Galactic gold from home: galaxies in Canes Venatici, Ursa Major (UMa) Camelopardalis and Draco.

[Ships and Stars]

Summary: A few challenges and hiccups last night like usual, but was able to tick off quite a few (38) galaxies in a relatively short period from home under moderate light pollution. Some I’ve seen before, many were new. The amazing thing is I only worked on two pages of the S&T Pocket Sky Atlas, and there are still plenty left on those pages to chase another night. Plus all of the small galaxies in that part of the sky not listed…

Scope: Sky Watcher 500p 20” dobsonian

Weather: High cloud at first becoming very clear by 11pm, staying that way until last observation, c.3:45am. Heavy frost, cold, -4C min. No wind for a change, completely still, allowing detailed viewing at higher mag. No aurora either - about time!

SQM-L: Typical ho hum semi-urban, 20.38 at 11pm increasing to 20.48 by c.1am, dropping back to 20.42 by early morning c.3:45am. Local light pollution (LP) indirect, but enough to warrant wearing some DIY red film dark adaptation goggles prior to viewing which worked incredibly well - more about these DA goggles in an upcoming post.

An upper light shield comes with the 500p, but I’ve never used it before until last week. I know, I know… but it was hiding behind some boxes at home. A lot of boxes. It’s a sheet of matte black plastic that extends about 25cm past the top of the secondary assembly opposite the focuser, giving a subtle but noticeable improvement in contrast, especially if LP is present.  I normally observe from dark sites with this scope and it's often exposed and windy and the scope shakes enough in gusts as it is, so I never really felt I needed it before. I'll use it when I can though, it does seem to boost contrast. 

GOTO was a bit of a fiddle at first, mainly ‘operator induced errors’ including accidently unplugging the power socket with my foot *cough* after obtaining a really nice, accurate GOTO. This necessitated a fresh alignment, which was a setback as I was on a roll in Draco, but the scope also needed 1.5kg of extra counterweight to keep an accurate altitude, as the factory supplied weight is insufficient, especially with large eyepieces. I strapped a nylon covered 1.5kg scuba diving ankle weight onto the cast ones, and I was set. 

Once the scope was tracking superbly, I used the Periodic Error Correction (PEC) function in the Synscan utility menu extensively. It slows the pace down a bit by having to hit a few buttons between objects when needed, but works very well, placing often very small and faint individual galaxies near the centre of the 20mm and 13mm APM XWAs, and within the FOV of the 9mm APM XWA. Otherwise, without GOTO, it would be all too easy to lose track of which galaxy I was observing when fatigued, as so many of these faint objects are close together in a small area of sky.

Some issues with the secondary mirror frosting on top edge as the scope was pointed near zenith most of the night, but squeaked by. Slight issues with eyepieces fogging up. Frequent use of a Giotto rocket blower  came in very handy. Will dig out secondary dew heater element again and try keeping one alternate eyepiece in handwarmer pockets so it doesn’t fog up so easily.

--------------------------------

The observing – I used my trusty Sky & Telescope pocket sky atlas, starting up towards Polaris in Draco/Camelopardalis on p.31, moving down into UMa and C. Venatici on p.32. As many know, there are a LOT of galaxies in this area, and I stumbled across a few not found in the S&T atlas. These were noted on the chart in pencil, then chased up later using desktop PC Stellarium with the DSS overlay switched on.

NGC galaxies:

2655, 2715, 3348, 3147, 3027, 2985, 3027, 5585, 5473 (faint), 5474, 5322, 5204, 5195, 5033 ‘Waterbug Galaxy’, 5005, 4618, 4485, 4490, 4800. Inside UMa:  3998, 3982, 3898, 3780, 3619, 3613, 3610, 3642, 3690, 3804 (not listed in S&T Atlas). NCG 3735 in Draco next to HCG55.

Messier galaxies:

51, 101, 63, 81, 82, 94, 108, 109

Messier Planetary Nebula

97 (Owl Nebula)

‘No Joys’

IC 2574 – on Stellarium, it looks really faint with a low surface brightness. I was using 20mm APM at the time, GOTO might have been off just enough to lose it, but probably needed more mag. Also, secondary frosting and limits of what is detectable under 20.4sqm with my scope perhaps explains this miss.

