xrekcor's Visual Challange: How many stars do you see in the Helix neb

[xrekcor]

Ok I've been studying the Helix Neb over the last few nights. And I'm
interested to know how many stars you can see in the Helix neb,
foreground stars included. Also scope, ep's and powers used to make
your observations. Sketches _MUST_ accompany these observations, it
doesn't matter how crappy or basic or un-artistic you feel they are this
is not and artistic challange.

So far I have counted at least 12 with more than half of them fainter than
the central star. Which is estimated at a magnitude 13.4 and will post my
sketch over the next day or so.


regards,CS

[dhumpie]

Haven't actually counted. I have resketched the object from Leyburn recently so I will go back and refer to my notes. This one was done with my old catadioptric "barlow in the focuser" (i.e crap) 6" scope :)

http://www.geocities.com/dhumpie/dastro/7293.jpg

Darren

[ving]

nice sketch darren :)
have to try this at home... if i remember

[dhumpie]

I can see the helix from my mag 5.5 balcony in suburbia with the UHC filter. But detecting the faint stars might a bit much :) Have to try from a dark sky site...

Darren

[ballaratdragons]

I don't even know where Helix is! :ashamed:

[astro_south]

Just hold on a day or too BD - the Helix is one of October's MOC objects - so charts will be available soon (bit slow this month thanks to me :ashamed: :whistle: )

[atalas]

Rob this is an interesting challenge mate ! thanks for the idea dude.

Louie :thumbsup:

[xrekcor]

Ok guy's, here's my effort,

After about four night observations of the Helix I started this sketch.
It's still not complete, as there are 3-4 stars to the north of the Central
star, actually to the NE and NW, unfortunately the seeing has been crap
over the last couple of nights for me to be able to complete it.

Anyways, 8" f/6 newt 10mm XW over two nights, waiting, observing, coffee, ciggerettes, JJJ

and I wish the damn scanner had an "astrosketch" setting.

Also the stars within the neb in my sketch are several mag's brighter than they
visually appear.

regards,CS

[xrekcor]

Great Sketch Darren, thank you for contributing :thumbsup:

Ken, if you can locate 59-Upsilon Aquarii in your 30mm SV and pan slightly to the west, you should come across it, It is faint, a faint rather large dounut.

Oooop's sorry Andrew I had no idea, just been studying this object and wondered how other folks see it, compare notes sketches and such.

Louie, np's it's and amazing object, I will be interested to hear/read your thoughts too!

regards,CS

[astro_south]

Nice sketch Rob - great idea mate. No worries about the MOC - you weren't to know and it doesn't matter :thumbsup:

[ving]

Hi darren,
you might actually have beter results with this whithout the filter. the filter will probably just blott the stars (which you are trying to see) out...

I am kinda guessing tho.

[dhumpie]

Nice sketch Rob! Now you will have to join the sketch club :) And yes David the filter does blot out the stars. I sketch the object with and without the filter to get the full picture....

Darren

[ving]

well, i wont see any tonight. its cloudy :(

[RAJAH235]

Darren, do you have a Broadband filter. Helps to cut out the mercury & sodium vapour lights from your light polluted area a bit. The UHC may be a bit much. Won't hurt to try it tho! :D L.

[xrekcor]

Thanks Andrew,

I had another good observation of the Helixlast night, The more I observe N7293
the more I see being revealed. I think I found more stars to the north and SW of
the central star. They are getting to the limit of my scope and take some times
and waiting for moments of good seeing.

Another interesting star to oberverve at present, rising late in the east is Hind's
Crimson Star. It's a bit of a toughy to find this time around, so I'm wondering whether
it is a variable star.

regards,CS

[xrekcor]

Thanks Darren,

Yes a UHC filter will block the faint stars we're trying to tease out of the Helix.

regards,CS

[ving]

ok finally had a go, but the conditions were really bad.
seeing: 3-4/10
transparency: 0-3/10 (high clouds were a problem)

I used a 15mm GOS SV. I tried a broadband filter but found that tho i could see the nebula better the stars went so i ditched said filter. I found the longer i looked the more i could see. the attached picture shows the more permanent stars, there were transient ones that popped up once or twice and because i only got fleeting glimses of them i didnt put them in.

[h0ughy]

Nice going there Dave!

[xrekcor]

Thanks for contributing David,

Could you please indicate on your sketch north and East. looks to me north
is to the right. I place diffraction spikes on the stars I didn't pencil in.

You did very well though, the star to the NW of the central star is very hard to
detect here under dark skies when S 8/10 & T 8/10. Hopefully I'll have my sketch
completed in the next day or so, we have a bushfire to the west that has been
burning over the last few days.

regards,CS

[xrekcor]

thanks mate!

Sketch club!! yeah right, it took alot of effort to get off my ass for this one :rofl:

Actually I'm looking to do 47 Tuc shortly, I would imagine that's going to
take sometime to complete.


regards,CS

[ving]

thats the exact orientation in my eyepiece. i guess then north is right as you say :)
er...n/w? which one is that?

[xrekcor]

David,

Try having a go when she reaches your zenith, you might be able to pull more out of it.
When it's high over head and I'm sitting on the south side off my scope north is up. As in the orientation in my sketch. cdc should tell you anyway or where ever you got your template from. looks to me East is up in your sketch. Take your sketch with you again and see if you can plot more. If you can see if you can plot the central void. as there are a number of stars in the ring and in the central void and then around the perimeter of the nebulous dounut, another circle will do. So I'm looking for stars in these three areas, and the circle makes this hard to determine.

regards,CS

[xrekcor]

Exactly how I do it, use the filter to get the nebulous dounut right, then spend a few nights plotting stars. And be dang! if more are appearing :rofl:
which means another night confirming :doh:

regards,CS

[ballaratdragons]

Rob, what's a 59-Upsilon Aquarii?

Andrew, what's a MOC?

Like I said once or twice before: "20 years at this and I still know nothing!"

[xrekcor]

Hey Ken,

Np's mate, 59-Upsilon Aquarii is a star just east of the Helix. Actually I tried it last night and found in my 30mm SV I could get both in the same field of view. 59-Upsilon Aquarii also has this designation SAO 191235 if you have some astro soft like CDC you should be able to punch it in. Or you could line up Uranus and pan 11° due south where you will come across 59-Upsilon Aquarii and the Helix.

MOC is Monthly Object Challenge, The helix happens to be one of October's

If you like I can make a star chart for you, that shows a fairly easy star hop to the Helix. The Helix should look pretty good from your dark skies.

regards,CS