Some Sagittarian Success! (A Hint Of The Lagoon)

[cloudsweeper]

I went out early again (very keen), and spotted Saturn at 9.10.  Since it was close to my target area, I aligned the 8SE on it.  Ran a test on open cluster M25, and got right on it, recognising the few stars that were on view while it was relatively light.

30 minutes later, it was much better, appearing as about four bright stars plus several fainter ones in loose array, very pleasing.  Altitude about 17 degrees.  Increasing the mag from x48 to x85 made the whole thing clearer as the background began to dim, enhancing the fainter members.

Three more open clusters followed: M23, M18, and M21.  M23 was a nice, tight array of mainly faint stars.  The other clusters looked looser and perhaps less appealing.  But the GoTo was doing fine, putting all these targets well in the initial 1.34 degrees of true field.

However, after my recent success with the Eastern Veil, I wanted more of the same, so aimed for the Lagoon Nebula, M8, lying at just 12 degrees.  Again, GoTo put it right in front of me, recognised by the star pattern within it, as per Stellarium.  The stars/cluster were very attractive - some bright, plus a tight cluster of fainter ones.  But no nebulosity - yet.  The UHC filter did not help at all, but the OIII, again proving its worth, revealed some nebulosity around the central pair of magnitude 6 and 7 stars.  This was very satisfying, although I must look further into the science behind it.  For the moment, I'm taking the pragmatic approach!

I was hoping for more as it got darker and I could also try AV, but at 10.30, cloud stopped play.  Nevertheless, another good session!

Doug.

[Littleguy80]

1 hour ago, cloudsweeper said:

The UHC filter did not help at all

Another great report, Doug. I'm really surprised at your results with the Lagoon and UHC filter. 75x Mag with the UHC was the best combination for my scope. Lots of nebulosity visible. Reminded me a lot of M42 when I first saw it. I guess this just goes to prove that we should always test all the options available to find what works best for us as individuals!

[alan potts]

Very nice report Doug, that area is rich with all sorts of wonders, try to find M22, a wonderful globular, big one too.

[cloudsweeper]

1 hour ago, alan potts said:

Very nice report Doug, that area is rich with all sorts of wonders, try to find M22, a wonderful globular, big one too.

Thanks Alan.  Yes, that one's on the list, but apart from the clouds coming in, the whole lot was slipping behind the trees, so the Sagittarian session was almost over anyway!

Doug.

[cloudsweeper]

5 hours ago, Littleguy80 said:

Another great report, Doug. I'm really surprised at your results with the Lagoon and UHC filter. 75x Mag with the UHC was the best combination for my scope. Lots of nebulosity visible. Reminded me a lot of M42 when I first saw it. I guess this just goes to prove that we should always test all the options available to find what works best for us as individuals!

Thanks Neil.  Yes, there are so many variables in this game: sometimes it's a struggle; sometimes it all comes together.  But it's all part of the enjoyment and the learning!

Doug.

[Knighty2112]

Nice work Doug. Well done mate. I'm regretting selling my OIII filter now after your successes!  

[cloudsweeper]

3 hours ago, Knighty2112 said:

Nice work Doug. Well done mate. I'm regretting selling my OIII filter now after your successes!  

Thanks Gus!  I must say, I've not seen much with the Baader Neodymium or the S/W UHC, but so far, the S/W OIII has shown me stuff I'd otherwise have missed.  I know there are dearer ones, but I thought for not a great deal of use, I'd get the cheaper S/W OIII.  (Then again, some folk say there's little difference in performance anyway!)

So - yes, very pleased with it, and looking forward to more successful observations quite soon!

(Meanwhile, still thinking about 'scope no.3 - perhaps a 10" Dob rather than a 12".  I do like a widefield view!)

Doug.

 

[Davesellars]

Nice report!  Glad you managed to get out there last night.  It had cleared here when I looked out 1am but I was beat and retired to bed after a hard day.

It's stated and true that the OIII will show you something that would be invisible otherwise without a filter whereas the UHC will only enhance what it is already visible.  if you can't see any nebulosity in M8 without a filter (surprising as it's pretty bright!) then the UHC is not going to help much.  Get your scope to a decently dark sight and the UHC filter will work much better on these objects.  Most of the Sagitarrius nebulae have a fair amount of Hbeta in them which shows with the UHC. the Lagoon is a fantastic nebula when the conditions are right.