TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

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TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

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Post by kt4hx »


The months move along quickly and we are ready for our next edition of the Monthly DSO Challenge. For the northern February run, we head to Hydra for a fine open cluster; into Lynx for a beautiful and haunting nearly edge on galaxy; then wrap up in Gemini for a curious dual-lobed planetary nebula that also carries a dual identifier within the New General Catalogue (NGC). In the southern section this month we visit Puppis for a very interesting duo, one imposed in front of the other. Then we finish in the deep southern constellation Volans, the flying fish, with a very intriguing barred spiral galaxy that likewise has two designations within the NGC.

I hope you find this month’s selections fun and interesting to observe, image and/or sketch. There are easy ones and others that are a bit more challenging. But of course they only represent a tiny portion of what is up there on the canvas of the night sky. So I encourage you to get out there and enjoy what the universe puts on display each and every night – weather permitting of course. :)


Northern Celestial Hemisphere

Messier 48 / NGC 2548 (Hydra, open cluster, mag=5.8, size=30.0’, class=I2m):
I will ask your indulgence here because M48 actually lies nearly 6° south of the celestial equator. However, it is a very common object for us northerners and I wanted to give you all a nice bright open cluster that I had not featured before to start off this month’s journey. As the celestial water serpent begins to rear its head in the southeast, it is a harbinger of the spring to come for many of us northerners. But we still must endure our cold weather and spring seems a far off hope. The prominent serpent head is formed by Zeta (mag 3.1, Epsilon (mag 3.4), Delta (mag 4.2), Sigma (mag 4.4) and Eta Hydrae (mag 4.3). About 11° southwest of this asterism, hugging the border with Monoceros, one will easily find this bright open cluster. In dark areas it may be glimpsed with the naked eye as a small fuzzy glow, and is certainly easy in optical finders and small aperture scopes. It is a bit loose and straggling across its field, but easily apparent in the sky, dominated by a narrow wedge of 8th and 9th mag stars flowing southeast-northwest. There are numerous dimmer stars dotting the field. Though not a visually stunning object, it is not a disappointment either.

Discovered by Charles Messier in 1771, he described it as a "cluster of very faint stars, without nebulosity; this cluster is a short distance from the three stars that form the beginning of the Unicorn's tail." However, he poorly calculated its position and it remained a lost object of his for nearly two centuries. It was independently discovered by both Johannes Bode and Caroline Herschel, the latter of whom was erroneously given credit in the NGC by Dreyer. Eventually the snafu was worked out and Messier is given due credit for its discovery.

NGC 2683 (Lynx, spiral galaxy, mag=9.8, size=9.3’x2.1’, SBr=12.8):
This bright spiral galaxy was discovered by William Herschel in 1788, who called it “a beautiful object” and noted its elongated shape and that its brightness was cutoff suddenly along its side, which is indicative of the presence of heavy dust obscuration along the northwestern edge of its core area. Its eerie appearance in deep images garnered it the nickname of the “UFO Galaxy.” Tilted southwest to northeast, it appears as an elongated glow that can appear mottled and unevenly illuminated due to the dustiness of the arms. Its southwestern extension is brighter and more prominent than is the northeastern portion. Because of the dustiness northwest of the core, this lends it an uneven appearance along its major axis. From dark locations it can be very bright and particularly in medium to large aperture, reveal some curious detail. Even in a typical suburban area, it is not difficult with medium sized apertures and one can also begin to glimpse hints of its interesting structure. Give it a look and see just how much of its unusual appearance your eye can pick up.

NGC 2371/72 (Gemini, planetary nebula, mag=11.2, size=1.2’x0.9’, SBr=11.0):
This interesting bipolar (two-lobed) planetary is affectionately called the “Double Bubble” and sometimes the “Peanut Nebula.:” Discovered by William Herschel in 1785, he saw it as two distinct objects in very close proximity. That is the reason it was later put into the NGC as two objects, though in fact, it is a single object. In medium to large apertures one can see two knots of brightness (the two lobes) oriented southwest-northeast inside of a dim halo. With larger aperture one may catch a glimpse of the mag 14.9 central star more or less equally placed between the two lobes. If you have an O-III line filter, you can get a better visual presentation, but even a narrow-band nebula filter will be beneficial. The Double Bubble is indeed a very curious object and is a good challenge of your observing skills, particularly in areas of increased sky glow.


