[ngcles]

Hi All,

Welcome to an overdue and somewhat overgrown edition of the Continuing adventures of Gerald, Mudgee Observing at the Star Party 2010.

First-up, thanks once more to both John & Patti for hosting us up at Mudgee for the Annual Star Party which was, as usual, a blast.

Weather forecasts leading up to the event indicated a high likelihood of a fine Thursday and Friday night, with Saturday and Sunday looking a bit “iffy”. As it turned out we had four virtually completely clear nights. About a half hour of scruff dented Saturday night mid-evening and an hour-odd on Sunday evening was the sum total. The rest of it was a blue-sky-a-thon. Seeing varied from okay to occasionally good. There was one really nice hour of seeing early on Friday night about 7pm but apart from that it was pretty variable but never truly bad.

This was the warmest April Star party I can remember. Daytimes were sunny, consistently in the low to mid 20s and it never dropped below 12 deg C at night. On the Saturday and Sunday nights I observed the whole night in shorts and a light jacket! The skies were pretty dark too – most nights were about 21.4 on the SQM-L meter at 7pm (90mins after sunset) and rose to about 21.65 around 1am. On the Friday, Saturday and Sunday night the Gegenschein was not too hard to see just to the east of Spica in Virgo and on the Saturday night, I fancy I also saw the even fainter zodiacal band in it’s vicinity (up to 15 degrees east and west of the Gegenschein itself) looking like fat “spikes” out of the side of the Gegenschein. In fact the Gegenschein itself near Spica was bright enough to make the telescopic fields around Spica noticeably brighter in surface-brightness when I was observing many galaxies nearby (within several degrees) on the Friday and Saturday nights.

Thursday night after having been up since 6.30am I hit the wall at about 2.30am and had to go to bed. But on Friday and Saturday nights, we observed until almost 4am and 3am on the Sunday night. Long hours and dark skies made for a huge total of objects observed!

Besides all the usual stuff we do up there like the wineries and the IPSA Kebab shop, I also took a side-trip out to Hill End on the Sunday and was surprised to find the road is now almost completely sealed the whole way. It is a very beautiful place and the pies are fantastic!

Despite the huge bulk of observations below, for mine, the observing highlight of the weekend was seeing the remnant of the supernova 1987A in the LMC, near the Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070) through Gary Mitchell’s ‘scope. Even at about x520, it was a tiny barely non-stellar 13-14th magnitude spot in a low-power field with about 300 faint stars. Kudos to Gary for sleuthing it down from the photos and finding the right one. For myself, apart from several hours enjoying my favourites (as we all do) I observed more than a few Galaxies in Hydra, Leo, Coma, Sextans and Centaurus. Never thought I’d say this but I believe I have all but emptied Virgo down to 15th magnitude — I’ve only got about 20-odd galaxies left on my Virgo lists left to see. Leo only has 40-odd left to see too.

The speakers this party were Mike Salway and Chris Toohey on the Saturday afternoon and both gave very enjoyable talks. I particularly liked Chris’s as it touched on the travails Galileo endured in trying to convince his contemporaries of the reality of what he saw through his telescope. Thanks to both gentlemen for their thoughtful input.

Okay, so here are my observations for the weekend (very, very, very, very long report follows)

x185 27' x247 20'

NGC 2900 Galaxy *
RA: 09h 30m 15.2s Dec: +04° 08' 39"
Mag: 13.7 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.7'x1.4'
Class: SBcd: P.A.: 130 Inclination: 1 R.V.: +5354 Source: RC3

Note R.V. This is a fairly faint eg of lowish SB quite small in a thinly scattered star field as a small oval about 50" x 30" in about PA 90 with a weak broad central brightening with no evidence of core or nucleus. Hardly brightens at all to centre. Very faint star to the SW by just over 1'.



x185 27' x247 20'

IC 542 Galaxy *
RA: 09 31m 06.2s Dec: -13° 10' 54"
Mag: 14.8 S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.1'x0.3' Class: (R')SB(rs)0/a:
P.A.: 98 Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: RC3 *

This is a very small but not unreasonable SB edge on spiral type about 40" x 10" in about PA 90. Appears just to the N of a tri of mag 13.5 *s with another one in the centre looking like the back end of Canis Major. Grows broadly and mod to the axis nr centre but no evidence of core or nucleus.



x185 27' x247 20'

NGC 2902 IC 543 Galaxy *
RA: 09h 30m 52.9s Dec: -14° 44' 06"
Mag: 12.2 (V) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.4'x1.1' Class: SA(s)0^:
P.A.: 35 Inclination: --- R.V.: +2035 Source: RC3 *

This is a fairly good SB pretty obvious eg that look like a very distant elliptical type. Round, grows from indefinite edges evenly and slightly at first and then nr centre strongly to a bright non-*ar nucleus. There is a mag 14.5 * just off the halo to the NW. Maybe just over 1' diameter.



x185 27' x247 20'

NGC 2917 Galaxy *
RA: 09h 34m 27.1s Dec: -02° 30' 18"
Mag: 14.6 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.2'x0.3' Class: S0+
P.A.: 169 Inclination: 6 R.V.: +3675 Source: RC3 *

This a pretty small but strongly elong eg found about 3' to the NNW of a 10th mag *. Seems to be in PA 0, about 50" x 10" oval, weak outer halo with a slightly brighter streak through most of the MA and a slightly brighter core zone and very faint stellaring dead centre.



x185 27' x247 20'