Hickson Compact Group 55 in Draco, near NGC3735 - looks amazing on Stellarium, if not absolutely blinking tiny (for four galaxies!) but I think this is going to be a serious challenge to see under my level of light pollution. I wasn’t certain I was looking in the exact spot as it’s not in the synscan library, but Stellarium shows it in the FOV of the 20mm APM when centred upon 3735. Think I’m going to need much darker skies and excellent conditions for this one.  

Even with a 20” dob, many of the NGCs were quite faint, some right on the verge of detection, though others showed structure or had an obviously unique quality or close arrangement to nearby galaxies. Sorry I can’t say a lot more individually, it’s hard for me to climb up and down the ladder (only one or two wobbly steps, but still) for each one, write notes and still concentrate enough to observe faint stuff at the same time, though I did tick off groups in pencil every few minutes. Voice recorder perhaps?

I’d love to slow down observing, but I don’t seem to get many galaxy nights like this, maybe 5 or 6 in mid- to late winter, early spring, more if I’m really lucky, so I tend to go for it and make the most.

To be honest, anytime a new, unseen to me galaxy comes into the FOV, it’s a moment of excitement, even if it’s the faintest of smudges and barely perceptible. If it's really faint, that means it was more challenging to observe and thus perhaps something that a lot of people might never see in real life, so it’s always a good moment.

A few memorable standout sights however - Messier 63 the Sunflower Galaxy was surprisingly bright and detailed, first time I’ve seen that one. NGC4490 the Cocoon Galaxy and 4485 down in C. Venatici are nearly touching, this was a superb sight. NGC 5033 the Waterbug Galaxy and nearby 5005 were exciting to see come into the FOV. 3147 in Draco is really interesting to view, another standout.

Although smaller, some of the NGCs were brighter and easier to observe that a few of the Messier objects, particularly M101 which appeared as a very large, faint smudge lacking much detail. I suspect my eyepiece and secondary fogging had a lot to do with this, but from what I remember, M101 can be a bit challenging at times. I suppose you could say it's the M1 Crab Nebula of the galactic world   

Despite the relatively bright, light polluted sky, I was able to see quite a bit. Although it can take some time to accurately set up, having GOTO made locating and identifying these small galaxies possible, otherwise there’s no way I could have seen this many in such a short period of time.

Thanks for reading. Until next time and clear skies...

Edited January 19, 2021 by Ships and Stars
Typo changed PAE to PEC... must be thinking of tax time!

[John]

Wow !!!!

So that is what the hobby is all about ?

I was beginning to forget with all the clouds I've had here for the past couple of weeks

Thanks for posting a great report

 

[Captain Scarlet]

Brilliant! I love reading your reports even if I am jealous of your 20". What do you use to stabilize yourself when you're up the ladder? I need a small set of steps above certain altitudes, and I rest a finger on the top of my mount to give myself that all-important third point of contact.

Magnus

[Kon]

Great report and very inspiring! It seems time well spent in the cold!

19 minutes ago, Ships and Stars said:

but was able to tick off quite a few (38) galaxies in a relatively short period

That's impressive! I hope I can get on that level in the future.

Very jealous of your 20" Dob, it must be a monster in size.

[Ships and Stars]

4 minutes ago, John said:

Wow !!!!

So that is what the hobby is all about ?

I was beginning to forget with all the clouds I've had here for the past couple of weeks

Thanks for posting a great report

 

I hear you John, at last! That made my day today. I don't know how I'm awake but I feel fine. We had a little break in the cloud just at the right time, so I didn't even think about driving up the road to the dark spot, it would have been cloudy for sure.

It's not super dark, but it's so nice observing at home, I can cover up the scope for the night, take a few steps and fall into bed   I need to put the scope up now though and get back report writing...ah work.

3 minutes ago, Captain Magenta said:

Brilliant! I love reading your reports even if I am jealous of your 20". What do you use to stabilize yourself when you're up the ladder? I need a small set of steps above certain altitudes, and I rest a finger on the top of my mount to give myself that all-important third point of contact.

