M22 First View

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mikemarotta
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M22 First View

#1

Post by mikemarotta »


Still no joy on M4, but turning to Sagittariius which I know is a rich field, I was stopped by a classic "puffball." No mistaking it. I was able to find it several times and viewed it with several combinations. Oddly, I did not have a notebook with me at the moment, so I did a lot more viewing and then finally came in to fetch the journal. While inside, I checked Sky&Tel's "Interactive Sky Chart." Three targets were close: The Triffid Nebula, the Lagoon Nebula, and M22. Returning outside, it did not take much to settle on my first intuition.

Following the advice from @Don Pensack , I did not let vitrophobia (fear of glass) stop me from using the 5X extender and the 8 mm and 6mm oculars, among others. Like much else, the view did not get better by a quantum leap, only marginally "better" i.e., larger and with fewer stars around it. I viewed from 0040 to 0115 hours. Not having the notebook at first, I had to pay closer attention to the area of the sky. Later, checking my work, I could sketch the asterism I was viewing.
M22 in Sagittarius.jpeg
M22 Sky & Tel.jpg

What's interesting is that I have an M22 coffee cup. Michigan state route 22 runs around the Grand Traverse Bay region. (Look for the "Little Finger" of the "Mitton" at 45N.)
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Re: M22 First View

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Post by Don Pensack »


And M22 is not as bright as M4.
Hmm.
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Re: M22 First View

#3

Post by turboscrew »


Too bad, that anything below DEC -28° 32' never rises above my horizon.
So at best, M22 gets only about 4.5° above my horizon.
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Re: M22 First View

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Post by kt4hx »


Good for you Mike. From light polluted areas M22 is easier to see than M4 from my experience because it has higher surface brightness which helps it push through the sky glow. It is also one of my favorite globulars. From our dark site house M4 is easily seen in the 8x50 finderscope, whereas M22 is easily seen naked eye.
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Re: M22 First View

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Post by mikemarotta »


Don Pensack wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:42 pm And M22 is not as bright as M4.Hmm.
Well, there's a number of considerations. First of all, I take your comment as encouragement. Having stumbled on the dimmer target, the brighter should be easier. So, I will keep trying.

That said, though, I know from other learning, such as lockpicking, that if I try, it only gets more difficult, but if you are just sitting there with a beer, talking to another hacker, the lock pops open. So, too, here, I was not trying to find M22. I just recognized the object for what it was when I "discovered" it with no agenda.

Similarly, I purposelfully sought out some double stars, and some were easier than others, but one night, moving my telescope to align with Mars, I happened on Eta Pisc but in the instant that it was in view, I knew it for a binary and looked it up later. Hard as it was to see naked eye, I might not have been so successful on purpose.

And individual outcomes are variable. Even as peer-validated data, the numbers are just indicators. Eye relief, exit pupil, Bortle numbers, and all that only predict, they do not determine, even your own right eye versus your own left eye.

Just take Bortle, seemingly an empirical value. I look up, no Milky Way, Bortle 8. But one night, I could see Lyra pretty good and Cygnus, too; so I turned the telescope in that direction and saw stars that were not in those constellations. Oh... The Milky Way, of course...

BTW: I subscribe to Amateur Astronomy magazine and I see that you published half a dozen articles there.

Best Regards (and clear skies!)
Mike M.
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Re: M22 First View

#6

Post by Don Pensack »


m4-r.jpg
M4 total integrated magnitude: 5.4 size: 36', so average surface brightness (calculated) 13.0
M22 total integrated magnitude: 5.2 size 32', so average surface brightness (calculated) 12.5
so M22 IS a little brighter. Count me as surprised.
Given they culminate only 2.5° apart, I think if you can see one, you'll see the other, though.
Assuming equal light pollution in the sky where they are, and assuming both have been found (which I think is unlikely in this case).
My first view of both was with a 4.25" scope in 1963, and I was only a mile from the downtown in a city of 80K.
I was at 40°N, though, so the altitude was lower than Austin Texas.
This chart should help with finding M4--the circle is 1.1°
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Re: M22 First View

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Post by mikemarotta »


Don Pensack wrote: Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:20 pm This chart should help with finding M4--the circle is 1.1°
Thanks. It's clear right now, 23:51 to 0100, at least . So, I took everything outside.
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