15x70 Messier List Update- 4 New DSOs!

[JamesK]

As you will have noticed - or disbelieved - we've had a string of clear nights over the past week, so on a couple of nights I managed to get a few hours in over two convenient nights for me - spotting several objects including recording the 4 Messier objects I'm about to mention, but best of all showing my nan Jupiter and M13!

I must also tell you that I was quite captivated with Bode/Cigar galaxies last night, so much so that I picked up the pen by my feet without looking and prepared to write my notes only to realise I was preparing to write with a long, black, and probably disgruntled, slug. I thought the pen was wet with dew! Not your usual stationary.

On with the Messiers (and one observation of Jupiter), bringing my count to 7/110...

12/09/2009 Absolutly clear. Cold- breathing “steam”! Horizons quite hazy. Obstructed horizons, especially to the south. Lights from sorrounding housing estate somewhat annoying, moderate light pollution. NELM 4.5. Seeing Fair.

M15 21:50

Quite tricky to the locate area of sky, but I found it after about 10 minitues, a time I am quite pleased with. M15 appeared easily as a “Smuged Star”, much like a bright star through a foggy lens. Extension beyond the fairly bright core difficult to see and faint but farily extensive. No graininess noted, uniform, regularly shaped brightness. Tricky find, decent glob.

Jupiter 22:15

Very bright, 3 moons visable. Europa roughly 4 minitues to the east, Ganymede and Castillo roughly 5 minitues to the west of the planet, very close together. Some colour difference was visable on the flattened disk of Jupiter, as in lighter and darker regions just observable. A bad atmosphere coupled with a foggy lens ad a bright jupiter meant the planet was not at it’s best.

14/09/2009 - Absolutly clear. Cold- breathing “steam”! Horizons good. Obstructed horizons, especially to the south. Lights from sorrounding housing estate somewhat annoying, moderate light pollution. Seeing Good. NELM 5.

Bode's Galaxy, M81 22:00

Galaxy faint, but stands out before it’s neighbour M82. It seems to be a rugby ball shaped alomost uniform brightness, but it does fade out visably from the core, albeit steadily and gradually. M81 and M82 are nicely contrasting irregular shapes, makes for a beautiful pair on a fairly dark night.

Cigar Galaxy, M82 22:05

A frisbee-shaped (not a cigar! It’s the Frisbee Galaxy!) patch of brightness which is much fainter and smaller than it’s neighbour, but shows more faint extension “lengthways” across the Cigar/Frisbee. It is wispy and faint to the point of looking delicate! It is about 1-2 degrees away from Bode’s Galaxy (M81) and the two make a striking pair due to their contrasting shapes.

M2 22:25

Fairly large, fairly bright golb is a patch of uniforrm brightness, it’s hard to determine any variance in brighness exept the gradual fade out into black space. The glob is very easy to find using TLAO’s star hopping method. Averted vision and prolonged observation reaveled subtle graniness around the edges of the immediatly notcable core. Quite good in binoculars for such an easy find.

[iamjulian]

Fabulous report, love the bit about the slug! Did you hoy it over the neighbour's fence? I love the way you can fit the bode and cigar in the eyepiece at the same time. Congratulations on your expanding Messier count.

[JamesK]

Thanks Julian. It did go over the fence, but they have a way of getting back... I'm sure I start to recognize some around this time of year! And your right, I love having such a wide field, it makes finding DSOs much easier.