9/17/2022
Location: Anza desert site,
Bortle 4.0.
Equipment: Celestron 9.25” Edge HD
SCT on
SW SkyTee 2 manual AltAz mount.
EPs:
Pentax XW 10mm 70 deg (235x, 1.0mm exit pupil, 0.30 deg TFV).
Pentax XW 14mm 70 deg (168x, 1.4mm exit pupil, 0.42 deg TFV).
Pentax XW 20mm, 70 deg (118x, 2.0mm exit pupil, 0.60 deg TFV).
TV Plossl 32mm, 50 deg (73x, 3.2mm exit pupil, 0.68 deg TFV).
Thankfully, Cal Fire firefighters did the great job getting the Fairview Fire under control. All travel restrictions and evacuation orders were lifted, and I was able to resume observing from my dark site in the Anza desert.
The site is located on the hill overlooking the valley surrounded by mountains. The desert valley floor is home to a few scattered ranches. On occasion one of the ranches would have a holiday party with live music. Typically, I could not tell which ranch since they are quite far, but the music would fill the whole valley. Most of the time it is mariachi music, but last Friday they were having a birthday party for a 21-year-old boy and surprisingly the live band was performing a mix of rock oldies and country songs. The band was quite good, and I was enjoying the live music while observing.
Nature, however, likes to keep things in balance, and to prevent me from having too much fun it threw a curveball of high humidity. Both, seeing and transparency were subpair, Milky Way was subdued, Jupiter had a halo around, and heavy dew was precipitating. Still the sky was clear and dark enough, the dew shields were holding, and I proceeded with galaxy hunt. This night Capricornus was calling my name.
Capricornus galaxies
NGC 6912 – spiral galaxy, mag 13.2, size 1.4' x 1.1', SB 13.4 – very faint spot (118x, 168x).
IC 1319 - spiral galaxy – mag 13.8, size 48" x 30", SB 12.5 – tiny faint oval (235x).
IC 1322 – lenticular galaxy – mag 14.1, size 54" x 24", SB 12.7 – FAIL - I may have spotted a very faint spec but was not confident enough to call it.
IC 1328 – spiral galaxy – mag 14.1, size 48" x 24", SB 12.6 – another FAIL.
IC 1337 – spiral galaxy – mag 13.8, size 48" x 36", SB 12.7 – extremely faint spot detected with AV by moving
EP (235x).
IC 1339 – spiral galaxy – mag 13.2, size 1.4' x 48", SB 13.1 - very faint oval (118x).
IC 1386 – elliptical galaxy – mag 13.1, size 1.5' x 1.1', SB 13.4 - very faint oval (118x).
IC 1412 - lenticular galaxy – mag 13.5, size 54" x 24", SB 12.1 – faint elongated oval with stellar core (118x, 168x).
IC 4999 – spiral galaxy – mag 12.5, size 1.8' x 1.1', SB 13.0 – very faint oval detected with AV by shaking
EP (118x).
IC 5005 – spiral galaxy – mag 12.7, size 1.9' x 1.6', SB 13.6 – very faint wide oval with AV (118x, 168x).
IC 5078 – spiral galaxy – mag 12.7, size 4.1' x 48", SB 13.7 – faint elongated glow with AV embedded within a tight group of four stars (73x).
IC 5088 - lenticular galaxy – mag 13.2, size 1.2' x 1.1', SB 13.2 – very faint round disk (118x).
NGC 6897 – spiral galaxy – mag 13.8, size 54" x 30", SB 12.7 – small, faint elongated oval (168x).
NGC 6898 – spiral galaxy – mag 13.1, size 1.2' x 42", SB 12.7 – small faint disk in the same
FOV with
NGC 6897 (168x).
NGC 6903 - elliptical galaxy – mag 11.9, size 1.5' x 1.5', SB 12.5 – faint oval glow with AV around star (118x).
NGC 6924 - elliptical galaxy – mag 12.8, size 2' x 1.7', SB 13.9 – faint wide oval with brighter central area (118x).
NGC 6931 – spiral galaxy – mag 13.5, size 1' x 24", SB 12.2 – small faint elongated oval (168x).
NGC 6936 - elliptical galaxy – mag 12.7, size 1.8' x 1', SB 13.1 – faint elongated oval with AV (168x).
NGC 6986 - elliptical galaxy – mag 13.5, size 1' x 36", SB 12.7 – small faint elongated oval with AV (168x).
NGC 6993 – spiral galaxy – mag 13.1, size 1.2' x 1', SB 13.0 – wide, extremely faint oval with AV (168x).
NGC 7016 (mag 13.7, size 48" x 48", SB 13.0) and
NGC 7018 (mag 13.4, size 1.3' x 48", SB 13.2) - elliptical galaxies – two extremely faint AV spots in the same
FOV (168x).
NGC 7017 - lenticular galaxy – mag 13.8, size 36" x 30", SB 12.2 – FAIL. Should be next to
NGC 7016. I have tried range of powers but was not able to get even a slightest hint. Why despite having higher surface brightness it was not resolved, but
NGC 7016 and
NGC 7018 were? The only thing I can think of is that
NGC 7017 is the smallest among the three, and the smaller you get the more good seeing becomes a factor. And seeing was quite bad.
NGC 7030 – spiral galaxy – mag 13.7, size 54" x 42", SB 12.9 – faint small, elongated spot with AV (235x).
NGC 7104 - elliptical galaxy – mag 14.2, size 42" x 36", SB 13.0 – extremely faint small round spot with AV (168x, 235x). Why this one was resolved, and
NGC 7017 was not? Yep.
M30 – globular cluster – mag 6.9, size 8.9’, SB 11.6 – one cannot observe in Capricornus without stopping by this
gem. It was gorgeous, resolved to the core and rich in details at all used powers (118x, 168x, 235x). At 118x however, more of fainter peripheral glow was visible.
This was my most comprehensive session in Capricornus to date. The only two other targets I have observed in the past were galaxy
NGC 6907 and glob Pal 12. I actually run out of targets to observe in Capricornus. So, if anyone (looks at Alan
) knows any galaxies mag 14+ or brighter not listed above, do share.