Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

Let's see your reports!
User avatar
kt4hx United States of America
Moderator
Moderator
Articles: 4
Offline
Posts: 3489
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 12:18 am
4
Location: Virginia, USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#1

Post by kt4hx »


After enjoying the local fireworks back home with family and friends during the evening of 04 July, I returned to our dark site house to do some work around the property the next day. The plan was to spend two nights, and though the forecast was not so hot, the work during the day was the primary reason for the trip and I would take what came for the evenings.

Heading out the first night the prediction for transparency was below average, but with average seeing. While that is not really overly conducive for galaxy hunting, that is what I do for the most part so I would see how it went. The results from two nights before were not too spectacular, though new galaxies were observed. So I figured it was worth a shot to see what my searching would turn up.

Setting up the gear about 2130 hours, I knew that dewing would most likely be significant given the forecast, so I attached dew strips to both my optical and unity finders. I aligned those and adjusted collimation on the big dob then went inside until close to 2230. Heading back out I found the forecast for transparency was spot on – horrible. The summer Milky Way was abysmally muted in appearance. Even on average nights it is visible from horizon to horizon. Not so this evening as it was visible for maybe 100° rather than the full 180° and was quite soft and weak visually. So I knew my galaxy hunting would be challenging, again. But that is okay as the challenge is part of the allure for me. My love of galaxy hunting can be summed up in the statement made by baseball manager Jimmy Dugan in the movie A League of Their Own - “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” (smiley) That said, off we go into a sad, sick sky to find some galaxies.

(Equipment used)

17.5 inch f/4.5 dobsonian
Ethos 21mm (94x, 1.1° TFOV, 4.7mm exit pupil)
Ethos 13mm (152x, 0.7° TFOV, 2.9mm exit pupil)
XW 10mm (199x, 0.4° TFOV, 2.2mm exit pupil)
XW 7mm (283x, 0.2° TFOV, 1.6mm exit pupil)


NGC 6389 (Hercules, spiral galaxy, mag=12.1, size=2.8’x1.9’, SBr=13.7):
I turned to chart 43-left of the IDSA and noticed that this galaxy was already checked off, but that a couple nearby were not. This would be me starting point for this evening to see what I could pull from my sub-par sky. Hopping north from Alpha Ophiuchi (Rasalhague) for over 3.5° to a bright crooked “L” shaped asterism, I quickly located this somewhat bright and subtly large oval glow using 94x.. Then at 152x it was very obvious and generally homogeneous to the eye. With 199x I detected some uneven brightness in its center.

NGC 6379 (Hercules, spiral galaxy, mag=12.9, size=1.1’x1.0’, SBr=12.9):
Now it was time to ferret out the nearby galaxies I missed three years ago with the 10 inch under a 71% illuminated moon. Just over half an arc minute WSW of the previous object I picked up a mag 9.3 field star, but it was the small round piece of galactic fuzz just to its east that caught my attention. At 94x it was not strongly present in the field but not difficult either. With 152x it was much more obvious and remained homogeneous, with the view remaining pretty much the same at 199x. (New)

NGC 6375 (Hercules, elliptical galaxy, mag=13.6, size=1.4’x1.3’, SBr=14.0):
UGC 10873 (Hercules, spiral galaxy, mag=14.3, size=1.5’x0.2’, SBr=12.9):

Then just over 18’ farther WSW of NGC 6379, using 94x I picked up NGC 6375, a small and dim round dust bunny. It had a weak stellar core within its small disk and there was a 12th mag field star just 4’ to its SSW. Taking a look at 152x the galaxy remained weak. Going up to 199x I now had a curious suspicion of elongation to the SSW in the direction of the 12th mag star. I know sometimes this is simply illusory because the eye is naturally drawn to the bright object causing a sense of elongation. I opened Uranometria to chart 86-right to check their plot of the field, and found an additional galaxy immediately SSW of NGC 6375 between it and the 12th mag star. Now things were getting interesting!

