My third day on Molokai was May 29, 2000. I started early with the Jewel Box cluster NGC 4755, which is easy to find, just under Beta Crucis. It is a pretty, compact cluster, but would certainly show better from a more southerly location.
I did not see the Coal Sack dark nebula south of the Jewel Box. Perhaps it's visible from Mauna Kea.
I found NGC 5128, an irregular galaxy which is also the radio source Centaurus A. It certainly looked irregular. Its about 5 degrees N of Omega Centauri.
Next were open clusters in Scorpius, NGC 6231, NGC 6242 and Coll 316. Coll 316 is catchy in binos, but NGC 6231 is a very striking compact cluster in the scope. NGC 6242 was also compact, much dimmer, and sparse. All three are north of Zeta Sco.
I then turned to globulars. M3 was naked eye. M4 looked fine at medium powers, as long as you had not just looked at Omega Cen.
M6 and M7 were easy naked eye objects. The dark background made M7 very dramatic in the scope
After 11:30 Sag. was starting to ride high. M8 was another easy naked eye object. The subtle shadings of the nebula as viewed with a narrow band filter were the best I've ever seen. Almost M42-like. M20, my main target, showed its dark lanes clearly in the 150 mm scope. They looked serpentine.
M16, the Eagle nebula was clearly a nebula, not just a cluster, even without a filter. I saw many dark tendrils, but could not identify them with the famous Hubble "pillars of creation" or "hand of God" images. M17 was the highlight this night however. Looks more like an "L" than an Omega or "2".
On May 30 I went out late and simply sketched the Milky Way. Comparison with the galactic chart I was using was difficult because the real thing is so much more complex as viewed from Molokai. The great rift was endless and the Pipe nebula in southern Ophiucus was easy to discern in binos.
Other sights this night included NGC 4038/4039 (the Ringtail or Antenna galaxies) and NGC 6124, an open cluster in Scorp that I wasn't looking for, but found me.
My wife Margalynne came out and spotted a nice cluster in the binos. I took a look, but couldn't identify it. A quick look at the chart showed it was Berenice's hair. I guess that constellation isn't named after a medical condition.
I also returned to M83, Omega Cen, Alpha Cen, M8, M16, M17and M20 in the course of the night. One object I couldn't see was Barnard 72, the dark Snake nebula in Oph. I found the field alright, but no snake to be seen. I did see suspicious variations in the background.
We left the next day for the Turtle Bay Hilton at Kahuku point at the northern tip of Oahu. The northern skies were at least mag 5.5 and reminded me of Coe on an average night. The southern sky towards Honolulu was not as good, but there are mountains and clouds in between. I found my last new southern object on June 2, 2000, the only cosistently clear night. It was NGC 6397 a globular in Ara. Easily found in a triangle with Alpha and Beta Arae. Its an easily resolved cluster, fairly bright and thought to be one of the nearest globs. Its probably a better sight further south.
I could not discern NGC 5253, a galaxy south of M83. When I checked M83 I could see why -- it looked washed out in the southern skyglow and fog. Went on to M62, a globular in Scorp that didn't really resolve (though I wasn' trying that hard) and M19, just to the north which did resolve.
It was a fun trip. I saw a dozen or so new-to-me objects and much greater detail in some old favorites. The farthest south I got was Acrux, at the bottom of the Southern Cross, which was farther than I expected. I wish I had tried harder for Eta Carina , NGC 3132 (which I saw at Coe once) and NGC 6752, but its good to leave something on the table. I'm looking forward to Jay's opus.
The scope traveled well -- I have my doubts about the mount. Its heavy and there are a lot of knobs and other parts to lose. But for this trip all was well.