How many Herschels are there?! - Coe 23Sep and 26Aug

by Tony Hurtado

Last month up at Coe a few of us were talking about how some of the Herschels can fall short of the eye candy classification. As fate would have it, I found that to be true on serveral of the objects I saw that very night (and some quite the opposite). This month, however, things were different. It seemed like most of the stuff queued up were pretty stunning. Obscure, perhaps, but stunning.

I ran into some of the most challenging star hopping I have yet accomplished. A few months ago I invested in a StellarVue 9x50 RACI finder. It has proven to be the best learning tool I have acquired, has pushed me to learn the sky to greater depths, and has become an indispensible piece of kit for me. The Telrad is great, but...

Conditions at Coe were good but fell short of anything more than that. There was a haze that extended farther than normal up from the horizon in all directions causing a very high star extinction threshold and ultimately limited seeing. Must've been from the fires to both N and S of the Bay Area. Temps were comfortable - had a sweatshirt and shorts on all night. Very dry also.

We had some interesting companions as well. An amateur of Belgian origin had a group of technically literate (but non-astro) Belgians (~12-15 people!), including a pro from NASA, up there for an eye candy tour. They were great and interesting company as they walked around sharing views and asked some pretty reasonable and intelligent questions about the nature of globs, calculating the distance to other galaxies, and the like. I showed them a couple of things including M13 (always a breathtaking sight!) and Jupiter early on.

So here's what I accomplished from the H400 list this month and last.

See ya somewhere dark,
Tony Hurtado

Name ID Const Type Magnitude Eyepiece Date/Time
===== ======= ====== ===== ========= ======= ==================

I-189 NGC5676 Boo Galaxy 10.9 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 8:27 PM
Oval shaped galaxy that is elongated NW-SE, Uniformly bright and rather featureless probably due to the fact that it still early, not yet truly dark, and rather late in the season for this object.

I-188 NGC5689 Boo Galaxy 11.9 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 9:19 PM
Very dim, in a washed out part of the sky, and sinking fast, but I saw it!! Looks elongated in a N-S (?) direction. No detail at all, just a faint fuzzy.

I-99 NGC5557 Boo Galaxy 11.1 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 8:45 PM
Very small and not very bright. Looks like a face on spiral but detail is not obvious and can only be seen fleetingly with averted vision. May have a brighter central core. Late in the season for this one and not yet fully dark.

VIII-65 NGC659 Cas Open 7.9 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 9:29 PM
Small open cluster the brightest of which form an irregular circlet. In the same 25mm Plossl field as 44 Cas which made it a very easy star hop. Pretty cluster that was distinct from this otherwise very dense star field.

VI-30 NGC7789 Cas Open 6.7 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 10:12 PM
Massive cluster populated with many, many stars of a wide range of magnitudes. Southern area looks like it bounded by are hexagonal shape but other extremities are non-uniform. Bright enough to show as a very large nebulousity in my 9x50mm finder which m

VII-49 NGC637 Cas Open 8.2 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 9:56 PM
Small cluster marked by linear forms. Brightest stars form 3 arms that extend outward from the middle. One arm is curved into a C-like shape.

VII-48 NGC559 Cas Open 9.5 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 10:05 PM
Once again in the area around Eps Cas and Ruchbah. Larger cluster with mostly dimmer stars but marked with 3 brighter stars than span its width. Cluster is roughly round.

VII-46 NGC654 Cas Open 6.5 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 9:47 PM
Another short hop in the vicinity of NGC 663. Trapezoidal shaped open cluster with a fairly bright marker star immediately adjacent. Bright stars form the trapezoid, but interior is filled with both bright and dimmer stars. Best cluster so far tonight.

VI-31 NGC663 Cas Open 7.1 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 9:34 PM
Large open cluster that nearlt fills the 25mm Plossl field of view. Characterized by its wide range of star magnitudes. Very dense in spots by dimmer stars yet very sparse in other areas that are mostly populated with brighter stars. Very short and easy h

VIII-66 NGC1027 Cas Open 6.7 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 10:57 PM
Extremely large and extremely bright open cluster. Diffuse and very sparse in the outer areas but denser with dimmer stars towards the center where there is a noticably brighter star. No distinct/describable overall shape.

VII-45 NGC436 Cas Open 8.8 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 10:50 PM
Nondescript shape but with three arms at nearly 120deg separation extending from the center. Small and dim overall.

VIII-64 NGC381 Cas Open 9.3 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 10:39 PM
Rather nondescript smallish cluster. Roughly, the brighter stars form a small triangle within a larger one.

VII-56 NGC7790 Cas Open 8.5 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 10:22 PM
This cluster is listed as being bigger than NGC 7789, but the obvious cluster area is rather small. There is an adjacent but seemingly detached cluster area that is not obviously associated but would have to be to make this cluster meet its size descripti

IV-73 NGC6826 Cyg P Neb 8.8 Nagler 9mm 9/16/2006 9:19 PM
Blinking Planetary
Perfectly round nebulousity around an obvious central star. Nebulousity is uniformly bright. Appears almost stellar but with a very blue nebulousity in the 25mm Plossl.

