TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – December 2021

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TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – December 2021

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TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – December 2021

This month’s column marks the twelfth edition, of the TSS Monthly DSO Challenge, and it has been my privilege to present these to you each month in hopes that it inspires everyone to get out there to observe, sketch and or image some interesting deep sky objects. Though our foot traffic for this past year has been a bit light, I am still committed to its continuation. I hope that with the coming new year we will see an uptick in readership and participation for the challenge. I encourage all to add these monthly targets to your regularly planned observing and/or imaging sessions. While they may not be new to each individual, there is still enjoyment and benefit to returning to previously observed/imaged objects. With that I will wish all the best for the holidays that upon us and that Santa brings you something you want this year. We know the sky will keep bringing us unimaginable beauty and surprises, so partake and enjoy!


Northern Celestial Hemisphere

Messier 45 (Taurus, open cluster, mag=1.2, size=1.7°, SBr=10.9, class=I3rn):
The infamous Pleiades cluster has been known since antiquity and represents the mythological seven daughters of Atlas. Hence they are also known as the Seven Sisters. The cluster is thought to have formed from a complex similar to the Orion Nebula, and lies at a distance of approximately 444 light years. Its age is estimated to be in the 75 to 150 year range and it is slowly moving in the direction of what we see is the feet of the constellation Orion. First observed telescopically by Galileo and a sketch in his Starry Messenger depicts 36 stars in the group. It is generally thought that Messier added this well known object to his first catalogue (along with M44) to round out his first edition to a nice number (45) of objects.

For a good many of us our first experience with the Pleiades is we notice it with naked eye as a tiny dipper-like asterism in northwestern Taurus, near its border with Aries. In fact I have been asked a few times if it was the Little Dipper asterism of Ursa Minor. For those that truly don’t know the sky, it’s not overly difficult to see how they might be confused. After all it is little and it looks like a dipper. :) This truly open cluster is best viewed with lower magnification in a wide field. One can get a better grasp of its structural characteristics, plus it is simply a pretty view. A favorite thing to do is to see how many of the Seven Sisters one can spot with the naked eye.

A unique bonus to the cluster is the presence of very delicate reflection nebulae around some of its stars, associated with its birthing complex. To have a chance to glimpse these diaphanous nebulae one should be in dark skies. But one needs to be careful about confusing glaring and scattered light from the bright stars in the cluster with seeing the reflection nebulae. Your optics should be clean and fog-free, or one can get the impression of seeing the nebulae, but in reality are only seeing scattered light within the optical path. One way to confirm its presence is to look at other nearby stars of similar brightness that are not associated with the cluster. If you are indeed seeing the presence of the nebula, then the unassociated stars should be nebula-free. So give this perennial favorite a careful study and see if you can pick up a hint of its elusive bonus.

NGC 1582 (Perseus, open cluster, mag=7.0, size=24.0’, class= IV2p):
A little over 2.5° NNW of the magnitude 4.2 star 58 Persei in eastern Perseus, one can locate this curious cluster. Discovered by William Herschel in 1788, he described it as "a cluster of coarsely scattered large stars, pretty rich, above 20' diameter." What we will see in our scopes will of course depend on conditions, aperture and experience. Its field is dominated by a scalene triangle of three 8th magnitude stars in its center. The rest of the field is a scatter of 11th mag and fainter stars. From its center toward the southwestern quadrant of its field there is a noticeable void of very low stellar density. Overall it is a scattered grouping that does not display any areas of significant concentration. Some sources indicate that it is an asterism rather than a bound cluster, but it seems the jury may still be out on that. Give it a try and see how your mind’s eye interprets its structure.

Messier 1 / NGC 1952 (Taurus, supernova remnant, mag=8.4, size=8.0’x4.0’, SBr=11.9):
For our final northern object we return to the realm of the celestial bull. Discovered by John Bevis in 1731 and was independently rediscovered by Charles Messier in 1758. Messier 1 is the only supernova remnant in his list of objects. This object has the reputation of being one of the more difficult of the Messier objects, particularly from areas of increased sky glow. However, over the decades I’ve found this to more of a result of inexperience and perspective than true difficulty. Often beginners will move too quickly while searching for new objects, and frequently pass over the object without noticing its presence in the field of view. Simply, they lack the perspective of what they should see, and thus struggle to find the object. However, most will find that once they slow down, finally see it and gain that valued perspective of what it is they will see, then subsequent attempts to find Messier 1 are more successful.

