Nebula Winter Season - Your Observational Targets

[scarp15]

The clocks go back, the (mystic) weather forecasters are promising us colder air by later next week and the winter constellations are beginning to emerge.  We are all by now hungry for the return of M42 / M43 to sublimely grace our skies and re-quench our (at times) challenged enthusiasm. There will be a bountiful variety of planetary, emission and reflection nebula to chase, to become re-acquainted or discovery for the first time. 

What is on your forth-coming target list and what equipment do you anticipate / plan to use in the pursuit?

Here are some of mine, which are generally fairly difficult and cross over from previous yearly attempts.

1. Flaming Star Nebula in Auriga IC 405 emission / reflection, the visible aspect described as being a bit like a side on boomerang (Gerry that might have been you) UHC / H-beta recommended. I plan on looking for this with each of my scopes, including my 76mm rich field and use my    relatively new, lowest power widest field eye piece. I would mark this 7 out of 10 in terms of feeling confident I should see it.

2. Jellyfish Nebula Gemini IC 443. The location of this super nova remnant is easy, being just a little north east of Propus, O-III required. Exceptions for seeing it perhaps 5 out of 10 maybe.

3. Barnard's Loop Orion. Large and very difficult emission nebula. For this I will put faith in my small wide field refractor as well as larger instruments and use a H-beta filter. Aspects of the Northern section, can I believe in excellent dark sky conditions be detected. My own reckoning, whilst it will be fun to try my exceptions are 4 or less out of 10.  

I also look forward to re-visiting The California nebula, a more credible H-beta target, this time I will apply a larger exit pupil, lower power, wider field with my 31mm nagler, again taking along both a dobsonian and wide field refractor. There are many more challenging and very challenging targets (yes Barnard 33) and some easier classics that I have yet to visit or look forward to seasonally indulging in - such as the Rosette Nebula. Each requires a journey and a dark sky and of equal importance a winter full of a succession of crisp and clear skies!

 

[PeterW]

You are just touching the surface with that list, but they're good ones. I'd include Rosetta and the monkey head, I could list some more...

PeterW

Ps currently at a starparty where are looking like 0/3 nights of anything but solid mid altitude clouds :-(((

[Davesellars]

Thanks for the great post!  All those you posted I believe needing really dark skies so good luck!

I have a site I'll be going to this winter for sure with my 120ST with the OIII and UHC to try out some of the more difficult nebulae.  I haven't seen the Flame nebula yet so that's one and also the Rosetta nebula.  Unlike others I'm really not bothered by the Horsehead nebula.  I don't have a Hbeta filter so will depend on my UHC.

[mikeyj1]

Nice (and slightly less normal) list, thanks. 

[PeterW]

If the clouds persist I will give you a few more to have a poke at.'

 

PeterW

PS I don't own an Hbeta filter either.

[scarp15]

Yes good to share and as you say, both the Rosette in due course and the Monkey Head are fine targets. There will also be the comet like profile of Hubbles Variable in Monoceros to look forward to and favourites such as the Eskimo nebula in Gemini. Fairly clear here currently with a wisp of thin cloud so has been OK to get outside for a period with binoculars and refractor and just might be OK for the folk currently at Kielder.   

[jetstream]

2 hours ago, scarp15 said:

2. Jellyfish Nebula Gemini IC 443. The location of this super nova remnant is easy

I thought this too, but I had a long and hard battle to see this neb...

It turns out I was looking in the wrong spot There were so many stars out I got mixed up lol! Great thread Iain!

ps... a little streak...

[alan potts]

Nice list but a bit on the short side or are you not expecting too much clear sky. All joking aside there are some tough targets there, Barnards Loop is very difficult I understand, never tried it myself but I think Gerry over in Canada has seen it.

I am going to try the Horses Head again but after last years efforts I am not totally sure it is there at all. I failed even with my 18 inch.

Alan

[scarp15]

Hopefully a little more clear sky opportunities than last years dreadful winter Alan - good luck with further attempts at the Horse Head this season. The Orion complex also includes of course M78, a diffuse emission nebula and an achievable target under dark skies.

Edit: diffuse reflection nebula 

[Size9Hex]

Nice one Iain. I was surprised to see that one section of Barnard's Loop is a target in one of the O'Meara books (Secret Deep). He calls it Herschel's Region 27, extending 1 degree NW from NGC 2112. Not too hard with dark skies and a UHC apparently!

Anyway, a few I'm keen to see or return to:

Orion Nebula. I know this one isn't tough, but I had my first view of it this season a few nights ago low in the light polluted haze of the horizon. M43 popped out far better than I ever recall seeing last winter from a dark site which maybe is the benefit of having had a few more hours at the eyepiece since then. So, looking forwards to seeing the whole thing again from a dark site soon! Hitting it with the dob is the obvious choice, but I also want to try the wide field frac on it with the 14mm and 24mm eyepieces to see how far it stretches beyond the obvious bright region.

