I intended to stay warm for the time I was out! As astronomical dark approached I rolled the 17.5”
I scanned around with the 10x50 binoculars, having a quick look at M31, 32 and 110, as well as M33 – all easily spotted despite the brightness of the sky from the about 36% illuminated moon. Despite that, of course the overall impact of the moon being in the sky is much more noticeable at the dark site than at home which already has brighter skies anyway.
After confirming my finder alignments, I quickly swept up M33 at 110x in the
With that I got down to business. Observing would be done with the
Swept up at 110x I found it a small and homogenous oval. I found it a little bright to the eye and obvious in the field. Using 198x and 283x it was much more apparent and seemed to become more elongated as some of its extremities were picked up. It remained evenly illuminated.
Also known as Arp 68, this spiral was swept up at 110x as a dim rounded glow. Homogenous in appearance, other than becoming more apparent at 198x it changed little. I detected some subtle central brightness at 283x, but otherwise it remained diffuse overall.
At 110x it appeared small and somewhat bright visually. A stellar core was noted inside its seemingly rounded envelope. It became more oval in appearance at 198x and particularly at 283x as more of its outer structure was detected. I also noted that as conditions shifted a small inner lens of brightness drifted in and out of view. This caused the stellar core to likewise pop in and out of view.
This spiral was detected at 110x as a small and very subtle rounded glow. Even at 198x and 283x it remained a weak presence in the field, though just a hint of broad central brightness was perceived.
Hickson Compact Galaxy Group 98 in Pisces
A.
B. MCG 0-60-59 /
I picked up a very small and tight lumpy chain of diffuse light at 110x. It appeared that I had three such lumps in close proximity to one another. The northern one,
Subsequently, though I initially thought I was seeing the C-component (PGC 72810) of this galaxy quadruplet, after session research led me to believe I was in error. Because seeing was so weak I believe I mistook a soft and diffuse looking 15th mag field star for the C-component based on positional relationships within the field.
Hickson Compact Galaxy Group 97 in Pisces
A.
D.
C.
The three brighter components of this group of five galaxies were perceived as a three tiny knots of light in a triangular formation at 110x. I had to move between direct and averted vision to confirm this. The dimmer B-component (mag 15.1
While the moon continued to sink toward the southwest, clouds made their first appearance. So I decided to shift further east to where they had yet to encroach. Moving over to Triangulum I continued my chilly adventure on IDSA charts 38 and 39.
I found this elliptical to be somewhat bright and small round pip of light at 110x. A stellar core was noted intermittently. Not much difference was noted at 198x as it was simply diffuse with the sporadic stellar core popping through. Taking a look at 283x its central area seemed to be broadly brighter rather than exhibiting the intermittent stellar core noted at lower magnification.
MCG +5-5-11 (Triangulum, lenticular galaxy, mag=13.9, size=0.9’x0.7’, SBr=13.2):
Just over half a degree east of
Dipping south toward the corner where Triangulum-Pisces-Aries meet, I found this a little bright visually, small and thin at 110x. Oriented north-south, at 198x it seemed to be slightly uneven in illumination with the northern end subtly brighter. Using 283x its light distribution still seemed slightly uneven. Overall it presented a small and somewhat bright glowing bullet of diffuse light.
About 40’ ESE of
Just over half a degree WSW of
A few minutes southwest of
About 38’ southeast of the previous galaxy I located the bright open cluster, Collinder 21, also known as the “Putter Cluster.” It is a pretty cluster that I’ve seen previously, but this time using as my landmark for this barred spiral. Just off its northern edge I located this very small and rounded subtle dust bunny with 110x. Even at 198x it remained quite weak in the field. Giving a shot at 283x it remained poor, however it seemed a little more oval as a tiny bit more of its outer halo became evident along the major axis. It remained evenly illuminated at all magnifications.
Slipping southwest of this grouping of galaxies and into Pisces, I swept up this little barred lenticular at 110x. It appeared as a small dust mote with an intermittent stellar core pinned to its center. It lay very near to a close pair of 11th mag stars catalogued as the double BRT3259 (Barton). Observing with 198x and 283x it remained small and diffuse with the stellar core popping in and out of view.
I knew my time was nearing its end as my energy level was dropping quickly, so I turned over to chart 38-right to pin down a few galaxies not in the log around the area of the defunct constellation Musca Borealis in north-central Aries. The northern fly’s main body is a triangle formed by the bright stars 33, 35, 39 and 41 Arietis. So working in that area I headed for the finish line.
About 2° northwest of 39 Ari I pinned down this somewhat bright little pip. A dim field star close to its eastern side gave the illusory appearance of it being more rounded than its angular size might imply. At 198x it became more oval in appearance as would be expected as the nearby star was less intrusive. While 283x revealed a broad brightness within the central portion of its envelope.
UGC 2122 (Aries, spiral galaxy, mag=13.6, size=1.0’x1.0’, SBr=13.5):
Not quite half a degree SSW of
Continuing my trend to the SSW a bit more I swept up this slight oval at 110x just inside Aries from Triangulum. Overall it was a little bright to the eye though small, and displayed a stellar core. Trying with 198x and then 283x it appeared a little more like a fat oval with its noticeable stellar core pinned to its center.
Still hanging a little close to the Aries-Triangulum border, I located this very small and round pip of light. It was a little dim, but its elevated surface brightness seemed to aid in its detection. Overall homogenous, it remained relatively weak though still easily seen at 198x and 283x.
To finish up I headed back to the stars that form the old constellation Musca Borealis. Just off its western side and north of 35 Ari, I located this slightly elongated little dust bunny. Slightly bright to the eye, it displayed a stellar core at 110x. Observing at 198x and 283x it became a thick oval with a clearly evident stellar core.
After close to 2.5 hours I gave up due to simple fatigue from my current battle with a respiratory illness. Ultimately the outing would prove to be a mistake as I took a turn for the worse, feeling very poorly over the rest of Saturday night and for most of day on Sunday. So much so I was unable to go back out Sunday evening,
But, in the sense of chasing galaxies with the moon present in the sky, then it was successful, just that I paid a price for my enjoyment. Upon our arrival home Monday evening, I headed to a medical facility to get examined, x-rayed and issued antibiotics and something for my severe coughing. So I am on the slow mend presently and hope by the coming weekend, it will be but an unpleasant memory! Thanks for tagging along and hope to see you back out there once the moon takes its monthly break a little bit later. :smile:
Great haul; and sorry to hear about your medical issues; hope that goes away soon.