I immediately went to 273x and sure enough, there was my other galaxy, cleanly split (though quite tight) and positioned between the primary galaxy and the field star. UGC 10873 was very weak and thin, but this homogeneous sliver of light was indeed there. As an aside, Uranometria mistakenly labels this galaxy as UGC 10872. (New-2)

NGC 6408 (Hercules, barred spiral galaxy, mag=12.7, size=1.6’x1.4’, SBr=13.4):
I now moved north from thprevious field for about 2.5° to a bright clump of stars containing the variable HD 159332 at its center. Just ESE of this grouping I found this barred spiral. At 94x I was easily seen but slightlyl dim. Small and oval, it was evenly illuminated across its envelope. Viewing with 152x it was obvious within the field of view. Subtly bright to the eye, it remained smooth and even. (New)

NGC 6555 (Hercules, barred spiral galaxy, mag=12.4, size=2.0’x1.5’, SBr=13.5):
Over on chart 42-right in the IDSA, I noticed that this galaxy was not marked as having been observed, so off I went. Locating a “V” shaped asterism with 93 Herculis (mag 4.7) at its tip, I slipped northeast about 2° to pick up this barred spiral. Slightly bright at 94x it presented a small homogeneous oval. Viewed at 152x it remained diffuse and evenly illuminated, but was more obvious within the field. (New)

NGC 6574 (Hercules, barred spiral galaxy, mag=12.0, size=1.4’x1.1’, SBr=12.3):
Almost 3° SSE of the previous object near the border with Ophiuchus, I swept up this slightly bright little rounded glow at 94x. It was evenly illuminated across its disk and remained so at 152x. (New)

NGC 6570 (Ophiuchus, barred spiral galaxy, mag=12.7, size=1.8’x1.1’, SBr=13.3):
Not quite 1° south of the last field, and just inside the celestial serpent bearer, I pinned down this small and dim diffuse oval using 94x. It remained homogeneous at 152x, and while more obvious to the eye, it remained dim overall. (New)

NGC 6615 (Ophiuchus, barred lenticular galaxy, mag=13.1, size=1.3’x0.9’, SBr=13.0):
Nudging to the ESE, I picked up a very wide (48’) north-south pair of 6th magnitude stars (mag 6.3 HD 168199 and mag 6.8 HD 168271). This galaxy was picked up about 2/3 of the way from the former to the latter. Arriving at the field using 94x, the barred lenticular was just discerned as a tiny oval just east of an 11th magnitude field star. As I studied a bit more at this magnification, I got the sense that I was seeing at least one imposed star involved in the galactic disk. Also observing it with 152x and 199x, it was more easily discerned, but still weak. Again, there seemed to be an intermittent flicker of at least one foreground star offset from the center of its disk. (New)

NGC 6627 (Hercules, barred spiral galaxy, mag=13.3, size=1.3’x1.1’, SBr=13.5):
Moving back into Hercules, I swept over 2.5° NNE to a north-south pair of 8th magnitude field stars. Studying the field just SSW of this pair with 94x I could not discern the galaxy. Going up to 152x I had a suspicion of a small and very dim rounded dust mote. Going ahead to 199x I confirmed the galaxy’s presence in the field as a small and dim homogenous round glow. (New)


I noticed fog starting to rise across the valley, which was confirmed when a car passed from the south illuminating the ghostly apparition along the road. I wasn’t sure how much time I had before it became elevated enough to further compromise or obliterate the sky. So I trudged onward wary that it may end at any time.


NGC 6635 (Hercules, lenticular galaxy, mag=13.4, size=1.0’x0.9’, SBr=13.1):
Less than 1° southeast of the previous galaxy, I picked up an upside-down rhombus of four stars (6th and 7th mag). Almost half a degree east of this figure I just discerned it as a small and dim round mote near a field star at 94x. Also viewed at 152x and 199x, while it was easier at each step, it still remained small, weak and homogenous. (New)

UGC 11294 (Hercules, elliptical galaxy, mag=12.8, size=1.3’x0.9’, SBr=13.0):
Sweeping northeast about 8° in the direction of 110 Herculis (mag 4.2), I studied the field southeast of a rhombus of 7th to 9th magnitude field stars using 94x but could not find this elliptical. I had a suspicion my sky was starting to lose its battle with the rising fog. But I went on up to 152x, where I caught a suspicion of a very dim and small oval glow. Moving to 199x my impression was a little stronger that the galaxy was there, but it was not held steadily. I went ahead up to 273x and finally got my confirmation of its presence in the view. Still quite weak, it was a small ghostly oval glow, and much more difficult than I had expected. (New)

NGC 6283 (Hercules, spiral galaxy, mag=12.9, size=1.2’x1.1’, SBr=13.0):
Trying to get a little higher up in the sky I moved to chart 19-left in the IDSA. Aiming the scope at Tau Herculis (mag 3.8) and then swept northeast about 7.5° to a triangular pattern of four stars of 6th and 7th magnitude at the border with Draco. Studying the field in the southwestern portion of this grouping, I was able to pick up this spiral as a very small and dim round glow. Though still weak at 152x it was not difficult at all. It remained a homogenous smooth disk. (New)


It was approaching 0130 hours and the fog was quickly filling the surrounding terrain and conditions were on the downturn from their already weak levels. We have a security light behind the house and I could see the glowing swirl of fog over the top of the house. Aquila was well placed so I turned to chart 42 in the IDSA and settled on an open cluster to wrap up my session before I lost the sky for good.


