A look in the rearview mirror, with a southern perspective

[kt4hx]

Inspired by Andrey's "Looking Back" report from 2016, I glanced at my reports from a few years ago and came across this one that was shared at the old forum back in January of 2017. This report was from one of my many business trips over the years, and was from a location just south of the equator using my ED80 refractor. The local conditions were about Bortle 5, but near the ocean so I had to deal with the marine layer, many trees and persistent ground lighting on the compound. Nonetheless I still had a view of the southern sky that I hadn't had previously and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to observe some from a more southerly latitude at various times over the years. Anyway, fond memories, particularly now that I am fully retired and not making such trips any longer. I hope you enjoy my own trip down memory lane.

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Observing Report for 20 January 2017

It looked to be another night of cloud boxing, but nonetheless I gathered my gear and headed outside after work for a couple of hours more or less. It was not unusual for me to be waiting between five and ten minutes for the part of the sky I was working in to clear out. Sometimes this occurred while I was observing an object and I had to wait, reacquire the object then continue on. This makes for a frustrating and broken session. However, it is still infinitely better than no opportunity at all. So let’s get to it, for another interesting outing under a southern sky.

NGC 1901 (Dorado, Open Cluster, mag=6.4, size=15.0’):
This time around I wanted to venture into the celestial dolphinfish to pin down my 86th constellation. I first located the triangle formed by mag 3.8 Beta and 4.4 Delta Doradus, plus 4.7 HD 40409 (or 36 Doradus as plotted in Interstellarum). I then swept SSW about 3.5° from Delta to mag 4.8 Theta using 26x. Here I slowly slid SSE for about 1° to a pair of 8th magnitude stars that lie just outside the plotted edges of the cluster and point to it. Within the field of the cluster I noted its two main stars, one of 7th and one of 8th magnitude. Viewing at 40x I added two 9th mag stars in the cluster field that formed a thin diamond pattern with the 7th and 8th mag stars already spotted. The sky in this direction was murky, due to thin tendrils of clouds passing through and the ever present marine layer. So I never did get a substantive observation of this object at 71x, but did confirm the primary diamond pattern as plotted in Interstellarum. This is a foreground object in our galaxy that is imposed against the backdrop of the LMC. (New object, new constellation)

NGC 2070 (Dorado, Emission Nebula, mag=8.3, size=40.0’):
To be honest, having been unable to see the LMC visually thus far due to the pasty appearance of my lower southern declinations, I wasn’t too sure about this object. This gargantuan object is considered to be the largest known emission nebula. It is known by other names such as the Tarantula Nebula, 30 Doradus and also Caldwell 103, and I read once that if this enormous nebula were within our galaxy at the same distance as M42 (Orion Nebula) that it would extend over an area twice the size of the Big Dipper asterism – now that is huge! Anyway, since the thin clouds were giving me some fits with NGC 1901 I decided to give this one a shot. Moving slowly eastward from the cluster, I passed over a 6th magnitude star, then a little over 1° beyond it I found a 7th mag star, and surprisingly enough, even through some thin clouds, less than half a degree SSE of this star was a small, round nebulous patch, easily seen through the clouds and without a filter at 26x. I admit I was stunned. Even under the conditions I was observing it, low in the sky through clouds and muck, it was much brighter visually than was M42 near the zenith away from clouds and the marine layer. And it isn’t even in our galaxy! I quickly tried both the DGM NPB and my Orion O-III filters. It reacted to both, though seemingly more with the O-III, which is what the Interstellarum recommends. But again it was easy without a filter. I checked it at 40x and 71x, and it was rounded, but irregularly so, with an intensely bright center. Using either filter it did become visually larger, but for the most part I was seeing its center and losing any of its dimmer extended portions to the sky conditions. Though I did not see the embedded open cluster, NGC 2060, its impact was quite evident in the brightness I was seeing. So wow, this really excited me and made my struggles all the more worthwhile! Now if I could just get the clarity to actually see the LMC that would be the pinnacle. (New object)

Alessi 3 (Puppis, Open Cluster, mag=4.6, size=72.0’):
Still juiced from my previous observation, and with a new constellation notched into my belt, I decided it was time to get up and out of some of the haziness of the down low. Aiming the scope at Canopus I moved 3.5° northeast to find mag 2.9 Tau Puppis. From there I continued northeast for another 5.5° to an east-west curved line of three stars (4.5, 5.7 & 5.6) and I was at my target. At 26x it presented 10 to 12 stars ranging from 5th to 8th magnitude, in a bit of a scattered appearance. At 40x, I was picking up a couple more dimmer stars near its center that gave it a bit of a boxy appearance with some of the brighter stars. The middle of this box seemed empty. Viewing at 71x a couple more dim pinpricks of light winked into view, while at 107x I had about around 20 stars total, with a curvy line of dimmer stars forming one side of the central boxy pattern that still remained mostly starless. A curious cluster that seemed to reveal a little more with each magnification bump. (New object)

