Cluster Hunting with a 10" Dob

[AndyC]

Saturday Evening : 10” Dob + TV 32mm Plossl and TV 10mm Radians

After looking at the Auriga clusters for the first time (1st ever in the 10” Dob) this winter on Thursday evening thought

I'd try something a bit more challenging to find and see. Like some of the NGC Clusters between Cygnus and Cassiopeia.

Most of the objects (except the Messiers and NGC 6910 I'd not seen before). I have 'starred' the ones I think are the best.

Clearly some of these will only be seen or be spectacles in a scope of this aperture, soooo glad I've got one:D.

NGC 6830* Just West of the Dumbbell Nebula - 10 or so 9th to 11th Magnitude stars the brightest being arranged

into a fairly symmetric cross shape but also a few more stars close by.

NGC 6823 A bit further west - Sparser than 6830 in an already rich field. I see now that it's surrounded by nebulosity

but I didn't detect any at the time.

NGC 6834 E of Albireo - Again quite a sparse cluster.

NGC 6882/5** Around 20 Vul. Couldn't really tell these apart. In a field of already 'bright' stars are scatterings of fainter ones.

Not sure if the brighter ones are part of the cluster or just foreground stars. Nevertheless a good view.

NGC 6940*** E of 15 Vul - Surprisingly large almost filled the FoV of the 32mm Radian. Twenty to thirty stars of

11th Magnitude or better and a whole host of fainter ones. Also a number of brighter nearby foreground (?) stars

enhance the view. Sort of like M37 but much fainter, made quite an impression.

NGC 6910* Just N of Sadr - domintated by two stars with a chain of fainter ones between them.

M29* Just S of Sadr – OK it's a Messier with 8 or 9 8th Magnitude stars but could hardly be confused with a comet,

so why did Messier include it and not some of the others in Cygnus? Still pretty though, best in lowest powers perhaps

best using something smaller than the Dob.

Hopped south past P Cyg

IC 4996* Hardly a cluster at all at first glance dominated by three 8/9th Mag stars but accompanied closely by

a host of 11/12th Mag ones, merits a longer look.

NGC 7063 SW of Tau Cyg – Ten to twelve 9/10th Magnitude stars was able to split a pair of 11th Mag at the

south edge and detected stars down to 13th Mag by averted vision.

Passed by 61 Cyg a nice Yellow-Orange double I found them to be closer in brightness than suggested!

NGC 7062 E of Deneb - Very sparse hardly merited me calling it a cluster on this view. Must be just too faint in a rich field.

M39 Bright stars filling the FoV of the 32mm TV but again hardly to be confused with a comet!

NGC 7235 Between Zeta and Epsilon Cephei: another very sparse cluster.

Scooted past Mu Cephei - The Garnet Star and wow it had a real coppery-red tone

NGC 7160 N of Zeta Cep, E of Alpha Cep. Only found this with the 10mm Radian in, probably would have missed

it in the 32mm. A tiny little line of maybe 10 stars between 7th and 11th Magnitudes. TV at all!

M52*** First time I've resolved this, only second time I've looked, the previous in poorer seeing in the 6” Frac!

One 8th Magnitude and a whole host of 10th and fainter. Really great … what a 'true' cluster should look like.

Clearly better viewed in a scope of this size.

NGC 7510 Just SE of M52 - A Little clump of 15 or so 10th - 12th Magnitude stars.

NGC 7789** S of Caph - About 10 or so 10th Magnitude stars and very good sprinkling of fainter ones, somewhat

like NGC6940 but lesser.

Loads more to do in Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Lacerta but just got too cold. Perhaps I need some good thermals

or one of FLOs new heated bodywarmers;)!

Andy

[jwallis]

Nice spotting there!!!

My 12 inch dob flextube arrives tomorrow, and once set up, i cannot wait to begin .

Having only had small scopes before, im really in a 2 and 8 in what my eyes will see with a dob of this size.

Clear Skies,

Jon

[george7378]

Very nice systematic report - I have come across many random clusters while sky-scanning with my 250PX - it makes you wonder just how many objects are visible to larger scopes.

[m.tweedy]

here are some interesting guides for you including a globular cluster guide.

Welcome to FaintFuzzies.com

[DrNeb]

that faintfuzzies website is fantastic!

what i found even more amazing was someone managed to pack a 22inch dob into the back of a VW Beetle!

[oldfruit]

Nice report. Should really try and do this myself more.

