Observing Report
by Albert Highe
Equipment: 12.5" f/5 ultralight.
Dinosaur Point was the place to be last night. The sky was dark and clear. Seeing was soft, supporting less than 200X, but the transparency was very good. The wind was light, occasionally rustling the pages of my observing notes and atlas.
By 9PM the temperature had dropped to 53F and the RH was 74%. By 1:30AM, the temperature had dropped to the predicted 47F, and the RH was 87%. Yet, my exposed optics remained dry. However, my charts and notes were beginning to feel damp.
We had at least 25 scopes set up, including those of many first-timers to Dino.
As it finally got dark, I started my observing with the NGC 3190 galaxy group in Leo. Robert Leyland mentioned this group recently in one of his observing reports. He had been able to detect the faint NGC 3187 with his 8" . I checked my observing notes from last year and discovered that I hadn't seen this faint galaxy, although I had seen the others in the group quite easily. With a 14mm Radian (113X), NGC 3187 was visible with averted vision. A number of observers nearby, who had also read Robert's report, came over to look. Everyone could see it fairly quickly. Interestingly, by the time everyone had looked and I was on the second pass, NGC 3187 had become even easier to see. I suspect this is because the sky was continuing to darken and our eyes were continuing to adapt. I could sometimes hold it with direct vision, although averted vision provided a better view. Later during the night, I returned to this group with my 9mm Nagler (175X). All the galaxies stood out with greater contrast. I could even make out a distinct outline of NGC 3187 with averted vision.
I spent most of the night on faint fuzzies on page 6 and 7 of Sky Atlas 2K. Too many galaxies, not enough time. I need to return often to finish these pages. One highlight was a galaxy in Canes Venatici - NGC 5005. Its plane is quite inclined to our line-of-sight, making it a highly elongated oval. It has a bright core that appears as a short dash. However, there is also a very extensive halo that stands out very nicely with averted vision. It was a pleasant surprise - a nice object.
Once Hercules had climbed quite high, I decided to take a break and view some bright favorites. Although the seeing prevented getting the best views of M13, this object at 175X in the widefield 9mm Nagler is always one of my favorites. M51 was also well positioned near the Zenith. Spiral structure was obvious with direct vision at 175X - some of the best detail I've ever seen.
I packed up and left by 2:30AM, tired, and still wanting more.