This object is the remnant of a supernova recorded by Chinese astronomers in the year 1054, and is commonly known as the Crab Nebula, a term coined by William Parsons because of its resemblance to a crab in a sketch he made using 36 inch telescope. What most amateur astronomers typically see is a mostly evenly illuminated small oval glow. With enough aperture, and particularly from darker areas, one may glimpse unevenness within its body and even ragged edges indicative of its filamentary structure. Regardless of the visual perception one obtains, it is interesting to consider that you are beholding the results of a cataclysmic event that formed the remnant and left behind a pulsar at its heart.


Southern Celestial Hemisphere

NGC 2070 (Dorado, bright nebula, mag=5.0~, size=30.0’x20.0’:
This amazing nebula is actually an enormous HII region located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite of the Milky Way. In the eastern section of the LMC, it was discovered in 1751 by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille using his half-inch 8x telescope while in South Africa. Though the LMC can all but disappear in light polluted skies, the Tarantula nebula can easily be seen with optical aid. In fact, from darker areas it is an easy naked eye object as a small fuzzy glow. Also known as 30 Doradus and more informally as the Tarantula Nebula, it is the largest known stellar nursery in the sky. Per Astronomy.com, it is roughly 1,000 light years across as compared to the Orion Nebula at 25 light years across. It is also just over 100 times more distant than the Orion Nebula, and per the article on Astronomy.com, if it were at the same distance from us as the Orion Nebula; it would cover an area about the width of 75 full moons. That gives one some perspective on how huge this complex is.

Embedded at the center of the nebula complex is the open cluster designated R136. A second cluster, northwest of R136 carries the designation of Hodge 301. A third major cluster associated with the nebula, NGC 2060 lies southwest of R136. As one can see, the Tarantula Nebula is indeed a busy neighborhood. If you are fortunate to have this amazing object in your sky, take some time to study it and/or image it. The Tarantula Nebula is a stunning nebula, and amazingly bright at over 160, 000 light years distant in another galaxy.

NGC 1313 (Reticulum, barred spiral galaxy, mag=8.7, size=9.2’x7.2’, SBr=13.0):
In the truly deep southern sky one finds the constellation of Reticulum. Its main stars form a narrow diamond shape in the sky just northwest of the Large Magellanic Cloud. In the very southwest corner of the constellation one finds this bright two-armed barred spiral. Discovered in 1826 by James Dunlop, it is one of the true beauties of the southern sky. Its dominant feature is the thick and bright central bar, which may be what most observers will see in their eyepieces. The spiral arms are rife with HII star forming regions and when seen are heavily mottled in appearance. At only about 22 million light years distance, it is fairly close to us – relatively speaking of course. This galaxy is also an excellent for imagers who live where it gains enough elevation to provide clear access.

NGC 1535 (Eridanus, planetary nebula, mag=9.6, size=48.0”x42.0”, SBr=9.0):
Our final southern object this month is affectionately known as Cleopatra’s Eye because of its appearance in deep images. Located 4° ENE of Gamma Eridani (mag 2.9), it was discovered by William Herschel in 1785, who recorded “a very curious planetary.” Fairly large angularly for a planetary nebula, it is also relatively bright. It does bring color to the eyepiece for most folks, with some seeing it more greenish, and others more of a bluish tint. Slightly out of round, its central star is magnitude 12.2 and can be glimpsed with enough aperture. Its internal structure is annular, with a darker ring around the central star ad more diffuse outer ring. It makes an excellent object for imagers, and is within reach for many in the northern hemisphere as well. Turn your scope its way and see how much of its detail you can glimpse and what color your specific eye physiology shows you.


That is the wrap on this year for the challenge. I hope those of you that have participated have enjoyed the ride, and rest assured that we will continue into the coming year full steam ahead. So let’s get out there and enjoy what the night sky has for us. It’s a show with free admission – well other than the equipment needed to see the show in detail that is. :) So have fun and learn which in turn increases the fun aspect!
Alan

