Eyes to the Sky, Starting the Journey! & On to the next level, Messier 70 certificate!

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MikeWest United States of America
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Eyes to the Sky, Starting the Journey! & On to the next level, Messier 70 certificate!

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Post by MikeWest »


***** Transcribed from my threads on the other site 30 & 70 observations *****
Observation Log 30 Messiers.pdf
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Observation Log 70 Messiers.pdf
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Eyes to the Sky, Starting the Journey! & On to the next level, Messier 70 certificate!

I pretty much have everything dialed in now, so time to start logging my observations. I keep track of these in Excel now, so at the end attaching the file will be easy. One thing I did find out last night is that I need a 2" EP in the 18-22mm range. 10mm sometimes is to small, and 38mm is too large so I could use something in between. For whatever reason, my 1.5" EP's don't like my Focal Reducer.

Observations from 16 Feb 2016, 21:25 to 22:34 CET.
I think visibility and seeing were both 5 or 6, but I really don't know enough to really judge. I could make out the two central bands of Jupiter clearly though.


1/M34/16-Feb-16/21:25/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm & Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/Perseus Too small for the Q70, too large for the 10mm.Lots of bright stars, easily resolved too many stars to count.

2/M35/16-Feb-16/21:29/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38Mmm & Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/GeminiToo small for the Q70, too large for the 10mm.Center very impressive at 10mm. Kind of circular

3/M36/16-Feb-16/21:35/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/AurigaPerfect for the 10mm, cluster fills the EP.Good detail, many stars. Not seeing a pinwheel though.

4/M37/16-Feb-16/21:38/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/AurigaPerfect for the 10mm, cluster fills the EP.Good detail, tons of stars.

5/M38/16-Feb-16/21:45/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/AurigaPerfect for the 10mm, without the FR it would have been larger.Good number of central stars, several groupings spread around.

6/M39/16-Feb-16/21:52/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm & Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/CygnusToo small for the Q70, too large for the 10mm.Lots of bright stars, looks like a ball.

7/M42/16-Feb-16/21:55/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm /Focal Reducer/OrionIt's the Orion Nebula, what more to say?Nebulosity evident, 4 stars in the trapezium visible.Just lovely despite the moon.

8/M41/16-Feb-16/22:02/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm /Focal Reducer/Canis MajorFilled up a good portion of the Q70, many central stars visible

9/M44/16-Feb-16/22:05/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm /Focal Reducer/CancerPerfect match for the Q70.Many many stars visible, I could imagine it looks like a swarm of bees around a hive.

10/M45/16-Feb-16/22:10/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm/Focal Reducer/TaurusCentral stars barely fit in the Q70.Not much nebulosity visible, too much moon glow.

11/M46/16-Feb-16/22:17/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/PuppisJust right for the 10mm with FR.Very impressive cluster

12/M47/16-Feb-16/22:22/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/PuppisAlmost perfect in the 10mm with FR.Not as many stars in the cluster as M46 but still impressive

13/M52/16-Feb-16/22:28/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/CassiopeiaJust right for the 10mm with FR.Many faint stars

14/M78/16-Feb-16/22:34/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/OrionThree central stars visible in dogleg, easily identifiable.Not much nebulosity due to the moon.

*****

Tonight I had good weather, not too cold and good visibility. I logged 2 more on my quest to 30. Several more were still below the horizon, on the other side of my house, or the other side of my neighbors' house. Plus there was too much light from the moon to observe any of the faint fuzzies, though I tried. I am trying to settle on a format for my observations, I think I like the below format better than the one I used in my first post.

15/M67/24-Feb-16/20:18/Herchies, BE/SW 120/Ultima Duo 10mm/
Very feint in 25mm, good definition in 10mm. Maybe 20 stars visible, 4 or 5 are bright. Much better with averted vision. Center very feint. Shaped kind of like a ball.

16/M48/24-Feb-16/21:10/Herchies, BE/SW 120/Ultima Duo 10mm/
Well defined in 10mm. Large group of central stars, 30 or so observable. Not much of a shape stands out. Just a bunch of closely packed stars.

