Despite the moon beginning a new cycle of night sky disruption, I ventured over to the dark site house on the basis of a nice forecast – especially for this time of year. As darkness approached I began the set up process in anticipation. The forecast for transparency was above average and seeing poor. Temperatures would be decent but came with gusty winds. As the evening wore on it was fascinating to hear the gusts coming before they actually reached me because of the woods behind the house.
Around 2100 hours I ventured out and touched up collimation a little on the 17.5 inch
f/4.5
dob. I laid out the gear and atlases (Interstellarum and Uranometria). The humidity was low and coupled with the winds, dewing was never an issue. The main eyepieces I utilized was the
ES 82° 18mm (110x,
EP=4.0mm) and Pentax XW 10mm (199x,
EP=2.2mm). I also on occasion would utilize the
ES 82° 24mm (82x,
EP=5.4mm) if I desired a wider view, XW 7 (283x,
EP=1.6mm) and on the odd occasion Ethos 13mm (152x,
EP=2.9mm). However, the meat and potatoes of my observations were made with the first two.
For the most part conditions were excellent, though later in the evening high thin clouds began to make an appearance and things would weaken in various parts of the sky. I confined my movements this evening to Ursa Major, Camelopardalis and Draco. At times things would go soft in that part of the sky, but for the most part it remained tenable. Occasionally I had to sit back in my chair for a few minutes to allow things to settle down, and on one occasion I actually went inside to take a break for about half an hour when things looked particularly bleak. Eventually simple fatigue and thin clouds drove me from the field.
The moon, though not significantly illuminated and mocking me from Taurus, was quite distracting and imparted a degree of sky glow nonetheless. As my eyes adjusted to the night sky and the moon’s presence around me, I toddled off to Ursa Major on chart 12 of the IDSA to sort of warm up.
NGC 3556 / Messier 108 (Ursa Major, barred spiral, mag=10.0, size=8.7’x2.2’, SBr=13.1):
At 110x, even with the moon in play this large elongated spiral appeared brightly contrasted with the sky. A bright 12th mag star sat imposed just west of the core with a bright knot just west of the star. Overall it was a curious sight, exhibiting a very strong mottled or curdled appearance. A lot of contrast between light and dark was going on within its large disk giving it a hectic appearance rather than a nice smooth glow. All in all this galaxy was stunningly beautiful to the eye.
NGC 3587 / Messier 97 (Ursa Major, planetary nebula, mag=9.9, size=3.4’x3.3’, SBr-12.3):
About 48’ southeast of M108, I easily located the famous “Owl Nebula.” At 110x (unfiltered) even in the moonlit sky it was bright and large visually. Slightly out of round its disk appeared as a two dimensional cotton ball. Bumping to 199x its famous “eyes” were a subtle presence within the disk. Dropping in an O-III filter its contrast level increased noticeably and it glowed intensely within the field. The eyes became a little less apparent, overwhelmed by the strong brightness of the gas shell with the filter. Overall it was a sort of dirty white snowball in appearance.
NGC 2403 (Camelopardalis, barred spiral, mag=8.5, size=21.9’x12.3’, SBr=14.4):
Turning the page to chart 13, I headed into eastern Camelopardalis to revisit this low surface brightness spiral. Despite the moon’s glow beating down on my back, I noticed the galaxy’s presence in the 8x50
RACI finder as I located its field. At 110x it was a huge presence in the 0.7° TFOV of the
ES 82 18mm. A large thick oval glow greeted my eye and immediately I could sense it was chaotic in appearance. Mottling due to the variations of light and dark from the core outward across its arms was clearly evident. The core was a large broadly bright area, elongated with the major axis. There were several imposed foreground stars on its disk. Of particular note was a largish triangle of three field stars (two of 9th and one of 10th) overlaid on the galaxy’s southern half. Using 199x brought out increased mottling and a few dimmer foreground stars peppered over this beautiful galaxy’s envelope.