Scopes: Astro Sky 17.5 f/4.5 Dob || Apertura AD12 f/5 Dob || Zhumell Z10 f/4.9 Dob ||
ES AR127 f/6.5 || ES ED80 f/6 || Apertura 6" f/5 Newtonian
Mounts: ES Twilight-II and Twilight-I
EPs: AT 82° 28mm UWA || TV Ethos 100° 21mm and 13mm || Vixen LVW 65° 22mm ||
ES 82° 18mm || Pentax XW 70° 10mm, 7mm and 5mm || barlows
Filters (2 inch): DGM NPB || Orion Ultra Block, O-III and Sky Glow || Baader HaB
Primary Field Atlases: Uranometria All-Sky Edition and Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas
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"Astronomers, we look into the past to see our future." (me)
"Seeing is in some respect an art, which must be learnt." (William Herschel)
"What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean." (Sir Isaac Newton)
"No good deed goes unpunished." (various)
Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?” (Scarecrow, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – December 2021

#2

Post by Bigzmey »


Nice selection of targets Alan! I have tried (unsuccessfully) to fit M45 into FOV of 180mm F15 Mak during the last session. :)

I will revisit NGC 1582 and M1 on my next outing.

half-inch 8x telescope? :D As 12mm aperture?
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
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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: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – December 2021

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Post by kt4hx »


Bigzmey wrote: Thu Dec 02, 2021 8:19 pm Nice selection of targets Alan! I have tried (unsuccessfully) to fit M45 into FOV of 180mm F15 Mak during the last session. :)

I will revisit NGC 1582 and M1 on my next outing.

half-inch 8x telescope? :D As 12mm aperture?
Thank you Andrey. M45 is a tough one to fit in with a narrower field of view sometimes. My ED80 does a great job and is more than adequate for this cluster. I might have to take it over to the other house this next time and look for the reflection nebulae.

Indeed Louis Lacaille utilized a 12.7mm diameter refractor in South Africa. Its focal length was 660.4mm or 26 inches. He discovered 43 nebulous objects, including the first galaxy beyond the local group, M83.

I have seen a comment here and there that stated some people think Messier included the Praesepe (M44) and the Pleiades (M45) in order to to exceed Lacaille's discoveries. However, I once asked Jim O"Meara about Messier's character and he told me that according to his knowledge of the man he was a very magnanimous gentleman. So it would seem to me that he in all likelihood was not trying to "best" Lacaille, rather just round his list to a neat number (45 in this case).
Alan

Scopes: Astro Sky 17.5 f/4.5 Dob || Apertura AD12 f/5 Dob || Zhumell Z10 f/4.9 Dob ||
ES AR127 f/6.5 || ES ED80 f/6 || Apertura 6" f/5 Newtonian
Mounts: ES Twilight-II and Twilight-I
EPs: AT 82° 28mm UWA || TV Ethos 100° 21mm and 13mm || Vixen LVW 65° 22mm ||
ES 82° 18mm || Pentax XW 70° 10mm, 7mm and 5mm || barlows
Filters (2 inch): DGM NPB || Orion Ultra Block, O-III and Sky Glow || Baader HaB
Primary Field Atlases: Uranometria All-Sky Edition and Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Astronomers, we look into the past to see our future." (me)
"Seeing is in some respect an art, which must be learnt." (William Herschel)
"What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean." (Sir Isaac Newton)
"No good deed goes unpunished." (various)
Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?” (Scarecrow, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – December 2021

#4

Post by helicon »


Nice list of targets for December Alan. M 1 was actually the first object I viewed through my home-made 8" Dob back in 1984. Over the years I have re-visited it many times, usually using Zeta Tauri as the jumping off point. While it can be difficult for beginners who expect views with festoons of green, orange, and red filaments as one can see in astrophotographs, instead it is a rather nondescript grey cloud through scopes of less than 10." I did notice a bit of structure through my 18" Obsession one night a few years back, but have not been able to see this in the 10".
-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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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – December 2021

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Post by kt4hx »


helicon wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 3:41 pm Nice list of targets for December Alan. M 1 was actually the first object I viewed through my home-made 8" Dob back in 1984. Over the years I have re-visited it many times, usually using Zeta Tauri as the jumping off point. While it can be difficult for beginners who expect views with festoons of green, orange, and red filaments as one can see in astrophotographs, instead it is a rather nondescript grey cloud through scopes of less than 10." I did notice a bit of structure through my 18" Obsession one night a few years back, but have not been able to see this in the 10".
Thank you Michael. M1 is definitely a very interesting object. It devils a lot of beginners due to lack of experience and perspective of what they should see, as you mentioned. The internal structure can be elusive and very delicate visually. The mag 16.5 pulsar in the middle is very difficult and I've not seen it personally. All that said, as you've found out, once you gain the perspective of what to expect, then finding it subsequently is rather easy actually. :)
Alan

