The Intergalactic Tramp...

[DarkerSky]

...otherwise known as the globular cluster NGC 2419 in Lynx was bagged and sketched, this time with my baby - the 8.5" last night (18 Dec).

It is listed as Mag 10.4 and my sky wasn't that good with a LM of 4.8/4.9. I "suspected" it at low power, but wasn't until I plugged my 17mm Baader Hyperion into the barrel that I actually confirmed I'd found it.

Used various eyepieces but settled on a mag of x173 to give the best view. Studied it for what seemed like ages with the temp at minus -4c...bloomin' cold night for sure.

It appeared as a fairly uniform round patch of light. Fairly large in the FOV with a train of brighter stars leading westwards. Close in around the globular itself I captured some rather faint stars. I think these are foreground field stars though rather than individually resolved cluster stars.

NGC 2419 is close on 300,000 l y away....way, way outside the normal globular halo....I mean massively so outside it, hence it's nickname as the intergalactic tramp. Quite an intriguing object.

Will post the sketch once I've digitized it

[Phil Fargaze]

Nice one. I`ve been after bagging `The Intergalactic Tramp` for a while but it still eludes me. You have reminded me to go try again. Looking forward to seeing the sketch.

[DarkerSky]

and here it is...

[Phil Fargaze]

Excellent sketch! I don`t hold out much hope under my light polluted skies Going deep is never easy though

[Talitha]

Great sketch and report, Seb!! Thanks for posting this, i'd like to revisit it when conditions allow. BTW, i never knew why it bore that nickname.. thanks for the background info.

TBH i had a giggle when reading your report title, because over here we call it the 'Intergalactic Wanderer'.... a tramp is a thieving vagrant, or hobo.

[Phil Fargaze]

So.......Last night the sky looked good, I ventured out into the snow on the hunt for the `Intergalactic Wanderer`. I tried but could not see it. I reasoned that even though the sky was good, two things were against me, the reflection of the light pollution off the snow, and a slight dewing of the mirror. Maybe next time.

[DarkerSky]

Great sketch and report, Seb!! Thanks for posting this, i'd like to revisit it when conditions allow. BTW, i never knew why it bore that nickname.. thanks for the background info.

TBH i had a giggle when reading your report title, because over here we call it the 'Intergalactic Wanderer'.... a tramp is a thieving vagrant, or hobo.

Maybe it is a thieving vagrant...but just making a very slow getaway..!

I actually didn't realize how far removed it was from normal globulars until I read up on it after I found it - quite an impressive distance

[DarkerSky]

So.......Last night the sky looked good, I ventured out into the snow on the hunt for the `Intergalactic Wanderer`. I tried but could not see it. I reasoned that even though the sky was good, two things were against me, the reflection of the light pollution off the snow, and a slight dewing of the mirror. Maybe next time.

That's a pity that you didn't find it Phil. The snow here is mad tonight. Even if it does clear it so reflective. It almost looks like daytime out there, just in a heavy fog.

On the night I found it I did lose it a few times as I've no drive on the scope. I had to skip back to Castor and start star hopping again to find it. There is a nice curved line of mag 5 and 6 stars that push northwards of Castor through Lynx. If you can locate yourself in that line you can push off a 6th mag star to three fainter ones at an obtuse angle (a little to the NE?? cant quite remember the direction)...the furthest of these 3 stars lies very close to the globular and is likely to be in your FOV no matter what power you use

[Phil Fargaze]

Thanks for your directions DarkerSky. Although I do have the luxury of object location, I will have to star hop just to be double sure of where to look.

[tom.yates]

Great sketch and repot

[JAO]

Just spotted this, excellent sketch and report. Your drawing really captures the ethereal ghost like presence of this very distant object.

Adrian