Southern Celestial Hemisphere

Messier 46 / NGC 2437 (Puppis, open cluster, mag=6.1, size=20.0, class=III2m:
This open cluster is easily found using binoculars, presenting an obvious fuzzy concentration of light. In a telescope its true nature becomes readily apparent as a dense round evenly clustering of dimmer stellar points. Though the cluster contains just over a dozen stars of 10th magnitude, the bulk of its stars are in the 11th to 13th magnitude range. While overall bright, the multitude of dimmer stars gives it a smooth and evenly illuminated look. I find it a rich conglomeration of stars, but not as in your face as some other clusters, such as nearby M47 to its WNW (which you should also check out). Discovered in 1771 by Charles Messier, it was also observed by Caroline, William and John Herschel, with William describing it as "a beautiful, very rich, compressed cluster of stars of various magnitudes." This cluster also presents us with an added bonus. For that, see the next object, and enjoy both.

NGC 2438 (Puppis, planetary nebula, mag=10.8, size=1.3’, SBr=11.1):
Seemingly swimming among the stars in the northern portion of Messier 46, keep an eye out for this nice planetary nebula. Discovered in 1786 by William Herschel he commented that it had no connection with the cluster since the cluster itself was free of nebulosity. While it is easy to assume that the planetary is within the cluster, it is known to be a foreground object. In smaller apertures it may not always be so easy to discern against the dizzying backdrop of dim cluster stars. Using either a narrow-band nebula filter or O-III line filter will help out with that task. Once you have affixed its position within the cluster field, try removing the filter and you should be able to see it without the filter. In larger apertures it is quite apparent against the cluster’s stars and can present hints of annular structure. One may notice a 13th magnitude star just northwest of its center, but this is not the true central star, which is a white dwarf of magnitude 17.5. I have always found it intriguing when two different types of DSOs are in such close proximity and I hope you enjoy this dynamic duo.

NGC 2442/43 (Volans, barred spiral galaxy, mag=10.4, size=5.5’x4.9’, SBr=13.8):
We now swing deep into the southern sky for this very interesting and beautiful barred spiral galaxy. Located within Volans the flying fish, it was discovered by John Herschel in 1834 who noted “A double nebula; very large.” The double nebula he described was because his initial impression was of the southwestern and northeastern sections of the galaxy separated by a stellar presence (the core). During subsequent observations Herschel did determine this was one larger “nebula” rather than two smaller ones. However, Dreyer erroneously kept the two distinct NGC numbers in his catalogue.

Informally known as the “meat-hook galaxy” due to its hooked appearance in deep images, it can display a bright core set within a thick diaphanous bar shaped body. The hooked arms are more difficult typically, but can be glimpsed with larger aperture. Images of this curious object are entrancing and tickle the imagination with its “S” shaped envelope.


And that wraps it up for another month. I hope you get as many opportunities to commune with the night sky as possible. It can be a time of peace, a time of introspective thought. Engaging the night sky can be ethereal and a source of visceral emotions, as we engage something so immense and unfathomable.
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
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"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)
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

#2

Post by Gordon »


I should be able capture some images of the Northern challenge sometime this month if the sky continues to co-operate.
Gordon
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED80CF, Skywatcher 200 Quattro Imaging Newt, SeeStar S50 for EAA.
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

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Post by helicon »


Looks good Alan. I will try to get out there asap and observe some of these objects, I especially like M46 and NGC 2438. I have yet to see NGC 2683.
-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
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

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helicon wrote: Sat Feb 05, 2022 7:54 pm Looks good Alan. I will try to get out there asap and observe some of these objects, I especially like M46 and NGC 2438. I have yet to see NGC 2683.

Thank you Michael. Good luck with your observations. I am over at our dark site presently for a couple of nights. After winter storm Landon passed through we have clear skies. So expecting above average transparency and good seeing. Unfortunately it is now 19F out, so will be a couple of chilly outings! :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)
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

#5

Post by kt4hx »


Gordon wrote: Sat Feb 05, 2022 6:14 pm I should be able capture some images of the Northern challenge sometime this month if the sky continues to co-operate.
Good luck Gordon. Look forward to seeing your results.
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)
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

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Post by helicon »


Had a short and sweet session last night. Originally I had the Onesky out for a quick jaunt in Auriga but I decided to haul out the Dob and look at M46 and NGC 2438. I counted around 100 stars in M46, give or take a few, at 45x with some fainter members just at the threshold of observation. The cluster is supposed to have around 500 members. With that level of magnification I couldn't make out the planetary, but ramping up to 135x I was able to catch a glimpse of it. Briefly Lepus was visible through the trees, so observing through the barren branches I caught M79, first in the 15x70's and then in the Dob. It got obstructed very quickly but at least I can chalk it up as a success this winter.
-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
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

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Post by kt4hx »


helicon wrote: Sun Feb 06, 2022 2:05 pm Had a short and sweet session last night. Originally I had the Onesky out for a quick jaunt in Auriga but I decided to haul out the Dob and look at M46 and NGC 2438. I counted around 100 stars in M46, give or take a few, at 45x with some fainter members just at the threshold of observation. The cluster is supposed to have around 500 members. With that level of magnification I couldn't make out the planetary, but ramping up to 135x I was able to catch a glimpse of it. Briefly Lepus was visible through the trees, so observing through the barren branches I caught M79, first in the 15x70's and then in the Dob. It got obstructed very quickly but at least I can chalk it up as a success this winter.

