[Paddy (Patrick)]

I made a few notes from the many wonderful hours of observing at BSG - first time I've ever made any notes at a star party and there were many things I observed but didn't record. Comet Garradd passing M71 was a definite highlight and worth writing about though.

Observation notes 25 & 27/8/11 at Border Stargaze

Telescope 400mm f4.9 tri-dob reflector
Eyepieces 28mm UWAN, 17,13,9 mm Naglers, Paracorr
Navigation: Night Sky Observer’s Guide (NSOG) and Uranometria

2220

Seeing fair, transparency poor

NGC 6905 PN in Delphinus

250X Obvious oval haze elongated N-S between 2 foreground stars, looks about 1’ across with discernible dark patches within halo. No central star, brightens with OIII filter which also enhances the dark patches.

Messier 27 PN in Vulpeca

175X Stunning! Elongated SE-NW 14’x7’ with bright wedges pointing to the nebula’s centre from NE & SW. Looks longer and softer to the SE. No central star, slightly darker inside the SE tongue than at its edges. Brightens considerably with OIII filter & structure becomes much more obvious with thin dark lanes becoming apparent within the bright wedges.

NGC 6820/23 Emission nebula and open cluster in Vulpeca

135X 6823 is a distinct cluster about 8-10’ across with about 30 stars and about half a dozen of these quite bright in the centre of the cluster. The OC is embedded in the soft glow of emission nebula NGC 6823.

NGC 7606 GX in Aquarius

175X 5’x2’ NW-SE bright edge-on galaxy with marked nucleus but no detail visible in the halo.

NGC 7600 G in Aquarius

175X 2’x1’ WNW-ESE faint oval glow with a distinct core but no detail visible in halo.

NGC 7479 GX in Pegasus

250X 5’x3’ galaxy with obvious NNW-SSE bar and discernible core. Soft spiral arms are detectable with faint dark spaces apparent between the arms and the bar. Foreground stars can be seen at either end of the bar.

Palomar 13 GC in Pegasus

175X Very small and barely perceptible circular glow.

NGCs 7317/18A/18B/19/20 Stephan’s Quintet of Galaxies in Pegasus

175X 7320 is visible to the SW as a SW-NE oval, 1718A&B appear as one glow with the small glows of 7317 & 7319 either side of this glow.

27/8/11

2100 Seeing very good and transparency fair.

Comet 2009/P1 Garradd and Messier 71

90X A breathtaking vista with the comet and M71 separated by 40’. M71 is a loose but distinct ball of resolved stars and haze to the SE of the comet. Comet Garradd has a bright nucleus in a broad halo with tail extending towards M71 in a rich star field. A 20’ long somewhat distorted Y-shaped asterism of 9 bright stars sets the tableau off very nicely. 175X Comet Garradd has 2’ nucleus inside 7’ wide coma with 14’ long tail heading SE. M71 is a 7’ cluster of many resolved stars but interestingly appears as a broad arrowhead shape pointing east and a short stump to the W. to the east of M71, faint dark lanes spread from the point of the arrowhead curving eastward in several graceful arcs. These dark lanes presumably sculpt the GC into its interesting appearance.