The temperature when I went out was about 37° F (3° C) and fortunately no wind. I was bundled up and headed out around 1930, after astronomical darkness had settled in for the night. I looked around the sky and it was filled with stars, always a nice thing to see. The winter Milky Way band was very noticeable, indicating transparency was pretty good.
Tonight I sort of winged a bit, with no real plan. So I touched briefly in Eridanus, moved into Orion for a little bit, then finished up in Cancer. With the Uranometria open on the table, red light at hand, let’s begin this evening’s journey. You will notice in my equipment below I added in the
(Equipment used)
17.5 inch
Ethos 13mm (152x, 0.7° TFOV, 2.9mm exit pupil)
XW 10mm (199x, 0.4° TFOV, 2.2mm exit pupil)
XW 7mm (283x, 0.2° TFOV, 1.6mm exit pupil)
Uranometria All-Sky Edition (plus red light)
I aimed the scope using the Rigel Quikfinder at bright magnitude 2.8 Cursa (Beta Eridani) and had the atlas open to chart 117. In the corner where Eridanus abuts Orion, not quite 4 °I picked up my first object , which was found about 45’ northwest of Omega. With 152x it was easily seen as a small and dim thin oval that was smoothly illuminated. Then at 199x, it revealed an intermittent stellar core within the disk. I noted it was situated inside of a small dim triangle of three stars (one of 11th and two of 13th mag). As an aside, this object was misidentified in Uranometria as
Moving east of Omega I easily spotted 62 Eri (mag 5.5) in the finder. Just over half a degree WNE of the latter star I picked up this small and dim diffuse glow using 152x. Oval in shape it was homogeneous to the eye. More apparent at 199x, it remained a dim and smooth little oval. (New)
This previously observed galaxy was noticed in the same
Another previously observed object in the
I now crossed over into Orion for a brief foray before moving over to Cancer. A little over 2° northwest of Cursa I picked up this spiral using 152x. It lay near close to a couple of galaxies I had picked about three years ago. However, at that time I was using the IDSA atlas and it did not plot this dimmer galaxy, which I failed to notice. So revisiting the field, I easily spotted the pair I’d observed prior (
MCG -1-13-50 (Orion, spiral galaxy, mag=13.4, size=2.7’x0.4’, SBr=13.3):
About 27’ ENE of the previous object I picked up this one using 152x. It presented as a small and slightly dim homogenous oval disk next to s faint 13.9 mag field star at its western tip. Using 199x it was more apparent, but remained smoothly illuminated. (New)
Since I had not observed this object in over eight years, and it was nearby, I stopped in for a little peek. At 152x it was an obvious object in the field. It appeared as a bright and somewhat large rounded diffuse glow. The mag 10.1 star TYC 04754-1474 1 was easily seen embedded at the center of the reflection nebula, while mag 9.8 TYC 04754-1473 1 was easily spotted at its northern edge. This is indeed one of the brightest and more obvious reflection nebulae up there, and is always fun to track down.
MCG 0-14-10 (Orion, compact galaxy, mag=13.3, size=0.7’x0.5’, SBr=12.0):
Just over a degree northeast of
MCG -1-14-7 (Orion, lenticular galaxy, mag=13.9, size=0.5’x0.5’, SBr=12.3):
Nearly 1.5° southeast of the last object I picked up this fairly dim and small rounded glow. At 152x it was evenly illuminated across its disk, and remained thus at 199x. Visually it was a weak object, but still not difficult. (New)
UGC 3301 (Orion, barred lenticular galaxy, mag=14.2, size=1.3’x0.9’, SBr=14.3):
Nudging to the northeast, I spotted 22 Orionis (mag 4.7), then focused my attention to its northeast and just west of mag 5.7 HD 35299, also in the
UGC 3283 (Orion, spiral galaxy, mag=15.1, size=1.5’x0.2’, SBr=13.6):
Backtracking to the southwest a little I picked up mag 6.2 HD 34180. Just over half a degree to its ENE, I picked up this dim little object using 152x. Visually it was nothing more than a very faint and very small little diffuse mote. Moving to 199x it was slightly more apparent, but remained a weak object and homogeneous to the eye. (New)
Dolidze-Dzimselejsvili 2 (Orion, open cluster, mag=11.0, size=10.0’):
I shifted to chart 97 in the atlas to the area northwest of brilliant Bellatrix (Gamma Ori). This cluster is found just over 5° of the star, and west of the bright mag 7.2 field star HD 35364. Easily seen at 152x, this cluster is one I’d overlooked in previous forays in this part of the great hunter’s lair. I found it a nice, loose grouping of about 12 to 15 stars pg various magnitudes, including the double star ADS 3697, a mag 9.6 and 13.7 pair of white suns. The group was fairly well detached from the general field and not difficult to discern. I also noted it was visible in the
UGC 3180 (Orion, barred spiral galaxy, mag=14.1, size=0.9’x0.6’, SBr=13.3):
Moving over to mag 4.3 Pi2 Orionis in the hunter’s shield, just south of this star I pinned down this barred spiral. With 152x it displayed a small and dim homogeneous oval envelope. Viewed at 199x it was slightly more apparent, but remained evenly illuminated. (New)
Moving over to chart 96, and slipped northward from Betelgeuse, I located my next galaxy, about half a degree northeast of mag 5.9 HD 40020. Easily spotted using 152x, it revealed a small and dim rounded disk with an intermittent stellar core present. More obvious at 199x, its core was more strongly present inside of its very diffuse envelope. (New)
Before moving out of Orion, I wanted to stop by the famous “37 cluster” for a quick look. In this case I dropped in the 18mm was bright and easily picking up the object in the 8x50
It was now time to sit back a few moments to kind of rest in my observing chair and simply look around the sky. My next chosen area was to be Cancer, and I noticed that M44 was a bright naked eye object. After a few minutes, I returned to the sky for my final run of the evening, within the celestial crab. First I would visit an old friend.
