Eyes to the Sky, Starting the Journey! & On to the next level,
I pretty much have everything dialed in now, so time to start logging my observations. I keep track of these in Excel now, so at the end attaching the file will be easy. One thing I did find out last night is that I need a 2"
Observations from 16 Feb 2016, 21:25 to 22:34 CET.
I think visibility and seeing were both 5 or 6, but I really don't know enough to really judge. I could make out the two central bands of Jupiter clearly though.
1/M34/16-Feb-16/21:25/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm & Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/Perseus Too small for the Q70, too large for the 10mm.Lots of bright stars, easily resolved too many stars to count.
2/M35/16-Feb-16/21:29/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38Mmm & Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/GeminiToo small for the Q70, too large for the 10mm.Center very impressive at 10mm. Kind of circular
3/M36/16-Feb-16/21:35/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/AurigaPerfect for the 10mm, cluster fills the
4/M37/16-Feb-16/21:38/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/AurigaPerfect for the 10mm, cluster fills the
5/M38/16-Feb-16/21:45/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/AurigaPerfect for the 10mm, without the
6/M39/16-Feb-16/21:52/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm & Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/CygnusToo small for the Q70, too large for the 10mm.Lots of bright stars, looks like a ball.
7/M42/16-Feb-16/21:55/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm /Focal Reducer/OrionIt's the Orion Nebula, what more to say?Nebulosity evident, 4 stars in the trapezium visible.Just lovely despite the moon.
8/M41/16-Feb-16/22:02/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm /Focal Reducer/Canis MajorFilled up a good portion of the Q70, many central stars visible
9/M44/16-Feb-16/22:05/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm /Focal Reducer/CancerPerfect match for the Q70.Many many stars visible, I could imagine it looks like a swarm of bees around a hive.
10/M45/16-Feb-16/22:10/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm/Focal Reducer/TaurusCentral stars barely fit in the Q70.Not much nebulosity visible, too much moon glow.
11/M46/16-Feb-16/22:17/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/PuppisJust right for the 10mm with
12/M47/16-Feb-16/22:22/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/PuppisAlmost perfect in the 10mm with
13/M52/16-Feb-16/22:28/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/CassiopeiaJust right for the 10mm with
14/M78/16-Feb-16/22:34/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Focal Reducer/OrionThree central stars visible in dogleg, easily identifiable.Not much nebulosity due to the moon.
*****
Tonight I had good weather, not too cold and good visibility. I logged 2 more on my quest to 30. Several more were still below the horizon, on the other side of my house, or the other side of my neighbors' house. Plus there was too much light from the moon to observe any of the faint fuzzies, though I tried. I am trying to settle on a format for my observations, I think I like the below format better than the one I used in my first post.
15/M67/24-Feb-16/20:18/Herchies, BE/
Very feint in 25mm, good definition in 10mm. Maybe 20 stars visible, 4 or 5 are bright. Much better with averted vision. Center very feint. Shaped kind of like a ball.
16/M48/24-Feb-16/21:10/Herchies, BE/
Well defined in 10mm. Large group of central stars, 30 or so observable. Not much of a shape stands out. Just a bunch of closely packed stars.
I am really impressed with the Skywatcher 120 refractor, it performed great with the 2" EPs I was using. Most of the time I used the Q70 to get in the area, then either the Celestron 25mm that came with the C8, or mostly the Celestron Ultima Duo 10mm. I did discover that if I remove the bottom 1.25" element from the 10mm, it is now a 2" 20mm give or take a little. Interesting, though I still will get the
*****
Tonight was the first clear night in awhile that I was able to get set up. For something different, I set up the
I was able to collect two more Messiers tonight, both fuzzies!
17/M31/25-Mar-16/21:16/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm/
Andromeda Galaxy. Wow never seen a galaxy before. Smudge with some central definition at 38mm. It decended into the trees before I could get the 10mm on it. Maybe next time.
18/M63/25-Mar-16/21:56/Herchies, BE/C8/Q70 38mm and Ultima Duo 10mm/
Sunflower Galaxy. Second galaxy of the night and ever. Small blob at 38mm using direct vision. At 10mm with averted vision it was a larger but dimmer blob. Not much definition, far too much moisture in the air tonight.
*****
Another good night tonight, I was surprised that the weather cleared and held out. I had the dew heater working, so no dew for me finally!
19/M94/5-Apr-16/22:12/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/
Spiral Galaxy. Another fuzzy logged, these first few are easier than I though they would be. Bright central core, using averted vision I can see what look like dust rings around the core. No defined lines though.
