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Old 08-11-2007, 10:52 AM
DougAdams
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Observation Report: 7th November 2007

Location: Oakleigh
Time: 11:30pm - 1:15am
Seeing: 4/10 (early) to 7/10 (late)
Transparency: 7/10
Scope: 4" Refractor
Eyepieces: 24mm Pan (22x), 11mm Nagler (49x), 7mm Nagler (77x).

An impromptu grab and go session, nothing was planned. Conditions were quite windy early, with a south easterly sea breeze gusting often. Lots of star twinkle. The wind gradually eased away to nothing, and seeing was very steady by the end of the session.

M74 - a galaxy in Pisces. I've tried to locate this before from the suburbs and haven't been able to spot it. Same again tonight. Line up on Nu Piscium, nudge 1 degree south east, and take a long, hard look. Nothing!

M77 - a galaxy in Cetus. Quite easy to pick this one out, 1 degree east of Delta Ceti. Forms a pair with a fairly bright star of around magnitude 6. It almost resembles a double, however M77 is obviously non-stellar - has a bright core with an envelope of haze around it. The best view was with the 7mm Nagler. Quite bright.

Chi Ceti - double star. The Pocket Sky Atlas has this flagged as a double, so I thought I'd check it out. It's right on top of Zeta Ceti, so easy to locate. I don't know anything about this double, so this could be hogwash - a wide separation, gold primary of magnitude ~4, with a fainter white/grey companion of magnitude 5 or 6. I didn't note the separation.

NGC 253 - Silver Coin galaxy in Sculptor. Easy to pick out, almost at the zenith. I seemed to see more detail in it tonight, and the object seemed both longer and wider than previous views. Filled most of the triangle of 9 magnitude stars. Brighter in the centre.

NGC 288 - Globular cluster in Sculptor. Faint, but easily spotted, circular hazy patch. Quite large, no stars resolved.

NGC 247 - Galaxy in Sculptor. Don't know much about this one, but spotted it in the Pocket Sky Atlas. Put the scope right on the spot, but didn't see anything. Stared for 5 minutes with my jacket over my head, nothing.

M1 - Crab Nebula in Taurus. I've looked for this for 10 years in various scopes, never spotted it from Oakleigh. Looked again, low down in the north east. Just a degree or two away from Zeta Tauri. Again, no luck. Popped the DGM narrowband filter in, still couldn't make it out. Frustrating!

Rigel. Easily split, although not as easy as a few weeks ago when the seeing was rock steady. Faint companion visible at 44x, better at 77x.

Sirius. Couldn't split it. Sirius is blindingly bright - just scintillating.

M42. Easily spotted 5 stars in the Trapezium at 77x, with a hint of the 6th. Couldn't be sure, and couldn't be bothered going inside for more magnification.

M41 - Little Beehive . Open cluster in Canis Major. Three or four degrees away from Sirius, viewed at 77x. Counted around 40 stars easily, with mottled, misty patches throughout. The 7mm Nagler is almost too much for this object.

30 Dorado - Tarantula Nebula. Having a frank debate with myself as to whether to wait for Mars, as the seeing was very good. I judged it to be nearly an hour away from clearing the neighbouring houses. I glanced up and could see the Large Magellanic Cloud naked eye overhead, so had a sweep at 77x. The Tarantula really is a beautiful object, just drawing the eye with more and more detail - loops everywhere. Quite tiny in a 1 degree field of view, but so much to explore in there.

My wife came out to announce it was 1:15am and we had to work later today. I gazed to the north east - no Mars. Called it a night.
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Old 08-11-2007, 11:09 AM
你B
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thanks for another great report! Looks as if the seeing is improving towrds the morning during recent nights. I got off work early yesterday, was home by 10:45pm and toyed with the idea of going outside, but I was a bit tired and couldn't be stuffed collimating in the dark and dealing with the wind.
It's times like this I really, really wish I had a 90 or 100mm grab 'n' go refractor!

