Messier 35

[Mike Q]

Ok, here we go. I started writing stuff down in November of last year, but i never thought to write down the time or a ton of details if any, but i am getting better at this.

11 Nov 2023. Scope was my XX16G and the following objects were observed.

M11...still don't see a duck.
M17
M13....whats not to love about the best glo in the sky
M26
M27...awesome with my 20/80
M56
M57...whats not to love about the ring
M71
M76
M79
M92....M13s baby brother


3 February 2024, XX16G
M31
M42.....200x.....oh my
M81....first good shot of spiral arms
M82....best ever image to date

6 February 2024, XX16G
M45...diamonds and dust

11 February 2024, 10 inch skyline
M110

23 March 2024 10 inch
M43...visible but washd out by the moon

30 March 2024, XX16G
M34.....good in 30/82
M35
M36
M37
M38
M46...cluster w/planetary
M47...large and bright
M48...bright but boring
M53....all the stars
M84....kinda faint
M95....faint
M96....same
M102..had it for 2 seconds and covered by couds

6 April 2024 XX16G
M3....all the stars
M5...bright central well resolved
M49...well resolved with companion
M51....visible structure can see the bridge
M53...all the stars
M101... can make out the arms

13 April 2024 XX16G

M63....large center surrounded by arms
M64...core, arms and dust visible. Irregular and uneven
M87
M94...bright core with arms

[messier 111]

but i am getting better at this.

that's the spirit .

congrat on the flair .

[Graeme1858]

Nice one Mike.

A fine list of 35 Messier target observations.

Congratulations on the award of your Profile Flair bling!

Graeme

[Mike Q]

but i am getting better at this.

that's the spirit .

congrat on the flair .

I am getting there. I seem to lack the artistic abilities to describe things. As i was assembing the list last night i realized that there are a number of them that i may not get to see because of the hours i hold and my view of the sky is limited by trees. Once or twice a year, after harvest, i set up in the field and get a decent shot at the north and west skies, i almost never get the north east.

[Mike Q]

Here are 18 more Messier objects to add to the list. That gets me to 61 so far, if i have counted correctly.

Thse were observed 7 June 2024 starting at 10pm and i wraped up at 1am. The skies were fairly clear, the temp was in the low 60s and the humidity was low.

The equipment used was my Orion Skyline 10 inch with a 20mm 80 degree LHD and the 4 inch frac with
14mm 80 degree LHD on its go to mount. The description of the objects with the ten inch are usually bright core inside a faint fuzzy, with the 4 inch, most objects were there but faint. Exceptions will be note below.

M40..double star....kinda of boring, wont bother with that again.
M97...bluish, but still fighting clouds a bit
M108....dust lanes with bright cental core
M109...the definition of faint fuzzy
M106...bright core in both scopes, arms visible with the 10
M65/66...both easily visible in the same eyepiece in both scopes
M85...core bright in both scopes
M88...hazy with bright core with the 10, with the 4 inch....well, you knew there was something there
M98...Faint
M99...bright core
M100...bright core in halo
M58...bright with arms almost visible
M59...another bright core
M60...3 galaxies in one eyepieces with the 10 inch, 2 with the frac, coolest view of the night.
M61.... faint fuzzy with the 4 inch, trees blocked it from the 10
M89....bright core
M104....easily visible with both scopes

[Graeme1858]

Here are 18 more Messier objects to add to the list. That gets me to 59 so far.

Excellent progress Mike.

I'm glad the whiskey and the choice of music cleared the clouds for you!

[Mike Q]

Here are 18 more Messier objects to add to the list. That gets me to 59 so far.

Excellent progress Mike.

I'm glad the whiskey and the choice of music cleared the clouds for you!

Boubon and the Ronnie James Dio version of Black Sabbath (Heaven and Hell) mixes with astronomy very well actually....who would have thunk it?

[Mike Q]

Here are a few more i was able t get this evening The scope was the XX16G, the eyepiece was a Orion 14mm 80 degree LHD, except where noted. Start time was 10pm with intermittent clouds.

M10...just a nice rich cluster
M12...loosely packed cluster
M14....looks like a elongated galaxy to me
M29....ES 30/82...8 main stars with a half dozen fainter stars visible
M80...really compact cluster
M90, barely visible thanks to the blinding moon

By my count this takes me to 67 of the 110

[Graeme1858]

Good progress Mike.

Only three more to a Thread Subject line change!

[Mike Q]

Good progress Mike.

Only three more to a Thread Subject line change!

I am starting to realize that this is going to take me a lot longer to do the last 40 then the first 70. How people do Messier marathons is beyond me

[Graeme1858]

Same here Mike.

Messier compiled most of his catalogue from Paris. Unless I move to the south coast looking out over the English Channel, there are some Messiers I won't get to see!

[Mike Q]

I figure if i can get 90 of them i will be doing good. Just keeping it real lol

[helicon]

Good progress Mike. It can take awhile to get to 75 and then to the 110. Took me two years.

[Mike Q]

Thanks. Some of my favorites are on the rise now. I have seen them a dozen times but never wrote them down. I was doing the math the other night and if i get everything done on the current hit list that will put me at 85 out of 110.

[kt4hx]

You're working hard at it Mike and congrats on your progress. What you did about not writing things down earlier is exactly what I did myself. Something I deeply regret honestly. I had no record of where I'd been or what I'd seen other than by memory and that is not solidly reliable. I had nothing to gauge my progress as my observing skills sharpened over the years. I actually didn't start documenting things until about 15 years ago, but have been more meticulous in that endeavor since.

Regarding Messier marathons, while I know they can be a popular endeavor, I just never saw the need. I guess its a personal thing. It has been an extremely rare thing for me to be up all night observing anyway. Certainly now that I am older, I don't have the energy for it any longer.

[Mike Q]

I did a rough estimate the other night and it looks like there will be ten objects that will be tough for me to see from my current location. I dont have open horizons for two thirds of my sky. Trees, lots of trees and i like my trees so cutting them down is not an option. After harvest i will be able to move out into the field to catch a couple.

I dont have any way to gauge where i stand so i just call myself a well equipped novice lol.

[Ylem]

Keep bagging them Mike

[Mike Q]

Keep bagging them Mike

I will ... If i ever get a clear night again lol. Clear nights and my weekends just never seem to line up. This working 5 days a week and getting up at 0400 is really messing with my astronomy time. Seems like the only clear nights are around the full moon and or mid week

[Mike Q]

29 June 2024. Time 2230, temp 80F (25C), humidity 90% (yuck, yuck and yuck). Sky was hazy with intermittent cloud cover. Wind 8 mph from the SW.
Scope was the 10 inch Meade SCT using a Orion 32mm Q70.

First off was M107. Seems like it is pretty open or loose for a glob.
M83, spiral galaxy. this was a dice roll as it was still low and in the soup. I was just barely able to make out the bright core, which i thought was pretty good given the conditions.
M4 glob cluster. This area of the sky was in pretty good shape and it was a nice round cluster, fairly bright too.
M9 glob cluster. Seems like it is a pretty tight and dense cluster.
M19, glob clister. Doesnt seem to really be round, it seems that it is more of an oval shape. Cant say i have noticed one like that before.

I called it a night after struggling with conditions to get these 5. By my count I am now at 72 Messier objects observed.

[Graeme1858]

Congratulations Mike on achieving the Messier 70 target views.

M70 Profile Bling awarded.