Several more attempts at various targets, all located behind buildings. Stopping to see Jupiter is always fun. Coffee break
20/M101/5-Apr-16/22:54/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/
Spiral Galaxy. Barely visible, dim central core.
Brief timeout to watch the
21/M82/5-Apr-16/23:02/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/
Spiral Galaxy. Very difficult very dim central core.
22/M81/5-Apr-16/23:11/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/
Spiral Galaxy. No structure or any detail other than a dim central core. Empty space where the body would be if it were darker out.
23/M51/5-Apr-16/23:16/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/
Spiral Galaxy. Very distinctive two blobs. Not much detail but I can tell there is something there besides the core and the other blob at the end of one of the arms.
Getting close, only 7 more!
*****
Another clear night last night, 5 more added to the list. All targets identified with my Orion Q70 38mm and then observed with the Ultima Duo 10.
24/M43/10-Apr-16/22:10/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Orion
Nebula. Averted view and Celestron LHC filter bring out just a glimmer, but it is there. Distinctively separate from M42. I can't believe I didn't check it out when I observed M42 earlier.
25/M110/10-Apr-16/22:20/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Andromeda
Elliptical Galaxy. Not much can be resolved in the core, just a dot.
26/M32/10-Apr-16/22:23/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Andromeda
Elliptical Galaxy. Faint dot due to light pollution. Waving tree branches. It is there, just not real impressive. Need darker skies.
27/M50/10-Apr-16/22:47/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Monoceros
Open Cluster. Beautiful cluster, tons of stars. Humidity picking up, dew heater holding its own but stars starting to sparkle. Focus is on and off with the variations.
28/M103/10-Apr-16/23:00/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Cassiopeia
Open Cluster. Fairly faint lose grouping of stars, 5 or so visible.
I would have 29, but as I was slewing to the final target, M1, my battery pack gave out. It only elicited a short period of panic until I figured out that no, my mount was not having an existential crisis, it just didn’t have enough power. Oh well, my new
*****
First light for my new
29/M3/19-Apr-16/22:23/Herchies, BE/C8/
Globular Cluster. Nice cluster. First light for the
30/M76/19-Apr-16/22:35/Herchies, BE/C8/
Planetary Nebula. Visible with averted vision. Central bright spot, not much else visible. Moon too bright.
31/M13/19-Apr-16/23:24/Herchies, BE/C8/
Globular Cluster. Amazing! Far too many stars to count. Good definition in the central core area, averted gaze brings out so many more stars.
32/M92/19-Apr-16/23:28/Herchies, BE/C8/
Globular Cluster. Very similar to M13. Lots of central stars, even more with averted gaze. Just a small ball of stars.
*****
On to the next level,
33/M10/17-Jul-16/00:25/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm /OphiuchusGlobular Cluster. Very faint, moon washed out. Would be better without the giant orb right next door. Lots of visible stars though.
My local club had a public star party on Saturday, official tally at the gate was 600 people! Most of the night was Saturn and Mars, but as the crowd thinned, I was able to pick up a few more Messiers. The new to me Feathertouch focuser was a joy to use, the penalty was only about 3 weeks of clouds
34/M11/7-Aug-16/00:50/Le Pass (Frameries, BE)/C8/
35/M57/7-Aug-16/01:10/Le Pass (Frameries, BE)/C8/
Another clear night, watching for Perseids while adding to my
*****
36/M40/12-Aug-16/22:40/Herchies, BE/C8/
37/M29/12-Aug-16/22:53/Herchies, BE/C8/
38/M56/12-Aug-16/23:04/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Lyra. Globular Cluster Very feint. Central cluster visible, not easily split into individual stars
39/M71/12-Aug-16/23:14/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Sagitta. Globular Cluster Feint, many stars resolved with averted vision.
40/M27/12-Aug-16/23:20/Herchies, BE/C8/
41/M15/12-Aug-16/23:29/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Pegasus. Globular Cluster Bright central core, far to many stars to count. Even more with averted vision.
42/M2/12-Aug-16/23:37/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Aquarius. Globular Cluster Another glob of stars. Bright central core, stars not easily resolved
43/M72/12-Aug-16/23:44/Herchies, BE/C8/
44/M73/12-Aug-16/23:50/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Aquarius. Open Cluster Y shape group 4 or 5 stars pretty feint
45/M75/12-Aug-16/23:58/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Sagittarius. Globular Cluster Extremely feint, not resolvable into individual stars.