Great Michael, glad you were able to get out and so some observing. M46 is indeed an amazing cluster that is wall to wall with stars. I saw all the objects except for NGC 2442 in Volans of course, last night. I will be heading back out again after while. At least its not quite as cold, about 28 at the moment rather than 19 when I ventured forth last night. I already filed my report for last night's outing.
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)
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

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Post by John Baars »


You would say that all good things come in three stages. The first two nights it was possible in February, I had smoothly forgotten about NGC 2371. Tonight, however, I didn't and was able to see the field it is in. But no matter what I did, slewing, zooming in and out, ducking deep under a observation hood, it was to no avail.
Although it seemed reasonably clear, the more elaborate weather prediction programs predicted some veil between the quite present cloud fields. As a result, the sky background in the eyepiece continued to show patches of gray. They kept on coming. After checking the Pleiades for limiting magnitude I knew for sure; the deepest I could get with the 140mm Maksutov was magn.11. Too short for NGC 2371.
But at least I can say I tried.
If there are some open skies left in February, I ll try M48. That is safer. :lol:
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
Amateur astronomer since 1970.
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

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Post by kt4hx »


John Baars wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 10:21 pm You would say that all good things come in three stages. The first two nights it was possible in February, I had smoothly forgotten about NGC 2371. Tonight, however, I didn't and was able to see the field it is in. But no matter what I did, slewing, zooming in and out, ducking deep under a observation hood, it was to no avail.
Although it seemed reasonably clear, the more elaborate weather prediction programs predicted some veil between the quite present cloud fields. As a result, the sky background in the eyepiece continued to show patches of gray. They kept on coming. After checking the Pleiades for limiting magnitude I knew for sure; the deepest I could get with the 140mm Maksutov was magn.11. Too short for NGC 2371.
But at least I can say I tried.
If there are some open skies left in February, I ll try M48. That is safer. :lol:

Yes you did give it a very good try John. Given your conditions and the object's visual magnitude and surface brightness it seems it would have at best been a threshold object for you. Under better conditions you should be able to pick it up. If you have one, either a narrow-band nebula or O-III filter would be helpful of course.
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)
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

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kt4hx wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 1:51 pmYes you did give it a very good try John. Given your conditions and the object's visual magnitude and surface brightness it seems it would have at best been a threshold object for you. Under better conditions you should be able to pick it up. If you have one, either a narrow-band nebula or O-III filter would be helpful of course.
Well, I tried again this evening. Limiting magnitude using the same instrument as yesterday was 12.2 in the Pleiades. On a point source that is...
I used my OIII filter this time. I forgot to ask the citizens of my hometown to turn out the lights :D . So it was still a no. M48, on the other hand, is a nice open star cluster! :lol:
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
Amateur astronomer since 1970.
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

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Post by kt4hx »


John Baars wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 9:25 pm
kt4hx wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 1:51 pmYes you did give it a very good try John. Given your conditions and the object's visual magnitude and surface brightness it seems it would have at best been a threshold object for you. Under better conditions you should be able to pick it up. If you have one, either a narrow-band nebula or O-III filter would be helpful of course.
Well, I tried again this evening. Limiting magnitude using the same instrument as yesterday was 12.2 in the Pleiades. On a point source that is...
I used my OIII filter this time. I forgot to ask the citizens of my hometown to turn out the lights :D . So it was still a no. M48, on the other hand, is a nice open star cluster! :lol:

Glad you were able to get some more reach, but sorry the Double-Bubble was still a no show. I thought you might snag it, even if dim and small. I admit the smallest aperture I have personally attempted it with is my 10 inch and it was easy with the filter. However, I have seen a sketch of it from someone using a 150mm Mak at 300x.

