TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – March 2021

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TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – March 2021

#1

Post by kt4hx »


My how time flies, and here we find ourselves in another new month with some more new observing/sketching/imaging challenges. Late winter into early spring or late summer into early autumn, depending upon where you live, is a time of transition. With this turnover comes new constellations taking center stage and the objects they house become more prominently placed. So with those thoughts in mind, let’s take a look at what I am asking you to pursue this month.


Northern Celestial Hemisphere:

Messier 44 / NGC 2632 (Cancer, open cluster, mag=3.1, size=1.2°, class=II2m):
This perennial favorite has been known since antiquity, with the first written record being penned by Aratos of Soli. He mentioned it in his work Phainomeina around 260 BC, where it was referred to as a “little mist.” It was quite likely seen about 100 years earlier by Eudoxus of Cnidus. However, the first telescopic observation was by Galileo in 1609 when he resolved it into stars. It was seen by many prior to Messier recording it in 1769. Given its well known nature, it is thought that Messier included it and M45 in the first edition of his famous list merely as a filler items to round it up to a neat number (45 in this case).

Even in moderately light polluted skies it is not difficult to spot with the naked eye, and its large and bright nature make it particularly well suited to binoculars and small wide field apertures. Viewed through larger apertures it loses its appeal because its stars are so spread out. The advantage of this for those that have access to darker skies and some aperture is the challenge of trying to observe the background galaxies between the stars of the cluster. There is a string of galaxies that are found in the NGC/IC catalogues running east to west across the diameter of the cluster, plus a few dimmer ones dotted around the field. These provide a good challenge to keen eyed deep sky aficionados, or imagers who wish to dig behind its stars.


Messier 67 / NGC 2682 (Cancer, open cluster, mag=6.9, size=25.0’, class=II2m):
Unfortunately this cluster is sometimes not given enough attention due to the proximity of M44. Personally I find it more alluring because of its more compact structure, which presents better in telescopes of all sizes. It is a rich cluster that can be spotted in binoculars and optical finders easily as a hazy patch.

Discovered around 1779 by Johann Gottfried Koehler, it was independently discovered by Charles Messier on 06 April 1780. Messier described it as a "Cluster of small stars with nebulosity, below the southern claw of Cancer. The position determined from the star Alpha [Cancri]." His mention of nebulosity is of course nothing more than the haziness of unresolved members of the cluster. Many clusters exhibit this “faux” nebulosity when they are not fully resolved. Located just over 8° SSE of M44, it is well worth spending some time with this beautiful cluster.


NGC 2903 (Leo, barred spiral galaxy, mag=9.0, size=12.6’x6.0’, SBr=13.4):
I have sometimes seen this bright galaxy referred to as one that got away from Messier. But since he was not doing a systematic survey of the entire sky as the Herschels did, it is certainly conceivable that he could have missed this object. Discovered by William Herschel in 1784, he described it as considerably Large (“cL”) and considerably Bright (“cB”). He noted it as two objects because he picked up a bright structural knot just off the northern end of the central bar, which would eventually be catalogued as NGC 2905.

Under darker conditions the galaxy can even be spotted in an optical finder, something I have done from our dark site with an 8x50 RACI. Under typical suburban skies it is readily visible as a distinct oval with a bright core (its central bar). The galactic disk may appear mottled to the eye with a 10 to 12 inch (and larger), but larger aperture will typically be needed to pick up NGC 2905.


Southern Celestial Hemisphere:

NGC 2808 (Carina, globular cluster, mag=6.2, size=14.0’, class=1):
This nice globular cluster was discovered in 1826 by James Dunlop, the first person to extensively observe in the southern skies. In his notes he commented that it was "a very bright round nebula, about 3' or 4' diameter, very gradually bright to the centre. This has a fine globular appearance." Unfortunately, as was somewhat common in his work, his positional data was incorrect, being 20’ too far to the northwest.

Bright and moderately large, it is indeed a fine round glow through the eyepiece. As a Class 1 on the Shapely-Sawyer Core Concentration Scale, it presents an intensely bright and tight core. With larger apertures, some modest resolution might occur around its edges, but the core remains tightly concentrate.

