15Dec - A neborable night for Big Dob with the Cone, Flame, Rosette, California, M42 & more

[alanjgreen]

Date: Friday 15th December 2130 – 0245am        Scope: 20” f3.6 Lukehurst Dob with Paracorr (fl = 2089mm)

 

Choosing my time

The forecast was for clear skies from 5pm through the night. I decided that I wanted to wait for neighbours to go to bed & had my eye on goodies around Orion from 1am. Therefore a 10pm start was sounding good & I had just downloaded series 3 of “The Tunnel” on Sky. So, we watched the first three episodes (of 6) which took us up to 9-20pm and I decided that “it was time!”.

 

Getting ready

Since my last report, I have constructed a small eyepiece case for three Ethos EPs. I planned to make use of this and leave the 21mm and the 8mm in the house where they would remain warm and ready for me to bring them on as substitutes later in the night!

The temperature in the shed was -0.5 degrees when I arrived and I quickly got the scope ready.

A small tweak to one screw on the primary was needed to get me collimated.

 

Cold Tingle

The night turned into a game of two halves, my feet were gone by midnight and with Orion not quite “in range”, I wimped off for a 20 minute warm (hot water bottle for my feet & two glasses of hot water for my body). It also gave me the chance to grab the warm eyepieces that I had left inside earlier. For info, I am constantly running a 2 inch eyepiece heater tape on full power so the EP in the scope is always warm. My secondary also has a constant heat from a Kendrick micro heater set at the minimum 15-20% setting.

 

Conditions

Transparency was good, the sky had been reflective all afternoon! My only concern was the humidity, I could see some low glow to the sky to the south and this was surely the hanging water in the atmosphere but would it be a problem higher up? 

 

First half report (2130-0000)

M33 glx – Always my starting point and it did not disappoint (it has been really giving well these past 2/3 weeks). I as well practised on this target and it was simple to pick out 4 arms straight off. The two main arms were wide and almost 3D like as they seemed to lift up of the rest of the hazy inner disk below. With some concentration, the fifth arm came and went underneath the core.

As time passed the vast array of NGCs started to be seen and identified. My focus tonight was to try to bag the 2^nd of two NGCs in the top left corner. I had bagged the other one (IC132) last time out.

With the Ethos13 (x150), I eventually started to see both of the NGCs (IC132 & IC133) around the location of a single and a double star (from the milky way foreground).  I could see an arm swinging through the pair of them but only faintly.

Pleased with this I then spent further time letting the galaxy drift in and across my view. It is such a giving target and you really can imagine that you are flying over the surface as this massive galaxy drifts across the EP!

http://www.seetheglory.com/star-clusters-and-nebulae-in-the-triangulum-galaxy-m33/

NGC891 glx – My “usual” second target of the night. The central dark lane was not as giving as last time out but the central region with its bright bulge was displaying a lovely thick portion of the dark lane. It was more tenuous out to the sides. I swapped in the E10 and the galaxy grew to almost the full FOV. The central lane was no easier to see but I stayed for some time as I really enjoy trying to get more from this edge on galaxy.

M34 OC – With the E10 in the scope, I decided to “add a bit of variety” and centred on M34. I have not been here in a while and it really stood out (Pleiades-esque) in the full FOV (x200). The stars were varied & bright. It’s a nice cluster for sure.

California neb – Sticking with the “variety is the spice of life” theme. I decided to head for the California next. I started with E10 and Hb and the view was way too dark, I did not like it so in with the E13 (paired with a UHC), “great, that’s better”. A lovely bright nebula revealed itself. It covers a huge area (plenty of nudging needed) and strands of nebulosity are seen in all directions (up/down strands, left/right strands, curvy strands). The edges of the nebula are well defined and easily traced, revealing the sheer size of this nebula. Nice! (This UHC view bested any Hb view I have seen with the 20” ).

Flaming star neb – Back on track and onto the Flaming Star. This target is on my main list for this season and I am determined to catch it at its best! I had the E13 and Astronomik UHC loaded. There was plenty of nebulosity on offer “under and to the right of a bright star”. The lower parts of the nebula were well defined and clear. There was plenty more to see to the upper-right and round/down through the wide “tail section”. This view was “as good as any I remember”!

IC410 neb – Another regular from my list. Again E13 and UHC. It showed as a large bright nebula. The best bits are around the edges of a star cluster where it is bold and contrasty against the background. The edges/sides are much fainter but they are clear enough to follow around.  

IC417 neb – I had two cracks at this target during the night. The first was E13 & UHC with it being a difficult target to tie down. There was nebulosity around. The edges appeared as a black outline but it was easy to miss and head off “out into the wilderness”.

I returned later (during the second half) with the E10 (x200) and no filter. Wow what a difference! My best view was achieved, the nebulosity was much easier to see. The edges were better defined and the strange “platypus nose” section was there to see!  

M1 crab – The E13 & UHC were still in the scope. The crab was clear but hard to define the edges. In with the E10 and no filter. “That’s better”. The central section was brighter with a “shifting shape”, the surrounding outer regions were lighter and provided some contrast against the central region. Neither region had a sharp edge and the nebula just shimmers and changes as you watch it drift by.

[My feet are dead, its time for a warm. I close the roof and head inside…]

 

Second half report (0020-0245)

I returned rejuvenated by my warming break and armed with the Ethos21 and Ethos8 that had stayed inside so far (to keep warm and USEABLE). The sky seems darker than when I departed and the bright low down glow has also receded.

No point hanging about! Orion is now well placed. I drop the southern side of the shed to “get down on it!”

