Nebulosity (??) 'south' of Orion

[Moonshane]

Hi all

I think this is the right place for this post and from my description don't really expect an answer but thought I'd have a punt anyway.

Last night with my 12" dob, I was looking at M42 etc and moved 'down' about the same distance again (i.e. about twice the distance from M42 to Orion's belt), just scanning about enjoying myself.

I then saw what I thought was nebulosity around a star and was pleased with myself having found something new without even a book in my hands.

Having looked at Stellarium later, there seems to be nothing in this general area which has any nebulosity.

The nearest star I can say it was close to (and from memory) is HIP 26728 which is at 5h41m15s / -10deg24'14".

Is anyone aware what I am likely to have seen? sorry about the lame description - must plan ahead and learn to sketch - I am rubbish at drawing.

I don't think my eyepieces were steamed up as there was no nebulosity around nearby stars.

Thanks!

Shane

[waccoo]

Closest Nebulosity to your star is part of Barnard's loop. Were you using an OIII filter?

There are many stars in Orion with nebulosity, and, new nebulosity has been discovered in Orion before. Get sketching!

You might want to download Cartes de Ceil and add the Nebulosity files. It's a freebee!

[waccoo]

Update!

According to the TriAtlas (JR's website on Deep Sky Astronomy a tool I HIGHLY recommend) there is a small bit of nebulosity near HIP 26728 called VDB53. Other than it being part of the Monoseros/Orion molecular cloud, I could find nothing else about it, including magnitude.

Keep posting!

ps. If it will help, there is this from seds.org:

vdB: van den Bergh S. van den Bergh, 1966. A Study of Reflection Nebulae. Astronomical Journal, Vol. 71, p. 990 [ADS: 1966AJ.....71..990V]. Comprehensive catalog of galactic reflection nebulae.

Follow the link and read the whole article.

[astrotonio]

Also referred under n°53 in Lynn's Bright Nebulaes Catalog. It appears on TheSky6Pro map at RA: 05h 36m 30s Dec: -10°19'46"(current)

Clear skies

[Moonshane]

wow cheers everyone! I was not using a filter at all - actually thinking about it maybe a cheapo light pollution filter. thanks for the star map links too - awesome!

seems as a novice I have found something not often observed.

I'll find it again next time and attempt a sketch - no laughing now.

My co-ordinates were only rough (but in the right sort of area) so I reckon you are spot on with VDB53. Amazing I found this but really struggled with M1! could only just make out a faint cloud - no detail at all. I do live in between Stockport and Manchester so amazed I see anything really.

I cannot help returning again and again to Orion. the nebula is just incredible through the 12" dobsonian. the more you look the more you see and with less power it just goes on forever.

thanks again for the help - will update when I next get a chance to get out with the scope - might be weekend.

cheers

Shane

[Moonshane]

Update!

According to the TriAtlas (JR's website on Deep Sky Astronomy a tool I HIGHLY recommend) there is a small bit of nebulosity near HIP 26728 called VDB53. Other than it being part of the Monoseros/Orion molecular cloud, I could find nothing else about it, including magnitude.

I have looked at the documents at this link and thank you so much for pointing them out. I can honestly say I think they will transform completely my ability to find targets and probably more importantly plan for a night's viewing. so often I look in the finder and get lost with nothing to guide me but luck. now I can star hop using these excellent maps. I reckon you have given me one of those helping hands you never forget - cheers!

[waccoo]

Not a problem. I love those charts also.

You might also look into downloading Cartes du Ceil 3.0. It is free also, but, is a searchable planetarium tool. If you download all the extra databases that come with it, you will have a searchable index to:

NGC IC and most other catalogs that amateurs can see.

Updates to the asteroid and comet database

and

an interface if you have a computer drive for your scope (boo hiss and other bad sounds).

To quote Ben Franklin. We must hang together, or, we shall certainly hang separately. So in whatever way I can be helpful, I will be.

[acey]

Are you sure it wasn't NGC1999? It's much closer to M42 than your suggested co-ordinates, but it's easy to get slightly lost with a dob (I do it all the time). It has the appearance of a fuzzy star (mag 10) and is well within the limits of a 12-inch, even at a slightly light-polluted site (I've seen it with an 8-inch at a mag-6 site). The other object you suggest must be extremely faint, given that it's not even in the NGC, and you do mention that your object had a star involved, which fits the description of NGC1999 perfectly. Nice find!

[Moonshane]

cheers Acey

all I can remember is that it was about the distance from M42 as M42 is from the belt - I may have got this wrong though - I'll check next time I get out - and there was a rather nice group of one bright(ish) star and two much smaller stars in the centre. Maybe you are right that it's NGC1999 although that 'feels' a little too close from memory - we all know how unreliable that can be though. Either way it's a newie for me (although they early all are)

[Moonshane]

an interface if you have a computer drive for your scope (boo hiss and other bad sounds).

Ha ha

I agree with you based on my limited knowledge/experience. Although sometimes it would be great to just say 'show me Uranus' (of course I carefully chose that particular object to show my general wish to avoid computerising my scope - sorry - one of the oldest in the book I wager) I am at the stage where I want to learn how to star hop and get to know constellations. it's coming slowly but surely - often the best way to learn - as well as going out with someone experienced.

[waccoo]

Are you sure it wasn't NGC1999? It's much closer to M42 than your suggested co-ordinates, but it's easy to get slightly lost with a dob (I do it all the time). It has the appearance of a fuzzy star (mag 10) and is well within the limits of a 12-inch, even at a slightly light-polluted site (I've seen it with an 8-inch at a mag-6 site). The other object you suggest must be extremely faint, given that it's not even in the NGC, and you do mention that your object had a star involved, which fits the description of NGC1999 perfectly. Nice find!

I thought of this object also. I have tried to see it in the past, but, with no luck.

What good questions.