NGC 3242 (Hydra, planetary nebula, mag=7.7, size=1.1’, SBr=7.6):
Well known by its nickname, the Ghost of Jupiter, this perennial spring favorite was described as "a beautiful, very brilliant globe of light” by William Herschel, who discovered it in February of 1785.

It is readily apparent in binoculars and finders as a stellar point, and even small apertures can reveal its non-stellar disk and with increasing aperture some of its structural details can be glimpsed, such as a darker center. Its mag 13.3 central star is also not difficult to discern in medium and large apertures. For many it exhibits a pleasing pale blue color, which adds to its overall aesthetics. With its high surface brightness, try pushing the magnification as high as conditions permit to see just how much of this beauty you can pull out.

NGC 2997 (Antlia, spiral galaxy, mag=9.5, size=8.9'x6.8', SBr=13.7):
The constellation Antlia represents the “air pump” and was one of 14 constellations devised by Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille to fill in some of the dimmer gaps in the sky and honor the invention of various devices. Even as far north as William Herschel observed from, he is the discoverer of this southern galaxy, doing so in 1793. In fact, it ranks as the fourth most southern object that he discovered. While he described it as very faint and very small, he was observing through a very thick atmospheric extinction at Slough, which is at about 51.5°N latitude.

This galaxy is a fine example of a face-on spiral, and exhibits a bright condensed core. There are several foreground stars involved with its glow, the brightest being about mag 13.2 to about 2’ SSW of the center. Images reveal sweeping arms in its grand design structure. I particularly encourage those a little farther south to give this beauty a try.


So there are your challenge objects for March. Good stuff and I look forward to your reports back here in this forum about your observations, sketches and/or images. Let’s all share our experiences, so that we can all learn and grow in this wonderful hobby. I recommend you start your own thread in the Submissions sub-forum with your results, thus highlighting everyone's individual contributions. Good luck friends!
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
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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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"Seeing is in some respect an art, which must be learnt." (William Herschel)
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – March 2021

#2

Post by Graeme1858 »


That's a fine list Alan and an excellent lesson on each object including stuff I didn't know about objects I thought I knew about!

I'm looking forward to having a go at your March targets and I've still not given up on capturing NGC2392 from last month with a Barlow.

Regards

Graeme
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – March 2021

#3

Post by kt4hx »


Graeme1858 wrote: Tue Mar 02, 2021 1:02 pm That's a fine list Alan and an excellent lesson on each object including stuff I didn't know about objects I thought I knew about!

I'm looking forward to having a go at your March targets and I've still not given up on capturing NGC2392 from last month with a Barlow.

Regards

Graeme
Thanks Graeme. I have a high level of interest in the discovery history of objects that we take for granted today. A great deal of effort went into those initial surveys of the sky by the pioneers of visual astronomy, and I enjoy sharing a small bit of those stories with each object. I feel it makes their observation more personal to the observer.

Good luck with NGC 2392. It is a fine object to see and image, and fortunately for everyone, it remains in view for a while yet.
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 – March 2021

#4

Post by Gordon »


Well here we go.

I can't stand for long periods of time, so I have to image. Hopefully that's okay.

M44 captured using Sharpcap Live stack 11 images at 30 seconds each. Processed in StarTools and PS. Scope ES80ed-cf, EQ6g mount, ASI533mc-pro camera.
M44Stack_16bits_11frames_16.jpg

M67 same equipment as above.
M67Stack_16bits_10frames_30.jpg
and last but not least NGC2903 same as above.
NGC2903Stack_16bits_10frame.jpg
Gordon
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED80CF, Skywatcher 200 Quattro Imaging Newt, SeeStar S50 for EAA.
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – March 2021

#5

Post by Juno16 »


Wohoo! Great images Gordon!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – March 2021

#6

Post by kt4hx »


Excellent Gordon. Fine images of the northern challenges. From Az you should be able to snag the southern ones as well (except NGC 2808), and hopefully you can. Appreciate the post and your comparative images of M44 and M67 really display the differences between the two.
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 – March 2021

#7

Post by Graeme1858 »


Nice images Gordon. NGC2903 is a fine looking galaxy! I like your capture of the spiral arms and the central bar. That one will fit nicely in my field of view.