[WayBig]

Thanks Andy. I was looking at the Auriga clusters last night, there's a lot of new ones to hunt down here. Like the star rating!!

A month or so ago I spent an evening going through some of the casseopeia clusters listed in TLAO, really enjoyed it. I did have trouble finding M52, due to light pollution and a tree. But got it in the end.

[AndyC]

Just a few more lesser known clusters: from 29th Nov and 8th Dec in Perseus and Auriga.

OK so I started with a double and a planetary

Started from Gamma And (Almach) nice Yellow & Blue double 10" apart, have seen them described as Topaz and Aquamarine somewhere.

Hopped to M76 the Little Dumbbell Nebula could only see this initially with a UHC filter in as distinctly peanut-shaped glow that all but

disappeared without the filter. Definately worth a look.

NGC 957 Just S of the double cluster in a rich field of 8th and 9th Mag stars a few 10th - 12th Mag arranged sort of linearly!

IC 1805 also known as Mel 15, Just over in Cassiopeia 15 or so stars between 8th and 12th Mags couldn't see any

sign of the associated Emission Nebula fairly anonymous in a rich field.

NGC 1027** Just to the south of IC1805 surrounding a 7th Mag star are 10 or so 9th Mag and many more fainter ones.

Pretty but faint. There's around 60 stars brighter than 13th Mag here.

NGC 1857* S of Capella 2/3 of the way to M38 a few 9th Mag stars and a smattering of much fainter ones surrounding a noticably red 7th Mag star.

NGC 1778* halfway between 1857 and Iota Aur. 10 9th and 10th Mag stars and a few fainter the most northerly looks like a double 12" apart.

NGC 2281** Well away from Beta Aur towards Lynx a coiled snake-like string of 9th mag stars and the haze of many more. Very Pretty!

A

[AndyC]

A few more in really quite poor transparency:( so I'll need to take another peak at these again later. I was struggling to see stars a 1 - 1.5 Mags brighter than normal.

NGC 1664 by Eps Aur composed of 10th Mag stars

NGC 1582 halfway between Capella and Eps Per in a fairly rich field anyway 8th - 11th Mag stars.

NGC 1528 E of Lam Per mainly 9th Mag and fainter

NGC 1502** At the end of Kembles Cascade very pretty supposed to be dominated by 6th and 7th Mag Stars but I found it less so, probably down to the poor conditions.

Would like to try these all again on a better night

A

[mdstuart]

I can see you are having fun. I love that 7789 in Cassiopea! What about M35 and look for 2158 the mini cluster next to it...

And then there is the cluster thant looks like the number 37 above Orion..

Oh and the cluster that looks like the dots on a dice on the number 5 side near Cephus..enjoy tracking that one down..you can see it on Stellarium..

Mark

[AndyC]

Oh and the cluster that looks like the dots on a dice on the number 5 side near Cephus..enjoy tracking that one down..you can see it on Stellarium..

Mark

So that would be NGC 6939 then perhaps ? ... worth a look then

And some more ... from Wednesday

NGC 1907 right by M38 must have seen it before, A rather compact group of around 10 stars between 9th and 12th Mags.

Its closeness to M38 making it much easier to locate than if it were elsewhere, it being so small, might have been easily missed.

NGC 1342 Halfway between Rho & Xi Persei nice size comprises of 15 or so 8th - 10th Mag stars and a lesser number of fainter ones.

NGC 1647** Just NW of Aldebaran large cluster 25 or so stars of 8th Mag and fainter with a couple of bright stars (5th and 7th Mags) just to the south

NGC 1647 Further again to the NW dominated by four 7th Mag stars and a number of 9th Mag and fainter ones.

NGC 1807 & 1817* Would these be the ones that look like 37? SW of Aldebaran N or Bellatrix,

a bit sparse but collectively a nice view

1807 comprising of 10 or so 9th Mag stars but little else,

1817 with just four 9th Mag stars and a fair number of 12th Mag ones just about at the boundary of visibility

Just need Orion and Gemini to clear the house next door and there'll be more: M35 and it's neighbour NGC 2158 maybe tomorrow night looks good for a long night...

A

[mdstuart]

No the dice does not have a NGC number its just an asterism. There are five stars that mathc perfectly the shape you see on the number 5 face of a dice. They are all about mag 10 if I recall. Its one to show non astronomers as its got an earthly connection. Just a chance alignment unless its God's sense of humour just like that 37 cluster..

Mark