M48 is indeed a nice cluster, but not one I see people talk about much.
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)
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

#12

Post by John Baars »


NGC 2683 was seen this evening with the 6 inch refractor. NGC2371 was tried again with an OIII filter. One moment I had a clue with averted vision in the right place. But one brief observation is not enough for me to give a positive yes. Hopefully March will give some transparent nights to give more certainty. After that I will give up. :D
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
Amateur astronomer since 1970.
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

#13

Post by Piet Le Roux »


Thanks for the DSO challenge Alan,
We had some open sky last night and I gave the Southern challenge a go from my backyard in the city. There was a bit of cloud cover, seeling 3/5 and transparency 3/5, 8" Meade LX90ACF : M46/NGC 2437 was not a problem and the different coloured stars were clearly visible but I could only just see a faint blob in the bottom of my eyepiece that supposed was NGC 2438 but could not be sure, I then remembered your suggestion of a 0-III filter and placed mine on a 27mm panoptic and suddenly I could clearly see NGC 2438. I then gave NGC 2442/43 a go but no luck, not even a slight hint that it was there, I did a manual sync on a nearby star and tried again but no luck. As soon as we have completly clear skies I will drive to a fellow club member's farm south of the city and add NGC 2442/43 to my list of objects to observe.
Main Equipment : Tele Vue 27mm Panoptic, 7&13mm Nagler, Big Barlow : 8" Meade LX90ACF with Meade 2.0" Enhanced Diagonal : Camera Fuji XT100
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

#14

Post by Piet Le Roux »


PS It has come to my attention that there is another nebula close to M46, the Calabash protoplanetary nebula (it has no M or NGC number) So you could have three diffent types of objects in your eyepiece at once at 150 magnification!
M46_NGC 2438.png
I would have to revised these objects!
Main Equipment : Tele Vue 27mm Panoptic, 7&13mm Nagler, Big Barlow : 8" Meade LX90ACF with Meade 2.0" Enhanced Diagonal : Camera Fuji XT100
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

#15

Post by kt4hx »


That is correct Piet. This proto-planetary will likely become a dual-lobed planetary as it matures. It is known by the catalogue names of OH231.8+4.2 and CRL 5237. But of course more popularly the "Calabash Nebula" or the "Rotten Egg Nebula." It is a much more difficult object visually than is NGC 2438. Thanks for mentioning it as I had forgotten about actually. Its progenitor star is QX Puppis. If you go to the Wikipedia page of the nebula (link below) you can see some professional images. I particularly find the one with both NGC 2438 and the Calabash very interesting. It gives a good impression of how they compare visually.

Thank you Piet for reminding us of this object as it relates to the ones highlighted this month. :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calabash_Nebula
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
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"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)
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

#16

Post by helicon »


I'd love to go for the Calabash but it's probably too faint and impacted by LP from my backyard.
-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
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

#17

Post by John Baars »


This evening was very transparent. Seeïng above mediocre. I was out with my 120mm Evostar. After practicing on NGC 2022 in Orion and later on NGC2420 In Gemini of course I went for NGC 2371. I had to know if under ideal circumstances ( apart from other urban lights than my personal streetlight, which was out) it would be possible. So this was the time. It took me some time to create my own optimum circumstances. So I stayed hidden under my observation hood for more than 20 minutes, used averted vision, slewing and zooming to explore the area. After a while, two very faint specks of light appeared with a condensation of light ( not stars) in both centers. Finally it was there!
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
Amateur astronomer since 1970.
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

#18

Post by Unitron48 »


Great list, Alan! Missed reading this challenge, but did get all but NGC 2371/72 and NGC 2442/43 with either my SVX127D or the 20 inch Obsession!

Looking forward to the March Challenge!

Dave
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

#19

Post by kt4hx »


John Baars wrote: Thu Mar 03, 2022 10:30 pm This evening was very transparent. Seeïng above mediocre. I was out with my 120mm Evostar. After practicing on NGC 2022 in Orion and later on NGC2420 In Gemini of course I went for NGC 2371. I had to know if under ideal circumstances ( apart from other urban lights than my personal streetlight, which was out) it would be possible. So this was the time. It took me some time to create my own optimum circumstances. So I stayed hidden under my observation hood for more than 20 minutes, used averted vision, slewing and zooming to explore the area. After a while, two very faint specks of light appeared with a condensation of light ( not stars) in both centers. Finally it was there!
Excellent John! I really like your patience and tenacity. You knew you could do it, and you did it! Great job and congrats on pulling it down. :clap:
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)
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Re: TSS Monthly DSO Challenge – February 2022

#20

Post by kt4hx »


Unitron48 wrote: Thu Mar 03, 2022 11:26 pm Great list, Alan! Missed reading this challenge, but did get all but NGC 2371/72 and NGC 2442/43 with either my SVX127D or the 20 inch Obsession!

Looking forward to the March Challenge!

Dave

Thank you Dave. Glad to see you had some success with the list and look forward to more of your input. :)
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)
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