Observation of NGC 2195
By Steve Gottlieb

In article <349E1E80.17D4@lowell.edu>, "Brian A. Skiff" wrote [on s.a.a.]:

> The description in the NGC is unambiguous in mentioning a mag. 10
> star 31" north of the object. As can be seen by looking at a DSS
> image of the field, this makes the ID certain as being the string
> of stars near: 6 14 34 +17 38.5 (2000) that Kenneth mentions. The
> "nebulosity" seen by Lohse and later by Bigourdan in several
> observations is simply a physiological effect from the closeness of the
> faint stars, just as you would see in faint stars in an open cluster.
>
> \Brian Skiff

Brian,

I took a look last night at the NGC 2195 field from a dark site in the Sierra foothills east of Jackson and I fully agree with your comments. In my 17.5" I immediately picked up the close double at 100x just south of the mag 10 star. At 220x and 280x the double star was cleanly separated but the space between the pair and the bright star appeared slightly hazy due to the two very close faint stars just below resolvability. At 410x, at least one very faint sparkle was resolved.

Also at 220x it was not difficult to pick up the patch of nebulosity about 6.5' NNE (not noticed at 100x). It appeared as a very small hazy spot about 15" in diameter forming a small triangle (sides ~1') with two mag 10-11 stars following. I might have mistaken it for a small, faint galaxy and could easily be passed over at lower power. At 280x and 410x, the mag 10.5 star 1.4' NE was noticed to have a faint, very close companion at its NE edge.