Dragon Cluster and Galactic Wanderer.

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John Baars Netherlands
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Dragon Cluster and Galactic Wanderer.

#1

Post by John Baars »


The last time I observed, I had to run to keep my stuff dry. This time it did look ominous, also had to stop observations regularly due to heavy cloud fields, but not a drop fell. Weather images indicated high clouds, the individual cloud fields were not displayed. Radar images gave no rain predictions.

It was not really crystal clear, the Moon was disturbing anyway; scattered light due to the high clouds. Not a crystal clear sky, then.

On my list were the Objects of the Month, the three open clusters in Auriga. M36, M37, M38. To these I added M35 and M78. I decided to observe them before I got to other objects.

M36, of course, seems to be the brightest, a nice open cluster. Fairly concentrated. Is also the smallest. As a result, it appears brighter than the other two. SkySafari mentions a "Crab-like" appearance. I can agree with that.
M37 is made up of many more stars, the individual stars are a bit fainter on average, but since it is also the last to rise from the East, it does not appear as bright. The 150 mm refractor turns it into a brilliant field of stars with about a hundred tiny points of light. Very noticeable is the big red Giant just off center. With larger telescopes and with brighter skies, the color stands out immediately.
M38 is made up of about a hundred stars. The brightest of these are in a clear cross shape as far as I am concerned. Gorgeous sight.

To mark the transition to the other deepsky objects, I had chosen M78 in Orion. You are then immediately confronted with the fact that the Moon is above the horizon. And you're looking for a nebulous object. Not easy. The nebula was only just above the sky background, to see both stars in it I had to increase the magnification considerably to over 150X.

Lo and behold, inside for a coffee break. Then out again, let the eyes adjust to the darkness, my binoculars show M42 beautifully. Then practice on M78 for night-vision and on to the cluster in the Rosette nebula, NGC 2244. The nebula itself is impossible thanks to the Moon, although it is already quite a bit lower. Hmmmm.....that doesn't bode well.


Next, on to Christmas Tree NGC 2264, an open cluster, shaped roughly like a Christmas tree. Someone once told me it looked distinctly like a flying squirrel. Nice thing. Then on to the Dragon Cluster NGC2301, also near Orion.I had sketched that one once, but not accurately enough for my liking. I find this updated version more appealing.The dragon is far from the mark of course, but the name T-cluster is less exciting. Or would a Komodo dragon be meant here? The brightest stars sure look like a lizzard.
Dragon ngc 2301 Jan 2022 - final.jpg
Then on to the final challenge of the evening. NGC 2419, the Intragalactic Wanderer. A globular cluster that is very far away from other globular clusters. It has wandered away from them, the name tells us. With magnitude 9 or 10 and some surface area, a very faint little fellow. With that Moon at my back, it was a big deal. I looked several times in SkySafari to make sure I was spot-on. Then the search began. Averted vision, slewing, zooming in and out. No results. Just keep going. I put on my observing hood, with the danger of chewing up the eyepiece...... so staying far away from it so with nose and eye.

The biggest gain in night-vision is already achieved after about 7 minutes, after that it rises further, but much slower and less steep. However, you have to have the patience to sit that out under your observation hood in a backyard.
NGC 2419 Intragalactic Wanderer.JPG
Eventually it loomed up. The funny thing is that once you find it, it's not that hard anymore. (advancing night vision) And after 15 minutes you ask yourself why you didn't find him right away.

The old sketch wasn't that pretty for my taste, so I spruced it up a bit in the computer.
Thanks for reading.
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
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Re: Dragon Cluster and Galactic Wanderer.

#2

Post by turboscrew »


Very nice report, especially about catching the NGC2419.
Last edited by John Baars on Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: 2419 instead of 2491. It was my typo in the first post, both are corrected now. John Baars.
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Re: Dragon Cluster and Galactic Wanderer.

#3

Post by helicon »


I always enjoy hunting down faintish globulars like NGC 5053 in Coma Berenices (10th magnitude) plus the other faint small globular near Antares. (Closer in to the star than M4). Nice catch John.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
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Re: Dragon Cluster and Galactic Wanderer.

#4

Post by Bigzmey »


Excellent report and sketches John! I have also visited recently M36, M37, M38 and M78 but with binoculars.
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
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Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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Re: Dragon Cluster and Galactic Wanderer.

#5

Post by Thefatkitty »


Wonderful report John; when I saw it I thought maybe more running would be involved; happily for you not this time!

Very nice descriptions and sketches. I actually laughed out loud when I read about NGC 2419, mostly this part:
And after 15 minutes you ask yourself why you didn't find him right away.
So true!! :lol:

Thanks for a great read and all the best,
Mark

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Too much Towa glass/mirrors.

