[§AB]

Thanks Rob, I'll give that one in Eridanus a shake if the Melbourne cloud ever clears.

Originally Posted by ngcles

Hi §AB, Rob K & All,

Wow that skymap.org is a fantastic resource -- I've never seen it before but I can tell it's gonna be a frequently visited site for me -- thanks for the link §AB.

I'm surprised you of all people have never come across it! I actually found it by accident while searching for IC 4766's magnitude.

In addition to the link Rob K provided, if you are into Quasar and BL Lacertae object hunting, this is a more complete list though most will require very large telescopes:

http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/KHQ/anhang.txt

Next Autumn/Winter I'm hoping to have a go at a few of these:

J01.03 HYA 0937-183 09 39 51.2 -18 32 16 QSO 2.400 16.20

CSO 38 LMI 1009+299 10 11 55.7 +29 41 41 QSO 2.620 16.00

HE 1104-1805 CRT 1104-180 11 06 33.6 -18 21 25 QSO 2.319 16.20

HE 1122-1648 CRT 1122-168 11 24 42.8 -17 05 18 QSO 2.400 16.50

B2 1422+231 BOO 1422+231 14 24 38.1 +22 56 01 QSO 3.620 16.50

The figures in bold are the red-shift (z) and the final figure is magnitude. All of them have red-shifts over 2 and in "look-back" time are about the 10.5 to 11GYR mark. The one at 3.6 is about 12 GYR -- though it will be a very difficult target due to low elevation at culmination. The one in Leo Minor suffers the same problem -- though, you never know 'til you have a go. I'd be surprised if the Hydra/Crater ones aren't visible in 18" as they culminate not far from zenith.

There was an article in AS&T a few months ago mentioning a Quasar in Corvus which is about 10.3 billion lightyears away, and shines at mag 15.3. Thanks to melbourne's dispicable weather, it'll have to wait until next year.

My present record holder out of the list at the link is:

Q 1224-1116 VIR 1224-112 12 27 24.9 -11 33 35 QSO 1.979 15.40

Which is 10.3 Gyr "look-back" time. With 18" in near pristine conditions, I can hold it with direct vision pretty easily most of the time -- A.V a doddle. It got a run in Mar/Apr Deep Sky Delights p 64. I'd reckon 12 -14" would pick it up in very good conditions.


Best,

Les D

pretty amazing when you can see something so far away from your backyard isn't it?