The April new moon window provided a satisfying observing run for me. Over four nights I was able to find and log over 60 new objects from the mundane to the spectacular. I observed alone and with folks, from home and from the tops of two local mountains, in marginal skies and in skies approaching the best of the year for me. At the end of it all (well maybe not the end, it was so satisfying I might try and get up early one day this week and poke around some more) I had explored some wonderful new corners of the universe and had loads of fun getting there.
I warmed up for this run at home on Friday the 9th. I had originally planned to head to Fremont Peak but the weather was too iffy; even if it turned out to be clear I wasn't up for the wind and cold factor. The focus for the evening was my Hershel 400 from home project and figuring out how to incorporate The Sky for Mac into my observing system. I got rolling with a few open clusters in Gemini of which N2266 was my favorite. This unresolved open cluster showed as a 7' triangular haze with about 10 faint stars popping in and out as I glanced slightly off target. On my way over to Leo I stopped by M44 (the 50mm finder gives a stunning view of this large splatter of stars) and M67. Anytime I'm in the neighborhood of the Beehive I stop by for at least a brief look. It was on an April night just two years ago this all began for me when I investigated this fuzzy patch in the sky with binoculars from my hot tub. The next day I downloaded Starry Night to find out what it was I was seeing and I was off and running. What a short fun trip it's been!
Being spring, it was time to hunt down some new galaxies. N2964 (m11.3) was an interesting object, round with a bright linear core. The core itself showed some mottling. This the kind of galaxy I'd like to have an equatorial mount for, and be able to sit back and take some time to draw. The fainte,r smaller, round companion N2968 was visible close by in the same 30' FOV(12m Nagler 150x). The final member of the group N2970 (m13.6) was out of reach from this location.
Noticing the sickle high in the sky and having read Steve Gottlieb's recent S&T on galaxy clusters I decided to go for a challenge. In the middle of the lion's mane is the brightest member of the Hickson Groups, Hickson 44. Placed smack in the middle of 2 stars in Leo's Mane makes this an easy find. Still, from an in town location I thought I might be asking too much to expect to see all the members of this quartet. Fairly large at m11.1 and m10.9 the primary galaxies N3190 (longish, thin, gradually brighter towards the middle with a stellar core) and N3193 (round, brighter towards the middle with a core extended 30", the outer regions of the halo drowned out by a bright star to the North) are easy picking. Going for positive indentification of each member with The Sky (which would have been impossible situation in HB atlas as the galaxies are laid on top of each other) I noted the position of the third member low surface brightness N3185 (sb13.4, m12.2). . The galaxy popped right out when I knew where to look by forming a triangle with 2 stars to the east. I found through the course of this observing run that the ability to know exactly where to look for faint fuzzies and to know for certain what object I was seeing in the eyepiece was a major addition to my observing toolbox. I still prefer the paper atlas for most situations and don't go to the computer charts frequently, but when I need it, I love it. The final member of the group N3187 (m13.4, sb14.7) would push me to the limit. Zeroing in with TheSky, finding a comfortable spot to rest on the chair and then donning a velvet hood (nice and warm on my near hairless head too) I waited and waited trying variations of averted vision and magnification. Upping to 202x finally met with success. Nothing but a faint wisp, but there. I initially logged it as suspected but four nights later I confirmed by checking the same spot with direct vision at Fremont Peak. This a great group, easy to to find and worth the effort to identify. From a dark site I would guess at least 3 members would be visible in a 10" and possibly an 8". It will be in prime observing location for the next month at least.
Fours days later, work night and all, I was coaxed by Rashad's plan to head out to Fremont Peak. I was excited to see Mark, MiMi (the Messier Monster) and Jeff there when I arrived as it had been months since I'd shared a good night with other observers. The camaraderie, sharing and comparing of views, the pointers to new and favorite objects and of course, the unending one liners, always adds something to the experience. As darkness fell and the fog crept in, we knew we were in for one of the best skies so far this year. From the observatory we had a good shot at the southern horizon and I went after a few objects I wanted to bag before they disappeared for the season. N2467, an emission nebula and cluster in Puppis was the find of the early evening for me. With a dark sky this large (8'x7') roughly round nebula with 5 stars embedded had a scalloped texture to it with an UB filter. The whole thing lies within a beautiful field of many stars. I tried this object later in the week in less transparent skies and it was less impressive, but under good skies it definitely makes my list of favorites. Rashad and I then shared views and confirmed objects for a while, his beautiful new 12.5" homebrew was getting a true workout in the great skies and his excitement kept the place buzzing.
Wanting to use the dark spot to its full potential, my observing plan focused on galaxy clusters and some of the obscure planetaries I couldn't expect to see from home. My first attempt for something a little more exotic, Abell 12, near Mu Orionis was a bust. Following directions from Jim Shield's Deep Sky Adventures page I was unable to locate the object. Possibly it was because the planetary was beginning to fall into the light dome . Has anybody seen this object in a 15" or less? Next I touched bases with Hickson 44 again to confirm the location of the 4th member of the group, N3187, which I had logged as suspected from home. This night it was clearly obvious even with direct vision. A frustrating run at Copelands Septet (N3753 et al.) followed. A good twenty minutes of following and retracing the route yielded zilch. Basically all I remember about it is is AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!! and various obscenities. I'm always amazed at how some objects come so easily and others play hide and seek. Luckily I'll have a least one more round of new moon this year to try again. Definitely a goal for May.
After mooching some beautiful galaxy views off Mark's 20" (It's true, more aperture = more detail) I returned to my list and found success with Abell 1367. Lead off batter for the Leo Cluster is N3861(m12.7, sb13.7). Small and round the galaxy is brighter to the west. Following a line 15' southeast through the brightest star in the field leads to N3873 (m12.9) and its fuzzy dot companion N3875 (m13.9). A very thin black streak clearly separates the two giving a double star feel to the view. To the west and completing a rough right triangle of galaxies in the same FOV is N3860 (13.4m). Placing N3861 on the Eastern edge of the 12 Nagler hits the clean-up view for this cluster of galaxies.. At least 7 galaxies are visible in a 12' FOV (Later in the week Mark counted 20 here and nearby in the 20"!). N3842 (11.8m) is the dominant member of the view, elliptical and evenly bright, it is flanked to the west by the long edge-on UGC 6697 (m14.4). The rest of the visible group is made up of very faint smudges and mottled starlike members N3840,N3844, N3837, N3841, N3845. With visual magnitudes in the high thirteens but surface brightnesses in the low twelves these run in a line directly north and south of N3842. This view was my highlight of the evening and this bountiful area will definitely see my return soon. I knocked off some Hershel 400's and then spent the rest of the night relaxedly mooching photons and visiting some old friends rising in the east.
I hope to write up the other two nights soon.
| Instrument | 14.5" F/4.5 StarMaster |
|---|---|
| Oculars | 12 Nagler 21 Pentax XL 9 Nagler 32 Brandon WF |
| Filters | Orion UltraBlock Filter OIII Filter |