Late Christmas present

[YKSE]

I didn't get myself any Astro stuff for Christmas since some clear nights were in my wish list, and it deliverred the first day of the new year.

Temprature: 1° to 0°(forecast 3° to 1°)
Wind: 3-4m/s(forecast 2-4m/s)
Humidity:  87-78%(forecast 83-80%), dewheater on ( frosty car windows facing south)
SQM  20.7-20.9,  transparency good, seeing good, slowly flashing Sirius, steady Rigel.

Arrived around 17:00, Comet 45P/Honda and 237P/Linear were already too low, first two targets missed.
Moving up to Pegasus, looking for quasar CTA-102, not so difficult to identified the right area with a goto and galaxy NGC 7305(mag 13.8, SB 13.5) in the vicinnity. Running 150x to 250x, the quasar just refused to make appearance, while 7305 showed very faint round patch in averted vision(AV) when zooming in around 140x.

IC 1526 (galaxy in Pegasus, mag 14.4, SB 12.1): very faint,about round patch in averted vision(AV) when zooming in around 160x. I believe this is the faintest galaxy I spotted with C8.
NGC 366(OC in Cassiopeia, mag 12.0, SB 14.1): a few stars with nebulosity in direct vision(DV), AV show more fainter stars.
NGC 381(OC in Cassiopeia, mag 9.3, SB 12.9): easy in DV, up to 200x in AV showed more fainter stars.
NGC 609(OC in Cassiopeia, mag 11.0, SB 13.1): Only very faint stars in DV, almost nebula like, up to 123x in AV resolve some stars.
NGC 490(galaxy in Pisces, mag 14.1, SB 12.9): NGC 492(galaxy in Pisces, mag 14.4, SB 13.2): NGC 500(galaxy in Pisces, mag 14.0, SB 12.2): all thrre in the same 0.5° FOV, looked long and hard between 71x and 150x, couldn't see any of them.
NGC 502(galaxy in Pisces, mag 12.7, SB 12.5): hinted in 71x in AV, up to 140x, AV showed slightly oval shape, position angle(PA)60
NGC 505(galaxy in Pisces, mag 14.0, SB 13.1): very faint, zooming in around 130x in AV got it, slightly elongated, PA150.
NGC 509(galaxy in Pisces, mag 13.6, SB 12.9): zooming in around 140x in AV, elongated, PA30
NGC 516(galaxy in Pisces, mag 13.2, SB 12.6): zooming in around 140x in AV, elongated, PA160
NGC 613(galaxy in Sculptor, mag 9.9, SB 13.0): a Heschel 400 object, about 3-4° above horizon, couldn't make it out.
C67(galaxy in fornax, mag 10.4, SB 13.7): last Caldwell doable in this latitude, hardly 3° up, couldn't make it out.

Orion was now nearing due south, the dog is flashing slowly, but Rigel very steady. Pointing to Running nebulae(Ngc 1973/1975/1977), which lies just 0.5° above M42, with bright OC 1981 just above it.The lower 1977 is brightest,all filters showed slightly increased nebulosity than without, OIII slightly better contrast with the dark lanes between nebs. The dark lane between 1973 and 1975 was not very clear to make out the whole shape of running man

Up to Flame nebula (NGC 2024), readily seen without filter, almost connected to the glow from Alnitak, the dark lanes in Flame were also seen in DV without any filter. moving sllightly downwards, NGC 2023 needed no filter either. In with H-beta filter, IC 434 poped out. spent some 10min on it for HH with 40mm and 50mm, no luck this time.
Looking into the trapezium, the E and F were readily seen in 130x to 180x in eighter zoom, higher mag didn't make it better because of more bloated bright C.
Had a look at Sirius, in 123x to 250x, the dog is showing all the rainbow colours, no trace of the pup.
Up with 80ED, pointing at M45, Nebulosity around bright stars started to reveal themselve with 40mm EP (5.3mm exit pupil), 50mm (6.7mm exit pupil) showed them even better.
A night with quite variety of DSO, no comet, no pony, no pup, but it was a
Clear sky!

[Helix]

Excellent report. 

[YKSE]

Thanks Tatyana

[jetstream]

Great report Yong, what a haul!

[cloudsweeper]

Great session - a wide variety of targets, plus admirable detailed reporting!  

Very encouraging, thanks!

Doug.