I've tried to spot NGC 247 in both my 4.5" and 10" reflectors. In the Millenium Star Atlas it is shown with large, inviting symbol. But I haven't seen it at all, even with the 10". Absolutely nothing.
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Old 08-11-2007, 11:25 AM
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Terry B
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Well done. Nice report.
My report for last night is much simpler.
CLOUDS!

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Old 08-11-2007, 11:30 AM
DougAdams
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 你B View Post
thanks for another great report! Looks as if the seeing is improving towrds the morning during recent nights. I got off work early yesterday, was home by 10:45pm and toyed with the idea of going outside, but I was a bit tired and couldn't be stuffed collimating in the dark and dealing with the wind.
It's times like this I really, really wish I had a 90 or 100mm grab 'n' go refractor!
I was tired too - so just in case, I set everything up before I crashed and had dinner. Even then I nearly didn't go outside. Having the scope ready to go tipped me over the edge.

Quote:
I've tried to spot NGC 247 in both my 4.5" and 10" reflectors. In the Millenium Star Atlas it is shown with large, inviting symbol. But I haven't seen it at all, even with the 10". Absolutely nothing.
I just received O'Meara's Herschell 400 book off Amazon - it is described in there. Quite large and somewhere around magnitude 9.5. No wonder I can't see it! Described as a thin streak in a small scope.
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Old 08-11-2007, 11:59 AM
Rob_K
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Sounds like you had a good night Doug - great report! NGC247 sounds interesting - mag 9.1, but very large and dim. Tough in light-polluted conditions. Might have a look from here one night in v dark skies, just for the sake of it.......

Cheers -
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Old 08-11-2007, 04:09 PM
你B
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One interesting object to try for is reflection nebula NGC1999 in Orion. It has a startling T-shaped Bok Globule that may be visible at high power in good conditions. This one is definately on my hit list next time I go out.
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Old 08-11-2007, 05:16 PM
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Ric
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A great report Doug, I've made a note of those galaxies to have an attempt at them as well with the C8, if the clouds ever part that is.

Glad you had a great night.

Cheers
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Old 08-11-2007, 06:25 PM
DougAdams
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Looking promising again tonight ... well same clear skies and south easterly blowing. I'll try to get out later and hunt down a few things. NGC 1999 ... hmmm, may be a bit much for me. I'll go for NGC 55 though, and I'll hunt down the Ceres opposition too.
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Old 09-11-2007, 10:03 AM
你B
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every day for the next week looks promising Truly excellent run of weather coming up. Ofcourse, you got all the sunshine haters on Weatherzone crying foul now at the first hint of sun.

summer's arriving people

NGC 55 is great, one of the best small-scope galaxies. Shows detail in my 4.5". Haven't viewed it in the 10" yet. NGC 1999 should be visible in a 4: scope Doug, but the globule will probably need larger aperture and high mag to see.
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Old 09-11-2007, 10:18 AM
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Another nice report Doug. It's great reading what other people get up to, gives me ideas of objects etc that may be possible inmy small scope.

I too have looked for 247, and I saw what you and SAB saw nothing. .

I haven't tried for M1, or M77. I've now got them on my list.

By the way Doug, what type of refractor to you have? I have been tossing up between a 100/120mm refractor or 10 or 12" dobs for a while now. Still not sure which I will go, but would like some feedback if you don't mind as I remember you used to have a dobs at one stage.
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Old 09-11-2007, 10:32 AM
DougAdams
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 你B View Post
NGC 55 is great, one of the best small-scope galaxies. Shows detail in my 4.5". Haven't viewed it in the 10" yet. NGC 1999 should be visible in a 4: scope Doug, but the globule will probably need larger aperture and high mag to see.
Snap...! Just posted last night's report that includes these two objects (sort of!). NGC 55 was impressive, and there was detail.
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Old 09-11-2007, 10:46 AM
你B
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If NGC 55 and 253 were northern objects, I reckon they'd be among the most famous, photographed and viewed galaxies.
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