Dino 033101, Sat. waxing quarter moon
setup 16" & pronto just after sunset.
mostly clear, clear.
seeing: below average got worse as night went on.
There was probably 8 other scopes setup, I think everyone else was elsewhere. After the moon went down, around 12:30, the wind was gusting within 15 minutes. Seeing also deteriorated, Antares (admittedly low on the horizon) looked like Mars. M13 was swimming around at 120x.
I mainly used the I3 25mm throughout the night, its light enhancement seemed to help alleviate the effects of the poor seeing. I finally accomplished several goals that I had wanted to accomplish for over a month (bad weather, other problems)
#1 on my list was to explore the Virgo cluster. I wanted to get it at about 20-30 degrees up so I wasnt straining too much looking thru the dob. I had started to explore the area one night at MB but I kept having trouble-going back/forth between scope and map. So many galaxies, it was hard to keep track. So I came up with the plan of photo copying the map, and then taping it to my tube, just below the eyepiece. All that white space might as well be useful. New product: light shroud star maps
This idea worked out really nice, I could read the map with a little flashlight, and galaxy hop all with a minimum of effort. No need to worry about light adaptation with the moon out, and I was using the I3 anyway.
I didnt bother keeping exact track of what/where I went. I was using the expanded Virgo cluster map from the SkyAtlas 2000, all objects on this map are well within the 16"/I3 combination. In fact, without really trying I stumbled across some 1/2 dozen bonus objects, that I would go grab the Uranometria to identify/verify.
I followed the bottom edge of Leos backend to my starting point, 6 Virgo. M98 the nice edge on, M99, M100, and all of their little NGC friends from 4216s little group, thru the interacting(?) 4298/4302, up to at least 4340. Didnt get a chance to write this till now, and now I forget whether I got up to M85!!! crud, I dont think I got that far, I was following around on the map, jumping from target to target and I dont think I noticed M85 out of the light dome of my flashlight.
>From there I went over to the top of the Markarian chain, M88/M91. I went up and down the chain for awhile, stumbling over galaxy after galaxy. I have dubbed the bottom part of the chain, "Spock". M84/86 are the eyes, 4387 the nose, 4388 the mouth, and 4402 the raised eyebrow. It really looks like a face, whos with me for "Spock"?
I was going thru the entire area with my I3 25mm, at 72x. I dont know the apparent field of view of the eyepiece, but I estimate 40-45 degrees, and 1800mm focal length, gives me roughly 35 arc minutes. This is plenty to fit the entire "SpockFace" in view.
After the face, I explored everything thru M87, M89, M90, M58, M59, M60. I dont think I made it all the way over to NGC4762, gotta make sure to get there next time. I definitely made it down to M49 though, during this 1st round. 60-70 galaxies, at least, counting the path I took on the map, I got everything, listed plus 5,6 more not on the map. break time.
some of you may shudder at my disorganization, and not recording things. I do. I am purposely not doing that sort of record keeping at this time. going against my normal extremely A.R. nature, I am neurotic enough at work.
After my break, I returned to the Virgo cluster, this time coming at it from the bottom and getting the last Messier, M61. I had some trouble finding M61, I accidentally stumbled upon another galaxy, a nice edge on galaxy at the end of a little chain of stars. My telrad was pointed to the upper right of nVir, left of Beta Virgo. This was such a cute little arrangement, I knew I would be able to figure it later from The Sky. I drew it, and drew myself a little picture of where the telrad pointed. Turns out it was NGC4179, mag 12, right at the end of a little chain of stars.
After drawing the pictures, I realigned myself up for M61. As I moved north from M61 towards NGC 4261 I came across a small field just filled with little galaxies, that I didnt expect. There is 3 listed on my map, plus 4261, I spotted 4 more, all within the same field. I drew a picture of the field and was able to identify them all afterwards using The Sky. SA2000 had: 4261, 4270, 4273, 4281, the extra ones I spotted were: 4259, 4268, 4277 and then up by 4261, there was 4264. When using The Sky I also noticed another very thin galaxy, 4266, mag 14.80 right amidst the field I had drawn. I will look for this one specifically when I revisit this area. I didnt notice it without knowing about, but I think it is within range of my scope/eyepiece limits.
another task on my list that I finally accomplished was to view the M81 group from a dark site, with my pronto/I3 combination. From my balcony I could only make out M81/M82. I was sure I would be able to see NGC 2976,3077 and I thought all of them would fit into one eyepiece field. I had studied the area often with my 16" and wanted to see them with the pronto, all in 1 field of view. I found 3077 easy enough, its as near M81 as M82. I knew from previous experience with the other 16" that each of the 3 main M81 neighbors is like an evenly angled spoke on a wheel. So... Why couldnt I see NGC 2976! Its always getting in my way with the 16" when I initially try to find M81, early on I often got confused, but now I know its tricks. I couldnt find it in the pronto, so I lined up the 16", found it immediately as usual, even before I got to M81. Anyway, I finally found it in the pronto, it turns out it was easy to see, its just that it wasnt quite in the same field as the other 3, and I had been looking for it keeping the other 3 in view. Its RIGHT on the edge, if the other 3 are in view. Maybe I should get a shorter scope, I think the short tube 80, is f5.6 that should fit em.
I also spotted another little galaxy right in the area in the 16" while noodling around, but I am not so sure it was what I thought it was. I only had Uranometria, and thought it was 3065/3066 but now I am not so sure. Sadly I didnt draw its position, I just remember it being much closer than The Sky has those 2 positioned.
Well, the moon was down now, and the wind promptly started gusting. Funny how the moon seems to hold off the wind, and the fuller it is it has the power to dissolve clouds.
After awhile Scorpio was high enough above the hill to do some exploring, I had seen M4 & M80 from my balcony with the pronto, but never with the 16". I also got to see NGC 6144, which was not visible from the balcony. I didnt realize from the balcony views, what a juxtaposition M4 & M80 were. If M80 were a marble, M4 is a beach ball. Well, maybe not that different, but M80 was a compact solid ball of stars, while M4 was an urban sprawl, overflowing the edge of the same eyepiece field. Actually, I wonder if M4 appears bigger, because it has so many neighbors. Meanwhile, NGC 6144 is a smudgy globular, set amid some sort of nebulosity that almost seems part of it. Its like the painter accidentally brush their thumb against it while it was still wet, smooshing up the stars, and messing up the area. I gotta get a chair, so that I can more easily look at such low things thru the dob, then I can study them more.
Next interesting point was when M57 rose enough to target with breaking my neck. The seeing was still really bad, and as I tried to raise the power M57 was swimming some, even in the I3. I have definitely seen it better. 1 experiment I tried was to look at M57 with this infrared filter I made for the I3. I was wondering if I might unobscure the central star. The ring nebula itself almost disappeared, it was only a faint circular outline, and only half way around. No central star. I hear it takes alot of magnification, though I dont quite understand why...
Lastly, I patiently waited for the Veil to rise enough, so I could say hi to it again.
I was getting tired though, and didnt give it a thorough view. I could see a piece in the 16" without the o3 filter, with the o3 filter several BIG pieces came into view. With the pronto, it was only visible with the o3, and not that easily. I think my eyes wear tired. As I kind of expected, the I3 eyepiece didnt help things 1 bit. Soon it will be better positioned for more viewing...