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70mm Refractor - Men+ Tour
19 January to 24 January 2009 local time +10.5 to UT
Telescope is 70mm Skywatcher with the 25mm Plossl, 25mm basic, 15mm GSO, 10mm basic and 6mm Plossl.
If eyepiece unspecified it is 60x 15mm GSO.
Tour of Mensa - not including the LMC
Due to daylight savings and changing weather objects viewed over a number of sessions with variable seeing/transparency.
Tri-Atlas Hybrid (M) 205, 217
Observing list compiled from CNebulaX (CNX)
Post observation checking also incorporating StarCalc (SC) and Cartes du Ciel (CdC)
Started outside of Mensa
19 Jan 2009, poor/average seeing
R Lep (2150): nice red/orange star with strong colour. In the seeing conditions it looks almost like a flame dancing and shimmering.
N2070 - Tarantuala
Always an amazing sight even with sky glow. Mottled look flanked by two graining almost gaseous looking companions. The nebula has stellar core appearance. The more time spent in the region the more clusters around the nebula appear.
Gamma Vol (Dun 42)
A very beautiful unequal double with pale yellow and green/blue. Great Sight.
Documented: Magnitudes 3.9 & 5.4 at 13.7"
Now in Mensa
N1651 (2220)
Not knowing whether this might be visible had a try. Star hopped to the correct location. Somewhat of a hint of something but seems to be a pair of faint stars near the correct location not far from charted stars.
HJ 3783 (2310) (located with the LMC as the backdrop)
Finally found in a nice area of similar stars. Nearby is a fuzzy partically resolved patch (N2010). Can just see the secondary although very faint and tough. Viewing around the region reveals even more patches which appear to be unresolved clusters N2031 & N2057 perhaps. N2031 particularly bright, relatively speaking looking somewhat like a globular.
Documented: Magnitudes 8.25 & 10.6 at 15.4"
HJ 3746 (2325)
Two almost identical close stars with a slight bit of orange colour - very nice. Just separate at 60x due to poor conditions, nice pair somewhere around magnitude 8.5.
Documented: Magnitudes 8.7 & 8.9 at 3.9"
HJ 3722
Not seen.
Documented: Magnitudes 10 & 10.2 at 26.4"
N1777
Not seen. Same field of view as HJ 3722 but very faint.
HJ 3691
Wide faint pair that are unequal. Clearly see secondary. Located in a sparse field.
Documented: Magnitudes 8.9 & 9.7 at 38"
HJ 3673
Wide somewhat unequal pair that are brighter than the previous, also within a sparse field. Nice enough with faint star (11.1) not too far away.
Documented: Magnitudes 8.1 & 8.3 at 10.5"
N1520 (0000)
A glow at the location with a motely appearance. Some bright star superimposed over centre, tight but seems in two clumps.
24 January 2009
HJ 3741 (2220)
Unequal pair with bright primary, secondary seen averted vision and very faint but reasonable distance. 90x makes it a little clearer. Primary yellow/orange. No sign of secondary at 36x (skywatcher EP)
Documented: Magnitudes 6.5 & 10.7 at 49.5"
HJ 3612 (2230)
Unequal pair, secondary just seen at 60x and very faint; pair easily separated.
Documented: Magnitudes 8.3 & 9.8 at 19.3"
HJ 3607 (2240)
Slightly easier that HJ 3612 not quite as unequal. At 36x (skywatcher EP) hint of orange and pale blue.
Documented: Magnitudes 8.5 & 9.1 at 35.8"
N1841
Star like entity at the location can not tell anything more than that.
HJ 3888 (2300)
Wide, very unequal pair bright primary, secondary only seen averted at 60x, clear at 150x some faint stars nearby at 150x (to about 11.7).
Documented: Magnitudes 7.6 & 10.3 at 35.6"
Wind picked up makes mount unstable; seeing good but wind is not.
HJ 3932 (2320)
Hard to tell with hints at 60x & 36x winks in and out. Can not see at 150x. Close pair and secondary is decidedly fainter.
Documented: Magnitudes 7.7 & 9.8 at 8.4"
HJ 3911 (2330)
Very unequal with reasonable separation, hard to pick up secondary, somewhat at 36x & 60x. At 90x see averted and clear at 150x.
Documented: Magnitudes 7.1 & 10 at 22"
Finished with target list in Mensa.
N4052 near theta Crux
Soft cloudy glow near theta 1 & 2 with a hint of resolving all but not quite only some of the stars being seen. Elongated, nice area and worth a revisit.
Viewed other objects but no notes compiled.
NGCLes: in reply to comments on the Pic Tour thread about your observing notes - WOW! To the volume and effort in compiling and then later digitising. Did you scan any sketches (assuming you've made a sketch or two over the time) and attach them with the notes - assume it is straight forward.
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