Observing mostly 2nd Jan 2020 SQM-L 21.0 (47% Moon)

[Captain Scarlet]

Observing mostly 2^nd Jan 2020 SQM-L 21.0 (47% Moon)

Christmas break near Baltimore, Ireland, for a fortnight. Christmas Eve was reasonably clear, but was my first night so I hadn’t had time or energy to set anything up. I got some photos with my DSLR plus Astrotrac and Samyang 14mm and 24mm lenses, but no “telescopage”.

I did, however remember finally to look for @Stu’s “S”, the long trail of stars snaking their way past and through Mintaka and Alnilam in Orion’s Belt. I was using Nikon 12x50SE binoculars. Out there where there’s very little light pollution, this feature is rather prominent and just as lovely as Stu describes (by comparison, my first night after returning to SW London early this week, I looked for the same in high-Moonlit 17.something sky and it was barely noticeable even through 15x56 binoculars).

Also, through the same optics, another of my favourite asterisms, Ally’s Braid (which I privately call the B2 Bomber) leaped out (again in London, it was barely there).

Anyway back to the night suggested by the title. The skies finally looked good enough for me to set up just inside the New Year, 2^nd Jan I think. Not ideal with the Moon up, but beggars can’t be… etc. I’d made myself a little list of targets, trying to keep away from the Moon.

I was using my SW 300p with new Baader Steeltrak focuser fitted (more about that in a separate thread soon…).

-          Polaris A & B. Even though this was only there as the first of my alignment stars, my view of these two was the crispest and sweetest I think I’ve ever seen through any telescope. Either the seeing was superb tonight, or this was the first time I’d really properly collimated the secondary mirror on the 12”, part and parcel of fitting the new focuser. I think a bit of both (seeing and collimation).

-          Mu Cephei, aka Herschel’s Garnet Star. Soooo so red. Through my 8x50 finder, there was one star in the field of view SO MUCH redder than anything else! Stunning, and even more so through the scope proper. I wrote the word “wow” on my notepad.

-          NGC 4036. I’m not sure how this random unremarkable galaxy found its way onto one of my lists, but it was definitely there when I looked for it; not much structure, unsurprising as it’s a lenticular, but nice to see it so obvious with a 50%ish Moon up.

-          M39 & M52. Two open clusters, M39 pleasing but probably better with a wider-field view than my 1500mm FL newt. M52 was very nice though, almost like a glob. I looked at it for a while. I’d wanted to observe more globs, but I don’t think there are any looking Northish (away from the Moon) in the Messier list, and I hadn’t had time to research other NGC -list ones.

-          NGC 7789. Caroline’s Rose. Dimmer than I was expecting, but with concentration and averted vision the rose-petal structure was evident. I blame the Moon for shouting out much of the fineness.

-          Cloud was coming in, so I switched to alpha Geminorum, aka Castor, Pollux’s mate, and was rewarded with my best sight ever of those two, in addition to that of Polaris.

-          Finally, wispy cloud notwithstanding, I turned to the Moon, and again I’d never seen it better. I’m in no way familiar with its detailed features or the names of any of them, but it was crisp and still. I thought, now’s the time to switch over to my Mak 180, which I’d been getting pleasure using to read number plates across the vista at 270x and 3-4 km distance and being impressed by its clarity. Unfortunately as I was unloading and reloading OTAs the clouds became un-dodgeable.

 

Still, much better than this time last year when I saw I think one star (Betelguese) through a chance gap in clouds during the whole fortnight.

[PeterW]

Nice report!

Where is ally’s braid, keen to find more open clusters and asterisms that I can see from the Murk of London.

Peter

[Captain Scarlet]

40 minutes ago, PeterW said:

Nice report!

Where is ally’s braid, keen to find more open clusters and asterisms that I can see from the Murk of London.

Peter

Just below Alcyone in the Pleiades are 5 equally-spaced and similar brightness stars in a shallow symmetrical “V”. Very prominent when it’s dark. Alcyone nicknamed “Ally” I think.

Magnus.

[PeterW]

“Below”?? Changes during the night, do you mean the bent line poking out past Merope? Have to have a look, I like looking at all the little stars inside e main asterism.

Peter

[Captain Scarlet]

11 minutes ago, PeterW said:

“Below”?? Changes during the night, do you mean the bent line poking out past Merope? Have to have a look, I like looking at all the little stars inside e main asterism.

Peter

Yes I knew I’d get picked up on that. It’s generally below whenever I look at it from where we are, and yes it’s the bent line heading straight out from Alcyone.

 

[PeterW]

Yes. Just caught it in the 10x50 between micro holes in the fast moving cloud cover, nice little asterism to pick out!

PEter