NGC 6858 (Aquila, open cluster, mag=unk, size=10.0):
This cluster was discovered in 1829 by John Herschel, who described it as "A pretty rich oblong cl(uster); 10' l(ong), 5' br(oad); stars equal and of 13th mag.” However, it was described as "not a cluster" by Jack Sulentic in the RNGC (Sulentic & Tifft, 1973) based on his visual inspection of photographic plates. That all being said, how things look on plates and through the eyepiece can be quite different, and that was the case here – in my view.

Easily locating the field nearly 4° northeast of Altair, its eastern edge was marked by the unrelated magnitude 9.4 star HD 356626. Immediately west of this star I could easily discern the elongated grouping of stars described by John Herschel. While not extremely rich, it was still somewhat detached from the surrounding star field and in my view represented a visual clustering of stars. An elongated grouping of around 30 stars in the 11th to 13th magnitude range, there were additional dimmer stars involved as well. Loosely scattered in a north-south broad flow across the roughly 10’ field. I observed it with both 94x and 152x and found it rather attractive, with a vague number “8” appearance. Whether it is a true cluster or simply an asterism has yet to be determined. One proper motion study indicates it is not a related cluster, while results of a 2MASS CMD (colour-magnitude diagram) seem to indicate it may be a true cluster. The science aside, I simply enjoyed the visual beauty of the cluster and found it a pleasing way to end my evening. (New)


The last object was a nice ending to a tough evening of galaxy hunting. Dew was very heavy on my surroundings (even my hair was damp - what is left of it that is), but my finders remained clear and dew free thanks to the dew heaters. With the fog filling the air around me I hastily moved my gear back into the garage to let it all dry out overnight while I got some much needed sleep. Thanks again for coming along with me, and I hope to catch you all back out there again sometime soon.
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)
User avatar
notFritzArgelander
In Memory
In Memory
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 14925
Joined: Fri May 10, 2019 4:13 pm
4
Location: Idaho US
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#2

Post by notFritzArgelander »


Well, it wasn't an easy night, but you certainly followed the maxim "endeavor to persevere." :)
Scopes: Refs: Orion ST80, SV 80EDA f7, TS 102ED f11 Newts: AWB 130mm, f5, Z12 f5; Cats: VMC110L, Intes MK66,VMC200L f9.75 EPs: KK Fujiyama Orthoscopics, 2x Vixen NPLs (40-6mm) and BCOs, Baader Mark IV zooms, TV Panoptics, Delos, Plossl 32-8mm. Mixed brand Masuyama/Astroplans Binoculars: Nikon Aculon 10x50, Celestron 15x70, Baader Maxbright. Mounts: Star Seeker IV, Vixen Porta II, Celestron CG5
User avatar
kt4hx United States of America
Moderator
Moderator
Articles: 4
Offline
Posts: 3489
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 12:18 am
4
Location: Virginia, USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#3

Post by kt4hx »


notFritzArgelander wrote: Thu Jul 08, 2021 7:08 pm Well, it wasn't an easy night, but you certainly followed the maxim "endeavor to persevere." :)
Thank you nFA. The conditions were what they were and I knew they would be, so it was either put up or shut up! :)
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)
User avatar
KingNothing13 United States of America
Moderator
Moderator
Articles: 0
Online
Posts: 1712
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2019 4:54 pm
4
Location: Western Mass
Status:
Online

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#4

Post by KingNothing13 »


Wow Alan - that's a pretty good haul for a not-so great night.