Magnus

Hi Magnus! Thanks, the 20" is a wonderful beast, a bit of a pain setting up at times in comparison to the 12", but not too heavy either in comparison to other dobs this size. The GOTO can be slow to set, but once it's up and running, you can fly through targets that are close together and still easily pause for a bit on each one or spend a little time on more interesting ones. I have a little folding aluminium step ladder, it's only three steps but has a bar on top, I can rest my knee against the bar and one hand on the scope and unless I'm near zenith, I'll only stand on the first or second step. A heavy plastic tub works well too, except near zenith. It does wobble if not on really level ground, so I'm thinking a small three-legged mini orchard ladder would be a lot more stable. Agree on the 3 points of contact! I'm not up high, but still it could make a bit of a mess.

[Ships and Stars]

17 minutes ago, Kon said:

Great report and very inspiring! It seems time well spent in the cold!

That's impressive! I hope I can get on that level in the future.

Very jealous of your 20" Dob, it must be a monster in size.

Thanks Kon, I don't have many nights like this! I got a good deal on the 20" second hand but as new, I decided just to go for it, was my first scope and don't regret it. Sometimes it's hard work setting up/packing away, but I've seen things with it I just wouldn't see otherwise, and with more detail on more common objects like M42. Under dark skies it's something else.

Size wise it packs down very well. It will fit in my small daily car without much fuss, though there's not much room for anything else!

A 12"-14" dob from a really dark site would probably equal what I was able to see last night. That plays a big part.

Cheers!

Edited January 19, 2021 by Ships and Stars

[bish]

Great report. What it's all about. I like the bit about faint smudges being a source of excitement. I made the mistake of showing my wife a faint galaxy. Her draw did drop - but not in good way. Never got her back to the EP again. At least we all understand!

 

Would love a 20" dob. Now I"m over 50 I worry too much about my back going. 

[Ships and Stars]

1 minute ago, bish said:

Great report. What it's all about. I like the bit about faint smudges being a source of excitement. I made the mistake of showing my wife a faint galaxy. Her draw did drop - but not in good way. Never got her back to the EP again. At least we all understand!

 

Would love a 20" dob. Now I"m over 50 I worry too much about my back going. 

Thanks, had to laugh, I do understand! I think it was 5473 last night, it was all I could do to detect it by tapping the scope a bit and using averted vision. I don't think too many people would be impressed at 2am on a cold night... 🤣

My dob doesn't really have any way to use wheelbarrow handles, but the more traditional dobs are easy to move around this way I've heard. Mine breaks down quite a bit, but the 2 heaviest parts are still over 30kg each, and one is glass!

It's ok for now, I'm dreading the day I have to sell it though. Hoping to find a nice dry shed on a farm or estate someplace local but dark for it to live. Someday!

[bish]

14 minutes ago, Ships and Stars said:

Thanks, had to laugh, I do understand! I think it was 5473 last night, it was all I could do to detect it by tapping the scope a bit and using averted vision. I don't think too many people would be impressed at 2am on a cold night... 🤣

My dob doesn't really have any way to use wheelbarrow handles, but the more traditional dobs are easy to move around this way I've heard. Mine breaks down quite a bit, but the 2 heaviest parts are still over 30kg each, and one is glass!

It's ok for now, I'm dreading the day I have to sell it though. Hoping to find a nice dry shed on a farm or estate someplace local but dark for it to live. Someday!

I"ve reached the point where if I get a bigger scope it would have to be now. I am currently fit and still train, but have had enough injuries to know that one bad strain would mean not using a big scope for months, if at all.  Might have go live the dream vicariously through your reports. LOL.

[Ships and Stars]

25 minutes ago, bish said:

I"ve reached the point where if I get a bigger scope it would have to be now. I am currently fit and still train, but have had enough injuries to know that one bad strain would mean not using a big scope for months, if at all.  Might have go live the dream vicariously through your reports. LOL.

It's not that bad actually moving the scope around. The mirror assembly made me nervous at first, but I just make sure the ground is free of any trip hazards or ice, etc before I move it to the car and so on. Something like a 350p or 400p with GOTO is probably the same if not harder with the OTA. The 500p is a truss rod design and breaks down into smaller component parts that the flextube series and will probably pack into a smaller area than a 350 or esp 400p. I'm 6'2" but skinny as a whip and no brickie. I've hurt my back before at work, but it was muscular so it healed fairly rapidly. I couldn't even put my shoes on by myself. The doc gave me some good medication thankfully 🤣 At the time, my wife said you've been in a good mood lately! 

