by Bruce Jensen
On December 11, 1999, several observers from the The Astronomy Connection (TAC) gathered at Henry Coe State Park, in the Diablo Range south of San Jose, California, to observe deep sky objects and planets on this last dark-moon weekend of the 1900’s. The site at Henry Coe is at an elevation of around 2,650 feet / 800 meters, give or take, and is above most of the haze that typically blankets the Santa Clara Valley south of San Francisco. The night was fairly warm for December, reasonably dry and slightly breezy. Atmospheric conditions yielded fairly clear skies, although the stability and “seeing” was only fair to poor most of the night. Even so, occasional flashes of steadier seeing were common enough for all present to obtain excellent views of their intended objects, even the planets and comets that inhabit the late 1999 skies.
The observations are in roughly chronological order. Before I start, a hearty thanks to Steve Gottlieb and Jim Shields, who have provided a great deal of information and inspiration for finding many of these and other objects on Jim’s website, Adventures in Deep Space (http://www.angelfire.com/id/jsredshift/), a fabulous collection of observing projects; and to Jay Reynolds Freeman, a guy whose wit and almost supernatural abilities to pick out faint fuzzies make many of us occasionally want to take up needlepoint, but actually spur us on to greater efforts after we regain our senses.
I used a 0.457m Starmaster dobsonian telescope (http://www.icstars.com/starmaster/) with various eyepieces, typically either TeleVue 22mm Panoptic and 9mm Nagler , or a 14mm Meade Ultrawide-Angle eyepiece. Finders used include a standard Telrad and an Orion 10 x 50 finderscope. Star atlases used include SkyAtlas 2000 and Uranometria, the latter of which provided some of the detail information on the objects described below. Other information was taken from Chris Marriott’s SkyMap Pro 6 software (http://www.skymap.com/) which uses many catalogs as databases, and which was used in part to generate this report. The informational format of the reported objects matches the following order:
| Object | Type | Magnitude | RA | Dec | Magnification | Filter | Desc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M 15 | Globular cluster | 6.40 | 21h 29m 57s | 12° 10' 04" N | 225x |
The globular cluster M15 is well known as a beautiful
example of its type for the autumn. Unlike some
similar clusters, its center is highly condensed, and
resembles a great burst of stars that fills the field
at medium to high magnifications. But this bright
treasure chest contains a tiny example of an object
known better from several brighter objects such as the
Ring Nebula and the Dumbbell Nebula. This tiny
3-arcsecond planetary nebula Pease 1 (PK 65-27.1)
resides within the maelstrom of stars that make up
M15. Its observation is hampered by the fact that the
starfield is so dense that picking out the precise
location can be nearly impossible without an excellent
finder chart, and that it is fairly dim as these
objects go. Nonetheless, having never seen it before,
I decided to follow Steve Gottlieb’s example and have
a go at it.
Upon setting my sites on the quarry, I looked for the finder photos that I printed from the Web. They’re missing! After a mini-panic, I recalled that Pease 1 lies at the end of a strand of stars extending about 30” northeast from the center of M15 - how hard could that be? Well, seeing this in a photo and identifying it from memory in an eyepiece can be two very different experiences! After going through another mini-panic and calming down, I managed to identify the field, and popped in the O-III filter. The combination of unstable seeing and the filter-dimmed starfield was daunting at first; but after a while the eye becomes accustomed to this, and details begin to unfold. After this, my experience matches that described by Steve G. almost exactly - at the end of the northeasterly-extending star strand, there is a brighter spot corresponding to one of the stars in the strand. At first resembling just a bright star, the blob would refine itself to a very bright and exceedingly tiny pinprick of light for a second or two, seeming to outshine the surrounding stars as its own light passes the filter with ease. About 20 percent of the time or so, as the atmospheric stability waxed and waned, this flicker would occur, to my eye unmistakably. Eureka! I am eager to wait for a more stable night when the flicker can be stabilized to a more-or-less steady point at higher magnification. Just the same, I gave the eyepiece over to several people who wanted a look; some seemed to make it out, others did not. Anyway, for a difficult object on a less-than-ideal night, I was satisfied. | |
