March 2021 DSO Challenge

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March 2021 DSO Challenge

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Post by kt4hx »


We are currently over at the dark site house and I got out for a couple of hours last night to do some observing. I stopped by the northern targets for a little bit while I was out and before the clouds took over the sky, forcing me inside. Though I have observed these objects many times over, I wanted to swing by them again and here are the results.

Messier 67 / NGC 2682 (Cancer, open cluster, mag=6.9, size=25.0’, class=II2m):
After aligning the finder scopes and main scope, it was about half an hour before true astronomical darkness, so I decided to warm my observing eye up with this fine cluster. Easily spotting M44 in Cancer with the naked eye, I quickly aimed the scope in its direction using the Rigel Quikfinder. Moving to the RACI, M44 was a bright rounded hazy patch from which I moved about 2° SSE to pick up mag 3.9 Delta Cancri. Continuing on in the same direction with the RACI for just over 7°, I stopped on mag 4.3 Alpha Cancri, with 60 Cancri (mag 5.4) also in the field 40’ to the WSE. Shifting my focus in the finder to the west of 60 Cnc I picked up a small hazy patch of starlight – my target.

I had already dropped in the 13mm Ethos (152x) in the focuser and now moved to it. The cluster was front and center in the view, presenting a beautiful array of shimmering embers scattered across a goodly portion of the 0.7° TFOV. The brightest star in the view, mag 7.8 HD 75700 marked the northeastern edge of the cluster field with the main body of cluster members presented a broad and gently sweeping curve from that star through the field’s center on toward the southwest. To the east and southeast, there was a slight void of lower stellar density that separated the main body from a NNE to SSW trickle of 10th magnitude and dimmer stars. Overall the cluster presented a feast of easily over 100 stellar jewels ranging from 7th to 15th magnitude. It was truly a feast for the eyes, presenting magnificently in the large scope.

Messier 44 / NGC 2632 (Cancer, open cluster, mag=3.1, size=1.2°, class=II2m):
Not much to say about this cluster. It is a winter and spring stable for many. A full half hour before astronomical darkness I was able to discern it easily with the naked eye. Through the RACI finder it was a large and bright diffuse glow. Then through the 21mm Ethos (94x) it was right in my face. Spread across and over spilling the field of view with numerous bright stars and a multitude of dimmer ones. It was difficult to get a handle on its real beauty in the big scope. This cluster is more a friend of binoculars or smaller wide-field apertures. Nonetheless, I was here for a reason – the treasure that lurks amongst those stars. This bounty is an east-west string of six galaxies (all in the NGC/IC) that bisects the cluster’s center stretching across the diameter of its field. To be sure there are a few other galaxies in there, but these are the cream of the crop – if one could call them that!

NGC 2903 (Leo, barred galaxy, mag=9.0, size=12.6’x6.0’, SBr=13.4):
Clouds were becoming an issue at this point. Aiming the scope at mag 3.0 Epsilon Leonis (Algenubi) I nudged WSW to pick up mag 4.3 Lambda Leonis (Alterf). In the RACI I easily spotted the wide east-west pair of stars (mag 6th and 7th) to its south. Just south of the eastern star of the pair, I picked up a dim and very small hazy patch – my target. Moving to the 21mm Ethos (94x) I had this fine galaxy in the view. Large and bright, it presented an oval elongated about 2x1. It seemed slightly mottled and not as robust as I’ve seen it before, given the intrusion of clouds. At 152x, the HII region NGC 2905 was easily spotted at the northeastern end of the central bar. The mottled appearance intensified, hinting at its spiral structure, but this was more inferred than truly seen. Viewing briefly at 199x, NGC 2905 stood out well within the disk, which was now very heavily curdled in appearance. Not the best view I’ve had of this beauty, but still quite pleasing indeed.

You can read the full observing report at this link in the Reports Forum: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=16848

So I invite everyone to get out there when you can and check out the objects for this month. Even if you've seen or imaged them before, nothing wrong with visitig old friends now and again. :) I hope to visit two of the three southern objects while here as 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
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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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Graeme1858 Great Britain
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Re: March 2021 DSO Challenge

#2

Post by Graeme1858 »


Excellent descriptions of the March Targets and your journey to them as always Alan.

I'm looking forward to a clear night for a chance to see those M44 background galaxies.

Regards

Graeme
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https://www.averywayobservatory.co.uk/
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kt4hx United States of America
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Re: March 2021 DSO Challenge

#3

Post by kt4hx »


Graeme1858 wrote: Fri Mar 05, 2021 1:29 pm Excellent descriptions of the March Targets and your journey to them as always Alan.

I'm looking forward to a clear night for a chance to see those M44 background galaxies.

Regards

Graeme
Thanks Graeme. I will say, sifting through the star field of M44 looking for dim galaxies is a curious thing for a visual observer. The stars are quite distracting, but it forces one to concentrate on very small areas in order to draw out their feeble presence.
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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kt4hx United States of America
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Re: March 2021 DSO Challenge

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Post by kt4hx »


I was out for a third night in a row at our dark site and this time I focused on Pyxis and Antlia with the 17.5 inch. That in mind, I paid visit to one of our southern challenge objects for March, the galaxy NGC 2997 in Antlia. While the report as a whole is a slow work in progress, Here are my quick notes regarding this galaxy from last nights session.

NGC 2997 (Antlia, spiral galaxy, mag=9.5, size=8.9'x6.8', SBr=13.7):

Swept up using 94x, this spiral presented a subtle lower surface brightness oval. Large in angular extent, its core was a small concentrated non-stellar brightness set within a gauzy envelope of uneven illumination. Viewed with 152x I caught flashes of an intermittent stellar core buried within its brighter core. Its generally uneven illumination was more pronounced hinting at its spiral structure. Taking a look with 199x, this sense of spiral structure was more apparent, though in a subtle manner. Its lower surface brightness gave it a bit of an eerie, ghostly appearance to the eye that was intriguing. Overall it was a beautiful galaxy that was well worth digging for down closer to the horizon.
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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