Alessi J0644.7-4658 (Puppis, Asterism, size=56.0’):
Sighting in on Canopus I swept NNE just west of a line of three stars (4th, 5th & 6th), and continued on for about 5° to a NE-SW pair of stars of 4th and 6th magnitude. Passing over them I easily swept up this interesting grouping. When viewing at 26x I immediately picked up eight stars dominated by five of 7th and 8th mag that, to my eye, formed a small scorpion shape, with curved body and pinchers. The anchor star of this group, HD 49259 (mag 7.5) was the middle star of the curved tail. Using 40x I noted about 11 or 12 stars peppering the field, and at 71x there seemed to be another one or two stars pushing through. I found this an attractive grouping, with enough brighter stars to catch one’s attention and make it stand out well from the field. (New object)

Alessi-Teutsch 3 (Puppis, Open Cluster, mag=6.6, size=35.0’):
Moving back into Carina, I sighted the Rigel finder on mag 1.8 Epsilon Carinae (Avior), a beautiful reddish star. Slowly slipping northward, I passed over a north-south pair of stars, then a little further on another similar pair, and yet a little further on another similar pair of north-south pointing stars. At this point I was nearly 6° north of Avior. I then turned west.for about 3° to pick up mag 3.5 Chi Carinae, about 2° south of the Puppis-Vela border with Carina. Just west of this star I found a box of four stars (6th & 7th mag). This cluster includes the southwestern corner star of this box and its surrounding area. I viewed this object from 26x to 142x, and the most I could glean from it was the main star (7.3) and a small triangle of three stars (9th & 10th) and another 9th mag star nearby. I found it poor and visually difficult in the 80mm. (New object)

Alessi 93 (Puppis, Asterism, size=30.0’):
Moving back to Chi Carinae, I easily found this asterism just over half a degree NNE of the star. At 26x the first impression I got was a right scalene triangle of three stars (7th & 8th) pointing southeast. Upon further scrutiny, I noted a 9th mag star in the other corner turning it into a rectangle tilted southeast-northwest (or southwest-northeast if you wish). Regardless, the corner stars were at the cardinal points. There seemed to be hints of another star or two trying to push through, one within the box and the other near the northern corner star. Using 40x, there were indeed six stars total, with a 9th mag star within the box towards the western side, and another of 9th mag just east of the star at the northern corner. At 71x I now had eight stars with an additional one in the middle, and the 8th mag star at the northern corner split to reveal a 9th magnitude companion. The anchor star HD 66080 (mag 7.5) lies at the southern corner of the box. All in all this was an obvious grouping that while interesting to some degree, was pretty basic, without anything more dramatic than a box. However, the split of the northern corner star was unexpected and quite fun to see happen. (New object)

NGC 2867 (Carina, Planetary Nebula, mag=9.7, size=24.0”, SBr=7.4):
Moving back to Avior, I then slid further east to mag 2.3 Iota Carinae (Aspidiske). Just half a degree northeast of the star was a curved line of three stars (7th & 8th) that pointed to the northeast at a diamond of four 8th magnitude stars lying on its side and oriented east-west. The planetary lies just north of the western-most star in the diamond, but at 26x I didn’t detect anything. Using 40x, I suspected something was there using the DGM filter. Going ahead to 71x without the filter I had two pinpricks of light lying close to one another slightly canted from a true east-west direction. Putting the filter in-line I now got a sense that that one star was slightly bloated, and could not be focused to a point like the one next to it or the few others in the field. Using 107x, I had the same impression, one stellar and one slightly bloated. The central star is of mag 14.5, so that was definitely out the question in this case, and I did not see the trademark blue color that this planetary can display with more aperture. It just seemed like a small and slightly fuzzy star that would not come to focus. (New object)

Streicher 7 (Carina, Asterism, size=6.0’x4.0’):
I again moved back to Avior, because while looking at Interstellarum chart 105-left I noticed this tiny asterism in southwestern Carina not too far from the border with Volans. It was labeled with the nickname “Tiny Southern Cross”. Now this I just had to see. Though Crux was above the horizon, I couldn’t see it for the trees, so I had contented myself with the “False Cross” comprised of Epsilon Carinae and Kappa Velorum as the long portion, with Iota Carinae and Delta Velorum forming the crosspiece. Back at Avior (Epsilon Carinae) I slipped WSW to easily pick up the nice open cluster NGC 2516 (more on that one in a moment). My target was found almost 1.5° to the SSE between a pair of stars (7th & 8th) and a small triangle of stars (7th & 8th). At 26x I found three stars, the anchor star HD 65191 at mag 7.8, plus one of 8.0 and a tiny little diamond of 8.9 mag. I stepped through my magnifications, 40x, 71x, 102x and finally 142x, and I simply could not see the fourth star to complete the cross. In checking Sky Tools 3, I found the star I was seeking is of mag 10.5 but I just could not detect it. In ST3 it indeed looks like a “Tiny Southern Cross”, but sadly I could not see it in its entirety. But on a better night, I may well try again. (New object)