NGC 2404 (Camelopardalis, diffuse nebula within a galaxy, size=20.0”):
My main reason for returning to
NGC 2403, besides having a fine look at the galaxy, was to target its brightest HII region. At 110x this small knot was visible just east of the core and north of a mag 9.9 star (part of the above mentioned imposed triangle). A dim field star was at its southern edge giving the illusory impression of being involved with the nebulosity. I tried the NPB filter but found it only marginally helpful for this object, though it did boost contrast slightly. Using 199x the knot was very apparent, though small of course. I also noticed a couple of other smaller, dimmer knots within the galaxy’s disk. (New)
UGC 3894 (Camelopardalis, elliptical, mag=13.1, size=1.2’x1.2’, SBr=13.6):
Just over half a degree southwest of
NGC 2403 I picked up this dim and tiny round pip of light at 110x. It was lying next to a field star and at 199x displayed a stellar core. This gave the impression of a close double star, one with fuzz, the other without. (New)
NGC 2347 (Camelopardalis, spiral, mag=12.5, size=1.8’x1.3’, SBr=13.2):
Moving over to the right side of chart 13, I inched west of
NGC 2403 on a journey of discovery. Continuing WSW from the previous object I located a pair of galaxies straddling a field star. First up was this small and somewhat bright elongated glow immediately south of the 7th mag star. Observed at both 110x and 199x it displayed an intermittent stellar core. Otherwise it was a simple diffuse presence within the star’s glare field. (New)
IC 2179 (Camelopardalis, elliptical, mag=12.9, size=1.1’x1.1’, SBr=12.6):
Within the same field of view I also noticed this soft glow about 9’ north of the above mentioned star. It too was snuggled up close to another field star (mag 9.6) to its west. Observing with 110x it presented a small but slightly bright round diffuse glow, while a fleeting stellar core was noted at its core using 199x. (New)
UGC 3642 (Camelopardalis, lenticular, mag=12.4, size=1.4’x1.0’, SBr=12.6):
Southwest of the previous pair I located another
FOV duo. The first one appeared as a small and dim rounded dust mote. It seemed mostly homogeneous at 110x, while with 199x it exhibited a very tenuous stellar core. (New)
UGC 3660 (Camelopardalis, spiral, mag=12.7, size=1.7’x0.9’, SBr=13.0):
About 18’ southeast of the previous object and within the same
FOV I noticed another small and dim puff of smoke. At 110x it presented a slightly elongated oval that appeared diffuse. Using 199x brought out a weak stellar core embedded in its center. (New)
UGC 3511 (Camelopardalis, spiral, mag=12.5, size=1.5’x1.1’, SBr=12.8):
Just over 2.5° northwest of the last pair I swept up this small homogeneous oval. Slightly bright to the eye at 110x, using 199x brought out a broad brightness within the center of its disk, as well as a very fleeting stellar core. (New)
An interesting aside to this object is the confusion that exists in some references about it and the non-existent object
NGC 2253. I happened upon this discrepancy because the IDSA plots the latter just northwest of UGC 3511, and try as I might, I could not see anything at that location. Pulling out Uranometria, it did not plot
NGC 2253 at all.
After session research found that William Herschel may have confused a dim compact star grouping, which can sometimes appear slightly diffuse because they are not fully resolved into individual stars. Other references equate UGC 3511 with
NGC 2253 (such as in Sky Tools 3). However, there should be only UGC 3511 at the indicated position, and
NGC 2253 is simply an error within the
NGC.
At this time I returned to chart 5-right in the IDSA to work through a scattered grouping of galaxies straddling the border between Camelopardalis and the northwestern corner of Ursa Major.
NGC 2614 (Ursa Major, spiral, mag=12.9, size=2.0’x1.6’, SBr=14.0):
Just inside UMa, I spotted this low surface brightness oval. It appeared small, dim and oval in shape. There was little improvement going from 110x to 199x and it simply remained a weak homogeneous presence within the field. (New)
NGC 2629 (Ursa Major, spiral, mag=12.3, size=1.5’x1.3’, SBr=12.9):
Less than 20’ east of the last object, I located this small round fuzzy with 110x. Somewhat bright to my eye, it lay next to a 13th mag field star. At 199x it was quite obvious within the same field as
NGC 2614, and exhibited a broad brightness in the center of is halo. (New)
NGC 2641 (Ursa Major, lenticular, mag=13.6, size=1.3’x1.1’, SBr=13.9):
Also within the same
FOV I noticed a small and dim oval. Evenly illuminated it lays a mere 6’ southeast of the previous galaxy. Its presentation changed little going from 110x to 199x other than a slight boost in contrast. (New)
UGC 4547 Ursa Major, spiral, mag=14.0, size=1.4’x0.3’, SBr=12.8):
As I scanned the field of the previous galaxies I kept picking up hints of another presence as well, between NGCs 2614 and 2629. Again referring to Uranometria I found this pencil thin galaxy plotted exactly where my suspect object was spotted. Not seen at 110x, and only suspected at 199x, it took 297x to ferret it out to my satisfaction. Overall it was quite dim and very thin with imposed foreground stars making things difficult. (New)
NGC 2646 (Camelopardalis, barred spiral, mag=12.1, size=1.3’x1.3’, SBr=1.5):
Just inside the celestial giraffe I pinned this down small and dim object. Viewed at both 110x and 199x it remained unimpressive in the field as a round homogenous subtle glow. I expected a little more from this one, but it could have been that my transparency was starting to fall off slightly. (New)
