t sleep, every time I close my eyes I see faint fuzzies.

I think tonight taught me a lot about perseverance. I’m sure there was some high patchy thin clouds which periodically got in my way which may explain why I couldn’t see some of my easier targets but yet caught some really obscure and faint ones.

Edit: Oh yeah I forgot, While at the ep looking for fuzzies I was lucky enough to catch a satelite speeding through my FOV and I managed to follow it for a few seconds. So every time I spotted a satelite I tried to follow it. I managed to follow four with the 26mm 2" ep. It was surprisingly easy and a lot of fun. I have to try the ISS some night.

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Casus belli

Casus belli

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I second what Blinky says, just shows what perseverance can do. How about another cuppa to celebrate :rolleyes:

naz

How did you guess? I'm drinking one now. Fortunately my bladder has the same cubic capacity as a medium sized super tanker.

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Talitha

Talitha

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Thanks for the great report CB, and congratulations on bagging the Sombrero! :thumbup: What's your latitude?

The lowest galaxy I've seen from here (45°28'N) is NGC253, the 'Sculptor' galaxy. At it's prime altitude in November, it's only 19° from my southern horizon.

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Casus belli

Casus belli

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I'm at latitude 57 40' North and about 100 yards away from the Moray Firth which gives me some great views of any aurora that happen. Unfortunately the local council have decided the way to deal with any stunning view is to put up lighting everywhere. :rolleyes:

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mdstuart

mdstuart

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Love your report. I saw M104 the other night for the first time ever. My telescope is only a 4.5 inch TAL and the fuzzies are all alike but hey its still fun....

Do you use online maps to find the galaxies? Any good ones?

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Andrew*

Andrew*

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Very nice report, now that I've got round to read it! Really enjoyable to read, as the enjoyment you must have had that night comes out in your writing.

I'm envious of you managing an all-nighter. Something I always want to do, as I often find myself packing up to beautiful clear skies due to duties or sleep deprivation.

You managed some very nice targets too - I hope to bag some of those Leo galaxies at Kielder.

Thanks for sharing this great report - we want to read more of them.

Andrew

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