I am really impressed with the Skywatcher 120 refractor, it performed great with the 2" EPs I was using. Most of the time I used the Q70 to get in the area, then either the Celestron 25mm that came with the C8, or mostly the Celestron Ultima Duo 10mm. I did discover that if I remove the bottom 1.25" element from the 10mm, it is now a 2" 20mm give or take a little. Interesting, though I still will get the ES Series 82 18mm later this summer, and the ES AR152 this fall. If I don't keep telling myself the AR152 is coming, I would be tempted to put a dual speed focuser on the SW 120.

*****

Tonight was the first clear night in awhile that I was able to get set up. For something different, I set up the SW 120 on my CG-5 ASGT for my wife. She got some good views of Jupiter and the Orion Nebula. I was helping her learn the controls and figure out what to look at, mixed in with trying to notch up more Messiers before the dew got too bad. I have a complete dew heater setup, I need to use it next time
I was able to collect two more Messiers tonight, both fuzzies!

17/M31/25-Mar-16/21:16/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm/
Andromeda Galaxy. Wow never seen a galaxy before. Smudge with some central definition at 38mm. It decended into the trees before I could get the 10mm on it. Maybe next time.

18/M63/25-Mar-16/21:56/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm and Ultima Duo 10mm/
Sunflower Galaxy. Second galaxy of the night and ever. Small blob at 38mm using direct vision. At 10mm with averted vision it was a larger but dimmer blob. Not much definition, far too much moisture in the air tonight.

*****

Another good night tonight, I was surprised that the weather cleared and held out. I had the dew heater working, so no dew for me finally!

19/M94/5-Apr-16/22:12/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/
Spiral Galaxy. Another fuzzy logged, these first few are easier than I though they would be. Bright central core, using averted vision I can see what look like dust rings around the core. No defined lines though.

Several more attempts at various targets, all located behind buildings. Stopping to see Jupiter is always fun. Coffee break

20/M101/5-Apr-16/22:54/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/
Spiral Galaxy. Barely visible, dim central core.

Brief timeout to watch the ISS transit, that never gets old.

21/M82/5-Apr-16/23:02/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/
Spiral Galaxy. Very difficult very dim central core.

22/M81/5-Apr-16/23:11/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/
Spiral Galaxy. No structure or any detail other than a dim central core. Empty space where the body would be if it were darker out.

23/M51/5-Apr-16/23:16/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/
Spiral Galaxy. Very distinctive two blobs. Not much detail but I can tell there is something there besides the core and the other blob at the end of one of the arms.

Getting close, only 7 more!

*****

Another clear night last night, 5 more added to the list. All targets identified with my Orion Q70 38mm and then observed with the Ultima Duo 10.

24/M43/10-Apr-16/22:10/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Orion
Nebula. Averted view and Celestron LHC filter bring out just a glimmer, but it is there. Distinctively separate from M42. I can't believe I didn't check it out when I observed M42 earlier.

25/M110/10-Apr-16/22:20/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Andromeda
Elliptical Galaxy. Not much can be resolved in the core, just a dot.

26/M32/10-Apr-16/22:23/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Andromeda
Elliptical Galaxy. Faint dot due to light pollution. Waving tree branches. It is there, just not real impressive. Need darker skies.

27/M50/10-Apr-16/22:47/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Monoceros
Open Cluster. Beautiful cluster, tons of stars. Humidity picking up, dew heater holding its own but stars starting to sparkle. Focus is on and off with the variations.

28/M103/10-Apr-16/23:00/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Cassiopeia
Open Cluster. Fairly faint lose grouping of stars, 5 or so visible.

I would have 29, but as I was slewing to the final target, M1, my battery pack gave out. It only elicited a short period of panic until I figured out that no, my mount was not having an existential crisis, it just didn’t have enough power. Oh well, my new ES 18mm 82deg EP came in today, so first light for it when I can see the stars again should if all goes well count as my 29th & 30th Messiers.

*****

First light for my new ES 82/18mm, totally impressed with it! Good night overall despite the huge bright annoyance hanging around.