This brings me to my final object of the session. I observed this cluster on the 6th of April last year from this location with the same scope (or so I thought). After I spotted NGC 2516 the other evening with binoculars, I looked at my previous description and was immediately dumbfounded by what I had written – “My eye first detected an arrowhead shape of four stars pointing southwest. Just off its tip was a small concentration of stars, which is actually the cluster. With more aperture I feel it might be an interesting view if one could bust up that little knot of stars.”

After having informally looked at it during my comings and goings past Avior it left me scratching my brain for an explanation as to why I seemed to indicate that I couldn’t resolve the cluster. Then it finally dawned on me to take a closer look that report from last year, and I found that was my first report, which was done with 10x50 binoculars and I never did re-visit the cluster with the 80mm. So click, the light came on – so that is why I said what I said. Oy vey! So as my last object this evening, I took a better look at this nice cluster with the 80mm, and here is what I found….


NGC 2516 (Carina, Open Cluster, mag=3.8, size=29.0’):
Just over 3° SSW of Iota Carinae (Avior) this is a bright and majestic cluster. The same arrowhead shape I saw with binoculars is still obvious. But in the 80mm at 26x the cluster now explodes with activity. I was seeing over 20 stars scattered around the view, but yet displaying density. Using 40x I was seeing nearly 30 stars and at 71x there were near to if not over 40 stars in the rich field. There were several pairs, lines and geometric figures seen in this sprinkle of fireflies, and it seemed to be split into two portions, northern and southern. The two parts were not separated by a void, but by some dimmer members. Both parts seemed to have at least a vague triangular shape, but I noted in the bottom southern section that the brighter stars had a coat hanger like appearance, vaguely reminiscent of Collinder 399 (Brocchi’s Cluster) in Sagitta. This was a stunningly beautiful cluster that was strongly detached and quite rich. This is one of the true gems of the southern skies.


So, there we are, another session in the books. Again fraught with clouds, yucky atmosphere and all the light pollution and ambient light anyone could want! Regardless, it was time well spent under the amazing skies south of the equator. See you out there soon.

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Thanks for coming along as I look back and smile at a past session with a southern perspective.

[helicon]

Nice historical report Alan and a worthy VROD winner for the day!

[John Baars]

Nice report from six years ago!!
Congratulations on the VROD!

[Bigzmey]

Nice blast from the past Alan! I remember reading your reports from below the equator on AF. Congrats on the VROD!

[Unitron48]

Nice blast from the past Alan! I remember reading your reports from below the equator on AF. Congrats on the VROD!

Ditto here!

Dave

[Makuser]

Hi Alan. Another great report from the archives and this time of your trip to the southern hemisphere. You grabbed a lot of nice targets that we here in the north can't see. Thanks for your well written report from the past Alan and congratulations on receiving the TSS VROD Award today.

[kt4hx]

Nice historical report Alan and a worthy VROD winner for the day!

Thank you Michael. It was a nice trip through past endeavors since I've not had any opportunity of late to do any observing.

Nice report from six years ago!!
Congratulations on the VROD!

Thank you John. Time sure does move by fast now, as it seems impossible it was that long ago!

Nice blast from the past Alan! I remember reading your reports from below the equator on AF. Congrats on the VROD!

Thank you Andrey. It was always a treat to get those opportunities to delve a little deeper to the south. I only wish I'd had access to my larger scopes at the time!

Nice blast from the past Alan! I remember reading your reports from below the equator on AF. Congrats on the VROD!

Ditto here!

Dave

Thank you Dave!

Hi Alan. Another great report from the archives and this time of your trip to the southern hemisphere. You grabbed a lot of nice targets that we here in the north can't see. Thanks for your well written report from the past Alan and congratulations on receiving the TSS VROD Award today.

Thank you Marshall. Its always fun to delve back into observations of the past to bring back good memories.

[Ylem]

Very nice report Alan, I always bring a scope when doing any type of traveling, even if it's to an urban area.

Congratulations on the well deserved VROD.

[kt4hx]

Very nice report Alan, I always bring a scope when doing any type of traveling, even if it's to an urban area.

Congratulations on the well deserved VROD.

Thank you Jeff. I particularly took a scope when I had occasion to travel to more southern locations for work assignments. I was very lucky to have some access to the southern skies and saw some wonderful stuff at or below my normal horizon. It was certainly worth the effort to carry my gear with me for sure!