46/M26/13-Aug-16/00:10/Herchies, BE/C8/Ultima Duo 10mm/Scutum. Open Cluster Extremely feint, not resolvable into individual stars. Much like M75.
*****
This week my wife and I brought our youngest to University, under the wonderful dark skies of Bozeman, Montana at Montana State University. I can't believe how dark it gets here, especially going 25 miles down the road to the other side of the Badger mountain range. I can't remember the last time I could see so many stars. It was absolutely spectacular. Did I mention I like it here? Now if I could find a job here...Anyway, I picked up a pair of Simmons 8x-17x X 25mm binoculars at WalMart so I could have something to do a little star gazing with, and left them with my son when we were done. He plans on taking an Astronomy course next term, it didn't fit in his schedule this term. I managed to find 4 more Messiers, for the first time using binoculars and dealing with more stars visible with the naked eye than I could see with my C8 at the dark site in Belgium, I think I did ok. On to the results!
47/M4/26-Aug-16/21:33/Bozeman, MT/8-17x25 Binos /Scorpius. Globular Cluster. Averted vision, very faint but clear. first time using binoculars for this. Just a fuzzy blob.
48/M80/26-Aug-16/21:54/Bozeman, MT/8-17x25 Binos/Scorpius. Globular Cluster. Averted vision, very clear blob of stars.
49/M19/26-Aug-16/22:00/Bozeman, MT/8-17x25 Binos/Ophiuchus. Globular cluster. Very faint, pinpoint using averted vision.
50/M9/26-Aug-16/22:10/Bozeman, MT/8-17x25 Binos/Ophiuchus. Globular Cluster. Faint but visible with direct vision. Pinpoint of light kind of diffuse.
Stargazing at a different site, with equipment I had never used before required new techniques. That's why I like this hobby, always learning!
*****
Another good night, slowly making my way to 70.
51/M12/24-Sep-16/21:20/Herchies, BE/C8/
52/M14/24-Sep-16/21:25/Herchies, BE/C8/
53/M16/24-Sep-16/21:33/Herchies, BE/C8/
54/M25/24-Sep-16/21:40/Herchies, BE/C8/
*****
Another one from our star party on Friday.
55/M97/6-Jan-17/22:30/Mons, BE/114-900 Ref/25mm Generic /Ursa Major. Planetary Nebula. Owl Nebula. Very very faint, averted gaze just brought it out. The stars around it look like an owl or maybe a phoenix.
*****
Clear skies, and the beginning of the weekend makes for good observing (for the most part).
3 more Messiers, and 1 Herschel picked up tonight. I am just about out of Messiers that I can see from my house, time to find a darker site to pick up some of the galaxies that are just not bright enough to cut through the light pollution here.
56/M33/20-Jan-17/20:00/Herchies, BE/Danubia 200
57/M1/20-Jan-17/20:16/Herchies, BE/Danubia 200
58/M79/20-Jan-17/21:05/Herchies, BE/Danumbia 200/Baader Hyp 10mm/Lepus/Globular cluster Faint but clear. Stars just on the edge of individual resolving. looking above a roof top, some heat affectinging the air quality.
***** (New reporting format)
Another decent night, but only 1
#59
Date: 4/Apr/2017
Time: 21:43 CET
Location: Herchies, Belgium
Viewing Conditions: Poor
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Skywatcher
Telescope Model: 120 ST
Telescope Size: 120mm
f-ratio:f5
Eyepiece model: Celestron Generic
Eyepiece mm: 25mm
Mount: Skywatcher AZ3
Observation: 10 or so central stars, not much central definition, lots of light pollution. It would probably be more impressive with my C8.
Comment: Star-hopped from Arcturus
*****
Additional targets tonight were Jupiter, C50, C28, the Moon, and M42. Seeing was 3, Transparency was Poor, no clouds (for once), and temp started at 11° C and ended at 8° C. I am now thinking about replacing the AZ3 with an AZ5/Skytee II AZ dual mount. The AZ3 is just not cutting it anymore.
What a great night tonight, probably the clearest skies we have seen in Belgium the last 3 years that I could remember. My wife was on the
#60
Date: 26/May/2017
Time: 23:55 CET
Location: Herchies, Belgium
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: C8
Telescope Size: 203mm
f-ratio:f10
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: Baader Planetarium Hyperion
Eyepiece mm: 10mm
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Faint smudge @ 113x, easily visible. Larger smudge @ 203x, circular with not much definition.