Inspiring that I should go out, even when conditions are not the best. Of course 100% cloud cover will put a damper on that! :lol:
-- Brett

Scope: Apertura AD10 with Nexus II with 8192/716000 Step Encoders
EPs: ES 82* 18mm, 11mm, 6.7mm; GSO 30mm
Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars
List Counts: Messier: 75; Herschel 400: 30; Caldwell: 12; AL Carbon Star List: 16
Brett's Carbon Star Hunt

Image
User avatar
kt4hx United States of America
Moderator
Moderator
Articles: 4
Offline
Posts: 3489
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 12:18 am
4
Location: Virginia, USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#5

Post by kt4hx »


KingNothing13 wrote: Thu Jul 08, 2021 7:25 pm Wow Alan - that's a pretty good haul for a not-so great night.

Inspiring that I should go out, even when conditions are not the best. Of course 100% cloud cover will put a damper on that! :lol:
Thank you Brett. Yeah, that is the downside - all those pesky clouds! :)
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)
User avatar
Ylem United States of America
Universal Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 7477
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 2:54 am
4
Location: Ocean County, New Jersey
Status:
Offline

TSS Photo of the Day

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#6

Post by Ylem »


Nice report Alan, yes those clouds are indeed party poopers!
Clear Skies,
-Jeff :telescopewink:


Member; ASTRA-NJ



Orion 80ED
Celestron C5, 6SE, Celestar 8
Vixen Porta Mount ll
Coronado PST
A big box of Plossls
Little box of filters
:D



User avatar
Makuser United States of America
In Memory
In Memory
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 6394
Joined: Mon May 06, 2019 12:53 am
4
Location: Rockledge, FL.
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#7

Post by Makuser »


Hi Alan. Another fine report from you. I have a baseball card collection, which consists of only one card. From 1969, Chicago Cubs baseball Manager Leo Durocher said; "Determination can win you a lot of ballgames." Your session hauled in some nice objects in Hercules, Ophiuchus, and one jewel in Aquila. Thanks for your latest report Alan, and the best of wishes for better skies soon (after Elsa heads away).
Marshall
Sky-Watcher 90mm f/13.8 Maksutov-Cassegrain on motorized Multimount
Orion Astroview 120ST f/5 Refractor on EQ3 mount
Celestron Comet Catcher 140mm f/3.64 Schmidt-Newtonian on alt-az mount
Celestron Omni XLT150R f/5 Refractor on CG4 mount with dual axis drives.
Orion 180mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain on CG5-GT Goto mount.
Orion XT12i 12" f/4.9 Dobsonian Intelliscope.
Kamakura 7x35 Binoculars and Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars. ZWO ASI 120MC camera.
>)))))*>
User avatar
kt4hx United States of America
Moderator
Moderator
Articles: 4
Offline
Posts: 3489
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 12:18 am
4
Location: Virginia, USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#8

Post by kt4hx »


Ylem wrote: Thu Jul 08, 2021 8:10 pm Nice report Alan, yes those clouds are indeed party poopers!

Thank you Jeff. They are a bother for sure. Today they are full of rain. :)

Makuser wrote: Thu Jul 08, 2021 8:18 pm Hi Alan. Another fine report from you. I have a baseball card collection, which consists of only one card. From 1969, Chicago Cubs baseball Manager Leo Durocher said; "Determination can win you a lot of ballgames." Your session hauled in some nice objects in Hercules, Ophiuchus, and one jewel in Aquila. Thanks for your latest report Alan, and the best of wishes for better skies soon (after Elsa heads away).

Thank you Marshall. Leo was a fine example of a very astute curmudgeon! :) Elsa has not dumped extensive rain on us so far, but we still have to get through tonight. Hope you all get back to normal quickly down there.
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)
User avatar
MistrBadgr United States of America
Orion Spur Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 748
Joined: Sat May 11, 2019 9:27 pm
4
Location: Broken Arrow, Okla, USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#9

Post by MistrBadgr »


I do not have the IDSA charts, but I do have Uranometria. I am going to start digging that out and try to follow along. Thanks for taking me along while you slogged through the atmospheric swamp! :popcorn:
Bill Steen
Many small scopes, plus a Lightbridge 12, LX 70-8R,6R,6M
Many eyepieces, just not really expensive ones.
User avatar
Thefatkitty Canada
Co-Administrator
Co-Administrator
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 4133
Joined: Sat May 11, 2019 4:20 pm
4
Location: Ontario, Canada
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#10

Post by Thefatkitty »


"It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it."

