by Tom Campbell
| Observer | Tom Campbell |
|---|---|
| Location | Iola, Kansas (Long: 95=B024'W Lat: 37=B055'N) |
| Equipment | Discovery DHQ 8" dobsonian |
| Eyepieces | 1.25" Pl=F6ssls - 25mm (49x), 15mm (81x), 10mm (122x), 6mm (203x), 4mm (305x) |
| Time | 11:00pm - 12:00am CDT (04:00-05:00 UT) |
| Transparency | Clear (8/10) |
| Seeing | Very Stable (9/10) |
| Weather | Temperatures in the 80s. There was no breeze. |
| SAGITTARIUS | NGC-6638, NGC-6642, NGC-6645 |
|---|---|
| SCUTUM | NGC-6664 |
| VULPECULA | NGC-6882, NGC-6885 |
I was pleasantly surprised at how steady the stars were through the eyepiece. I defocus bright stars as part of my collimation process, which usually shows wildly swirling and flaring diffraction rings. But after an even shorter cooldown period than usual, the diffraction rings were pretty steady, with very little flaring visible. I decided to set up my telescope in the brightest part of the yard, because it offered me my only view of the southern sky. I hoped to view some more Herschel clusters in that area.
| NGC 6645 | Sagittarius | Open Cluster | 11:05pm CDT |
|---|---|---|---|
| CR 383 | RA: 18h 32m 36s | Dec: -16=B0 53' | Mag: 8.5 |
This open cluster was somewhat faint and spread out. The best view was at 122x, where it was framed nicely in the field of view. About 2-3 dozen stars were visible in the cluster, all of which were pretty faint. Two of the brightest stars in the cluster formed a compact triangle with a third, fainter member off near one edge. The cluster consisted mainly of small clumps of stars, with a few loose arcs of stars spilling out the sides. | |||
| NGC 6642 | Sagittarius | Globular Cluster | 11:10pm CDT |
| RA: 18h 31m 54s | Dec: -23=B0 29' | Mag: 8.9 | |
This globular was fairly faint and small. The best view was at 81x. With direct vision, the cluster almost disappeared, with a stellar core popping in and out of view. Averted vision revealed the fuzzy mass of surrounding stars, although no individual stars could be resolved. | |||
| NGC 6638 | Sagittarius | Globular Cluster | 11:15pm CDT |
| RA: 18h 30m 56s | Dec: -25=B0 30' | Mag: 9.2 | |
This globular cluster was fairly large and bright. At 203x, the cluser appeared round. Using averted vision, the core had a slightly mottled appearance, but no individual stars could be seen. | |||
| NGC 6664 | Scutum | Open Cluster | 11:35pm CDT |
| CR 385 | RA: 18h 36m 42s | Dec: -08=B0 13' | Mag: 7.8 |
This cluster was found right off of the much brighter Alpha Scuti. It was loose and large. At 81x, The entire cluster could still be seen. The cluster mainly consisted of long, loose strings of stars, forming a J shape overall. The base of the J was thicker and contained the majority of the visible stars. In all, about two dozen stars were seen. There was a little bit of nebulosity throughout, indicating perhaps several more stars that were just beyond detection with my telescope. | |||
| NGC 6882 | Vulpecula | Open Cluster | 12:00am CDT |
| RA: 20h 11m 42s | Dec: +26=B0 33' | Mag: 8.1 | |
This open cluster was large, but sparse. At one edge was what appeared to be a foreground star, much brighter than the cluster members. The cluster itself formed a wide ring, or donut, with very few stars inside. | |||
| NGC 6885 | Vulpecula | Open Cluster | 12:00am CDT |
| CR 417 | RA: 20h 12m 00s | Dec: +26=B0 29' | Mag: 8.1 |
This cluster was at one edge of NGC 6882, forming part of the aforementioned donut. Its stars were a little fainter and more compact than that of the larger cluster. The best view was at 81x. | |||
I didn't finish off my list of Herschels in the above constellations, but at least I made some progress. The summer viewing sessions are all too short, especially with work the next morning.