Flaming Star. I thought I saw a glow from it last year, but I've subsequently starting doubting myself on it. I honestly don't even know whether I'm looking for a huge rich field target or some tiny fiddly wispy bits near the bright star!

Spider and Fly. Never really seen them, although the sky here has always looks a bit lumpy with an Oiii filter in place! 

Rosette. Spotted last year in the dob, but I want to have a proper look from a dark site and also get the wide field frac on the case.

Horsehead. I saw the background glow last year in the 10" with (I think) a 14mm ES82 and a 1.25" SW UHC which is a very bright filter. Going to try again, possibly throwing the stock 25mm SW eyepiece into the mix for a brighter view, but maybe narrow enough to keep the bright star out of view.

Pleiades nebulae. Just beautiful in the 14mm and wide field frac, but I've never confidentially ticked more than the Merope Nebula.

Keen to return to the Flame and Running Man too!

Good luck with yours. Happy hunting! 

[estwing]

great stuff....with a week on Skye with the mob approaching fast, the hardest of targets must be hunted down. The cone is top of my list (as you may know) this winter...the loop has got to be on the list while under pristine skies....a top 10 might be in order!!!...but then again the secret deep and hidden treasures throw up many fresh challenges.

I'm hoping that a trip to Skye could become as regular as old Nicks are....

[PeterW]

OK some more then... got some streaky blue skies now..... sshhhhh let's not jinx the chances of some clear bits tonight....

 

Heart, soul, N1491, Sh157, sh129, Sh132,Ced214+N7822, sh261, Abell21, sh280, ic2177, sh292.... do you want harder stuff like sh240, ctb1, sh264, sh216, sh126, sh142, n7635.....

 

Cheers

 

PeterW

[estwing]

mouth watering!....Peter

[Paul73]

Great posts Iian

I'm needing my Astro enthusiasm stoking as car issues have prevented me being at a star party this weekend.????????

This will be the year of the Horsey for me! Never seen it. So a concerted effort is needed. Got the gear now. Still very little idea, but am hoping that this will come later....

I had a lovely session on the, much neglected, Little Dumbell the other day. But, the prospect of Orion and the Rosette areas are getting the Astro juices moving again. So much to explore!

Paul

[scarp15]

5 hours ago, PeterW said:

OK some more then... got some streaky blue skies now..... sshhhhh let's not jinx the chances of some clear bits tonight....

 

Heart, soul, N1491, Sh157, sh129, Sh132,Ced214+N7822, sh261, Abell21, sh280, ic2177, sh292.... do you want harder stuff like sh240, ctb1, sh264, sh216, sh126, sh142, n7635.....

 

Cheers

 

PeterW

Interesting selection Peter, a visually challenging menu. This year I have tried for the Heart and Soul, Cassiopeia and Sh2-132 up in Cepheus as yet to no avail. I can get to dark enough skies, but the transparency is not always dependable enough to tease out any credible hint of definition. I have also tried for IC 1396 just south of the Garnet star in Cepheus, large emission, Elephant Trunk nebula with nothing doing.  Because they are there, with a bit of research such as into the sharpless catalogue, they are at least worth a try. A period of searching for difficult subjects such as these, which may not be successful, is a useful process for sharpening your responses for when afterwards committing to a more acknowledged visually achievable (transparency permitting) yet still relatively difficult subject. 

Two more to include, I have not as yet been successful with the Seagull Nebula IC 2177, large and diffuse around Monoceros, in which a H-beta or UHC might benefit, also within the vicinity is Thor's Helmet NGC 2359. 

Of course as some on here have expressed, there will be the undoubted almost ritualistic quest and straining to try and glimpse the Horse Head nebula at every opportunity. Highly experienced observers familiar with this subject, will 'get it' time after time, there are formulas that will be applied but the trick does not lie in some kind of alchemy, more in awareness as to what to expect and how to see. My first encounter with the horse head, a colleague took a look through my scope (equipped applicably) and could see it quite clearly, in fact he implied that it was his best ever view (of it), yet myself and another club member saw nothing. Gaining some knowledge, I have glimpsed it very briefly two years ago, it is quite irrational really, yet because of the evocative images it does have a profound grip on our sensibility and there will be copious amounts of time, successful or otherwise devoted to looking for this object again.

[PeterW]

It's just very small and hard to locate... Got an hour of damp not very good transparency finally, managed to say hello to many old friends, but with a borrowed scope finding things wasn't too easy... and the clouds rolled in again. Need to be better prepared next time.

Peter