by Jay LeBlanc
Last night wasn't too bad and I used my Bartelized 17.5-in to look at a few open clusters and other faint stuff in the CAS-CEP region. Mike Shade just thinks he has it tough, I have to open a data file and push a key to get the scope to slew to position. Then I have to leave the warm room to look!
| Berkeley 98 | |
|---|---|
| 13N (153x) | 1.75 to 1 tough OCL with 20 stars in an indistinct irregular patch. In a very rich field. A brighter isosceles triangle of stars lies over a scattering of fainter. Somewhat detached. The smile asterism is just N, a somewhat V shaped apex at 90 degs. |
| UGC 12287 | |
| 13N (153x) | Glimpsed. |
| 9N (221x) | Tough, slightly elongated N-S patch slightly brighter to the middle, seen occasionally with averted vision. I'm only glimpsing the central area. In a field with a slightly obtuse isosceles triangle of brighter stars with the base N most. It lies just off the base close to the W most star, and has a smaller fainter near equilateral triangle just E. In a very rich and distinctive field. |
| PWM 783 | |
| 9N (221x) | A dim and difficult OCL in a fascinating field, there is a rt triangle NW of it with the second longest side a straight line of 6 brighter stars. This straight lie also forms the hypotenuse of a second near rt triangle with a star further W. PWM 783 lies along the hypotenuse if the larger 1st mentioned triangle, and is made up of two E-W lines of stars, one featuring an irregular quadrilateral and a second near parallel line of faint stars. Only 6 stars can be seen with any certainty and averted vision, over a vague glow. The POSS shows two parallel lines of stars here, only some of which were seen. |
| Czernik 43 | |
| 9N (221x) | Has a 5' long oval of six 10-12th mag stars 1.25 to 1 NE-SW with 5 fainter interior stars in a line nearly running along the major axis. A couple more faint stars are in the oval. Not condensed, but distinct. In a rich field. |
| SkifJ2330 | |
| 9N (221x) | Distinct small OCL located along a N-S line of 4 brighter stars with a faint one N. A haze of fainter stars is close to the middle of this line. A couple of faint stars are resolved in this haze. Just E in the field is a nearly parallel brighter line of stars with a short perpendicular W pointing spur of 3 stars at the S end. If the dimension is 2.8' this must include the line of stars, so it would be elongated 3 to 1. In a rich field. |
| Berkeley 102 | |
| 9N (221x) | At the position is a fine isosceles triple 9.11-10-94-10.96 with 30" sides. This triple has a slight condensation of 15 or so faint stars seen with averted vision surrounding it, and there are 2 parallel groups of relatively brighter field stars NNW and NNE of the triple, covering 7' area. Since the OCL is listed at 5.0' there is a discrepancy here. |
| Stock 17 | |
| 9N (221x) | Quite a neat small OCL with an 8.44 mag brighter star at the intersection of 2 straight lines of 13-15th mag stars. About 9 stars total in a curious and pretty arrangement. |
| Berkeley 103 | |
| 9N (221x) | One 13.38 mag star at position with direct vision, averted shows a very faint small smudge surrounding and mostly W. 4.0 ESE is a pair of 11th mag stars which point right to it. There is a group of brighter field stars at the E edge of the field. |
| Stock 21 | |
| 9N (221x) | A faint version of Brocchi's coathanger! The bar is an E-W line of 12-14th mag star which extends asymmetrical E. A distinct hook runs N. Where the hook joins the bar and W is a neat small triple. |
| Czernik 1 | |
| 9N (221x) | One 11.49 mag star seen with direct vision, and a very faint cloud seen just N. Possibly 1 other star resolved. |
| Berkeley 1 | |
| 9N (221x) | A brighter U shaped asterism with a second smaller U joined on the W side making a cursive W. A condensation of faint stars is near the bottom of the brighter E most U. N of the W is a convex arc of brighter field stars, a pretty and rich field. |
| King 13 | |
| 9N (221x) | Distinct fairly large richer area of 30-40 faint stars with a line of 6 brighter making up the SSW side. This line makes one side of a 3 4 5 triangle with the second sharpest angle, N, a double. The interior of this triangle is filled with faint stars. |
| Mayer 1 | |
| 9N (221x) | 2 clumps at position, N most is an arc of 6 stars with 1 brighter along it and a couple inside for a total of 10. An elongated rt triangle lies just S surrounded by a few more faint stars. Just to the E is a faint knot of unresolved stars. A 7.26 mag star lies S. |
| Berkeley 2 | |
| 9N (221x) | Inside a near rt triangle formed by 3 stars in a line and a brighter star S. Lies right along the hypotenuse, near the sharpest angle. 3 stars over the OCL make a tiny rt triangle over a round glow. There is no way the brightest star is 6.0 mag. The brightest star in the area is 7.55 mag. |
| Stock 20 | |
| 9N (221x) | Very faint small glow seen around a 12 mag star with 2 faint companions. There is a neat small line of stars E in the field. |
| King 15 | |
| 9N (221x) | A 9th mag orange star with 3 faint stars very close and another 8 faint stars surrounding. |
| MCG+10-02-001 | |
| 9N (221x) | Faint 1.25 to 1 oval between two 11th mag stars, just visible with direct vision, and slightly better with averted. Slightly brighter to the middle. A neat series of equal mag doubles lies at the W edge of the field. |
| Czernik 2 | |
| 9N (221x) | Loose large triangular cluster of faint stars. |
| UGC 475 | |
| 9N (221x) | Extremely dim oval, no brighter to the middle. Seen only with averted vision part of the time. |