 

Flame neb – I centre Alnitak on sky safari. The E13 is still in the focuser wrapped in its warm blanket and no filter is present. At the eyepiece, the Flame looks fantastic (no filter is the way to go!). I see an “upside-down three pronged cactus” hanging there, suspended in this white cotton wool cloud (or something like that anyway!). This was my best view of the Flame.

I throw in the Astronomik Hb filter. The three pronged cactus is gone. Now a shimmering less distinct black patch sits in a bright white patch to the right of Alnitak. The filter has brought out the white section but the black cactus has lost its sharp edges.

I revisit later with a UHC and find a view that is neither one nor the other of those above. The cactus is still “less” and the white is “less” too.

Horsehead – With the E13 and Hb loaded, I nudge down to the Horsey. It’s not “just there” like it was the last time out when it was “bold as brass” and stood there smiling at me. But, it was there! With some careful positioning in the lower EP, the dark patch section was seen in direct view. The Nebula lane was bright and wide but the Horsey would start to fade as it rose up through the FOV.

I tried the UHC. As expected, it was now harder to see the Horsey. But, I could tease out the black area and glimpse it if I tried.

M42 Orion – I have a warm Ethos8 (UHC too) and its time to get into M42 & the “baby bird”! WOW , the nebula is fantastic. Is x250 view better than x200? Not so sure, it is great but so was the view in the Ethos10 last time out. (one to ponder!)

After nudging around and admiring the “corner lot” & “the valley” at the top of the birds head. I start to map out the stars. First thing, I notice is that I cannot see all those I saw last time out. (MT has gone, [MV, P1923 & P1972 are there but they are faint and much harder to see than before]). The “candle star” is seen in the E8! (Forgot to look for this last time) and I check behind the “valley” to see 2+2+1 stars so that must include KS & LR from  @Johnpic. LV & LQ were not seen.

I throw in the E10 (& remove the filter), it’s easier to “focus” the stars & into the trapezium we go. Five stars are seen (the sixth is glimpsed occasionally). I notice that the trapezium stars are “different colors!”   (A = yellow, B=brown, C=white, D=yellow, E=red, F=maybe red?)

 

Rosette neb – The E21 is in the focuser for this target (with UHC). The nebula is so much smaller than in the E13 that at first I feel underwhelmed with the view. (The E13 view the other night was amazing). Anyway, I get my bearings (thanks to a quick look at sky safari) and now my eye is in. A lovely bright nebula surrounds the inner cluster, thick to the left and thinner below. There is variety in the nebula all around. The E21 frames it nicely but I will be going in “deeper” next time for the real wows!

Cone neb – Here we go! I have been on this target a few times recently and tonight was the night, I was determined and the E21 and E8 were “ready and able”. I starting with the E21 and Hb, moved to the E8 and the E13, finally back to the E21. My description is really a summary of what I saw.

The best combo was E21 and Astronomik Hb. Although the Ethos8 scores a worthy mention and I will use this combo again. Both bested the E13. With the E21, there was loads of nebulosity to see in and around the whole area. I nudged around, getting my eye in on the nebula gas. I swung up and under the cone concentrating on the nebula. Unlike the other night there was now plenty of nebula to the left of the cone so I focused as I drifted up to the left side of the cone. Still looking at the gas, I let the cone “come to me” and drift in. The first piece I saw was at the wide bottom of the cone. The surrounding nebula was seen above and beyond the cone. A jagged edge was seen marking the end of the cone. The right edge was teased out with not too much trouble and I did see the left edge more than twice (it has a bulgy like appearance if and when it shows up).  

The view is nothing like the image, there was no bright nebula line. It’s a black edge seen against the dim nebula to the side.

The Ethos8 was a surprise, I only tried it as someone in another thread had had success with a 7mm. The Cone fills the FOV in the 8mm. The right edge was seen but without the help of the surrounding nebula its hard to get your eye in. The E8 brought out the glow around the double star at the tip.

Seagull neb – My final target was the seagull. A new one for me. It’s very low in the sky so I was only using a sub-section of the mirror (the shed wall took the rest). With the E21 and UHC, I could tease out the long upright section, occasional branches off to the sides appeared. I could not find the head section. With the O3 [The paracorr2 is by now “freezing to the touch” and these filter changes are “killing my fingers”] the view was not dissimilar and I was getting “too cold to care”.

 

Epilogue

The side and roof were closed up. The scope was thick with chunky ice. Thermometer reads minus 4. Its been a good night with some “best evers” so with no complaints I head inside thinking of my “hot water bottle” to revive my dying fingers…

 

Clear Skies, Alan

[cloudsweeper]

Good going, Alan, which prompts my New Year Resolutions:

# Get a Light Bucket;

# Move to Cumbria.  

Doug.

[alanjgreen]

13 minutes ago, cloudsweeper said:

Good going, Alan, which prompts my New Year Resolutions:

# Get a Light Bucket;

# Move to Cumbria.  

Doug.

Don't tell the wife, but we only moved here for the stargazing  

[Littleguy80]

Another lovely report, Alan. It sounds like the hot water bottle is as key to your success as any eyepiece  

[scarp15]

Just caught up with and enjoyed reading your report Alan. I like the 'three pronged upside down cactus' description for the Flame, I think that is a good indicator for when looking for this and an impression for next time. Some good exploration of the Flaming Star region and associated nebulae, the 'platypus nose' another notable impression. Observing conditions were comparable for myself on Friday night, I like your description for encountering the Cone and whilst I was operating with smaller aperture and anticipating a difficult observation, I am beginning to rethink if I was positioned correctly for the Cone as nebulosity within the cluster region was quite apparent. Perhaps for the Seagull, your new binoculars might serve better on this extensive, very diffuse subject, if you can attach or hold up an OIII filter.