29/M3/19-Apr-16/22:23/Herchies, BE/C8/ES 82-18mm/Canes Venatici
Globular Cluster. Nice cluster. First light for the ES 82/18mm. Impressed with the sharpness of the new EP. Cluster not well defined in 18mm but it is there.

30/M76/19-Apr-16/22:35/Herchies, BE/C8/ ES 82-18mm/Perseus
Planetary Nebula. Visible with averted vision. Central bright spot, not much else visible. Moon too bright.

31/M13/19-Apr-16/23:24/Herchies, BE/C8/ ES 82-18mm/Hercules
Globular Cluster. Amazing! Far too many stars to count. Good definition in the central core area, averted gaze brings out so many more stars.

32/M92/19-Apr-16/23:28/Herchies, BE/C8/ ES 82-18mm/Hercules
Globular Cluster. Very similar to M13. Lots of central stars, even more with averted gaze. Just a small ball of stars.

*****

On to the next level, Messier 70 certificate!

33/M10/17-Jul-16/00:25/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm /OphiuchusGlobular Cluster. Very faint, moon washed out. Would be better without the giant orb right next door. Lots of visible stars though.
My local club had a public star party on Saturday, official tally at the gate was 600 people! Most of the night was Saturn and Mars, but as the crowd thinned, I was able to pick up a few more Messiers. The new to me Feathertouch focuser was a joy to use, the penalty was only about 3 weeks of clouds

34/M11/7-Aug-16/00:50/Le Pass (Frameries, BE)/C8/ES 82-18MM /Scutum Open Cluster. Wild Duck Cluster. The cluster was dim, dew had moved in. Central portion visible. Lots of stars, it doesn't look like duck.
35/M57/7-Aug-16/01:10/Le Pass (Frameries, BE)/C8/ES 82-18MM /Lyra Ring Nebula. Very dim, but visible. I can't wait to see this one again under better conditions.

Another clear night, watching for Perseids while adding to my Messier collection. Dew strap kept the liquid away, making me happy and productive. Getting close to observing half of them

*****

36/M40/12-Aug-16/22:40/Herchies, BE/C8/ES 82-18mm/Ursa Major. Double star easily split
37/M29/12-Aug-16/22:53/Herchies, BE/C8/ES 82-18mm /Cygnus. Open Cluster H shape 8 or 9 primary stars another 10 or so not as bright
38/M56/12-Aug-16/23:04/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Lyra. Globular Cluster Very feint. Central cluster visible, not easily split into individual stars
39/M71/12-Aug-16/23:14/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Sagitta. Globular Cluster Feint, many stars resolved with averted vision.
40/M27/12-Aug-16/23:20/Herchies, BE/C8/ES 82-18mm/Vulpecula. Planetary Nebula Beautiful! No color of course but very visible.
41/M15/12-Aug-16/23:29/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Pegasus. Globular Cluster Bright central core, far to many stars to count. Even more with averted vision.
42/M2/12-Aug-16/23:37/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Aquarius. Globular Cluster Another glob of stars. Bright central core, stars not easily resolved
43/M72/12-Aug-16/23:44/Herchies, BE/C8/ES 82-18mm/Aquarius. Globular Cluster Very feint. Not resolvable into stars, but it is there.
44/M73/12-Aug-16/23:50/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Aquarius. Open Cluster Y shape group 4 or 5 stars pretty feint
45/M75/12-Aug-16/23:58/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Sagittarius. Globular Cluster Extremely feint, not resolvable into individual stars.
46/M26/13-Aug-16/00:10/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Scutum. Open Cluster Extremely feint, not resolvable into individual stars. Much like M75.

*****

This week my wife and I brought our youngest to University, under the wonderful dark skies of Bozeman, Montana at Montana State University. I can't believe how dark it gets here, especially going 25 miles down the road to the other side of the Badger mountain range. I can't remember the last time I could see so many stars. It was absolutely spectacular. Did I mention I like it here? Now if I could find a job here...Anyway, I picked up a pair of Simmons 8x-17x X 25mm binoculars at WalMart so I could have something to do a little star gazing with, and left them with my son when we were done. He plans on taking an Astronomy course next term, it didn't fit in his schedule this term. I managed to find 4 more Messiers, for the first time using binoculars and dealing with more stars visible with the naked eye than I could see with my C8 at the dark site in Belgium, I think I did ok. On to the results!

