Proxima and Planeteries

[mickoking]

G,day all,

After a partly cloudy day the clouds seemed to dissapear at sunset and left me and the Dob in peace for some fine viewing. One object I finally got round to seeing was Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to our solar system at a mere 4.21 light years away. When I finally found the 11th magnitude beast there was absolutely nothing to differentiate it from the other stars in the field, what a feeble star

Time now for some serious deep sky action and it seems planeteries are high on the agenda again tonight. The action started in Norma and first up is Shapely1 (PK 329+2.1). Swept it up quite easily due to a convenient field star and saw Sp1 with averted vision. With my trusty OIII filter the planetery is easy but faint, quite circular with the NE edge slightly brighter. Menzel 2 (PK 329-2.2) is very easy to find being next to the bright, speccy cluster NGC 6067. Mz2 is both brighter and smaller than Sp1, round and featureless ghostly grey. Open cluster NGC 6067 is worth a visit if only to see the pretty double star at it's centre, orange and blue by my reckoning. Over to Scorpious and NGC 6302 The Bug Nebula lives up to it's name. Orientated roughly E-W this planetery consist's of two 'lobes'. The east lobe is bighter and the west lobe is fainter but more elongated. A faint envelpoe of luminous material appears to extend eastward form the brighter lobe. The Bug is also quite bright, one of the brightest objects in the field. Nearby NGC 6337 is a easy to find planetery that seems to show a central star. With the OIII filter NGC 6337 presents a pretty smoke ring similar to a miniture M57.

Thanks Astronut (John) for reccomending Sp1 and likewise thanx Hector for putting me onto NGC's 6337 and 6302. Well it looks like being another clear one tonight, may everyone have clear skies, Mick

[matt]

Good one Micko

Glad you've got clear skies.

Been overcast and raining here for days

[xstream (John)]

Nice report Micko.
Been raining here for two days before that fog.

[astronut (John)]

Well done Mick, I'll be after SP1 this w/e. Hoping the weathers fine. It's either been overcast or full moon or both How hard/easy is it to see SP1 without a filter but under dark skies? Thanks, John.

[mickoking]

Originally Posted by astronut

Well done Mick, I'll be after SP1 this w/e. Hoping the weathers fine. It's either been overcast or full moon or both How hard/easy is it to see SP1 without a filter but under dark skies? Thanks, John.

I live and observe from the urban frindge and was able to see Sp1 readily with averted vision. From a dark site I don't believe it would be too hard with a 300mm Dob.

[OneOfOne (Trevor)]

Don't go using all that clear sky on us! We want some left when it gets over here you know!

[mickoking]

Had another glorious night (sorry to rub it in ) Concentrated on Ara and southern Ophiuchus. All the dark nebulae in Ophiuchus make some of the star fields there a bit creepy I couldn't see The Snake (dark nebula B72), I will try again, this time with my 120mm Skywatcher tonight.

[dhumpie]

Sounds like you had a great observing night! SP1 still continues to elude me although I have yet to track it down with my 10" GS. I failed with the 6"f/5....

Darren