Scopes: Astro Sky 17.5 f/4.5 Dob || Apertura AD12 f/5 Dob || Zhumell Z10 f/4.9 Dob ||
ES AR127 f/6.5 || ES ED80 f/6 || Apertura 6" f/5 Newtonian
Mounts: ES Twilight-II and Twilight-I
EPs: AT 82° 28mm UWA || TV Ethos 100° 21mm and 13mm || Vixen LVW 65° 22mm ||
ES 82° 18mm || Pentax XW 70° 10mm, 7mm and 5mm || barlows
Filters (2 inch): DGM NPB || Orion Ultra Block, O-III and Sky Glow || Baader HaB
Primary Field Atlases: Uranometria All-Sky Edition and Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Astronomers, we look into the past to see our future." (me)
"Seeing is in some respect an art, which must be learnt." (William Herschel)
"What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean." (Sir Isaac Newton)
"No good deed goes unpunished." (various)
Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?” (Scarecrow, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – December 2021

#6

Post by Jnicholes »


I did get M1 and the Pleiades last night, before I even knew about this post! What a coincidence!

Here are the pictures I took.
M45 Pleiades
M45 Pleiades
M1 Crab Nebula (Exposure raised)
M1 Crab Nebula (Exposure raised)
Jared
Celestron Nexstar 8SE Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope
25mm plossl Eyepiece
Goto mount
Iphone 11 Nightcap app Camera

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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – December 2021

#7

Post by John Baars »


Nebulosity in M45.
The glow around the bright stars of M45 is indeed from the own optics.

Nevertheless, you can make an attempt by using a pure blue ( CCD) filter. The nebulosity is then characterized by the presence of a very light almost invisible and barely perceptible gray hue, which is missing in the middle of the heap, as well as outside of it. If it is crystal clear and very transparent, a trained eye can discern it. Once you notice it it will become clear that the glow around the brightest stars has nothing to do with it. Be sure to have a very low magnification to achieve a decent exitpupil. I received this tip from J. Gardavski. Although tried many times I glimpsed it only a couple of times. But it was there all right!
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: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – December 2021

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Post by John Baars »


This evening I completed the Monthly DSO challenge by observing M1 and NGC 1582.

M1 was, as always, a quite difficult and dim object here in the city, even with my 6 inch achromat. Even the slightest haze makes it almost disappear. On transparent nights I have seen it in 4 inch telescopes though. Since it is not my every-day-object I needed some perseverance in finding it. But in the end I did. Used magnification was 83X.

At first glance NGC1582 looked like an arc shaped group of 8 and 9 magnitude stars. When I looked longer and with 83X and 116X I could make out the arc was part of a group of much dimmer stars which formed a rough sort of circle. Within the circle there were much less stars. The similarity with the better known "hole in a Cluster" NGC6811 sprang to my mind. That idea was even reinforced by the presence of a group around 57 Per.
NGC 6811 has also a large scattered ring-shape group nearby. Very nice cluster. Multiple fainter stars.

Thanks for the challenge.

Edit 12.10 PM :
Later on this morning I completed the sketch. It can be seen here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=22180&p=182321#p182321
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: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – December 2021

#9

Post by kt4hx »


John Baars wrote: Wed Dec 08, 2021 11:14 pm This evening I completed the Monthly DSO challenge by observing M1 and NGC 1582.

M1 was, as always, a quite difficult and dim object here in the city, even with my 6 inch achromat. Even the slightest haze makes it almost disappear. On transparent nights I have seen it in 4 inch telescopes though. Since it is not my every-day-object I needed some perseverance in finding it. But in the end I did. Used magnification was 83X.

At first glance NGC1582 looked like an arc shaped group of 8 and 9 magnitude stars. When I looked longer and with 83X and 116X I could make out the arc was part of a group of much dimmer stars which formed a rough sort of circle. Within the circle there were much less stars. The similarity with the better known "hole in a Cluster" NGC6811 sprang to my mind. That idea was even reinforced by the presence of a group around 57 Per.
NGC 6811 has also a large scattered ring-shape group nearby. Very nice cluster. Multiple fainter stars.

Thanks for the challenge.

