What did you see tonight?

[John]

I've just had another go at the quasar 3C 273, this time with my ED120 refractor. At the same magnification that I was using with the 100mm last night (same eyepiece in fact) I could go about half a magnitude fainter so picked up a couple more stars in the field that 3C 273 is situated in, as well as the quasar itself. I've added the magnitude of those to the Stellarium-generated chart below. The odd thing though was that I have been picking up a further magnitude 12.5ish (est) pinpoint of light but there is nothing plotted there in Stellarium (my version goes down to magnitude 15). This "star" is definitely there (I've checked and re-checked about a dozen times over the past 30 minutes). I'm wondering if it is a variable star that has flared up tonight ? I'll do some more research on that one. I've marked it's position on my chart below with a ? and a magnitude estimate. Fun stuff ! 🙂

 

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by John

[Epick Crom]

13 minutes ago, John said:

I've just had another go at the quasar 3C 273, this time with my ED120 refractor. At the same magnification that I was using with the 100mm last night (same eyepiece in fact) I could go about half a magnitude fainter so picked up a couple more stars in the field that 3C 273 is situated in, as well as the quasar itself. I've added the magnitude of those to the Stellarium-generated chart below. The odd thing though was that I have been picking up a further magnitude 12.5ish (est) pinpoint of light but there is nothing plotted there in Stellarium (my version goes down to magnitude 15). This "star" is definitely there (I've checked and re-checked about a dozen times over the past 30 minutes). I'm wondering if it is a variable star that has flared up tonight ? I'll do some more research on that one. I've marked it's position on my chart below with a ? and a magnitude estimate. Fun stuff ! 🙂

 

Great stuff John! It's always fun investigating mysteries in the night sky 👍

[John]

22 minutes ago, Epick Crom said:

Great stuff John! It's always fun investigating mysteries in the night sky 👍

Thanks Joe. Turns out that it's not so mysterious after all - Sky Safari shows a magnitude 12.6 star in that spot which Stellarium omits. Shows that it pays to consult more than one star atlas before jumping to conclusions ! 🙄

[Zermelo]

Another decent night here. Seeing started average but improved during the evening, and transparency generally good, with the occasional wisp of high cloud.

A few doubles in the Mak, including HR 3701 at 1.0", and then some galaxies: M65, M66 (no hamburger again), M99, M100 (barely), and four in Markarian's Chain. Finished with M13, which was showing a lot of structure in the Morpheus 9mm.

[AstroNebulee]

Whilst out with my dslr capturing the milky-way in the early hours of the morning here in North Cornwall, I turned around and looked North to see an invasion in the sky! 

Going through Ursa Major heading west to east around 3.10am must of been the star link satellite train. There had to be at least 40 or more going past with only a fingers width between them each. 

It was interesting to see but more of those dammed things up there. 

Lee 

Edited May 16, 2023 by AstroNebulee

[dweller25]

15th May 22:00 BST - Mars is now just 5 arc seconds in diameter but turned the Mewlon 180 onto it to see how it looked.

The atmosphere was not steady but I occasionally glimpsed the North polar cap, with a darker feature to the right of it and a dark feature at the south pole - all at x380 and the disk was still small !

[Stu]

8 hours ago, John said:

I've just had another go at the quasar 3C 273, this time with my ED120 refractor. At the same magnification that I was using with the 100mm last night (same eyepiece in fact) I could go about half a magnitude fainter so picked up a couple more stars in the field that 3C 273 is situated in, as well as the quasar itself. I've added the magnitude of those to the Stellarium-generated chart below. The odd thing though was that I have been picking up a further magnitude 12.5ish (est) pinpoint of light but there is nothing plotted there in Stellarium (my version goes down to magnitude 15). This "star" is definitely there (I've checked and re-checked about a dozen times over the past 30 minutes). I'm wondering if it is a variable star that has flared up tonight ? I'll do some more research on that one. I've marked it's position on my chart below with a ? and a magnitude estimate. Fun stuff ! 🙂

 

 

Thanks for bringing this one to my attention John. I got it last night in the 128mm but it was TOUGH! My skies are a bit worse due to lights from a building site to the south east unfortunately, think I need to start heading out a bit more. I am 90% sure I got it with averted vision but it was right on the limit. I used a 7mm XW for x148, I wonder if going higher would have helped?

[Mr Spock]

In my light polluted skies the 12" might just reach it. It's right on the limit for me. Sadly, other than the old 120mm achro, I don't have anything large I can transport to a darker sky. Going back 30 years I could reach those sort of mags with a small scope from my garden. LED streetlights, sigh.

