October Challenge Object (GX) - Grus Quartet

[iceman]

Hi all.

We'd love you to take part in the October Observing and Imaging Challenge (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.php?id=69,241,0,0,1,0). Please post your reports and sketches in the Observational Astronomy forum, and your images in the Deep Sky Imaging forum.

Please ensure all images/sketches obey the posting guidelines when you attach them.

While it would be nice if the report, sketch or image were taken in the month of October, it's not essential so feel free to post older reports and images if you're unable to take some new ones.

We look forward to seeing your contributions!

[Robby]

Well not quite the quartet, but 3 out of 4 ain't too bad...
Cheers

[ving]

nice picture robby! :D

[xrekcor]

Lovely imaging Robby :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I took a look at this group for the first time a few nights ago. Looking forward
to sketching it in a couple of weeks.

regards,CS

[atalas]

Very nice Robby,great detail !


Louie :thumbsup:

[atalas]

Am I going nuts or have my posts been deleted ?


Louie :confused:

[atalas]

Ok now wasn't images and Observational moved into the same forum last month ?

Louie

[davidpretorius]

nice one, what mag do you need for this roughly???

[astro_south]

David

I have viewed the whole 4 in a single field using my 31mm NT5 in my 12.5" F6 dob at about 63x. Your mileage will vary depending on what scope and eyepiece combination you are using, but the key thing is that I get a 1.3 degree true filed of view.

Andrew (sketch to come once I "scan" it with the digital camera)

[iceman]

Yes, but now i've separated the images and reports/sketches again.

See my post here: http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=4603&page=2

[xrekcor]

David,

I can fit the four of them nicely in my 14mm XW thru a 8" f/6 newt

Mike,

could we have givin it a bit longer so folk could get used to the idea? I think is going to be confusion again.

regards,CS

[atalas]

Ok thanks Mike !


Louie

[astroron]

I think you didn' get many images because the weather was lousy. I think you could have given it a bit more time.astroron

[cventer]

Robby,

What scope, camera combo did you get for that image scale ?

Regards
Chris

[RapidEye]

Thats a dandy of a shot! :thumbsup:

Next time I get a chance, I'll give these ones a run; however, I don't anticipate seeing much if anything - they only get about 10 degrees above the horizon for me. With something really low contrast like Galaxies, I'm not getting my hopes up, but you never know until you try!

[xrekcor]

Jim, I was going to suggest you have a go at the Fornax galaxy cluster, but
I dont think that would get much higher for you. But it's another great location for multiple galaxy views.

regards,CS

[xrekcor]

Wow! technology of today, how did they fit the scanner into the digital?? and
still make it pocket size :D :whistle: :poke:

regards,CS

[iceman]

The DSO images and reports/sketches were merged into the 1 thread for the August and September challenges, and for both months I noticed a drop in image submissions.

You can still easily view the DSO images, they're in the DSO imaging section now.

I'm happy to try combining them next month again if the greater populous prefers to see them in the one thread.

[iceman]

Oh also, the other logical reason for separating them, is that DSO imagers love to ask lots of questions about an image that has been posted - details, camera, exposure, processing etc. It doesn't really make sense to have the thread (in this forum) filled with that sort of commentary. However it's perfectly placed for that sort of commentary in the DSO section.

[Lee]

Nice pic Robby....
any details on camera, exposure etc???
would be nice to know....
this group is top of my list once the moon is out of the way!

[Robby]

Hi Guys,
Details of the shot....
Scope C9.25 @ f/6.3, Camera Canon 300D. Image was slightly cropped from full size.
13x4min exposures at ISO800.
Cheers

[dhumpie]

This one was pointed out to me by Andrew (astro_south) when I first visited Leyburn way way back in 2001. He had a very interesting nickname for them, "the three bears" which stuck till this day. They make for a very interesting view at low power not unlike some of the other more famous galaxy groups like the Fornax cluster. The three main members are easy but there is a fainter 4th member. Not much detail in the individual galaxies though. Anyway have a look at one of my earliest sketches:

http://www.geocities.com/dhumpie/dastro/7599-82-52.jpg

Darren

[gaa_ian]

This is a great cluster of Galaxies
My first view of them was through Astro Souths scope ... awesome
I have found them several times since, worth the effort !

[astro_south]

Here is my sketch of these galaxies done around last moon from a dark sky site. The eyepiece used was a 13mm Nagler and it didn't fit all 4 galaxies into the one field of view. Therefore the gap between the three close galaxies and the fourth may not be accurate as it transends a couple of fields (though I tried to be as close as possible)

[atalas]

Very nice Andrew ! how much time did you spend viewing these guy's and do you think that you see more and more detail th longer you look ? :astron:

[xrekcor]

Darren & Andrew,

Great sketches guy's. I have to wait until the moon stop interfering and the clouds to disapprear. Then I can give it a shot with the pencil.

regards,CS

[astro_south]

Louie - The sketch took me about 20 mins to do. There is a lot of staring through the eyepiece and then transposing the details to the sketch book while juggling a torch and pencils. I often find myself noting a few features and then when I go to draw them I second guess myself and I need to go back to the eyepiece to check the detail.

You definitely see more the more you observe an object, and I guess that was one of the drivers behind doing the MOCs. Of course the other thing that helps is aperture. In the past I have "found objects" and pretty well much left it at that, now when I locate objects I like to spend a little time and see what I can "observe".

Rob - cheers for the feedback - look forward to checking out your efforts.