by Tom Campbell
| Observer | Tom Campbell |
|---|---|
| Location | Iola, Kansas (Long: 95°24'W Lat: 37°55'N) |
| Equipment | 8" Discovery DHQ dob, Simmons 10x50 binoculars |
| Eyepieces | 1.25" Plössls - 25mm (49x), 15mm (81x), 10mm (122x), 6.5mm (188x), 4mm (305x) |
| Time | 9:30pm - 11:50pm CDT (02:30-04:50 UT) |
| Transparency | Very Clear (9/10) |
| Seeing | Stable (8/10) |
| Weather | Temperatures in the lower 80s. There was a very light breeze. |
| SATELLITES | Iridium-53 |
|---|---|
| AQUILA | V |
| CYGNUS | NGC-6819 |
| LACERTA | 8, NGC-7209, NGC-7243 |
| VULPECULA | CR-399, M27, NGC-6800, NGC-6823, NGC-6830 |
Today was absolutely gorgeous. The sky was a deep blue, and the temperatures had cooled off a bit. I set my telescope up outside well before dark to allow it to cool down properly. The Moon wouldn't rise for hours, so I hoped I'd have a good time. I could actually see the main stars of Vulpecula from my back yard, so I decided to do the majority of my observing there tonight.
NOTE: The first two observations are from several days ago, August 3. The night wasn't great, and I didn't feel like writing up a separate log for two objects. I'd rate that night as Transparency=7, Seeing=7.
| NGC 6819 | Cygnus | Open Cluster | 10:10pm CDT (August 3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CR 403 | RA: 1941.3 | Dec: +4011 | Mag: 7.3 |
| This open cluster is small, consisting of faint stars. At low power, it appears as a fuzzy patch with a few stars interspersed throughout. 188x provides the best view, revealing perhaps two dozen individual stars in a )( or butterfly shape. At one end of one of the wings is a small knot of stars. This is a nice-looking cluster which begs for larger aperture. | |||
| NGC 6800 | Vulpecula | Open Cluster | 10:20pm CDT (August 3) |
| RA: 1927.2 | Dec: +2508 | Mag: ? | |
| This open cluster looks like an outline of stars of similar magnitude. The outline reminds me of a cartoon bunny head, with one ear flopping over. At 49x, the cluster is nicely framed. By increasing magnification, a few more stars are revealed, but the center of the cluster appears to be pretty empty. | |||
| V | Aquila | Carbon Star | 9:25pm CDT |
| SAO 142985 | RA: 1904.4 | Dec: -0541 | Mag: 6.6 |
| 49x offers a nice view of this carbon star. This is about the reddest that I
remember seeing this star. It appeared an intense dark orange-red.
The sky was so pretty, I thought I'd pick up my binoculars and do some Milky Way sweeps. | |||
| Coathanger | Vulpecula | Open Cluster | 9:50pm CDT |
| CR 399 | RA: 1925.4 | Dec: +2011 | Mag: 3.6 |
| In binoculars, this cluster is really impressive, fitting into the field of view nicely. I could count four bright stars in the hook, and seven bright stars in the hanger. | |||
| Stock 1 | Vulpecula | Open Cluster | 10:00pm CDT |
| RA: 1935.8 | Dec: +2513 | Mag: ? | |
| This is an easy target in binoculars. There are about a dozen stars visible, in the shape of an X straddling a bright star. Something like the Cingular logo. | |||
| Iridium 53 | Satellite | 10:05pm CDT | Mag: -1.0 |
| I was somewhat watching for this Iridium flare, because I noticed it listed on the Heaven's Above website. I first noticed it right below the Northern Cross asterism of Cygnus. By the time it passed through Delphinus, it had already dimmed. I've seen brighter flares, but it was still a nice break. | |||
| M39 | Cygnus | Open Cluster | 10:15pm CDT |
| NGC 7092 | RA: 2132.2 | Dec: +4827 | Mag: 4.6 |
| This cluster looks good in binoculars, with a slightly triangular shape.
About a dozen stars are visible.
At this point, I put up the binoculars and grabbed the telescope once again. | |||
| NGC 6830 | Vulpecula | Open Cluster | 10:35pm CDT |
| Mel 224 | RA: 1951.0 | Dec: +2303 | Mag: 7.9 |
| At 125x, the cluster fits into the field of view nicely. It is fairly loose and sparse. Near the center of the cluster are four stars that form a rough diamond. Three-fourths of a second outer diamond are visible, about twice the distance out and somewhat aligned with the first diamond. The fourth side of the second diamond is a smattering of randomly placed stars. This cluster wasn't particularly impressive. | |||
| NGC 6823 | Vulpecula | Open Cluster | 10:40pm CDT |
| CR 405 | RA: 1943.2 | Dec: +2318 | Mag: 7.1 |
| This open cluster is surrounded by a fairly bright ringlet of stars. Inside the ringlet is a smaller conglomeration of stars. 125x reveals a couple dozen stars of varying magnitudes. There is a little knot of bright stars which demands your attention. It contains two bright stars on either side of the knot, and two fainter stars lie between, nearly perpendicular to the first two. There is some nebulosity associated with this cluster, but I was unable to detect any of it, even with my O-III filter in place. | |||
| M27 (Dumbbell) | Vulpecula | Planetary Nebula | 10:55pm CDT |
| NGC 6853 | RA: 1959.6 | Dec: +2243 | Mag: 7.6 |
| I decided to try to view this favorite through binoculars. It is fairly faint, but definitely detectable. There is a bright star nearby, which seems to serve as a beacon. No real shape can be made out, other than a fuzzy patch of light, brightening near the middle. | |||
| NGC 7243 | Lacerta | Open Cluster | 11:30pm CDT |
| Mel 240 | RA: 2215.3 | Dec: +4953 | Mag: 6.4 |
| This is a wide, fairly rich cluster, best viewed at low magnification. It has an irregular shape. It is in a star-rich region of the Milky Way, making it difficult to tell where the cluster ends. The center of the cluster is a fairly loose N-shaped string of stars of similar magnitude. | |||
| NGC 7209 | Lacerta | Open Cluster | 11:50pm CDT |
| Mel 238 | RA: 2205.2 | Dec: +4630 | Mag: 7.7 |
| This cluster is also fairly rich and large, but it's more impressive than NGC 7243. It consists of a long, snaking string of stars which resembles the top half of a drawing of a 3-leaf clover. In the middle of the string is the heart-shaped leaf pattern. About two dozen stars of similar magnitude are visible. | |||
| 8 | Lacerta | Double Star | 11:55pm CDT |
| SAO 72508 | RA: 2235.9 | Dec: +3938 | Mag: 6.4 |
| This pair can be separated easily, even at low magnification. There is only about a magnitude of difference between them, and both appear white. What makes this pair interesting is that there is a fainter pair of field stars nearby and almost perpendicular to the double. This gives the appearance of a four-star system. | |||
Finding the objects in Lacerta were pretty difficult from my backyard. Mainly because Lacerta itself was difficult to detect. Trying to use averted vision while lining up the telescope was a bit tricky, but I seemed to have managed well enough. I'll give Lacerta another look from a darker sky.