IC 520 (Camelopardalis, barred spiral, mag=11.7, size=1.5’x1.3’, SBr=12.3):
About 14’ east of the previous object I easily spotted this small and slightly bright round glow. At 110x it appeared evenly illuminated, but at 199x it displayed a concentrated non-stellar brightness at its core. (New)
IC 2389 (Camelopardalis, barred spiral, mag=13.4, size=1.6’x0.3’, SBr=12.4):
I focused my attention about 11’ WNW of
NGC 2646 in search of this barred spiral. At 110x I merely suspected there was something at its location. Then at 199x it was confirmed as a dim and small thin oval lying next to a line of 12th and 14th mag stars. Studying it briefly brought out an intermittent stellar core flickering at its center. (New)
NGC 2636 (Camelopardalis, elliptical, mag=13.8, size=0.4’x0.4’, SBr=11.9):
About 8’ north of the last object, I next sought out this elliptical. As with the previous galaxy, at 110x it was merely suspected in the field. I confirmed its presence using 199x, whereby it presented as a small and dim diffuse oval. (New)
NGC 2634 (Camelopardalis, elliptical, mag=12.0, size=1.7’x1.6’, SBr=13.1):
Another 18’ north of the last object I found my next target. At 110x it was somewhat bright to the eye, small and round. A stellar core was also noted, and the view changed little at 199x. (New)
UGC 4585 /NGC 2634A (Camelopardalis, barred spiral, mag=13.6, size=1.8’x0.4’, SBr=13.1):
Within the same
FOV less than 2’ SSE of
NGC 2634 I spotted this very subtle object at 110x. It was just barely detected as a smooth homogeneous thin oval. It was easier at 199x though it remained a weak presence in the field. (New)
NGC 2633 (Camelopardalis, barred spiral, mag=12.2, size=2.5’x1.5’, SBr=13.5):
Easing north another 8’ brought me to this somewhat bright, small oval. It displayed a non-stellar concentrated brightness in its core, and the overall view changed little from 110x to 199x. This object is also known as Arp 80. (New)
IC 511 (Camelopardalis, lenticular, mag=13.4, size=1.6’x0.5’, SBr=13.1):
About half a degree west of
IC 2389 I swept up this small lenticular next to a dim group of stars (13th and 14th mag). At 110x it was a small elongated oval, that revealed a stellar core at 199x. (New)
NGC 2551 (Camelopardalis, spiral, mag=12.1, size=1.7’x1.1’, SBr=12.6):
Just over 1° further west I locked down on my next galaxy. At 110x it was easily seen as a slightly bright small oval. Again, as with the previous object, 199x brought out a stellar core winking within its center. (New)
UGC 4397 (Camelopardalis, spiral, mag=12.7, size=1.5’x1.4’, SBr=13.4):
My next stop was this galaxy, which the IDSA and Uranometria both label as
NGC 2550A, though this is not a proper catalogue identifier. Snuggled up against two field stars (13th and 14th mag) it was a small rounded puff of smoke in the field. Viewing with 199x, it seemed slightly more oval in shape. (New)
NGC 2550 (Camelopardalis, spiral, mag=12.8, size=1.0’x0.4’, SBr=11.7):
About 23’ northwest of UGC 4397 I located my next target. At 110x it was a thin sliver, small in size. Overall it was homogeneous in appearance and dim to the eye. The glare of an 8th mag field star about 2.5’ to the east did impact the galaxy’s presence in the field. (New)
UGC 4448 (Camelopardalis, elliptical, mag=13.4, size=0.8’x0.5’, SBr=12.4):
Re-centering
NGC 2550 then nudging northeast less than a degree I pulled down this elliptical. Found with 110x it was a small rounded dim pip of light. Dropping in the 10mm (199x) it remained a dim small rounded presence in the field, but did reveal an intermittent stellar core at its center. (New)
NGC 2544 Camelopardalis, barred spiral, mag=12.9, size=1.1’x0.8’, SBr=12.6):
Again returning to
NGC 2550, I spotted this barred spiral about 12’ to its west, sharing the field of view. It presented a small oval that was a little bit dim, but still easily seen at both 110x and 199x. Overall it was evenly illuminated across its extent. (New)
NGC 2523 (Camelopardalis, barred spiral, mag=11.9, size=3.0’x1.8’, SBr=13.6):
Nudging about 37’ southwest of the previous galaxy, I picked up bright and slightly large elongated glow. Homogeneous in appearance overall, using 199x did seem to reveal a very subtle non-stellar brightness within its core area. This object is also catalogued as Arp 9. (New)
UGC 4290 (Camelopardalis, elliptical, mag=12.9, size=1.5’x0.8’, SBr=13.1):
About 19.5’ southeast of
NGC 2523 I located this galaxy, sometimes listed as
NGC 2523C. Viewed with both 110x and 199x it was a small and dim oval, that sported a stellar core at its heart. (New)
UGC 4259 (Camelopardalis, spiral, mag=13.9, size=2.1’x0.3’, SBr=13.3):
Sometimes listed as
NGC 2523B, this thin small oval was found not quite 9’ west of
NGC 2523. Overall it presented as dim and homogenous, and not being particularly a strong presence within the field. It shared the
FOV with both
NGC 2523 and UGC 4290 (
NGC 2523C). (New)
I intended to go for UGC 4166 (or
NGC 2523A) but at this point things were getting a little squirrely up there so I decided to take a break and went back indoors. By the time I returned to the field, I simply forgot to pick up where I left off. Because conditions were showing signs of increasing variability, I decided to move on to another field to wrap up the evening. I will conclude this outing in part two of my report. Thanks for following along so far during the first part of my personal evening of discovery.
But for the time being that is the new normal. Anyway, the mall near it was totally shut down, except for Target. So I went through a drive through for some food and continued on my journey.