IV-37 NGC6543 Dra P Neb 8.3 Nagler 9mm 9/16/2006 9:39 PM
Cat's Eye Nebula
This nebula has a blue-green tint to it in the 25mm Plossl and no obvious central star was seen while looking for it. But the 9mm Nagler brings out a lot of detail. The tint in the nebulousity remains and, after a few seconds of looking at it, a dim but clear central star pops out. Nebulousity is not uniform; there is an elongation in the E-W axis and the middle area around the central star is dimmer than the outer regions.

I-193 NGC651 Per P Neb 12.2 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 11:44 PM
Little Dumbbell
Rectangular bar about 3:1 aspect ratio that is slightly brighter at the ends. OIII filter slightly enhances contrast and shows the existence of "wings" either side of the nebula extending from the long sides. Easy star hop from Phi Perseus.

I-156 NGC1023 Per Galaxy 9.2 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 11:58 PM
Very large and very bright nearly edge on galaxy. Large extended halo with a very small pinpoint bright spot at its center. Halo extends across ~60% of FOV of 9mm Nagler. Nice looking galaxy!!

III-252 NGC488 Psc Galaxy 10.3 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 11:25 PM
Extended halo and brighter core are obvious on this near face on spiral (elliptical?) galaxy. Maybe can see some structure with averted vision. String of stars nearby running N-S to the galaxy's SW. Difficult star hop from some really dim stars.

I-151 NGC524 Psc Galaxy 10.6 Nagler 9mm 9/23/2006 11:35 PM
Fairly bright eliptical (?) with obvious halo and brighter core. No detail seen.

V-19 NGC891 And Galaxy 10 Nagler 9mm 8/27/2006 12:45 AM
Lovely, large, bright edge-on galaxy with a very obvious dark lane running through the very center of the galaxy along most of its edge-on lenght. Lots of detail and fairly bright. Nice eye candy! Fills the 9 Nagler from side to side.

III-743 NGC6781 Aql P Neb 11.4 Nagler 9mm 8/26/2006 11:17 PM
Very symmetrical looking spherical cloud of nebulousity. May have a dent or dimple in it towards the NE edge. No hint of a central star. Nebula is very evenly illuminated.

VII-62 NGC6756 Aql Open 10.6 Plossl 25mm 8/26/2006 10:39 PM
Rather small with few starts and loosely packed. No discernable shapes or impressions... just the appearance of a close grouping. Two arms sweeping westward giving the impression of eastward movement.

VII-19 NGC6755 Aql Open 7.5 Plossl 25mm 8/26/2006 10:47 PM
One 25 Plossl field away from 6756 so an easy find. Big and bright with a distinct arrow shape formed by lines of relatively bright stars. Several small tighter groups of stars forming subclusters within the arrow shape. Approx 50 stars in cluster. Nice l

I-104 NGC7606 Aqr Galaxy 10.8 Nagler 9mm 8/20/2006 12:36 AM
Spiral galaxy nearly edge on and elongated NW-SE. Bright small core is evident that may consist of 2 knots.

I-110 NGC7723 Aqr Galaxy 11.1 Nagler 9mm 8/20/2006 12:47 AM
Lacks detail but can see brighter core region. Very nebulous extended region. Elongated E-W? Easy to find just east of mag 6 star.

IV-1 NGC7009 Aqr P Neb 7.8 Nagler 9mm 8/20/2006 12:56 AM
Saturn Nebula
Strikingly blue nebula with obvious bright band running through its center region. Very bright. Looks like it varies in density.

I-111 NGC7727 Aqr Galaxy 10.7 Nagler 9mm 8/20/2006 1:13 AM
Elliptical or spiral galaxy that is face on. Obvious brighter core region contrasted with nebulous extended outer region. At least one other galaxy in field, maybe 2 more.

VII-42 NGC457 Cas Open 6.4 Nagler 9mm 8/27/2006 12:13 AM
ET Cluster
Easy hop to Phi Cas. Very bright, loose, and completely fills my 9 Nagler. Lots of contrast as visible stars span a wide magnitude range. No shapes really apparent, but some "clumping" apparent.

II-707 NGC185 Cas Galaxy 9.2 Nagler 9mm 8/27/2006 12:00 AM
Not too bright. Looks like an eliptical. Shows a definitely brighter core but little detail. Large and bright but diffuse. A darker observing site would definitely help this one.

VI-35 NGC136 Cas Open 11.3 Nagler 9mm 8/27/2006 12:29 AM
Very dim and tight group of stars in the rough rectangular shape. The long dimension runs N-S. Some nebulousity evident that may be due to unresolved member or background stars.

I-52 NGC7006 Del Globular 10.42 Nagler 9mm 8/20/2006 1:30 AM
Small glob easily located. Bright core gives way uniformly in brightness in all radial directions. Few resolved stars in the outer parts of the halo.