47/M4/26-Aug-16/21:33/Bozeman, MT/8-17x25 Binos /Scorpius. Globular Cluster. Averted vision, very faint but clear. first time using binoculars for this. Just a fuzzy blob.
48/M80/26-Aug-16/21:54/Bozeman, MT/8-17x25 Binos/Scorpius. Globular Cluster. Averted vision, very clear blob of stars.
49/M19/26-Aug-16/22:00/Bozeman, MT/8-17x25 Binos/Ophiuchus. Globular cluster. Very faint, pinpoint using averted vision.
50/M9/26-Aug-16/22:10/Bozeman, MT/8-17x25 Binos/Ophiuchus. Globular Cluster. Faint but visible with direct vision. Pinpoint of light kind of diffuse.

Stargazing at a different site, with equipment I had never used before required new techniques. That's why I like this hobby, always learning!

*****
Another good night, slowly making my way to 70.

51/M12/24-Sep-16/21:20/Herchies, BE/C8/ES 82-18mm/Ophiuchus. Globular Cluster. Very faint, huge number of stars, not easy to make out any individual stars, to much LP.
52/M14/24-Sep-16/21:25/Herchies, BE/C8/ES 82-18mm /Ophiuchus. Globular cluster. Just like M12 not much can be made out other than it is there and hard to resolve individual stars
53/M16/24-Sep-16/21:33/Herchies, BE/C8/ES 82-18mm /Serpens. Eagle Nebula. Very faint. I can see it, tiny bit of nebulosity, 2 dim points of light near the center
54/M25/24-Sep-16/21:40/Herchies, BE/C8/ES 82-18mm /Sagittarius. Open Cluster. 7 or 8 central stars, not much to look at

*****

Another one from our star party on Friday.

55/M97/6-Jan-17/22:30/Mons, BE/114-900 Ref/25mm Generic /Ursa Major. Planetary Nebula. Owl Nebula. Very very faint, averted gaze just brought it out. The stars around it look like an owl or maybe a phoenix.

*****

Clear skies, and the beginning of the weekend makes for good observing (for the most part).

3 more Messiers, and 1 Herschel picked up tonight. I am just about out of Messiers that I can see from my house, time to find a darker site to pick up some of the galaxies that are just not bright enough to cut through the light pollution here.

56/M33/20-Jan-17/20:00/Herchies, BE/Danubia 200 ES 82/18mm/Triangulum/Spiral galaxy The Triangulum Galaxy very very faint, no structure, averted vision
57/M1/20-Jan-17/20:16/Herchies, BE/Danubia 200 ES 82/18mm/Taurus/The Crab Nebula faint but visible with direct vision. looks like a blog, not much definition. Of filter not much help, maybe worse
58/M79/20-Jan-17/21:05/Herchies, BE/Danumbia 200/Baader Hyp 10mm/Lepus/Globular cluster Faint but clear. Stars just on the edge of individual resolving. looking above a roof top, some heat affectinging the air quality.

***** (New reporting format)

Another decent night, but only 1 Messier tonight. I decided to again use my Skywatcher 120 ST on the AZ3 mount for simplicity. I am getting better at star-hopping using the 9x50 RACI.

