[ngcles]

Hi All,

Just thought I'd post some observations from an observing weekend near Mudgee last weekend. The observation of Holmes (first was on the night of the 9th) and the rest on Saturday the 10th whcih was an excellent night. Most of the objects are in Aries, Caelum and Columba and are pertty faint but I do like to hunt the obscure where often unearthed gems lay.

Most observations were with 12mm and 9mm Nagler at x 185 and x247

17/P Comet Holmes 15x70s & 25cm

This comet in outburst is an easy naked-eye object even at the low culmination altitude of about 7 degrees. Naked eye it appears to be similar in brightness though about a magnitude dimmer than Mirfak (Alpha Perseii). Halo size is somewhat larger than 47 Tuc and a little larger than M41. Est magnitude 2.6 – 2.8.

In 15x70s it is a bright circular object about 0.75 degrees in diameter. The edges of the halo/coma have very well defined edges and has very high surface-brightness -- comparable to most of M42, It brightens moderately and broadly to the centre though no apparent pseudo-nucleus is visible.

In G Mitchell's 25cm with 26mm T5 is a very bright and large object, a little under 0.75 degrees diameter. The N edges of the Halo has an exceptionally well-defined edge for about 225 degrees of the circular halo. The remaining 135 degrees pointing southward is somewhat less defined and it seems "blown-out" in a southward direction -- looking a bit like a jellyfish. It brightens broadly and moderately to centre and has high surface-brightness. There is a somewhat smaller, maybe 10' x 7' tear-drop shaped, weakly brighter zone in PA 0 deg almost centred within the halo but a little off-set to the S in the direction of the "blow-out" and a suspicion of a vaguely brighter spot in the centre just off-set to the South.

First item on the agenda was the other comet – 2007 F1 LONEOS which was about 1.5 degrees NW of Epsilon Scorpii. It took the best part of 7-10 minutes careful scanning to finally pin it down at exactly the predicted position making a right-angled triangle with a couple of slightly brighter mag 7.5 stars – but what a disappointment
It was tiny and faint and – a flop! The notes follow:



Comet 2007 F1 Loneos 15x70mm
A very disappointing object. Found just S of Epsilon Scorpii it is a tiny object less than 3' diameter, like a hazy mag 8-9 star with a tiny halo and no tail. Big, big disappointment!

Before I got into my list it was time for a wander through some old favourites and this is basically where I went. First to M33 which was particularly stunning this time last year at John’s and it was still the same. Stephan’s Quintet was pretty too.

I then went to a few low-surface brightness galaxies like the WLM and NGC 45, NGC 247 and NGC 300 and then had a bit of a spin through the Fornax cluster and a few of the nicer barred spirals of the spring sky like NGC 1365, 1097 and NGC 1300 –Yum! Then M77 and a number of its surrounding galaxies in Cetus and then I checked in on Mira which was a little fainter than I expected it to be. One other spring favourite of mine, the faint sliver of an edge-on spiral in Pisces -- NGC 100 was stunning.

Then it was time for a poke around the LMC and SMC. That done it was time to devour some galaxies in Aries and these are the observations;

x185 27' TF

NGC 678 Galaxy *
RA: 01h 49m 24.8s Dec: +21° 59' 51"
Mag: 13.3 (B) S.B.: 13.1 B-V: +1.12
Size: 4.4'x0.7' Class: SB(s)b: sp P.A.: 81
Inclination: 7 R.V.: +2811

NGC 680 Galaxy *
RA: 01h 49m 47.3s Dec: +21° 58' 16"
Mag: 11.9 (V) S.B.: 11.8 B-V: +1.00
Size: 2.0'x1.6' Class: E+ pec: P.A.: 156
Inclination: --- R.V.: +2933

NGC 691 Galaxy *
RA: 01h 50m 41.7s Dec: +21° 45' 35"
Mag: 11.4 (V) S.B.: --- B-V: +0.80
Size: 3.4'x2.2' Class: SA(rs)bc P.A.: 91
Inclination: 3 R.V.: +2665

NGC 694 Mkn 363 Galaxy *
RA: 01h 50m 58.5s Dec: +21° 59' 49"
Mag: 13.7 (V) S.B.: --- B-V: +0.56
Size: 0.7'x0.6' Class: S0? pec P.A.: 166
Inclination: --- R.V.: +2935

Starting with 678, it is a elong eg diffuse in character and has a very faint outer halo and a comparatively bright nucleus. Overall it seems 2.5' x 30" in PA 75 with a small 30 x 10" mod brighter nuclear area. The tips are of very, very LSB by comparison.

-80 is to the ESE by 5' and presents as a fairly small round eg about 1' diameter growing mod and evenly to centre and at centre suddenly to a very small sub-stellar nucleus.

-94 is to the E by 15' from -80 and is a very tiny, almost stellar scrap of haze about 10-15" diameter of very low S.B with no discernible brightening.

