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); 2" Plössls - 51.5mm (24x) |
| Filters | Lumicon O-III |
| Time | 9:30pm - 11:20pm CDT (02:30-04:20 UT) |
| Transparency | Clear (8/10) |
| Seeing | Moderately Stable (6/10) |
| Weather | Temperatures in the lower 60s. There was little to no wind. |
| ANDROMEDA | NGC-752, NGC-7662 |
|---|---|
| CETUS | Gamma |
| PERSEUS | M76, Stock 2, Struve 331 |
| PISCES | Alpha |
Unlike most New Moon weekends, this one had been fairly clear. However, the air was extremely damp, and dew was a major problem. I didn't bother setting up during those nights. Monday night, the clouds finally rolled in, and I was beginning to regret having missed my opportunity to observe, dew or not.
Tonight, however, the sky had cleared again. The dew was still present, but not as prominent. The thin crescent Moon was below some trees, so I decided to not waste another opportunity. I had no real observing plan, so I started off by looking at a few neglected favorites.
| NGC 7662 | Andromeda | Planetary Nebula | 9:35pm CDT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Snowball | RA: 2325.9 | Dec: +4232 | Mag: 9.2 |
| As the name suggests, this is a blue planetary nebula. At 49x, it appears as a fuzzy star. This nebula is pretty bright, and typical of most planetaries, the more power you give it, the better it looks. It appears nearly circular and the nebulosity was pretty evenly distributed. At 305x, with averted vision, a pinprick of darkness would sometimes appear in the center of the nebula. | |||
| NGC 752 | Andromeda | Open Cluster | 9:55pm CDT |
| Mel 12 | RA: 0157.8 | Dec: +3751 | Mag: 5.7 |
| This is a large open cluster, and the best view is provided with my 51.5mm eyepiece. Even at 24x, it still takes up nearly the entire field of view. At one edge of the cluster is a bright pair of yellow stars of nearly equal magnitude. The cluster stars are of varying magnitudes, but all are dimmer than these shepherd stars. In all, several dozen stars are visible, mostly clumped in small chains or knots. | |||
| M76 | Perseus | Planetary Nebula | 10:15pm CDT |
| NGC 650 | RA: 0142.3 | Dec: +5134 | Mag: 12.2 |
| For a Messier object, this nebula is somewhat faint. It is easily found near Phi Persei. The best view was provided at 125x with my O-III filter in place. The brightest part of the nebula is nearly rectangular in shape, with a fainter cloud of nebulosity surrounding it. With averted vision, a star pops in and out of view in one of the corners of the rectangle. When the O-III filter is removed, the rectangular region actually appears concave on both of the long ends, resulting in a dumbbell or apple core shape. | |||
| Stock 2 | Perseus | Open Cluster | 10:50pm CDT |
| Muscleman Cluster | RA: 0215.0 | Dec: +5825 | Mag: 4.4 |
| Even with my 51.5mm eyepiece, the cluster barely fit into the field of view.
It does resemble a stick figure flexing his muscles. I was somewhat
surprised to find it so close to the Double Cluster, yet I had never viewed
it before.
In binoculars, it's visible as a roundish clump of about 8-10 stars. | |||
| Gamma | Cetus | Double Star | 11:00pm CDT |
| Kaffaljidhma | RA: 0243.3 | Dec: +0314 | Mag: 3.5, 7.3 |
| This is a close double, with 188x barely able to split the pair. The primary is much brighter than the secondary star. The best view is at 305x, where the stars have a nice clean separation. Both stars are white in color. The contrast in magnitude is the only interesting feature of this double. | |||
| Alpha | Pisces | Double Star | 11:10pm CDT |
| 113 | RA: 0202.0 | Dec: +0246 | Mag: 4.2, 5.1 |
| This double is also tight. Even though the components are closer together than those of Gamma Ceti, this pair is a bit easier to split, due to the stars being similar in magnitude. It can be split at 188x, but 305x offers the best view. Both stars are a bright milky white, with one being slightly brighter than the other. | |||
| Struve 331 | Perseus | Double Star | 11:15pm CDT |
| RA: 0300.9 | Dec: +5221 | Mag: 5.3, 6.7 | |
| This wide pair can be split at even 49x, although it looks best at 81x. The primary is a pale yellow, and the secondary is a bit fainter and a real pale blue. | |||
The dew was really becoming a problem now, as I would have to wipe off my Telrad and eyepieces nearly constantly. I decided to call it a night. Despite the dew, I really had a decent night. With the three doubles logged, I now only need nine more to complete the A.L. list.