#59
Messier Object: M53
Date: 4/Apr/2017
Time: 21:43 CET
Location: Herchies, Belgium
Viewing Conditions: Poor
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 5.5
Telescope Name: Skywatcher
Telescope Model: 120 ST
Telescope Size: 120mm
f-ratio:f5
Eyepiece model: Celestron Generic
Eyepiece mm: 25mm
Mount: Skywatcher AZ3
Observation: 10 or so central stars, not much central definition, lots of light pollution. It would probably be more impressive with my C8.
Comment: Star-hopped from Arcturus

*****

Additional targets tonight were Jupiter, C50, C28, the Moon, and M42. Seeing was 3, Transparency was Poor, no clouds (for once), and temp started at 11° C and ended at 8° C. I am now thinking about replacing the AZ3 with an AZ5/Skytee II AZ dual mount. The AZ3 is just not cutting it anymore.
What a great night tonight, probably the clearest skies we have seen in Belgium the last 3 years that I could remember. My wife was on the SW 120ST on the CG-5 ASGT and starting her sketching journey. She will probably join and start posting tomorrow. I set up my C8 on the NEQ-6, and after looking at Jupiter @ 338x (Astrotech 6mm 1.25" EP) I decided since it was so nice I should try and take care of some of the galaxies in Virgo that I had not been able to find previously. So, away I went.

#60
Messier Object: M60
Date: 26/May/2017
Time: 23:55 CET
Location: Herchies, Belgium
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 5.5
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: C8
Telescope Size: 203mm
f-ratio:f10
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: Baader Planetarium Hyperion
Eyepiece mm: 10mm
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Faint smudge @ 113x, easily visible. Larger smudge @ 203x, circular with not much definition.
Comment:M60 was my 60th Messier, how cool is that!

#61
Messier Object: M59
Date: 27/May/2017
Time: 00:27 CET
Location: Herchies, Belgium
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 5.5
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: C8
Telescope Size: 203mm
f-ratio:f10
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: Baader Planetarium Hyperion
Eyepiece mm: 10mm
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Really faint @ 113x, no definition. Bigger smudge @203x, more definition with averted visiion. Central core visible, slight outer banding maybe.
Comment:An eyepatch and towel over the head helps block out the excess light

#62
Messier Object: M58
Date: 27/May/2017
Time: 00:43 CET
Location: Herchies, Belgium
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 5.5
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: C8
Telescope Size: 203mm
f-ratio:f10
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: Baader Planetarium Hyperion
Eyepiece mm: 10mm
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Located @113x, very faint @203x. Directly visible, dim central region. Not much more with averted gaze.
Comment:Lots of fun with clear skies, so much better than 99% humidity.

#63
Messier Object: M87
Date: 27/May/2017
Time: 00:59 CET
Location: Herchies, Belgium
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 5.5
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: C8
Telescope Size: 203mm
f-ratio:f10
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: Baader Planetarium Hyperion
Eyepiece mm: 10mm
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Faint @113x, better at 203x. Not much definition just a dim smudge. Visible with direct vision, not much more with averted vision
Comment:No comments

#64
Messier Object: M86 (Markarians Chain)
Date: 27/May/2017
Time: 01:07 CET
Location: Herchies, Belgium
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 5.5
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: C8
Telescope Size: 203mm
f-ratio:f10
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: Baader Planetarium Hyperion
Eyepiece mm: 10mm
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: 2 faint blobs @ 113x, no definition. Both resolve more @203x, not much detail but they were there, visible with direct vision.
Comment:No comments

Getting close to 70, clear skies everyone!

*****

Fun times by all, back in the swing of things. It's only been almost 10 months since my last real observing, but with the move and all I can kind of understand why. Oh well, on to the show. Tonight's plan was 16 Messiers looking East. In Belgium this view was blocked by my house, so I rarely was able to see anything in that direction. No spoilers, you will just have to read to see how I did in the cold.

#65
Messier Object: M64
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 20:48 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 3
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Very dim, averted vision. Faint central smudge @ 66.7x
Comment:First of 16 planned Messiers. Spoiler alert - I only made it to 8 before being chased in by the cold.


#66
Messier Object: M85
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 20:56 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 3
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Very dim pinpoint fuzzy smudge. No definition, hard to make out. @ 66.7x
Commentoing good, back in the swing of things. GOTO is spot on, polar alignment very close.


