A good clear night.

[Dark Vader]

With clear skies and a good forecast I started off at M57, looking good down to 180x. Still couldn't make out the central star but it was still pretty low in the sky. 

Went over to Leo and tried again for the triplet. I could tell the transparency was better as I could see some oval shape to M66 with the 15mm BST. M65 was just visible but still no sign of the "burger". I'm starting to wonder if that's a step too far with the skies here. 

Had a nice view of M13 though, barlowed the 15mm for 180x - outer stars nicely resolved, then went over to M92 looking great at the same power. 

By now, Cygnus was getting higher so I had a first look this year at Albireo, the lovely blue and yellow colours standing out well in the Hyperion IV zoom.

Looking at Sky Safari I noticed M27 not far away so tried for another first. Still quite low but I could see a discernable shape to it. Tried the Hyperion IV zoom and 15mm BST, nothing improved the view but still another one bagged. 

Getting cold feet now, I remembered seeing recent posts about the Eastern veil so thought I'd have a go but that one eluded me. 

Packed in just after 1am and warming up with a medicinal one! All in all a pretty good, peaceful night with some more firsts bagged. Going to bed with a smile tonight. 

Andy
 

[John]

Good stuff Andy !

Twas a nice one, tonight

I've not yet managed to convincingly see the central star of M57 with my 12 inch scope, even when it's more or less overhead. I'd certainly like to though !

 

[SuburbanMak]

Great report and a great night! 
I picked tonight to drive out to a darker elevated spot and it’s amazing what a difference getting 15 minutes outside of town makes. 
 

I did some preplanned galaxy hunting in Virgo & Comma B - M49, M61, M85, M98, M99 & M100 (tough one).  

Then  went a bit kid in a globular sweet shop on M13, M92, M3, M5, M10 & M12.

Like you I had a great view of M57 & a first view of M27 which had a definite double bulge shape. 
 

Finished off with a super view of M81, M82 & M51.  
 

Cuppa & bed - work in 5 hrs…

[Dark Vader]

5 hours ago, John said:

Good stuff Andy !

Twas a nice one, tonight

I've not yet managed to convincingly see the central star of M57 with my 12 inch scope, even when it's more or less overhead. I'd certainly like to though !

 

Thanks John, it was nice out there. I'd heard the M57 central star mentioned as a challenge but didn't know how realistic it was. If you've not got it with the 12" it's sounding well beyond my reach. A bit like that 'Burger... 

[Dark Vader]

4 hours ago, SuburbanMak said:

Great report and a great night! 
I picked tonight to drive out to a darker elevated spot and it’s amazing what a difference getting 15 minutes outside of town makes. 
 

I did some preplanned galaxy hunting in Virgo & Comma B - M49, M61, M85, M98, M99 & M100 (tough one).  

Then  went a bit kid in a globular sweet shop on M13, M92, M3, M5, M10 & M12.

Like you I had a great view of M57 & a first view of M27 which had a definite double bulge shape. 
 

Finished off with a super view of M81, M82 & M51.  
 

Cuppa & bed - work in 5 hrs…

Nice work, especially on a school night. I really must sort myself out a darker site. 

[Stardaze]

Great work everyone. I was envious of the conditions as I had to retreat early last night given an early start today. Typically, it looks dire for the week ahead as the night is drawing in quickly. 

[Kon]

Nice report and targets. I have not seen M27 yet. I saw M57 the other night again and like you no central star.

9 hours ago, Dark Vader said:

I remembered seeing recent posts about the Eastern veil

Did you use a filter?

[Dark Vader]

No, I've only got a Baader ND 0.9 moon filter and don't often use that. Sky Safari listed it at mag +5.0 so I thought I should be able to see something of it. However, my searching abilities are, putting it mildly, not the best!! 🙂

[Stu]

1 hour ago, Dark Vader said:

No, I've only got a Baader ND 0.9 moon filter and don't often use that. Sky Safari listed it at mag +5.0 so I thought I should be able to see something of it. However, my searching abilities are, putting it mildly, not the best!! 🙂

Trouble is it is very large and spread out, so the surface brightness is very low. It’s the same effect as the comparison between a torch being very bright when focused to a small beam, and getting a lot dimmer (per unit area) when you adjust it to spread the light over a wider area.

An OIII filter works wonders on the Veil!

If you centre 52 Cygni in your eyepiece then the Western Veil runs right through that.

[Dark Vader]

Thanks Stu, I'll look into getting one. When I was trying for it last night it was only around 15° altitude so maybe another hour would have helped... along with being able to find 52 Cygni 😀

[John]

Without a filter even the brightest segments of the Veil nebula are at best very faint, even with a decent aperture scope. A UHC helps to see them better but an O-III filter is a game changer on this target.

Edited May 7, 2021 by John

[Stu]

12 minutes ago, Dark Vader said:

Thanks Stu, I'll look into getting one. When I was trying for it last night it was only around 15° altitude so maybe another hour would have helped... along with being able to find 52 Cygni 😀

Definitely! We aren’t really in prime Veil season yet, it’s often best viewed in the evening in late July and August. Nice and warm (ish) still, yet some proper Astro darkness around, with the MilkyWay positioned overhead.