NGC 2945 Galaxy *
RA: 09h 37m 41.1s Dec: -22° 02' 05"
Mag: 13.2 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.6'x1.4' Class: SA0-:
P.A.: 142 Inclination: --- R.V.: +4630 Source: RC3 *

This is an easy to see small eg, round and appears almost inside a small longish tri of mag 14 & 15 *s not much larger than the eg. Probably 45" diameter, round, grows broadly and slightly at first then nr centre moderately to a non-*ar spot in the centre. Good SB overall.



x185 27' x247 20'

NGC 2956 Galaxy *
RA: 09h 39m 17.1s Dec: -19° 06' 03"
Mag: 15.2 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 0.9'x0.3' Class: SB(s)b?
P.A.: 55 Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: RC3 *

This took quite a bit of tracking down and is very faint. Forms an almost perfect E Tri with a couple of *s to its E mags 10 & 11 around 3.5' a side. Very faint, difficult to see only occasionally visible as a 20-30" diameter patch with no apparent central brightening.



x185 27' x247 20'

NGC 2951 Multi-Galaxy Sys *
RA: 09h 39m 40.8s Dec: -00° 14' 07"
Mag: 15.1 S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 0.5'x0.5' Class: E
P.A.: --- Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: PGC *

This eg is found near the 2nd brightest * in a straggling line of mag 10-13 *s that crosses the field E-W. Seems elong in PA 90, small mod faint haze, oval, 30" x 20" diameter rising broadly and slightly to centre without zones or nucleus.



x185 27' x247 20'

NGC 2975 Galaxy *
RA: 09h 41m 16.1s Dec: -16° 40' 26"
Mag: 15.4 S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 0.7'x0.6' Class: E/S0
P.A.: 114 Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: PGC *

This is a very, very faint and small eg. Appears SE by 2' from a mag 10.5 * that seems to have a vaguely yellowish tint and is part of an asterism of similar brightness stars that form a "keystone" style asterism about 7' across as a tiny spot of haze maybe 15" diameter of very, very LSB and no central brightening.



x185 27' x247 20'

NGC 2969 Mkn 1235 Galaxy *
RA: 09h 41m 54.6s Dec: -08° 36' 10"
Mag: 15.5 S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.3'x1.1' Class: SA(s)c pec:
P.A.: 137 Inclination: --- R.V.: +4960 Source: RC3 *

While I started this observation a 15th magnitude satellite floated straight through this eg and temporarily gave it a *ar nucleus. This is a very strange and diffuse eg that looks a little more like a faint PNe than an eg. Pointed at by two 11th & 12th mag *s that are to its NW 5' away. A bit over an arc-minute diameter, possibly 1.25', round and very diffuse edged halo growing broadly and slightly to centre without zones and no nucleus though it does occasionally seems vaguely blotchy or uneven in SB particularly in the S or SW areas that may be a little brighter than the balance.



x185 27' x247 20'

NGC 2996 Galaxy *
RA: 09h 46m 30.2s Dec: -21° 34' 16"
Mag: 13.5 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.5'x1.2' Class: S0+ pec:
P.A.: 115 Inclination: --- R.V.: +8775 Source: RC3 *

Note the R.V. This eg is found to the W of a mag 11 * that is a little distracting to the view. Seems round, 50" diameter with a round very LSB outer halo, small somewhat brighter core and a faint stellaring at the centre and maybe marginally brighter on the N side compared to the S. There is a very faint mag 15.5 * on the S edge of the halo or just outside.



x185 27' x247 20'

NGC 3028 Galaxy *
RA: 09h 49m 54.0s Dec: -19° 11' 04"
Mag: 13.5 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.3'x0.9' Class: Sb pec:
P.A.: 48 Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: RC3 *

This is a fairly small but reasonably obvious round eg which is not far from the brightest star in the field at about mag 12 to the eg's SE by 3'. Round, lowish but not unreasonable SB, about 50" diameter and grows broadly and slightly to centre with no evidence of zones or nucleus.



NGC 3030 Galaxy *
RA: 09h 50m 10.5s Dec: -12° 13' 34"
Mag: 14.6 S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 0.8'x0.8' Class: E/S0
P.A.: --- Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: PGC*

MCG -2-25-20 PGC 28308 Galaxy *
RA: 09h 50m 13.9s Dec: -12° 03' 26"
Mag: 14.5 S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.5'x0.1' Class: Sd: sp
P.A.: 125 Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: RC3 *

-30 forms the 4th and faintest * at the NE tip of a 6' x 3' rectangle of mag 10 & 11 *s. Good SB 50" diameter, round and grows from indefinite edges broadly and slightly at first and then nr centre more strongly towards an occasional sub-stellar nucleus. MCG -2-25-20 is about 10 due N.

It is a very faint and elong eg sticking out of the SE side of a mag 12.5 * as an exceptionally faint ray of gossamer probably 1.5' long in PA 120 with no apparent central brightening. Lovely.



x185 27' x247 20'

NGC 3037 Galaxy *
RA: 09h 51m 24.3s Dec: -27° 00' 38"
Mag: 13.6 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: --- Size: 1.2'x1.0' Class: IB(s)m
P.A.: 51 Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: RC3 *

This eg is almost found at the mid-point of a couple of * of mag 10 * about 12' apart aligned NE-SW and is pointed at by a couple of mag 14 *s to its SE. Fairly LSB but still reasonable blob possibly slightly oval in PA 30 that seems to have a slightly brighter SW end but is otherwise fairly homogenous with indefinite edges. Slightly oval 1' x 50" in PA 30.

Pt 2 to follow ...