Hi all I have been aggressively logging the Herschel 400 for the last 5 months and I have gotten to the point where there aren't any more in the sky right now!
Last night I took out the 8' and just slowed down to really look at a few goodies.
First up was NGC 5128, aka 'the hamburger'. Always before the central dark region was there but not really out standing. Last night I put in my new U.O. 6mm Ortho and there it was a big juicy hamburger with 2 stars in the top of the bun (using a reflector) for relish.
Next I swung over to the Sombrero galaxy and it was the same difference when I put in the 6mm. Suddenly it looked like a sombrero with a bright central core and just enough detail to give me a bit of aperture fever.
I have always had a slightly dark side so of course the Coal Sack was included in my mellow night. That is one big dust bunny.
Finally as I was just sweeping the southern sky and getting lost in all the stars I came upon NGC 5286. A nice big fuzzy ball at 40x which resolved into
a very nice cluster at @200x.
The special treat of the night was to use the 6mm on Omega Cent. I put it just at the side of the fov and let it drift through the ep. When one pass was complete I would swing back, move the scope down, and do it all again. Took 5 passes to see it all. Certainly allowed me to appreciate the immensity of that beast.
Great skies, beautiful objects, hot coffee, no mosquitoes, and all from my back yard. For me, that's about as good as it gets.
Brian
