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Nebulae night

Helix

By Helix
in Observing - Deep Sky

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Helix

Helix

Posted
Posted

Hi all,

 

I was absent for a while but, probably, this time of year forces me to record my observing sessions. Just would like to share some of my hobby excitement  with you.

Date: 4-5/12/16 17.00-1am
Seeing: moderate
Transparency: excellent
NELM: 6.5
Site: Seething, NAS.
Temperature: -2*C
Humid: up to 85%

Equipment: 20" dob f/3.5

It was one of those rare nights, if you observe from East Anglia, which you remember for a while. It was NEBULAE night. One nebulae after another rose up in all its glory. I had a feeling that a veil dropped from my eyes. Everything was clear and full of smallest details. And the most important I observed in the nice company of keen and experienced observers with 3" Takahashi and  16" dob. So the observing session was well 'seasoned' with laughter and Jaffa cakes.

Little Dumbbell nebula, M76, was a testing point right at the beginning of the session. This PN showed 2 lobed structure even in 3" refractor but in 20" extended halo around main body became obvious. It was like two wings attached to the bright elongated/2 lobed body. The south wing was brighter than the north one. Both 'wings' or extended gaseous regions are visible. 

Then a few more PN to test the Sky. They all showed plenty of details. I skip them though :)

Veil Nebula, SNR. PENTAX XW 20mm and Lumicon UHC, FOV 0.76 and 90x. I will never forget what I saw that night. I even never dreamed to see what I've seen. The SNR was full of minuscular details. Whole area of the supernova remnant was filled with filaments.
Southern knot: small curved area of nebulosity. 
IC 1340: a net of very bright filaments interacting with each other. Like jet show leaving long trails in the sky. It was so real that you want to stretch your arm to touch it. Beautiful!
NGC 6995: like a sponge made of gaseous fibre or a 3D labyrinth with many voids. 
NGC 6992: was like a raging mountain river
Unknown designation or it belongs to NGC 6992. It lies between NGC 6992 and 6974/79: foggy area of fainter filaments. 
NGC 6974/79: another bright gaseous area
Pickering Triangle: a blade of skilful workmanship, full of sophisticated ornaments. It goes right across SNR
NGC 6960: the witch's broom :) breathtaking!
The centre: full of nebulosity. Never seen anything like that. I was honestly lost in debris of filaments and patchy areas. So much structure and unknown nebulosity. All these parts of the SNR deserve their own names. Astonishing!
If anybody will ever ask me, was it close to many images? I will definitely say: "100 times better". 

The North America Nebula, NGC 7000, the Pelican Nebula, IC 5067-70 and IC 5067 
It was unbelievably bright. I used PENTAX XW 30 mm and Astronomik OIII filter which gives me FOV of 1.15* and 60x. 
NGC 7000 and IC 5070 were showing details in large cloud of hydrogen. Dark line/absorption cloud, LDN935, separates two nebulae. But Pelican Nebula itself has got a dark elongated area separating the beak and the main body of the 'Pelican'. There is so much structure in both nebulae and so many embedded stars formations. 
The north and west of NGC 7000 surrounded by fainter visible layer of nebulosity. It reminded me the Arctic and a Pacific oceans. Rich region of glowing hydrogen definitely deserves attention. There is so much to study. 
IC 5068 was bright and easy. 

Then, my observing friend, found Abell 81 in Cepheus. 16" dob. I've got it, too, for comparison and top up my list of Abel objects. 20 mm XW and UHC. Easy. Thick with irregular brightness ring. It is slightly asymmetrical. It shows some minor structure inside of the PN: dark irregular area. I did not see the central star. 

Abel 75 in Cepheus, PN. 10mm XW + Lumicon OIII, 180x. Well defined irregular shape. As far as I remember the SW was thick and bright compare to the NE. The NE area was the region where the slightly elongated ring was 'broken'. There is some structure inside the 'ring' but it was not well defined. I forgot to look for the central star though :). Well it was time for a cup of tea. All our scopes were covered by frost, including our faces. 

Jones 1, PN in Pegasus. 10XW +OIII. Large, 5.3', and faint PN, 15.1 mag, with two well defined, the S to SW and the N to NE, bright areas. Both ares connected by very thin slightly irregular string on the W. Averted vision adds some structure and fills the PN with the thin layer of nebulosity. It was seen without filter, too. Observed in 16" dob as well.

Jones-Emberson-1 PN in Lynx. Again 10 mm XW and OIII Lumicon. Two bright lobes on opposite sides. Both lobes connected by thick slightly irregular ring. Nice PN

Suddenly,  I heard the loud noise of excitement. My observing friend detected the Cat,s eye PN in his 3". Another planetary on our list. Many objects observed but I am not patient enough to record them all. It was really great night.

Thank you for reading and great skies to all of you,
Tatyana

 

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jetstream

jetstream

Posted
Posted

Great report Tatyana!

I also see that "unknown designation"- the area has quite a bit of faint nebulosity, including the patch just off the tip of NGC 6992. Congrats for seeing the fainter layers of the North American nebula, this object seems to reveal more and more and yes it is bright under good conditions.

Eagerly waiting more reports!

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Saganite

Saganite

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Posted

Congratulations on a fine report. :happy11:

I had the good fortune to view the Cat's Eye through a friend's 20" Dob, at Kelling, in September this year. I have never seen such a vivid colour in any deep sky object, as I saw that night.

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Stu

Stu

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Posted

That's a fabulous report Tatyana, it's amazing what happens when you combine excellent eyes with a fabulous scope and lovely dark skies! Must have been amazing! Even better that you describe it all so eloquently too so that we could all enjoy it! :) 

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