#67
Messier Object: M100
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:10 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 3
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Royal pain to find. Averted gaze, very small smudge. No real definition @ 66.7x
Comment:It is kind of cold out here


#68
Messier Object: M99
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:33 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 3
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Pinpoint of diffused light, fuzzy. No real definition, right on the edge of averted gaze. @ 66.7x
Comment:Coffee would be good. Where's my thermos? At least no bears so far tonight. They got my bird feeder last night.


#69
Messier Object: M88
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:42 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 3
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Two-fer with M91. Both very similar, small smudge of pinpoint light. Both fits in the FOV of the ES 82/18mm nicely. No definition @ 66.7x
Comment: What's that noise? Just the neighbors, false alarm.


#70
Messier Object: M91
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:44 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 3
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Two-fer with M88. Both very similar, small smudge of pinpoint light. Both fits in the FOV of the ES 82/18mm nicely. No definition @ 66.7x
Comment: Deja vu? Cut & paste with little editing for these two entries. Oh and this is #70. Who do I send the list in to again? I need to track that down.


#71
Messier Object: M90
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:50 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 3
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Another little ball of not much. Just pinpoint of diffused light without any definition other than fuzzyness. @ 66.7x
Comment: "no definition" is my phrase for the night. At least I can recognize these little fuzzy points of light as galaxies.


#72
Messier Object: M90
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:50 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 3
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Massive fast moving red & green variable stars. Nevermind, outbound flight from Newark. Same description, different target. Diffuse point of fuzzy light, not much to see @ 66.7x
Comment: Ok, I'm cold. Time to pack it in. The temp is down to 26, humidity is climbing, back into the 60's from the low today of 20.7. Now to transcribe the rambling into the different logs.

Just noticed, #72 should have been this (M85, 21:55 EST) -

#72
Messier Object: M85
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:55 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/Bortle Zone: 3
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Massive fast moving red & green variable stars. Nevermind, outbound flight from Newark. Same description, different target. Diffuse point of fuzzy light, not much to see @ 66.7x
Comment: Ok, I'm cold. Time to pack it in. The temp is down to 26, humidity is climbing, back into the 60's from the low today of 20.7. Now to transcribe the rambling into the different logs.

***** :sprefac: Whew that was a fun transcription. *****
:pyro: So many trees in NJ!
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Messier count - 82/110, Caldwell count - 16/109, Herschel count - 18/400
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Re: Eyes to the Sky, Starting the Journey! & On to the next level, Messier 70 certificate!

#2

Post by Lady Fraktor »


Congratulations and good luck with the rest of the list :)
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Re: Eyes to the Sky, Starting the Journey! & On to the next level, Messier 70 certificate!

#3

Post by helicon »


Thanks for posting this Mike and good luck on bagging the rest of them. Nice bling, as well for your profile.
-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
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Re: Eyes to the Sky, Starting the Journey! & On to the next level, Messier 70 certificate!

#4

Post by 10538 »


Excellent reporting Mike! I thoroughly enjoyed your descriptions and comments! Sounds like you were having a lot of fun! Best wishes on completing the rest of your journey! :Astronomer1:
Ed :Astronomer1:
Scopes: Orion 14 inch f/4.6 Dobsonian w/MoonLite focuser. Meade LX200 Classic 10”w/AudioStar and MoonLite focuser, Criterion RV6, Orion ST80A w/2” GSO micro focuser.
Eyepieces: ES 5.5mm 100*, 6.7mm 82*, 11mm 82*, 14mm 100*, 18mm 82*, 20mm 100*, Meade 9mm XWA 100*, 24mm UWA 82*, 56mm 50*, TV Delos 6,8 & 10mm, Panoptic 24, 27 & 35mm, 17mm Nagler, Powermate 2X, Baader 6mm Ortho, Paracorr II.
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Re: Eyes to the Sky, Starting the Journey! & On to the next level, Messier 70 certificate!

#5

Post by Kanadalainen »


I was very interested in your experience with Bozeman's dark skies.

Lived there for a while when I was a kid, my Dad did grad school a the U of Montana.
Ian

Fracs: Stellarvue 70T f6; SW 120mm Esprit f7; "Mark Mk. II" - 60 mm Tasco f6; C80 frac f 11.4
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