H/A - PST stage 2 mod with a Baader 90mm ERF on a Celestron XLT 102 (thanks Mike!)
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W/L - C80-HD with Baader 5.0 & 3.8 Solar film, Solar Continuum 7.5nm and UV/IR filters with a Canon EOS 550D.

Oh yeah, and Solar Cycle 25 :D
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Re: Dragon Cluster and Galactic Wanderer.

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Post by davesellars »


Great report! Really enjoyed reading it. I don't remember observing NGC 2149 so will be on my list once Lynx is high enough (or I manage a session around 3am+)
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Re: Dragon Cluster and Galactic Wanderer.

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Post by Bigzmey »


davesellars wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:31 pm Great report! Really enjoyed reading it. I don't remember observing NGC 2149 so will be on my list once Lynx is high enough (or I manage a session around 3am+)
Glad to see you back Dave! :D
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
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EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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Re: Dragon Cluster and Galactic Wanderer.

#8

Post by davesellars »


Bigzmey wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:36 pm
davesellars wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:31 pm Great report! Really enjoyed reading it. I don't remember observing NGC 2149 so will be on my list once Lynx is high enough (or I manage a session around 3am+)
Glad to see you back Dave! :D
Many thanks!!! Good to be back again... :)
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Eyepieces: TV Delos 17.3 & 10; Pentax XW 7 & 5; BCO 32,18,10; Fuyiyama Ortho 12.5; Vixen SLV 25.
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Post by John Baars »


davesellars wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 9:31 pm Great report! Really enjoyed reading it. I don't remember observing NGC 2149 so will be on my list once Lynx is high enough (or I manage a session around 3am+)
Thanks!
Sorry, I made a typo in my first post. It should be NGC 2419. It has been corrected by now.
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
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Re: Dragon Cluster and Galactic Wanderer.

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Post by helicon »


Nice to re-visit this 2022 report in 2023. Quite a remarkable observation of NGC 2419 John and I hope that it being visible again in this time of the season in 2023 that folks will try to replicate it. Certainly well worthy of the VROD for 1/13/2023!
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
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Post by Makuser »


Hi John. A superb observing report from you. You really logged a lot of nice targets in your session. The three Messiers, and lots of beautiful NGC objects are nice catches. Thanks for your well written and enjoyable read report and sketches John and congratulations on receiving the TSS VROD Award today.
Marshall
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>)))))*>
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Post by John Baars »


Thanks for choosing this report as a "season reminder report" of the day. Most honored!
Thanks for your kind words.
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
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Re: Dragon Cluster and Galactic Wanderer.

#13

Post by Frankskywatcher »


Happy New Year John!
That was an excellent report,congratulations well deserved and well written it was very enjoyable to read!
I have to agree with The Fat Kitty,I laughed as well at your comment,very funny indeed!
Your report and especially M 38 got me intrigued to look it up,amazing to view!
http://astropixels.com/openclusters/M38-01.html
That then led me to this winter sky chart of Messier objects and the other seasons as well.
http://astropixels.com/messier/winter.html
Thanks for your report because it educated me on those objects !
Gee if I had known there was so much to see I would have started decades ago ! :Astronomer1:

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#14

Post by Ylem »


Congratulations on the well deserved VROD John!
Clear Skies,
-Jeff :telescopewink:


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#15

Post by John Baars »


Thanks @Frankskywatcher and @Ylem

As you can see from the pictures, I used my old 150 mm f/5 (Skywatcher Startravel) for these observations. A wonderful instrument for wide-field observations. I loved it. It only had one draw-back: its weight. (almost 17 pounds fully equipped) The weight forced me to use it on my GPDX mount, rather cumbersome if you only have an hour, for example. The grabngo AZ mount is too light for it. Other than that, I found the weight to be quite substantial. I always felt that letting it slip out of my hands was a matter of time.
That's why I ended up selling it with pain in my heart. Too bad, I had become attached to it. Partly because I had almost completely removed the coma myself, by making changes in the lens distance at the sore spot. From factory telescope to personally optimized instrument.
So I no longer have that one. However, because I really like the wide-field views anyway, I have my eye on a 102mm f/5, also from Skywatcher. Another achromatic. For widefield deepsky, you don't need an Apo. It weighs even less than half of the old one: some 8 pounds, equipped. Soon I'm going to order it.
A review and reports will be coming in...
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
Amateur astronomer since 1970.
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Re: Dragon Cluster and Galactic Wanderer.

#16

Post by Unitron48 »


Great report, John with outstanding sketches (as usual). I have been devoting lots of observing time to open clusters of late. Lots to take in!

Congrats on your VROD!!

Dave
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"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Albert Einstein
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