it has been my curiosity to see how the recently put-on-service BBHS 2” mirror, decorated with the recently put-on-service ATIK filter wheel works, and in spite of the first quarter Moon interfering on otherwise crystal-clear skies.
As Perseus-Auriga have been comfortably high, I have been looking for some tough
The Sh2-216 is one of the youngest and closest planetary nebulae in our skies, and due to its low surface brightness across its big size of 1.3°x1.3°, not easy, many would tell you.
Following a cascade of stars NNW off Epsilon Aurigae, I have finally found its expected position in eastern Perseus (IDSA page 25).
Dialing the Astronomik and Baader filters on ATIK, and swapping between the 25x and 32x magnifications, and moving the scope left-right and up and down, I have finally found after 40 minutes its faint round glow, best seen through the high transmissivity 12nm wide Astronomik H-Beta filter. The faint disc has been finally confirmed at the both magnifications, and through the both H-Beta filters of Astronomik and Baader. The OIII filter has not revealed the arc on the disc rim, as reported by other observers with big Dobs.
After a short break to recover, the next one to visit has been the Sh2-224 SNR nebula in Auriga.
The navigation has been easy from the Eta – Zeta Aurigae bright pair towards NEE.
The first surprise has been a brightened field of Sh2-223, aligned with an unnamed
And now, I have arrived at the suspected position of the Sh2-224 .
The both H-Beta filters have revealed at the both magnifications two comfortably bright condensations, expected to be on the SNR shell. The OIII filter has revealed a bent glow. The both magnifications have been working fine.
Herewith, this remarkable SNR is one of those seldom “visual bi-color” nebulae, even if the views through the OIII and H-Beta filters are still grey smudges to my eyes, but at the offset positions.
The inspiration to observe this SNR comes from a breathtaking capturerecently made by Peter in Germany,
https://www.astrobin.com/full/j2werw/0/
The final objects have been the popular Sh2- 249 and Sh2-248 nebulae in Gemini.
The Sh2-249 (
and the Sh2-248 The Jellyfish Nebula has revealed a similar “ladies hand fan form” pointing east off Nu Gemini.
The both views have been comfortably visible through the narrower Baader H-Beta filter at the magnifications of 25x and 32x.
The visual form of these nebulae is better shown in the STAR-Guide on page 56, than in the IDSA on page 36.
Conclusions:
The BBHS diagonal zenith mirror offers significantly more contrast than my old dielectric mirror, having some wear and tear since many years of use. The visibility of the Sh2-216 planetary nebula has been a less expected surprise in this observing session.
The system upgrade with the BBHS and with the Leica eyepieces is definitely a win for hunting the faint extended nebulae.
Place and date: Backyard, 4th December, 20:00 – 22:00 local time
Telescope: 6”
Eyepieces: Antares W 70° f=25mm for star hopping
Leica
Filters: Baader OIII visual (10nm), Baader H-Beta
Observing conditions: First quarter Moon, otherwise crystal-clear skies, no humidity and temperatures slightly below zero
Thank you for reading,
JG