Observing 04/03/2011

[Ben Ritchie]

Work's been very busy, and apart from the occasional grab'n'go session with the TV76 i've not done much observing (or time on the forums!). Last night was a pleasant opportunity to correct that...

Equipment: SkyWatcher 350p Dob, SkySurfer V, 7x50 RACI

Eyepieces: 24mm and 34mm Meade SWAs

Conditions: cold, clear with low-level haze (increasing).

My plan for the night was a (sort-of) figure-of-eight around Orion, covering all the Messiers in this area of sky. Particular targets were M93 - which i've seen from AZ, but never from the UK, and M79 which doesn't appear anywhere in my notes so likely one i've missed. Working from memory, as I couldn't find a star chart...

I started at about 8:30, once it was reasonably dark. First target was M42/M43 which in the 14" is a stunning splash of colourful nebulosity and bright stars. We've all seen it dozens of times, but it never gets old. I then hopped up to M78, which i've struggled with in smaller 'scopes but is an easy direct-vision target in the 14". O'Meara talks about a third star here, but I couldn't see it despite averted vision and swapping between powers. After Orion, it was a quick loop through M35, M36, M37 and M38. I've always liked the perspective of NGC2158 next to M35 and can half convince myself I can see the colour difference. I then stopped by NGC1893 (the 'other open cluster' in the centre of Auriga) before M45 - not at its best really in the more limited FOV of a 14" - before heading to M1. Like M78, this is another object that I used to find very hard in smaller apertures but now just pops out next to Zeta Tau. Couldn't see very much though, although the general haze likely didn't help.

From there, it was back to M42/M43 for another look, before realizing that i'd gone the wrong way first and any chance of M79 was gone behind the trees to the south. Need to plan that better next time, or it's gone for another year. So, concentrating on the remaining deep-south objects before they went too, I first picked up M41 before hopping back to Sirius and on to M50 which is on an (almost) direct line from Sirius to Procyon. Heading on to Procyon is the starting point for M48, rather lost in the (to me) anonymity of Monoceros, but a line extended from Beta Canis Minor through Procyon finds it. Then it was M46/M47, which I find with a similar technique - they're just off a line from Murzim (beta Canis Major) through Sirius. Much easier that way than trying to pick up one of the faint stars in Monoceros to hop from.

From M46/M47, it was onwards and downwards to try and find M93. The Dob was almost horizontal and looking through a gap in the trees, but I could see delta CMa and the two brightish stars that mark the top of Pupis - hopping between them, M93 was easy to spot with a notable arrow asterism pointing the way once you're close (try it, you'll see what I mean!). This is a lovely target, at low powers it reminds me of M11 in a less-rich field. Definitely a sleeper in the Messier list that should be better known, but the very low declination doesn't help.

Time was moving on, and the haze was getting worse, so I returned the Dob to a more sensible angle and picked up M44 (with a rather comic moment where I could see it with the naked eye but kept missing it with the 'scope). Like M45 it really does better in smaller aperture 'scopes. Then, last but not least, I hopped down to M67 and then back to M42/M43 for one final look.

I thought about waiting up for the Leo trio (both of them!) and the galaxies of Virgo, but suspect that the haze wouldn't have made it a great galaxy night - much better for open clusters that cut through the haze. But really pleased with how well the 350p works, even if it's heavier than i'd really like - the base, especially. Must use it more

[Mark at Beaufort]

Interesting report Ben. I had similar sky conditions and the haze made it difficult to find some of the fainter DSOs last night.

I really fancy a 14" Skywatcher Dob but I think the weight might be too much. Do you need to carry it to your observing site?

Mark

[Ben Ritchie]

I really fancy a 14" Skywatcher Dob but I think the weight might be too much. Do you need to carry it to your observing site?

Depending on my targets, I carry it about six yards (Northern/Eastern sky) or forty (Southern sky) - never been outside the back garden and getting it into a small car would be hard work, really need an estate. It's *very* heavy. I can just lug it myself if I split it into OTA + base, but the base is so heavy and awkward that i'm going to do my back one day - so I either need to split it down more or work out a wheel-mod. Fully assembled it's a heavy but manageable lift for two people via the handles.

I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, once up and running it's lovely. Nicely made - better quality IMO than the 12" I used to have (especially the Az motion, which is very nice) - and a useful increase in aperture, as well as bringing a lot of objects into direct vision everything's so colourful compared to a smaller aperture Dob (e.g. the K and M giants in open clusters just pop out).

OTOH it's really too heavy for me, and collimation with the flextube system is a fiddle. Plus it's a lot more money than the 12" solid tube. So I um and ah about it. But under the stars it's really nice

[m_j_lyons]

Great report I've been dying to do the same Messier run around Orion of late - but the weather is refusing to cooperate. I've also found M93 to be a nice little cluster to view - I find coming 'up' from Xi Puppis to be the easiest approach and then using the "arrow" point to the spot. I found M46/47/50 to be easily lost in the mass of stars running the Milky Way there...especially in less-than-optimal viewing conditions.

Cheers...

[Ben Ritchie]

Fingers crossed for the weather, it's a great loop with everything straightforward to find - one for those nights where you don't want to faff around trying to star-hope your way across some featureless bit of sky like Ophiuchus. Agree too that M46/47 can get a bit lost, M48 too.

Only problem with coming up to M93 is that it only gets 15 degrees above the horizon from the UK, so the only real approach is to position the 'scope with the best southerly view you can find (through a gap in the trees, in my case!) and go down Canis Major then across

[mdstuart]

Sounds like a reasonable session despite the haze. I had my 80mm bins out and the Virgo cluster was pretty hazed out...I could see M49 and M87 but thats about it!

Mark

[Hypernova]

A nice report and good night's observing

I would like to have the opportunity to observe some of the Messiers below Orion but the roof line of the house gets in the way, I struggle to get below -10 degrees in Dec. I did manage to bag M41, just, using a pair of binoculars from the front garden with two streetlights either side but I wouldn't wan to bother dragging to dob out there again.

[DarkerSky]

Super report Ben. I'm yet to get a view of M93. Sounds like it is very much worth seeking out.