Second Widefield Session in as many days!

[PeterC65]

Another widefield EAA session last night. This time the FMA135 got the filter wheel and the 72mm refractor got its x0.6 reducer.

The session started badly as I couldn’t get focus with the FMA135. I wasn’t sure I’d use it before with the filter wheel so ended up changing the kit around several times outside which is something I normally avoid. After a much frustration I realised that there was nothing amiss with the kit and it was just that the SharpCap Bahtinov Focus Mask Assistant was giving me duff information. All was fine when I went back to just looking at the diffraction spikes. So after returning the kit to the intended setup the session began …

I started with M42, where I had left off the previous night, but then tried to observe a different set of wide field objects.

The FMA135 and the 72mm refractor with its reducer are more closely matched in terms of field of view so it was interesting to compare what the extra aperture was giving me. The California Nebula (NGC1499) was a great object to show this, nicely framed by the FMA135 but only just fitting with the 72mm refractor. When I zoomed in on the view from the FMA135 so that it matched that from the 72mm refractor the improvement in detail from that extra aperture was obvious. What did work well though was using the L-eNhance filter to reduce the impact of stars with the FMA135. It’s wide field of view means that there are usually lots of stars and they often get in the way of nebulae, not so with the filter. Here is the California Nebula with stars dimmed by the filter.

I mostly concentrated on larger nebulae. To my great surprise part of Barnards Loop was visible alongside M78 with the FMA135. I could just make out some of the Witches Head Nebula (NGC1909) too, but it being a reflexion nebula I was struggling.

Emission nebulae where easier to see, especially with the L-eNhance selected for the FMA135 and with the saturation increased a little in SharpCap. IC1805, IC1848, NGC2174, NGC7822, SH2-185 and even the supernova remnant SNR G189.1+02.9, all looked good with plenty of shape, detail and extent on display.

Highlights from the session where two objects finally looking like their names, partly due to good visibility and partly to their fortuitous orientation.

The first highlight was the Heart Nebula (IC1805) which was framed just right by the FMA135, and really stood out once the L-eNhance had minimised the stars.

The second highlight was the Monkey Head Nebula (NGC2174) which doesn’t look like a monkey’s head to me even in Stellarium, but last night the similarity jumped out.

It was getting late, but the Winter / Spring galaxies were nudging about the eastern horizon so I slewed right around and took my first look this season at the Leo Triplet, framed easily with the 72mm refractor.

Markarian’s Chain was visible too, but still a bit too low in the sky for a really good image, but M101 was better, above the house but that meant it was higher.

Tonight is looking clear again and I’m going back to narrow field. With the 8” Newtonian and x1.7 Barlow, hopefully those galaxies will look even better.

 

[josefk]

Pretty inspirational stuff @PeterC65. They’re all pretty cool targets and observations!