Observation Report February 3,2024
I went to our company party Saturday night. It was a tossup between going to a friend of mine’s place to do some imaging or the party. Clear Sky Chart showed low transparency and some cloud cover. So, I elected to do the party.
After I got home from the party, I noticed the sky was clear and seeing looked good. I contacted my friend, and he had been imaging for about three hours. I obviously made the wrong choice. Since it was too late to gather my gear and head up to my friend’s place, I decided to grab the 15X70 binocular and head out the back door.
I live in the middle of town. The light pollution in our town isn’t bad, but it does exist. I can still make out the Milky Way from my back yard. Fortunately, my neighbors turned their outdoor lights off. I have enough natural blockage from the church on the other side of my property to eliminate the light from the church sign and security lights. The only bad spot is the church parking lot. Those lights limit my view to the NE. The light dome from Hood River, Oregon washes anything out to the SSW.
I observed for about an hour and a half at which time any worthwhile targets had entered the Hood River light dome. I couldn’t even make out the brighter star of Sirius’s head. I shut it down at that point.
Here’s what I Observed.
M41 Beehive Cluster
Open Cluster
Magnitude 4.5 Surface Brightness 12.19
Size 00d39’00”
This cluster appeared fuzzy with the larger stars distinct and easy to make out.
Open Cluster
Magnitude 4.8 Surface Brightness 11.44
Size 00d24’00”
The stars in the cluster were distinct and very easy to see. I could not make out any nebulous gases. That was to be expected with how dim the gases were and the existing light pollution.
M42 Orion Nebula
Emission Nebula
Magnitude 4.00 Surface Brightness 13.07
Size 1d30’00”
This is a very bright emission nebula. It was easy to see with the naked eye, even in the city’s light pollution. It became much more distinct through the binoculars. I could easily see the gases glowing. I could not make out the detail in the nebula.
M93 Butterfly Cluster
Open Cluster
Magnitude 6.2 Surface Brightness 10.94
Size 00d10’00”
This cluster appeared very faint and fuzzy. It became more distinct with averted vision. I could not distinguish individual stars.
M47
Open Cluster
Magnitude 4.4 Surface Brightness 11.13
Size 00d25’00”
Brighter stars were very distinct. Dimmer stars appeared fuzzy.
M46
Open Cluster
Magnitude 6.1 Surface Brightness 12.34
Size 00d20’00”
This cluster appeared extremely faint and fuzzy. I had to use averted vision to see the cluster. No distinct stars in the cluster could be seen.
M44 Beehive Cluster
Open Cluster
Magnitude 3.1 Surface Brightness 12..06
Size 1d10’00”
The cluster is large and open. The stars appeared very bright and spread out. I could readily make out individual stars with no difficulty.
M67 Golden Eye Cluster
Open Cluster
Magnitude 6.9 Surface Brightness 13.63
Size 00d25’00”
This cluster appeared very faint and fuzzy. I could barely see the cluster. Averted vision made it more pronounced yet still faint. No distinct stars could be seen.
