[Smirnoff]

Hi all,

Took the 12" dob out for the first time in months last night with the intention of observing Saturn. But being well placed only at 4am, I decided to kill some time hunting a few PNs.

Seeing was pretty much garbage, Transparency wasn't spectacular either. However, seeing seemed to improve slightly during dawn, giving some decent views of Saturn.

time: 2am-sunrise
seeing: 2-5/10
transparency: 3/5


Ghost of Jupiter
One of the best PNs out there! At 404x (probably a bit silly given the seeing) - central star was obvious and the eye shape easy to make out. The ends of the 'eye' seemed to be brighter than the rest of the structure, with a fainter nearly circular haze surrounding it. To me , this PN displays a vivid blue colour, one of the most richly coloured objects I've seen.

NGC 5189 - Spiral Planetary
Using 217x with an OIII filter, this unique PN is reminiscent of a barred spiral galaxy. A bright central "bar" was visible, with a 'hook' at its east end curling back toward the south. A fainter detached knot was also visible immediately to the SE of the main complex. At the Neb's west end, 2 faint filaments extent and curve toward the northwest. The whole complex is bathed in a fainter nebulosity, which was most obvious along the southern edge of the bar.

NGC 5315
This is a very tiny PN in Circinus. At 216x without filter, it was almost stellar. WIth the OIII filter, it appeared as a tiny, circular, bluish orb. Has very high surface brightness. Unfortunately due to seeing, I couldn't let loose with the magnification on this one.

IC 4191
PN in Musca. So tiny is this object, that it was virtually stellar even above 200x. Even at 283x, I had to blink with the OIII to sift this microscopic bugger from the rich starfield! Finding the right field is easy enough, with Eta Muscae less than a degree away, and 6.5th mag star L5393 about 10' to the south. The challenge is actually identifying it in the profuse starfield! Without filter, it is practically stellar, even at 283x. With the OIII at 283x, it stood out well, with a tiny circular disk. Has a high surface brightness although due to the seeing, high mags were out of the question.

SATURN
Seeing was pretty ordinary, but got my first proper views of Saturn this season. Seeing seemed to improve as morning twilight was underway , giving brief, satisfying views at 176x and 217x. Two broad pale cloudbands were visible either side of the rings while the rings themselves cast a nice crisp shadow on the globe. As sunrise drew nearer, I managed to get some decent views even at 283x. Was interesting seeing the rings in the edge on aspect, giving it the appearance of a cherry or grape skewered with a toothpic.