Edit 12.10 PM :
Later on this morning I completed the sketch. It can be seen here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=22180&p=182321#p182321

Nicely done John. I am quite certain M1 from your location presents a true challenge. Glad you enjoyed NGC 1582.
Alan

Scopes: Astro Sky 17.5 f/4.5 Dob || Apertura AD12 f/5 Dob || Zhumell Z10 f/4.9 Dob ||
ES AR127 f/6.5 || ES ED80 f/6 || Apertura 6" f/5 Newtonian
Mounts: ES Twilight-II and Twilight-I
EPs: AT 82° 28mm UWA || TV Ethos 100° 21mm and 13mm || Vixen LVW 65° 22mm ||
ES 82° 18mm || Pentax XW 70° 10mm, 7mm and 5mm || barlows
Filters (2 inch): DGM NPB || Orion Ultra Block, O-III and Sky Glow || Baader HaB
Primary Field Atlases: Uranometria All-Sky Edition and Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Astronomers, we look into the past to see our future." (me)
"Seeing is in some respect an art, which must be learnt." (William Herschel)
"What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean." (Sir Isaac Newton)
"No good deed goes unpunished." (various)
Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?” (Scarecrow, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
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December 2021 TSS DSO Challenge - my results

#10

Post by kt4hx »


Here are my observations for this month’s DSO Challenge. I did not include any for Messier 45 as I have seen it hundreds of times over the decades as it is kind of difficult to ignore whenever one is out in the late autumn and winter as it simply stands out well and draws the eyes its way. I will leave it to others to comment on this perennial favorite. But the other two northern objects and two of the southern objects I’ve seen are included here.

NGC 1582 (Perseus, open cluster, mag=7.0, size=24.0’, class= IV2p):
I re-observed this cluster on 03 December this year using the 17.5 inch from our dark site house. Here is what I saw during that observation. – “I could see the brightest stars of the cluster in the 8x50 RACI optical finder. Moving to the eyepiece (152x) the scalene triangle near the center of the cluster field dominated the view. Trailing off to the southwest were two parallel lines of stars, while a very low stellar density void extended from the triangle to the south and SSW. A pretty scatter of stars lay northeast of the triangle, adding more character to the view. Without being too aggressive about it, I easily counted upwards of 50 stars strewn across the field. It was fairly well detached from the general field and a bit coarse in structure. Still a pretty cluster all in all.”


Messier 1 / NGC 1952 (Taurus, supernova remnant, mag=8.4, size=8.0’x4.0’, SBr=11.9):
Here are a couple of recent observations of 03 December this year. The first one was with the 17.5 inch at our dark site. The second was with 10x50 binoculars the following evening at the dark site. They cover sort of the big and small of the aperture scale for this object.

03 December 2021 w/17.5’ dob“With the 13mm (152x) in the focuser, I aimed the scope at mag 2.9 Zeta Tauri; I used the very wide pair of stars to its north ( mag 6.4 and 7.0) as my pointers to the nebula. Eyeballing it in the RACI optical finder I placed M1 almost dead center in the field when I moved to the eyepiece. This SNR was large and very bright. I found Steve Gottlieb’s comment of it having a “potato shape” interesting by very accurate to the visual presentation. Its light distribution was very uneven. I noticed an uptick in brightness in the northwestern portion, and ragged edges around its periphery. Observing with 199x and 283x with an O-III filter, it became very uneven in visual texture. Some weak filamentary structure was seen, but in general the light distribution across its surface seemed hectic and highly variable.”

04 December 2021 w/10x50 binoculars – “Per usual I utilized the two widely spaced 6th mag stars (HD 37439 and HD 37013) north of Zeta as my pointers. Steadying the binoculars I studied the field and after a few seconds I could indeed discern a tiny diffuse glow of the supernova remnant. I had done this previously but it had been a while since I’d attempted to do so. So both my eyes and conditions were not too bad!"


NGC 2070 (Dorado, Emission Nebula, mag=5.0, size=30.0’x20.0’):
This observation was during business travel to a location near the equator and was achieved using my ES ED80 refractor which was my main travel scope. It occurred on 17 January 2017 – “Moving slowly eastward from the cluster, (NGC 1901) I passed over a 6th magnitude star, then a little over 1° beyond it I found a 7th mag star, and surprisingly enough, even through some thin clouds, less than half a degree SSE of this star was a small, round nebulous patch, easily seen through the clouds and without a filter at 26x. I admit I was stunned. Even under the conditions I was observing it, low in the sky through clouds and muck, it was much brighter visually than was M42 near the zenith away from clouds and the marine layer. And it isn’t even in our galaxy! I quickly tried both the DGM NPB and my Orion O-III filters. It reacted to both, though seemingly more with the O-III, which is what the Interstellarum recommends. But again it was easy without a filter. I checked it at 40x and 71x, and it was rounded, but irregularly so, with an intensely bright center. Using either filter it did become visually larger, but for the most part I was seeing its center and losing any of its dimmer extended portions to the sky conditions. Though I did not see the embedded open cluster, NGC 2060, its impact was quite evident in the brightness I was seeing. So wow, this really excited me and made my struggles all the more worthwhile! Now if I could just get the clarity to actually see the LMC in which it resides, that would be the pinnacle.”