Regards

Graeme
______________________________________________
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – March 2021

#8

Post by John Baars »


Seen all three of them, yesterday evening with a 120mm refractor.
It was a clear, cold and transparent evening.The last time I saw NGC 2903 was at least ten years ago.
Next time I'll make an effort for a sketch.
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 – March 2021

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Post by kt4hx »


John Baars wrote: Sat Mar 06, 2021 1:25 pm Seen all three of them, yesterday evening with a 120mm refractor.
It was a clear, cold and transparent evening.The last time I saw NGC 2903 was at least ten years ago.
Next time I'll make an effort for a sketch.
Nice John, and happy you could get out to take a look at the northern targets for t his month. Look forward to your impressions of NGC 2903. :)
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 – March 2021

#10

Post by John Baars »


That was quick!
After Yesterday evening the sky turned out to be quite clear again. Hmmm...except for a few annoying cloud fields. This time I took the 150mm achromat out for a stroll in the Universe.

I started out with some double stars like Rigel, Alnitak, Algieba and Sirius. Pup was questionable. Then I turned to M42, NGC 2420 and Eskimo nebula NGC 2392. Furthermore M67 and M44. M44 is by far the most impressive one, you'll have to use the lowest magnification. It is quite large. A good and easy binocular target. M67 is far more dim but its abundance of little stars makes it a very nice target.

I made a sketch of NGC2420 in January ; the DSO Challenge of February was closed by now, so I take the liberty to show it here.
NGC 2420 Open Cluster Gemini.jpg
For the magnitudes:
Magnitudes NGC 2420.JPG
With LEO rising in the East it is obvious to go for the much discussed M65, M66 , M95 and M96. As usual for city observers they stayed at almost the limits of visibility. City dwellers do have a few alternatives though. M94 is one of them. This galaxy is rather condensed and visible in less then 4 inch instruments. Another alternative, just a tad easier than the four famous Leo galaxies is the pair M105 and NGC 3384. Being a pair they are easier to spot.

After trying M51 Whirlpool and M97 Owl ( with UHC filter), ever so dim as always, I saw the cloud-fields near the head of Leo were gone and the constellation was high up. It was time for NGC 2903 again. A tad easier than the day before with the 120 mm. The day before I stayed at 100X, but this time I went as deep as the zoom eyepiece could take me with this telescope. 195X. That was a bit too much, at that magnification it started to fade out again, so I settled for less. But not after I had established the presence of two faint foreground stars. You can see the pair in the sketch, being magnitude 12.8 and 11.5 respectively. The bright central bar in NGC2903 is on the limits of visibility, I already was glad I estimated the North -South orientation of the galaxy right. I saw NGC 2903 ten years earlier, with a 4 inch refractor and a 5.5 inch Maksutov. To my sorrow I must establish that light pollution has become worse.
ngc 2903 final.jpg
Finally I saw Arcturus rising above the hedges in the East. M3!! A great Summer object! I slewed the telescope to the Globular Cluster M3 , saw its sparkling little lights and knew the long, dark and cold covid-winter of '20-'21 finally was coming to an end.
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 – March 2021

#11

Post by kt4hx »


Outstanding John. I really liked your sketches of NGC 2420 and 2903. Specifically plotting the individual stars (with magnitude) that you were able to resolve within the cluster. Regarding NGC 2903 I notice your sketch shows its brighter inner lens, which of course includes the central bar. Well done my friend.
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 – March 2021

#12

Post by Graeme1858 »


We I managed a session on the 13th. It was windy but clear.

I managed one of Brett's Carbon stars but the other two were hidden by roof tops.

Then I moved on to M44. Far too big for my 30' x 20' fov but I played with the NINA multi panel function. Probably 4 x 4 panels would be required but I settled for 2 x 2. The clouds stopped play half way through the 4th panel so I didn't get to see M67 or NGC2903.

So I just had a go at stacking my M44 data but there is barely a good frame from any of the 4 panels. The dim stars look like distant elliptical galaxies and the bright stars look like planets. DSS failed in its effort!

Oh well, no session is completely without value. I got to practice mosaics!

If the clouds clear and the wind wanes I'll have a go at M67 and NGC2903.

Good target list Alan, thanks.

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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