Although it was clear last night, I was too tired to go out. Roll on tomorrow when I get my op. Woke up tired and breathless this morning. Feel ok now I've had my dose of isosorbide mononitrate - won't need those after tomorrow 

[Stu]

Actually I meant to say that last night was a good example of technology helping but not spoiling the thrill of the hunt. I used the Nexus/SkySafari to get me close to the quasar, and to an identifiable star pattern nearby, then did plenty of manual searching and comparing with SkySafari to nail it down.

I often don’t bother enough with dark adaptation but, much to Mrs Stu’s amusement, I spent about 30 mins watching the end of a programme with my left eye shut 🤣. It’s quite amazing how different the vision was between my two eyes when I went out! It definitely helped. I did a bit of Stephen O’Meara deep breathing too which I actually think can help on really tough targets. Luckily nobody could hear me 🤪

[John]

1 hour ago, Stu said:

Thanks for bringing this one to my attention John. I got it last night in the 128mm but it was TOUGH! My skies are a bit worse due to lights from a building site to the south east unfortunately, think I need to start heading out a bit more. I am 90% sure I got it with averted vision but it was right on the limit. I used a 7mm XW for x148, I wonder if going higher would have helped?

With the 120mm I found 180x-190x teased out the fainter points of light a little easier. XW 5mm / Ethos 4.7mm seemed best. I'm pleased that you got it though. 

Another one that I found challenging last night was getting M13 and the galaxy NGC 6207 in the same FoV. M13 is dead easy but the 12th mag galaxy (which is 1 degree away) needed a lot of averted vision, tube tapping etc to confirm with the smaller aperture. It was a piece of cake with my 12 inch dob of course but I am enjoying pushing these refractors as far as I can 🙂

I must give that deep breathing a try sometime, when nobody is around of course 🙄

Edited May 16, 2023 by John

[JeremyS]

I recall O’Meara using an oxygen tank when he was trying to spot Comet Halley on its return. He was up a mountain,though. 
 

 

[Stu]

3 hours ago, John said:

I must give that deep breathing a try sometime, when nobody is around of course 🙄

🤣🤣 perhaps he just wrote that to wind us up and is now having a chuckle at people thinking it works. I have a tendency to hold my breath of trying for something hard so that obviously isn’t going to help. Regular deep breathing seems to make sense to me.

[Stu]

3 hours ago, John said:

With the 120mm I found 180x-190x teased out the fainter points of light a little easier. XW 5mm / Ethos 4.7mm seemed best. I'm pleased that you got it though. 

I should have tried a bit more then, might have darkened the sky background enough to make it pop a little more.

[bosun21]

The clouds eventually opened up about 11pm last night after putting out the Starfield at 9pm to cool. I did an accurate polar alignment and then adjusted the cone error until my polar scope coincided with the eyepiece. I find that this greatly increases the accuracy of the go to. Having recently fitted the go to upgrade kit I wanted to check that everything was as it should be. After a two star alignment  I kicked off with M13 in the 17.5mm Morpheus which appeared just slightly off centre. It was surprisingly bright to me, but I then remembered my previous views of it had been with the moon being present. I changed to the 9mm Morpheus which showed show much more detail especially in the outer stars. I spent a good bit of time on it both enjoying the view as well as checking the tracking. I then selected the Dumbell nebula (M27) leaving the 9mm Morpheus selected. Again pretty central in the FOV and it appeared like a ghost hanging in the air although pretty faint. I last viewed it with my 12” dobsonian which shows it much better and brighter. I tried an Astronomik UHC filter which slightly improved the contrast but not to any great degree. Next I selected M57(Ring nebula) which was much better. It was relatively bright and sharply defined with a hint of blue showing through. I upped the magnification with the 6.5mm Morpheus and while still staying sharp and defined no more detail was visible. Lastly I slewed to M3, again with the 9mm for another relatively bright image of the cluster. It’s now 1.30am and with the clouds moving in fast I decided to call it a night. Pleased to report that the go to upgrade is working flawlessly(touch wood). 

[Mr Spock]

Just had a look at Venus with the 4". A bit wobbly at x185 but the blue filter helps tease out a bit of cloud detail.

Can't really tell at the moment as it's still light but transparency doesn't seem too bad at the moment so hopefully I'll get the doubles session in I'd planned for the other night.

[John]

57 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

Just had a look at Venus with the 4". A bit wobbly at x185 but the blue filter helps tease out a bit of cloud detail.

Can't really tell at the moment as it's still light but transparency doesn't seem too bad at the moment so hopefully I'll get the doubles session in I'd planned for the other night.

You have tempted me into popping my Vixen 4" out Michael 🙂

 

[Mr Spock]

Just pausing to let the sky darken a bit.

Had a look at Mars for a laugh - it's so tiny! Blurred too - couldn't see a thing. Castor looks reasonable despite the seeing in that area being wobbly and fuzzy.

[cloudsweeper]

It's all orange tonight!

Finally got out again, this time with the AR102S frac.  Had the company of bats at dusk when I set up.