NGC 1535 (Eridanus, planetary nebula, mag=9.6, size=48.0” x 42.0”, SBr=9.0):
This observation is from five years ago utilizing our 12 inch dob at the dark site. This bright planetary is not a difficult object and is one of those that reveal color for most observers. These notes are from 10 October 2016 – “With fog quickly surging I quickly observed this object before I lost the sky. I sighted in on mag 2.9 Zaurak (Gamma Eridani), and started my 4° hop to the ENE. I quickly scooped up this nice planetary, otherwise known as “Cleaopatra’s Eye”. At 84x it was large and very nice bright blue orb. Popping in the O-III really boosted the nebula’s brightness and intensified the blue color. This is one fine planetary, but the conditions were quickly going south and when I lifted my eye from the eyepiece, it looked like I was on the set of a horror movie! Fog was rapidly filling in the countryside.”
Alan

Scopes: Astro Sky 17.5 f/4.5 Dob || Apertura AD12 f/5 Dob || Zhumell Z10 f/4.9 Dob ||
ES AR127 f/6.5 || ES ED80 f/6 || Apertura 6" f/5 Newtonian
Mounts: ES Twilight-II and Twilight-I
EPs: AT 82° 28mm UWA || TV Ethos 100° 21mm and 13mm || Vixen LVW 65° 22mm ||
ES 82° 18mm || Pentax XW 70° 10mm, 7mm and 5mm || barlows
Filters (2 inch): DGM NPB || Orion Ultra Block, O-III and Sky Glow || Baader HaB
Primary Field Atlases: Uranometria All-Sky Edition and Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Astronomers, we look into the past to see our future." (me)
"Seeing is in some respect an art, which must be learnt." (William Herschel)
"What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean." (Sir Isaac Newton)
"No good deed goes unpunished." (various)
Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?” (Scarecrow, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
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Graeme1858 Great Britain
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – December 2021

#11

Post by Graeme1858 »


A good read as always Alan. The detail in your description of M1 is inspiring!

In SE UK we are promised our first clear night tomorrow since I got my telescope out of storage and so my first chance of using it since last April! If I can remember how and everything is still functional, I look forward to imaging your December targets.

Regards

Graeme
______________________________________________
Celestron 9.25 f10 SCT, f6.3FR, CGX mount.
ASI1600MM Pro, ASI294MC Pro, ASI224MC
ZWO EFW, ZWO OAG, ASI220MM Mini.
APM 11x70 ED APO Binoculars.

https://www.averywayobservatory.co.uk/
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kt4hx United States of America
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – December 2021

#12

Post by kt4hx »


Graeme1858 wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:17 pm A good read as always Alan. The detail in your description of M1 is inspiring!

In SE UK we are promised our first clear night tomorrow since I got my telescope out of storage and so my first chance of using it since last April! If I can remember how and everything is still functional, I look forward to imaging your December targets.

Regards

Graeme

Thank you Graeme and glad to hear the telescope has finally escaped the loft! :) Good luck and hope your imaging goes well.
Alan

Scopes: Astro Sky 17.5 f/4.5 Dob || Apertura AD12 f/5 Dob || Zhumell Z10 f/4.9 Dob ||
ES AR127 f/6.5 || ES ED80 f/6 || Apertura 6" f/5 Newtonian
Mounts: ES Twilight-II and Twilight-I
EPs: AT 82° 28mm UWA || TV Ethos 100° 21mm and 13mm || Vixen LVW 65° 22mm ||
ES 82° 18mm || Pentax XW 70° 10mm, 7mm and 5mm || barlows
Filters (2 inch): DGM NPB || Orion Ultra Block, O-III and Sky Glow || Baader HaB
Primary Field Atlases: Uranometria All-Sky Edition and Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Astronomers, we look into the past to see our future." (me)
"Seeing is in some respect an art, which must be learnt." (William Herschel)
"What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean." (Sir Isaac Newton)
"No good deed goes unpunished." (various)
Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?” (Scarecrow, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
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