by Randy Muller
A clear moonless night finally!
This was the first night without annoying clouds in a month, so I took the opportunity to reacquaint myself with some of the brighter objects in Leo the Lion, my favorite constellation.
I see Leo as a giant celestial Sphinx, just as I see the Sphinx as the physical embodiment of the constellation Leo.
When I first looked at the sky with my naked eye, I couldn't believe how light it was from the light pollution all around, and I felt a little crestfallen. This is always my reaction after having visited a dark site, in this case Pacheco Pass State Park for an abortive Messier Marathon 3 weeks ago.
Even though it was a little low in the sky, I checked the Trapezium in M42 to assess the seeing -- I could see 6 stars (barely). The stars overhead were not twinkling overmuch, so I figured the seeing was pretty good.
I looked at M109 to assess the transparency, and I could barely see it, so it was somewhat clearer than usual. I could see 4 stars in the Little Dipper, but this was because it was low in a local, but severe light pollution zone.
I began by looking at my favorite galaxy triad in Leo: M65, M66 and NGC 3628. M65 and M66 are extremely bright, and they looked strangely muted to me, though they were still easy to see. 3628 was barely detectable as a lighter gray lump in the dark grayness of the sky. I easily got them all in the same field of view with my 26mm (55x) eyepiece.
A little over a degree to the west lay another galaxy, NGC3593. At magnitude 10.9 it was faint and fairly diffuse.
In the same general area, I searched for and failed to find NGC 3666 (mag 12) and 3596 (mag 11.3). It was clear, but not *that* clear. On excellent nights, I have seen galaxies of these magnitudes from this location before. But this was an excellent night of its own kind: It was clear and I could see galaxies.
Moving to Leo's underbelly, NGC 3377 was a bright circular galaxy with a stellar center. Nearby, 3367 (mag 11.5) was visible as a very faint, medium large, diffuse galaxy. M105, NGC 3384 and NGC 3389 is my second favorite galaxy triad in Leo. M105 and 3384 were like bright beacons. 3389 (mag 11.9) was barely (and I do mean barely) detectable as a lump in the darkness that moved with the sky, not my eye, when I jiggled the scope.
Less than a degree south lay the bright galaxy M96. The supernova I had observed here last year was gone. Less than a degree west of this lay the somewhat dimmer M95. M95 is much less diffuse than M96 and has a bright, stellar center. On bad nights in the past, I am sure that I have mistaken this for a star as I searched for and failed to find M95.
I began to hunt for some Herschel 400 galaxies, but I was not encouraged by my galaxy limiting magnitude. Yes, I had seen some fairly dim ones (3389), but I knew precisely where to look, and I have seen this one many times. It is much harder for me to see something I have never seen before, and whose star field I am not familiar with.
I failed to find NGC 2974 at the western edge of Sextans -- judging from closer examination of the chart and given the magnitude (10.9), I think I should have been able to see this one, and I was probably simply looking in the wrong place.
I could have and should have stayed out later to take advantage of the rare clear night, but I was tired and a bit frustrated. I can't wait to dive into the heart of Virgo, especially from a dark site, sometime during the next few weeks.
| Date | April 9, 1999 9:20-11pm PDT (0420-0600 Apr 10 UT) |
|---|---|
| Location | Backyard, in Roseville, CA 121W 16', 38N 44' |
| Instrument | Orion DSE 10" f/5.6 dob-newt |
| Oculars | 7.5, 10, 17, 26mm plossls |
| Seeing | 8/10 fairly steady |
| Transparency | 8/10 pretty clear, no clouds |