I moved to Cancer at this point as it was starting to rise up a little higher. Using chart 94 as my guide, I aimed the scope at Alpha Cancri (Acubens). Not quite 2° to the star’s west and easily seen in the
Sweeping to the northwest, I located 25 Cancri (mag 6.5), and found this spiral. Spotted about 27’ to the star’s northeast, it displayed a small and dim homogeneous oval disk at 152x. Taking a look at 199x, it was a little more obvious to the eye, but remained a smooth oval envelope. (New)
In the same field of view with the previous object and about 11’ to its northwest, I also picked up this galaxy using 152x. It was small and clearly the dimmer of the pair. Its disk was smoothly illuminated. It was more obvious using 199x, but remained small and homogeneous. (New)
UGC 4433 (Cancer, spiral galaxy, mag=13.4, size=1.0’.0.7’, SBr=12.9):
About 19’ northeast of
Next I slid eastward to the area northeast of the wide pair of brighter stars mag 5.1 Omicron1 and mag 5.7 Omicron2 Cnc. I nailed down this barred spiral about 16.5’ southeast of 68 Cnc (mag 7.4). Easily spotted using 152x, it presented a small and slightly dim diffuse oval disk. It appeared a little more obvious at 199x, but remained evenly lit across its envelope. I did not however, discern the mag 15.5 elliptical
To the WNW of 68 Cnc, I picked up the mag 6.2 star HD 76508. Focusing my attention to its NNE, I picked up this object using 152x. Visually it was fairly dim, a small thick oval disk. I also noticed an intermittent stellar core poking through from time to time. More apparent at 199x, it remained a weak object overall. (New)
Moving back south to Acubens, I next eased to its southeast. I encountered this lenticular that I had observed nearly seven years ago from home using the AD12 (we were
I also spotted this spiral that was also observed at the same time as
This spiral was the reason for returning to this field as I had missed it seven years ago when observing the previous two objects. So, this time around, using 152x I picked it up as a fairly dim oval disk that was small and evenly illuminated. I noticed it lay within a triangle of three stars (two of 9th and one of 12th mag). Viewing with 199x it was a little more apparent, but remained a dim homogenous oval. (New)
Moving south using the
Now I shifted to the northwest a ways, close to the Cancer-Canis Minor border. I centered the finder about halfway between mag 4.7 Zeta1 Cnc (Tegmen) and 3 Cnc (mag 5.6). Just north of the line between the two stars I picked up this spiral using 152x. It presented a fairly small and thin diffuse disk that exhibited a very weak stellar core. Even at 199x it remained a dim object, though not particularly difficult. (New)
About 25’ ENE of the previous object I found my next target using 152x. Small and a dim, it exhibited a thick oval disk that was homogeneous. Oriented north-south, I noticed a dim 14th mag field star just off its northern tip. Dropping in the 10mm (199x), the galaxy was more apparent, but its general appearance remained the same. (New)
Dropping south a bit, I located this barred spiral just over 43’ southeast of the star 5 Cnc (mag 6.0). Viewed with 152x I saw a small and slightly dim rounded diffuse disk. Using 199x it was more obvious and remained homogeneous in appearance. (New)
Almost 18.5 WSW of
I had been at it in the chilly air for over three hours, and frankly I was simply tired. The muscles around my observing eye were starting to spasm slightly from the continual concentration through the eyepiece. Also, my back was sending me signals as well. So, I figured it was a good time to call it a night. The temperature was about 28° F (-2° C), and while there was no wind, the air was definitely chilly (to me at least) and a light touch of frost was forming on the surfaces of my gear.
All it in the evening was a pretty good well and more like what I am used to at this location. There was no high elevation smoke to deal with, as we’d had last year. So the sky was profusely populated with stars. The winter Milky Way was very evident flowing from Perseus through Auriga, parts of Taurus, Orion, Gemini, Canis Major and into Puppis. It is always a pleasure to see this less intense band of stars making a nice show in a dark country sky. Thanks for reading along, and I will be out there tomorrow night as well. I plan to do some galaxy foraging across Gemini and back into Cancer again. See you out there!