-91 is SSW by 15' -- a much larger eg than -94 appears next to a faint "snake-eyes" pair of mag 13.5 *s and they are to the SW by 1.5'. That pair almost points at the eg. 50" diameter, perhaps an early type spiral with a very faint outer halo dominated by a somewhat brighter very small core and sub-stellar spot occasionally visible


x185 27' TF

NGC 673 Galaxy *
RA: 01h 48m 22.9s Dec: +11° 31' 17"
Mag: 13.2 (B) S.B.: 13.3 B-V: +0.59
Size: 2.1'x1.6' Class: SAB(s)c P.A.: 0
Inclination: 2 R.V.: +5241

Fairly small, pretty LSB eg, probably only 1.25 - 1.5' diameter, maybe slightly oval in PA 0, and to the ENE by 2.5' is a mag 9.5*.It is a quite diffuse object growing broadly and slightly to the centre with no zones or nucleus. The SB isn't too bad but is pretty low.


x185 27' TF

NGC 697 Galaxy *
RA: 01h 51m 17.4s Dec: +22° 21' 27"
Mag: 12.8 (B) S.B.: 13.6 B-V: +0.82
Size: 4.4'x1.4' Class: SAB(r)c: P.A.: 105
Inclination: 6 R.V.: +3117

This is a lovely elong galaxy about 1.75' x 30" in about PA 120 found to the W of a small group of faint *s. Appears to be an edge on spiral or inclined spiral, mod LSB grows in brightness slightly to the axis near centre and slightly and azonally to centre. At centre is a small weak streak-like core but no real nucleus.


x185 27' TF

NGC 776 Galaxy *
RA: 01h 59m 54.7s Dec: +23° 38' 37"
Mag: 13.2 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: ---
Size: 1.7'x1.6' Class: SAB(rs)b P.A.: 117
Inclination: 1 R.V.: +4921

IC 180 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 00m 00.4s Dec: +23° 36' 15"
Mag: 15.3 S.B.: --- B-V: ---
Size: 0.8'x0.3' Class: S P.A.: 145
Inclination: ---

NGC 776 is the dominant member of this pair. IC 181 is also nearby but not seen. NGC 776 is a fairly faint, quite diffuse small eg, maybe about 1' diameter quite to low SB. Brightens broadly and weakly to the centre without apparent nucleus and no stars directly involved. IC 180 is S by 3'.

IC 180 is just a tiny 5-10" diameter scrap of gossamer only visible intermittently with concentration and A.V


x185 27' TF

NGC 881 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 18m 45.3s Dec: -06° 38' 22"
Mag: 13.2 (B) S.B.: 13.5 B-V: +0.79
Size: 2.2'x1.4' Class: SAB(r)c P.A.: 140
Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: RC3 *

NGC 883 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 19m 05.1s Dec: -06° 47' 28"
Mag: 13.2 S.B.: --- B-V: ---
Size: 1.6'x1.2' Class: SA(s)0-: P.A.: 78
Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: RC3 *

IC 219 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 18m 38.7s Dec: -06° 54' 13"
Mag: 13.9 S.B.: --- B-V: ---
Size: 1.2'x0.8' Class: E? P.A.: 18
Inclination: --- R.V.: --- Source: RC3 *

NGC 881 is a very elong eg, possibly edge on spiral which is found pretty much due E of a mag 11 * which is not far off the E flank. It is of LSB but reasonable, approaching 2' x 20" in PA 150 with a small similarly small, slightly elong slightly brighter core/nucleus. 10' SE is NGC 883

NGC 883 is a small round, faint eg of very LSB. Probably just over 30" diameter with a slight central brightening. And a very tiny mod brighter core/nucleus. An uneven mags 11 + 13 pair is just to the S. IC 219 is 10' SW.

IC 219 is just a tiny scrap of gossamer about 10" diameter with no stars involved.

About this time some odd cloud was starting to form here and there – not the serious type it only ever covered about 20% of the sky at most but sort of formed in little bunches, stayed put where it was and then dissipated 10 minutes later. Nuisance value more than anything but one spot it seemed to like to form was over Aries. I headed down the shack at about 11pm to make a coffee convinced that if I payed no attention to the sky for 15 minutes it would go away. Coffee over, I stepped outside to a cloudless sky and re-started on my list. The moment I pointed the ‘scope at Aries, there it was again on and off for the next hour. The moment I finished in Aries about 1am, it went away. After last night’s odd event with Holmes being in the clear for about 90 mins, normality it seems had been restored.


x185 27' TF

NGC 803 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 03m 45.2s Dec: +16° 01' 53"
Mag: 13.2 (B) S.B.: 13.6 B-V: +0.68
Size: 4.3'x2.0' Class: SA(s)c: sp P.A.: 7
Inclination: 6 R.V.: +2100 Source: RC3 *

This is a quite elong possibly edge on spiral found almost due E of a mag 10 * which is just off the flank of the halo. It is of LSB but not too bad, approaching 2' x 20" in PA 0. Long slightly tapered oval with a small slightly brighter core but no apparent nucleus.


x185 27' TF

NGC 820 Galaxy *
RA: 02h 08m 25.1s Dec: +14° 21' 00"
Mag: 13.6 (P) S.B.: --- B-V: ---
Size: 1.3'x0.7' Class: Sb P.A.: 61
Inclination: 4 R.V.: +4422 Source: RC3 *

This is a very small, pretty non-descript eg in PA 30 and is only slightly elong. It appears between a couple of mag 14 & 15 *s It would seem to be maybe 50" x 20" in that PA with a slight to moderate broad concentration to the centre without apparent core or nucleus. The closer of those two stars is the one to the N, maybe just over 1' away.



Now on to Pt 2