| PK 65-27.1 | Planetary nebula | 14.90 | 21h 29m 59s | 12° 10' 15" N | 225x | O-III Filter | |
| NGC 7094 | Planetary nebula | 13.40 | 21h 36m 53s | 12° 47' 33" N | 225x | O-III Filter | This annular planetary nebula in Pegasus is a faint ghost compared to its brighter cousin M57 in Lyra, but it is a beautiful object at high power and the central star shines at almost the same magnitude as the gaseous envelope surrounding it. |
| NGC 7068 | Galaxy | 14.80 | 21h 26m 30s | 12° 11' 08" N | 225x | A tiny, faint galaxy, probably brighter than the indicated magnitude by about 1 order. | |
| NGC 1094 | Galaxy | 12.50 | 02h 47m 27s | 00° 17' 15" S | 145x | A sextet of galactic splendors, all but the first one being what I would characterize as bright. M77 and NGC 253 are showpieces of the late autumn sky, the first revealing itself by its very bright heart as an active Seyfert Galaxy (which may be one of a class of objects that include quasars and other active-core galaxies), and showing off its spiral arms when seeing permitted; and the second one revealing enormous detail and dust lane structure in its central core area. This magnification was far too high to view the entire majestic expanse of this object, but it showed off the core to the best advantage. NGC 1055 is a bright, large elongated galaxy, nearly edge on ands under better circumstances showing a nice dust lane. The remaining three galaxies, all near M77, form a nice trio at low power, and were easy targets in the 0.457 scope. | |
| NGC 1090 | Galaxy | 11.80 | 02h 46m 33s | 00° 14' 55" S | 145x | ||
| NGC 1087 | Galaxy | 10.90 | 02h 46m 25s | 00° 29' 54" S | 145x | ||
| NGC 1055 | Galaxy | 10.60 | 02h 41m 45s | 00° 26' 24" N | 145x | ||
| NGC 253 | Galaxy | 7.20 | 00h 47m 32s | 25° 17' 33" S | 145x | ||
| M 77 | Galaxy | 8.90 | 02h 42m 40s | 00° 00' 56" S | 145x | ||
| NGC 1514 | Planetary nebula | 10.80 | 04h 09m 15s | 30° 46' 48" N | 225x | In my last report I noted that this object showed little detail in my scope. Dave Knisely pointed out that in fact, there is much to this PN, so I revisited it and sure enough, the detail came through. The nebula around the brilliant central star (a double star actually) forms a sort of bubble around the star, in Dave’s words a “crystal ball,” and then there is another detail, a rough dark lane of sorts, that bisects the object through the center. Better seeing may allow more exquisite views. | |
| IC 443 | Supernova remnant | -- | 06h 17m 06s | 22° 34' 54" N | 92x | O-III filter | A favorite object of mine, one to which I return frequently. This SN has two halves, one of which is fairly bright and the other which is nearly an impossible visual target. The A-half was plain and easy with the O-III filter; the B-half was, I thought, at the limit of detectability, and was the merest stain of a wisp of a glow against the Gemini background. |
| Sh2-240 | Bright nebula | -- | 05h 39m 06s | 27° 59' 54" N | 92x | O-III filter | The other name for Simeis 147, a large faint supernova remnant in Taurus. Jay Freeman has reported seeing this specter a few times; I have never spied it, and after ½ hour using every trick I know, it still did not reveal itself. One night, one perfect night... |
| PK215+11.1 | Planetary nebula | 15.40 | 07h 36m 07s | 02° 42' 15" N | 145x | O-III filter | Abell 22 and 20 respectively. Both are large and faint. The first one, at 87” diameter, was suspected, but I could not confirm it. The second one, at a slightly more compact 64” is perhaps the faintest object that I am absolutely certain I’ve seen. It lies about 5.5 degrees SW of Procyon in Canis Minor. |