Perfect quote Allan; that's probably many of us most nights! :lol:

That was again a nice haul, and your writing style is as always a great read. So much detail on what you've observed through the eyepiece, then a break for your surroundings and back to it. The car coming down the road, the fog filling in the valley.... You need to write a book :D

Thanks for taking me along on that, and in answer to a previous question, I'm 55.

All the best to you and yours,
Mark

"The Hankmeister" Celestron 8SE, orange tube Vixen made C80, CG4 & AZ-EQ5 mounts.
Too much Towa glass/mirrors.

H/A - PST stage 2 mod with a Baader 90mm ERF on a Celestron XLT 102 (thanks Mike!)
Ca-K - W/O 61mm, Antares 1.6 barlow, Baader 3.8 OD and Ca-K filters with a ZWO ASI174mm.
W/L - C80-HD with Baader 5.0 & 3.8 Solar film, Solar Continuum 7.5nm and UV/IR filters with a Canon EOS 550D.

Oh yeah, and Solar Cycle 25 :D
User avatar
kt4hx United States of America
Moderator
Moderator
Articles: 4
Offline
Posts: 3489
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 12:18 am
4
Location: Virginia, USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#11

Post by kt4hx »


MistrBadgr wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 12:24 am I do not have the IDSA charts, but I do have Uranometria. I am going to start digging that out and try to follow along. Thanks for taking me along while you slogged through the atmospheric swamp! :popcorn:

Thank you Bill. I typically have both the IDSA and Uranometria on the table. When conditions are rough, then I tend to focus more on using the less deep IDSA, but I like to have both there just in case. Particularly in cases where I find that I am picking up suspected additional galaxies that the IDSA does not show. I like the format of the IDSA better, particularly its "lay flat" design. But Urano is indispensable to my dark site observing with the big scope. Since I am primarily focused on galaxies, Urano has 25,895 plotted as compared to the IDSA's 9599. That is a big difference that has been very helpful many times.

Thefatkitty wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 12:48 am "It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it."

Perfect quote Allan; that's probably many of us most nights! :lol:

That was again a nice haul, and your writing style is as always a great read. So much detail on what you've observed through the eyepiece, then a break for your surroundings and back to it. The car coming down the road, the fog filling in the valley.... You need to write a book :D

Thanks for taking me along on that, and in answer to a previous question, I'm 55.

All the best to you and yours,

Thank you Mark. I appreciate your kind comments.

Well I am not a lot older than you. But I feel the difference from when I was 55, most definitely. But I still have enough oomph left in me to pursue my beloved galaxies and will continue to do so for as long as I can. :)
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)
User avatar
Bigzmey United States of America
Moderator
Moderator
Articles: 8
Offline
Posts: 7548
Joined: Sat May 11, 2019 7:55 pm
4
Location: San Diego, CA USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#12

Post by Bigzmey »


Congrats on another successful Alan! Hey! your galaxies are brighter than mine yet you have more aperture. Does not seem fair. :(

:lol:
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
User avatar
kt4hx United States of America
Moderator
Moderator
Articles: 4
Offline
Posts: 3489
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 12:18 am
4
Location: Virginia, USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#13

Post by kt4hx »


Bigzmey wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 1:42 am Congrats on another successful Alan! Hey! your galaxies are brighter than mine yet you have more aperture. Does not seem fair. :(

:lol:
Thanks Andrey. That may be (in some cases), but I am also dealing with higher humidity and fog, at least lately. Once my conditions return to normal, then my reach will go deeper. There are still plenty of brighter galaxies that I have not put into the log, but I do look forward to working into the 14th and at times 15th mag fuzzies! :lol:
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)
User avatar
turboscrew
Inter-Galactic Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 3233
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:22 am
3
Location: Nokia, Finland
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#14

Post by turboscrew »


Very cool report! Thanks.
I envy you that actually have starry night sky. This time of year my night sky is not starry.
Although, there was already 20 min of naval dark last night.
- Juha

Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5

I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Image
User avatar
Unitron48 United States of America
Local Group Ambassador
Articles: 0
Online
Posts: 2747
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 12:48 am
4
Location: Culpeper, VA (USA)
Status:
Online

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#15

Post by Unitron48 »


Nice report, great session, Alan! Dew in our neck of the woods is always a disaster waiting to happen. I have learned to "love" my Kendrick heaters!!

