October Challenge Object (GC) - M15

[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!

[Kieken]

Finally something I can observe :). I''l post my sketches and reports as soon as the clouds and the moon disappear.

[RapidEye]

I first observed M15 last winter in my 4.5", and while it was OK - it didn't blow me away. Looking back at it, at the time it was starting to get low on the horizon and that 4.5" just doesn't have horsepower to do Globs right :confused:

I was revisiting many of the M's using my binoculars a month or two ago and when I came to M15, I was pleasantly supprised at how nice it was, compared to MOST other globs in binculars. It has a very bright core, almost stellar like that tapers off to a dim circle - suprisingly bright in 10x50's. You'll never confuse it for M13 or M22, but after looking at ones like M9 - it is quite nice in binoculars!

After being so suprised by it in the binculars, I've gone back with the 10" scope. Its almost the "perfect" globular for a 10" - not the brightest or biggest, but its an amazing glob: The core is very bright, and almost resolvable - I get hints of graininess at the core and it feels like it "wants" to resolve to idividual stars, but its just to dang tight. Then it tapers off smothly to a disk of easily resolvable, but densly packed stars. That disk then tapers to a disk of scatter and fainter ring of stars. That disk finally resolves down to onsies and twosies that blend into the field.

I've run the power up and down, but anything between 125X and 200X gives me the most pleasing view! :cool:

Like I said - to date, it is my favorite Glob in my 10" F/5:
Not the biggest, not the brightest, not the gawdiest, but has all of the elements that are fun to study - it just keeps sucking you in: deeper and deeper :love:

[Kieken]

I can give you this. It are 2 sketches I made of M15 a couple of months ago. One was with the 12" dob, the other with the 4.5" newt on eq-2

With 12" (http://users.pandora.be/willy.geys3/Astronomie/Tekeningen/12''/M15.jpg)
Magnification was 240x (12.5mm + 2x barlow). Very bright core, some stars were visible. I hope to se more when I'm out someday this your (I hope)

With 4.5" (http://users.pandora.be/willy.geys3/Astronomie/Tekeningen/4.5''/M15.jpg)
Sketch was made with a magnification of 144 (Orion Highlight Plössl 12.5mm + 2x Barlow). No individual stars, just a fuzzy ball.


As you can see I'm not a very talented person when it comes to sketching ;).

[dhumpie]

This northerly globular is also well place for southern observers. I have observed this object many times but have not sketched it yet. From memory I seem to remember it being a very tight globular with an intense core that shows some resolution in my C6 at high powers. However it is not fully resolved. Will have to check it out again.

Darren

[astro_south]

Here is my sketch of M15 that I did around the last new moon. Through the eyepiece I noticed a distinct blue colour to the object. I wasn't sure if it was the atmosphere but it was something I noticed observing this glob at the recent QLD Astrofest. I have also thought that this could be an optical illusion with the bright nearby star. Has anyone else noted this apparent blue hue to this glob?