I-103 NGC6934 Del Globular 8.7 Nagler 9mm 8/20/2006 1:44 AM
Big, bright beautiful glob. Somewhat irregular core but many, many stars can be resolved from the outer reaches of the halo almost all the way to the very core. Many stars of differing magnitudes.

IV-16,VII NGC6905 Del P Neb 11.1 Nagler 9mm 8/20/2006 1:56 AM
Blue Flash Nebula
Close to uniformly round nebula; high contrast object. Can see central star by starting with averted vision. Blue tint to nebulousity.

II-587 NGC6426 Oph Globular 11.1 Nagler 9mm 8/26/2006 10:20 PM
Just a dim fuzzy patch with no resolved stars. Really really low surface brightness makes any features of this object most difficult to see. Basically round but not perfectly so. Easily spotted in the 22 Pan as a glowing patch but fades out with the 9 Nag

I-147 NGC6304 Oph Globular 8.4 Plossl 9mm 8/26/2006 9:49 PM
Very large glob with very extended halo of stars!!! Outer halo is easy to resolve individual stars and is ~3 times the size of the dense unresolved core. Very cool glob due to the resolved halo being so huge! This glob has probably the largest halo to cor

VIII-72 NGC6633 Oph Open 4.6 Panoptic 22mm 8/26/2006 10:11 PM
Huge, beautiful and bright very loose open with lots of linear star patterns. Very bright star on southern edge along with small tight circlet the shape of which contrasts with the rest of the cluster's patterning.

VI-12 NGC6293 Oph Globular 8.2 Plossl 9mm 8/26/2006 9:58 PM
Bright glob that is resolved almost all the way through the core. Halo is easily resolved and has a radius of approx. 2X the core's. Core is very bright. Easy star hop from 42 Oph to 36 Oph and then to this glob.

I-46 NGC6355 Oph Globular 9.7 Plossl 9mm 8/26/2006 9:29 PM
Dim, small but resolvable glob in Oph. Slightly irreg shape (brightness is triangular?). Can resolve outer stars and see 2 very dim stars very close to N. edge of glob that are obviously not associated with it. Easy to find, hard to resolve individual sta

VI-10 NGC6144 Sco Globular 9 No Eyepiece 8/19/2006 9:37 PM
Very dim glob that is a little irregular in shape. Bright foreground stars on the north and almost south edges. Very dim compared to near neighbor M4.

VI-13 NGC6451 Sco Open 8.2 Plossl 25mm 8/19/2006 9:48 PM
Many dim stars within a grail shaped outline of relatively brighter stars. Very distinct contrast between outline and interior stars, Whole star field is very rich.

II-402 NGC6118 Ser Galaxy 13.2 Nagler 9mm 8/26/2006 9:09 PM
Dim but fairly large streak of light. Apears to be a near edge-on spiral galaxy. Perhaps brighter core. Not quite dark yet but Serpens is heading well into the west early now.

I-51 NGC6638 Sgr Globular 9.1 Nagler 9mm 8/19/2006 11:28 PM
Medium sizes glob with very dense bright core and larger than average extended halo of stars. Can resolve many stars in halo. Bright core is unresolved nebulousity.

IV-51 NGC6818 Sgr P Neb 9.3 Nagler 9mm 8/19/2006 10:51 PM
Little Gem Nebula
Extremely long and difficult star hop on dim stars just west of and starting from 3 Cap. Very tiny but bright PN. Stellar in 25mm Plossl, nearly stellar in 9mm Nagler. Uniform round ball in 9mm Nagler + 2X Barlow. Hint of dimmer interior with outer layer

II-586 NGC6445 Sgr P Neb 11.2 Nagler 9mm 8/19/2006 11:14 PM
Little Gem/Crescent Nebula
Small but bright and easily discerned. Bright knot at SW end. Bright star nearby to the NE.

II-205 NGC6642 Sgr Globular 9.4 Nagler 9mm 8/19/2006 11:36 PM
Another very small glob. Very dim halo but core is very bright and compact. Regular round shape. Three stars extend from glob to the NW.

II-197 NGC6544 Sgr Globular 8.1 Nagler 9mm 8/19/2006 10:16 PM
Small but rather bright glob amidst a rich field of stars. Many resolved stars but also a glow that fills out it's round shape. Without considering the glow, it would appear irregular in shape. A few brighter stars in its foreground. Easy to locate due to

II-201 NGC6569 Sgr Globular 8.7 Nagler 9mm 8/19/2006 10:30 PM
Large bright glob, easy to find. Can resolve only very outermost stars; central core remains nebulous. Tried boosting mag (15mm Plossl + 2X Barlow and 9mm Nagler + 2X Barlow), but center remains unresolved. Glob stands out since surrounding star field is

IV-12 NGC6553 Sgr Globular 8.1 Nagler 9mm 8/19/2006 11:47 PM
Medium size but very dim. Irregular central core looks oval and is brighter at one end. No resolvable stars in visible halo. Very nebulous overall. May be due to reduced seeing.