Lasts week, schedule and clear nights coincided to offer three solid nights of observing from my home in Santa Cruz. Skies were in the 5.5 to 6.0 range (seeing was mostly on the blobbier side of fair but never poor) and and I knocked off many constellations worth of the Hershel 400 from home list. Given the time of year and my previous observations the meat and potatoes of this week was open clusters. There was just enough variety in the clusters and occasional other spicy objects (including some detours for nearby objects that showed promise and Messiers that I've never taken the time to record) to keep me happy. I've recently made a few improvements to the Pleasure Point Observatory (bigger curtains, a pulley system and Velcro for quicker setup and takedown) which made for more pleasant observing. I also added couple tiny speakers I had laying around for some tunes while observing. A little Bruce Cockburn, Garcia/Grisman and Natalie Merchant kept me inspired as it got cold and late. While I normally enjoy the silence and solitude to ponder it all, it was a great change of pace to do a little dance, literally, while star hopping through the heavens.
I began the evening of January 16th in the northeast quadrant of the sky which I frequently ignore from home as there's more light pollution there and it requires sliding or dragging the 14.5" StarMaster away from the normal setup/storage area. Having put the grunt work off as long as possible, I headed off to Cassiopeia to steal some Crown jewels. Along with a written description of each of objects I observe, I also check off a personal rating of either Seen, Interesting Object, Personal Favorite, and/or Try Again for those objects that couldn't be found or more usually that lead me to believe better conditions will yield more detail. Of the 63 new observations during this week the following were noted as either Interesting or Favorites.
NGC 436-splashy cluster, 12 ', 20 stars resolved, with nebulosity and concentration towards the center.
NGC 559-small, somewhat faint, nebulous bundle at core with some stars resolved, and 20 outlying stars all centered around an isosceles triangle of bright stars.
IC 289-after reaching my open cluster limit I noticed this planetary alone and nearby on the map. Earning a personal favorite rating I look forward to visiting this tantalizing object under dark skies. If you haven't been there give it a try! Located near the boundary of Camelopardalis and Cassiopeia The planetary required and 0III and 150x to ID for sure. Details of this small planetary (30²) can't be held even with averted vision. It is round to oval definitely brighter on the northern edge possible star embedded there, possibly annular.
Knocking off (off not up!) Queen I headed south to Gemini and Monoceros whose showpieces were:
NGC 2301-different and many facets from tonight's 12 open clusters, this personal favorite is large and bright, the main 10¹ clump is clover like and centered around a Cepheus like house of diamonds in aqua, gold, white and green. Though difficult to assign members in and out of the cluster, arms extend like Cardinal points to the north and east, to the south is a bright chain of four white stars.
NGC 2420-at 90x Pentagon of bright stars encircles the popcorn ball of nebulosity was some outliers extending 3-5¹ especially to the south. With increased power a few faint stars were resolved in the core with dark corridors winding through the nebulous region. Very interesting almost globular like.
The next evening started in Dobson's Hole with the first object being the open cluster NGC 1245.
NGC 1245- 10 minutes round at 90x a ghostly haze fairly concentrated with a faint stars evenly spaced. With averted vision, stars at the center popped in and out.
After knocking off a few stragglers in Andromeda, Aries and Monoceros I spent some time observing favorite Messier objects (M110, M32, M42 M47, M46 and M35 all made me smile) while waiting for over Lynx to pounce over the roof. The three Hershel galaxies there were high in the sky and easy pickings.
NGC 2683- the best of the group this low surface brightest galaxy showed itself as 10Œ by 2Œ with averted vision, a 5¹ core is always held and is equally bright except right at the center where there is a sudden increase in brightness.
NGC 2419- Intergalactic Wanderer This globular was 3', pretty faint, round and equal, at 400x no stars resolved but seems to be more concentration at the center. The feel of this thing tells me it's way out there like some pop-up behind the plate you're not sure will ever come down.
The final night of my third quarter run was Friday the 19th, I the spent early part of the evening watching my underachieving Lakers finally win one with ease. In a good mood I pointed the scope towards the rising southerly constellations which because of a poorly placed streetlight I can only catch on the way up.
NGC 2509- more mysterious and varied than the other nearby open clusters with a heavy concentration towards an unresolved core of mostly faint stars, at 200x there are still unresolved areas in bubble like pockets.
NGC 2613- first just a faint wisp, a bit tricky to find, low in the sky right at the lower range of my observatory, with time and averted vision the galaxy grows to 7'x2', gradually brighter to a 2¹ core which shows some mottling, the galaxy is elongated northwest to southeast with a hint of a dark lane or possibly an arm to the northeast. I look forward to seeing this object sometime in better conditions.
After finishing off Auriga with some rather boring open clusters and dragging the telescope to the other side of the Observatory I grabbed some leftovers (the beauty of home observing) and waited until Ursa Major was well placed. Having spent a little there (poor placement from home) there was of course galaxies galore from the Hershel 400 to plunder. Of the 12 these were my three favorites.
NGC 3631-with a low surface brightness of 13.7, it easier make out detail at 150x rather than the normal and 200x. Face on 6' spiral suddenly brighter at its elongated one minute cor,e suspected dark Lane about one minute out from the core.
NGC 3729- 3x2' with low surface brightness just north of bright star makes the scene appear cometlike, there is no definite core and the shape is hard to define.
NGC 3890-2.5' face on spiral with bright non stellar core.
Probably my best run of nights ever from home. Good skies and no big hurry. Along the way I recorded my seventh hundredth written observation with the 14.5" and I finished the last Hershel 400 object in Cas, Aur, Ari, Lyn. Mon, Gem, CMa, Per, And, Hyd. I'm not sure why but there's certainly something satisfying about completing even parts of lists. Now if I could have one good night this weekend under dark skies and spend some time mainlining Hicksons, Abell Planetaries, and a galaxy cluster or two I might go a whole month without Jonesing. That really would be a first.