Comment:M60 was my 60th
#61
Date: 27/May/2017
Time: 00:27 CET
Location: Herchies, Belgium
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: C8
Telescope Size: 203mm
f-ratio:f10
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: Baader Planetarium Hyperion
Eyepiece mm: 10mm
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Really faint @ 113x, no definition. Bigger smudge @203x, more definition with averted visiion. Central core visible, slight outer banding maybe.
Comment:An eyepatch and towel over the head helps block out the excess light
#62
Date: 27/May/2017
Time: 00:43 CET
Location: Herchies, Belgium
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: C8
Telescope Size: 203mm
f-ratio:f10
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: Baader Planetarium Hyperion
Eyepiece mm: 10mm
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Located @113x, very faint @203x. Directly visible, dim central region. Not much more with averted gaze.
Comment:Lots of fun with clear skies, so much better than 99% humidity.
#63
Date: 27/May/2017
Time: 00:59 CET
Location: Herchies, Belgium
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: C8
Telescope Size: 203mm
f-ratio:f10
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: Baader Planetarium Hyperion
Eyepiece mm: 10mm
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Faint @113x, better at 203x. Not much definition just a dim smudge. Visible with direct vision, not much more with averted vision
Comment:No comments
#64
Date: 27/May/2017
Time: 01:07 CET
Location: Herchies, Belgium
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: C8
Telescope Size: 203mm
f-ratio:f10
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: Baader Planetarium Hyperion
Eyepiece mm: 10mm
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: 2 faint blobs @ 113x, no definition. Both resolve more @203x, not much detail but they were there, visible with direct vision.
Comment:No comments
Getting close to 70, clear skies everyone!
*****
Fun times by all, back in the swing of things. It's only been almost 10 months since my last real observing, but with the move and all I can kind of understand why. Oh well, on to the show. Tonight's plan was 16 Messiers looking East. In Belgium this view was blocked by my house, so I rarely was able to see anything in that direction. No spoilers, you will just have to read to see how I did in the cold.
#65
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 20:48 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Very dim, averted vision. Faint central smudge @ 66.7x
Comment:First of 16 planned Messiers. Spoiler alert - I only made it to 8 before being chased in by the cold.
#66
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 20:56 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Very dim pinpoint fuzzy smudge. No definition, hard to make out. @ 66.7x
Commentoing good, back in the swing of things.
#67
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:10 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Royal pain to find. Averted gaze, very small smudge. No real definition @ 66.7x
Comment:It is kind of cold out here
#68
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:33 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Pinpoint of diffused light, fuzzy. No real definition, right on the edge of averted gaze. @ 66.7x
Comment:Coffee would be good. Where's my thermos? At least no bears so far tonight. They got my bird feeder last night.
#69
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:42 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Two-fer with M91. Both very similar, small smudge of pinpoint light. Both fits in the
Comment: What's that noise? Just the neighbors, false alarm.
#70
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:44 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Two-fer with M88. Both very similar, small smudge of pinpoint light. Both fits in the
Comment: Deja vu? Cut & paste with little editing for these two entries. Oh and this is #70. Who do I send the list in to again? I need to track that down.
#71
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:50 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Another little ball of not much. Just pinpoint of diffused light without any definition other than fuzzyness. @ 66.7x
Comment: "no definition" is my phrase for the night. At least I can recognize these little fuzzy points of light as galaxies.
#72
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:50 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Massive fast moving red & green variable stars. Nevermind, outbound flight from Newark. Same description, different target. Diffuse point of fuzzy light, not much to see @ 66.7x
Comment: Ok, I'm cold. Time to pack it in. The temp is down to 26, humidity is climbing, back into the 60's from the low today of 20.7. Now to transcribe the rambling into the different logs.
Just noticed, #72 should have been this (M85, 21:55 EST) -
#72
Date: 19/Mar/2018
Time: 21:55 EST
Location: Sussex, NJ
Viewing Conditions: Good/Excellent
Light Zone/
Telescope Name: Celestron
Telescope Model: CR-150 HD
Telescope Size: 150mm
f-ratio:f8
Eyepiece model: Explore Scientific 18/82
Eyepiece mm: 18mm
Eyepiece model: N/A
Eyepiece mm: N/A
Mount: Skywatcher NEQ-6
Observation: Massive fast moving red & green variable stars. Nevermind, outbound flight from Newark. Same description, different target. Diffuse point of fuzzy light, not much to see @ 66.7x
Comment: Ok, I'm cold. Time to pack it in. The temp is down to 26, humidity is climbing, back into the 60's from the low today of 20.7. Now to transcribe the rambling into the different logs.
***** Whew that was a fun transcription. *****