Seriously though, something like a slipped disc is another matter, my uncle was built like a rugby player but he ran into that problem later in life and it limited him quite a bit.

I don't have a particularly strenuous job, but I do enough lifting and work to keep going for now, sometimes it gets a bit much at work but I can pick and choose jobs a bit more and I'll hold back if I feel a strain coming on. 

A traditional design dobsonian with wheelbarrow handles is the way to go for the larger apertures I'd say, though I've never used one it looks a doddle if the handles are the right height.

I'll try and keep the reports coming as long as I can, still a lot of things to see up there 

[jetstream]

6 hours ago, Ships and Stars said:

Hickson Compact Group 55 in Draco, near NGC3735 - looks amazing on Stellarium, i

I get 4 in HCG 55 and it is a very unique and cool object. I'm into the stranger looking objects these days. Have you tried ARP 6- the Bearpaw galaxy in Lynx? With these objects mentioned orthos are the way to go as well as Delos. Up the mag lots...

 

[Ships and Stars]

42 minutes ago, jetstream said:

I get 4 in HCG 55 and it is a very unique and cool object. I'm into the stranger looking objects these days. Have you tried ARP 6- the Bearpaw galaxy in Lynx? With these objects mentioned orthos are the way to go as well as Delos. Up the mag lots...

 

I'll try ARP6, is it very faint? I'll break out the 10BCO or barlow the 13mm. I can cruise through the NGCs in S&T Atlas, but HCG55 threw me for a loop last night. I spent 30 minutes looking for it. I checked ocular view in stellarium first, then flipped the view over to match that of a reflector, not realising in my fatigue that Stellarium already did that for me! So I was looking in the opposite direction with the 13mm and 9mm. It's hard to find things when you're moving the scope away from it!!

PS it's hard to use a lot of magnification here most of the time. Last night would have been good, it felt like great transparency and seeing. Hickson 55 looks like it would want a lot of mag as well. 

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Ships and Stars

[jetstream]

7 minutes ago, Ships and Stars said:

I'll try ARP6, is it very faint?

Simbad lists 11.7 mag but I find I need mag to bring out the "toes".

[Ships and Stars]

16 minutes ago, jetstream said:

Simbad lists 11.7 mag but I find I need mag to bring out the "toes".

Cool, I'll have a go at that! Did you see the elongated edge on galaxy just left, below the bear paw? I caught it on the computer. IC2233 or something like that. Could be interesting? Looks unusual...

[jetstream]

36 minutes ago, Ships and Stars said:

Cool, I'll have a go at that! Did you see the elongated edge on galaxy just left, below the bear paw? I caught it on the computer. IC2233 or something like that. Could be interesting? Looks unusual...

I don't remember seeing that one. The 24" shows galaxies all over the place and most of them I don't report or keep track of- I just like seeing them. Theres some pretty cool Pns out there too, but need large aperture to pull features out.

[jetstream]

@Ships and Stars do you have Massimo Zecchins planetary nebula guide?

https://www.webbdeepsky.com/publications/free/

[Ships and Stars]

12 minutes ago, jetstream said:

@Ships and Stars do you have Massimo Zecchins planetary nebula guide?

https://www.webbdeepsky.com/publications/free/

No haven't seen this, thank you. I'm imagining the views in the 24", with all these galaxies hanging in space! Wonderful. Thinking about it, I haven't done any late winter/early spring galaxy hunting with the 20" from a dark site, we were in lockdown last year in March I think, and may be again. I'm hoping to return to this site near home again during next new moon. Switching from mainly nebula to galaxies now! Leo is coming up quickly here and UMa is right there as well.

PS great website! Cheers

Edited January 19, 2021 by Ships and Stars

[Epick Crom]

Great job Ships and Stars. You must have awesome views through that monster 20"!

[Paz]

Great report, most of those galaxies are out of my league but it's good to hear reports like this!

Where you mention a voice recorder I have one of those and it is really good for capturing detail. I'm usually tired and forget quickly when observing, and writing notes is not for me due to cold hands.