Only saw Arcturus first, beautifully orange, especially in the EP.  About 10deg straight up to 9 Boo - also orange - then about 2deg west to the main target, Sigma 1785 (Boo) - 7th and 8th mags, 3.0 arcsec separation.  Initially it was a single faint orange dot, but going from x17 to x100 I just got the split and it became two orange stars, a fair match, sec at 7 o'clock, all in a sparse/empty field (at that level of light anyway).  A pretty sight, I recommend it to the doubles enthusiasts out there!

Thin cloud was spreading by now, so I took a quick look at Vega (ENE) and the Double Double.  Got the two 2.3 arcsec pairs at x150, but they were not sharp due to the cloud and seeing (low, and above houses).

Short session, but very enjoyable, with a pleasing new double to add to the list.

Doug.

Edited May 17, 2023 by cloudsweeper

[John]

It's quite milky here tonight so doubles rather than fainter far off stuff make more sense.

I have spent a happy 20 minutes with my 4 inch Vixen on the Hercules globular clusters though including the one that I often overlook, NGC 6229.

This one is much further away than M13 and M92 at around 100,000 light years hence it's fainter and smaller than it's more famous companion clusters. Worth finding though, between 42 and 52 Herculis. It is classed as one of the outer halo globular clusters which are the most distant objects associated with our galaxy.

The age of NGC 6229 is given by several sources as a staggering 14 billion years old 😲

 

[Mr Spock]

Virgo was covered in haze so I couldn't find much. So I had a brief session in Boötes starting with Izar - well you have to don't you  Wasn't expecting to go there so didn't have a chart prepared. I had to use Cambridge which isn't E-W reversed frac friendly.

Some cloud coming across now so I'm calling it a night.

[Captain Scarlet]

Forecast-only-at-last-minute clear night last night, and near-perfect seeing. The best seeing I’ve ever experienced. I had the SV140 out and slew a whole host of doubles, but the main result was how deep I was able to go on the stars around M57 Ring. The nearby mag13.1 was plain to see, a little further down the 14.1 was also easy, and I drew a”?” on my notes to question whether there was another faint object coming and going. Turns out there was, HL9001 apparently, clearly dimmer than the 14.1 so I guess I was seeing down to 14.5. Central star eluded me though, at 14.8 and obscured of course.

Full report of my best ever seeing to come later, a magical night.

Cheers, Magnus

 

[paulastro]

MAY 15 TO 16TH

Only just written up these obs from my field notebook into my diary.  I haven't the energy to type up the obs on my phone (no working computer!) so I've taken a couple of snaps of my diary instead.  Apologies for my scribble.

 

 

 

 

[Ags]

I put the first page through Google Lens 🤣

Celestron 811 Dot Celestra Stasan sa Gulas. MAY Using 175 Moon 6x508/1.10), and with X2 Latow Monday 150 10.42 pm-2am (start to pack up.

2023

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M311.05 DSS using M3-glower cluster.

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Cluster 11.3pm

ET

msl/m82 galores very good, hith altitude. See best detail using averted visin Ms Whitpal galong as alove, see dite arrulas plus so can stiller salary

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M87-Virgo A huge galaxy radio sare, have Wave Ub at centre. De

of the largest. One of the most mossive aqlloxes brown at sevent

trillion solar masses. At late is a three fillion solar mass block hole. 15,000 globus clusters Sam & halo around this saloxes. A hug Let & imized das (dosme extants out forpt the nacies, aby ksile In mes 811. the largest anotou a felosges. lats like a sliably i negul unkesalind slow/or cluster. m gibt, distro 55 milha bakt yers. Cette of ~ 3000 galanes

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maz Dunbell, stia good despite light dord.

Found three "new" (to me !:) OCs from losters at plays Storsense displays Temers, 80 staz.? 391 IC4756 OC Seg No Ne stars asile in area.

main saint book ground stars, her not, m510 Beautiful IC 4665 or Ophicochies 20 stars, 1.2°d, in 412 the Lightest Of not in masion at the NGC, Prenously. I discovered by Chesseaux 17.45, Bode 1782

Cantine Hosup 1783. Only added to the secost

16 do 1908 Smar a photo taken at Harved with be Bruce Telesige. I owe me the lights stars Torked like -round bush with a star in be middle and a shot trunk- In que French's Reapsley Wordess & Finnish otether likers May a tot to the stear of Poseidon.

Edited May 17, 2023 by Ags

[paulastro]

Ags, it makes more sense than what I actually wrote 🤣.

[Guest]

Well it has been a cloudless day all day.  Unfortunately we have a wonderful haze hanging in the air.  The farmers are working ground and dust is also heavy in the air.  To add insult to injury we are now starting to see smoke from the Canadian wildfires.  I am still hoping to give it a go this evening but i am not holding my breath. 

Edited May 18, 2023 by Mike Q