Dave
Unitron (60mm, 102mm), Brandon 94
Stellarvue SVX127D
http://www.unitronhistory.com

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Albert Einstein
User avatar
kt4hx United States of America
Moderator
Moderator
Articles: 4
Offline
Posts: 3489
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 12:18 am
4
Location: Virginia, USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#16

Post by kt4hx »


turboscrew wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 8:18 am Very cool report! Thanks.
I envy you that actually have starry night sky. This time of year my night sky is not starry.
Although, there was already 20 min of naval dark last night.

Thank you Turbo. I recall seeing what you describe when I've been farther north, where it never truly achieves astronomical darkness. Fortunately our shortest period of astro darkness in June was 5 hours and 18 minutes, so we do have opportunities. I hope you do achieve some full darkness soon.

Unitron48 wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 11:38 am Nice report, great session, Alan! Dew in our neck of the woods is always a disaster waiting to happen. I have learned to "love" my Kendrick heaters!!

Dave
Thank you Dave. Yeah, the straps are indispensable at times. If the dewing is very light and I don't wish to fiddle with all the stuff, I have simply taken the disposable hand warmers and used rubber bands or the blue painter's tape to temporarily attach them to the finders for a field expedient fix. I always keep some of them handy. :)
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)
User avatar
turboscrew
Inter-Galactic Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 3233
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:22 am
3
Location: Nokia, Finland
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#17

Post by turboscrew »


kt4hx wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 1:35 pm
turboscrew wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 8:18 am Very cool report! Thanks.
I envy you that actually have starry night sky. This time of year my night sky is not starry.
Although, there was already 20 min of naval dark last night.
Thank you Turbo. I recall seeing what you describe when I've been farther north, where it never truly achieves astronomical darkness. Fortunately our shortest period of astro darkness in June was 5 hours and 18 minutes, so we do have opportunities. I hope you do achieve some full darkness soon.
It takes some time still. A couple of days ago we didn't even have naval dark.
- Juha

Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5

I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Image
User avatar
Juno16 United States of America
Universal Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 8195
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 3:13 pm
4
Location: Mississippi Gulf Coast
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#18

Post by Juno16 »


Great read Alan!

Very well written report and very enjoyable read, thanks!

Had a brief respite to your clear skies even though your skies were somewhat compromised.

I’ve been clouded/rained out for going on three months now and reading your report is very enlightening and pleasant!

Much appreciated For sharing your views sir!
Jim

Scopes: Explore Scientific ED102 APO, Sharpstar 61 EDPH II APO, Samyang 135 F2 (still on the Nikon).
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro with Rowan Belt Mod
Stuff: ASI EAF Focus Motor (x2), Orion 50mm Guide Scope, ZWO 30 mm Guide Scope, ASI 220mm min, ASI 120mm mini, Stellarview 0.8 FR/FF, Sharpstar 0.8 FR/FF, Mele Overloock 3C.
Camera/Filters/Software: ASI 533 mc pro, ASI 120mm mini, Orion SSAG, IDAS LPS D-1, Optolong L-Enhance, ZWO UV/IR Cut, N.I.N.A., Green Swamp Server, PHD2, Adobe Photoshop CC, Pixinsight.
Dog and best bud: Jack
Sky: Bortle 6-7
My Astrobin: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Juno16/
User avatar
kt4hx United States of America
Moderator
Moderator
Articles: 4
Offline
Posts: 3489
Joined: Sun May 12, 2019 12:18 am
4
Location: Virginia, USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#19

Post by kt4hx »


Juno16 wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:47 am Great read Alan!

Very well written report and very enjoyable read, thanks!

Had a brief respite to your clear skies even though your skies were somewhat compromised.

I’ve been clouded/rained out for going on three months now and reading your report is very enlightening and pleasant!

Much appreciated For sharing your views sir!
Thank you Jim, and it was my pleasure to have you along for my journey. I wish you good luck with your skies clearing out now that Elsa has passed.
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)
User avatar
helicon United States of America
Co-Administrator
Co-Administrator
Articles: 584
Online
Posts: 12274
Joined: Mon May 06, 2019 1:35 pm
4
Location: Washington
Status:
Online

TSS Awards Badges

Re: Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my

#20

Post by helicon »


Great report Alan. I've chimed in on the thread a bit belatedly. Congrats on winning the TSS VROD for 7/10/2021!
-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
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
Post Reply

Create an account or sign in to join the discussion

You need to be a member in order to post a reply

Create an account

Not a member? register to join our community
Members can start their own topics & subscribe to topics
It’s free and only takes a minute

Register

Sign in

Return to “Astronomy Reports”