| PK214+ 7.1 | Planetary nebula | 14.20 | 07h 23m 00s | 01° 46' 08" N | 145x | O-III filter | |
| NGC 2346 | Planetary nebula | 12.50 | 07h 09m 23s | 00° 48' 26" S | 225x | O-III filter | This one, much more compact and much brighter, was an easy find, and its central star was a cinch at mag.11.6. |
| NGC 2175S | Open cluster | 6.80 | 06h 10m 54s | 20° 35' 54" N | 92x | O-III filter | Another favorite object in far northern Orion. The open cluster is a sparse group of stars that lie partially “within” the nebula, a miniature and brighter version of the Rosette Nebula. This frequently overlooked object is a showpiece with an O-III filter, showing great detail and resembling a tattered pie crust under the best conditions. Although I’ve never tried it, I’m sure it is visible in much smaller scopes with the O-III or UHC/Ultrablock filters. |
| NGC 2174 | Bright nebula | -- | 06h 10m 00s | 20° 33' 54" N | 92x | O-III filter | |
| NGC 2024 | Bright nebula | -- | 05h 42m 00s | 01° 50' 05" S | 145x | w & w/o Ultrablock | These are, of course, the emission and dark nebulae that lie on either side of Zeta Orionis, better known respectively as the Tank Tracks and Horsehead Nebulae. NGC 2024 was a fine sight without the Ultrablock filter, showing great detail in its ragged central dust lane; the filter did not seem to improve it much. The filter was absolutely necessary for the IC/B pairing; the IC emission nebula showed up fairly well, but the Horsehead itself was not as contrasty as I’ve seen it in the past from darker locations. This is an object that really needs dark skies, and this experience points up the fact that filters, even good ones, cannot completely solve the problems of light trespass. |
| IC 434 | Bright nebula | -- | 05h 41m 00s | 02° 24' 05" S | 145x | Ultrablock filter | |
| B 33 | Dark nebula | -- | 05h 40m 54s | 02° 28' 05" S | 145x | Ultrablock filter | |
| NGC 1981 | Open cluster | 4.20 | 05h 35m 12s | 04° 26' 05" S | 92x | This is a group of nebulae that appear to be individual spots of gas around some of the brighter stars near the Orion Nebula complex. They were quite visible with and without filters, and are an easy way to increase your log list quickly on any given night. Although they are bright, they are small, and show up best at medium magnifications. | |
| NGC 1980 | Bright nebula | 2.50 | 05h 35m 12s | 05° 55' 05" S | 145x | Ultrablock Filter, | |
| NGC 1977 | Bright nebula | -- | 05h 35m 24s | 04° 50' 05" S | 145x | Ultrablock Filter, | |
| NGC 1975 | Bright nebula | -- | 05h 35m 18s | 04° 41' 05" S | 145x | Ultrablock Filter, | |
| NGC 1973 | Bright nebula | -- | 05h 35m 06s | 04° 44' 05" S | 145x | Ultrablock Filter, | |
| M 43 | Bright nebula | 9.00 | 05h 35m 30s | 05° 16' 05" S | 145x | Ultrablock Filter, others | The Orion Nebula complex, for which no introduction is needed. The poor seeing prevented the large aperture scope from seeing the last bit of detail in these objects this evening, including the E and F stars of the Trapezium, the heart of the great nebula, but the contrast in the clear air was spectacular, showing crisp delineation along the portion known to me as the Knife Edge, as well as the complete arc that extends out and around from the “wings” of the nebula. Always magnificent. |
| M 42 | Bright nebula | 4.00 | 05h 34m 54s | 05° 32' 05" S | 145x | Ultrablock Filter, others | |
| M 1 | Supernova remnant | 8.40 | 05h 34m 30s | 22° 00' 54" N | 145x | Ultrablock | I closed out the evening with the much-maligned Crab Nebula, an object that does take some time to love but will reveal its mysteries for those who follow it closely. The seeing this evening was not good enough to allow much of the sublime perimeter detail to come out, but it’s a good object to round out the evening. |
The company was delightful – Richard, Paul, Jim, Glenn and Maria, Jamie and several other folks whose names I did not catch were there, providing laughs and spirited conversation. An evening under the stars is hard to beat, but with wonderful people like these along, it is an experience unsurpassed, to be relished and cherished during the nights when the moon is bright or the clouds dense, until the dark starry sky beckons again.