Have you seen NGC 6164-65? I have seen most of the NGC nebulae with my 12" scope and for me NGC 6164 is one of the most difficult. NGC 6165 is easier than NGC 6164. Today's APOD of this object blew me away. http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap090507.html
I tried several times with the 31cm and never quite managed to capture it -- though I'd reckon it should be visible in that size.
Here is a 2006 observation of it with 46cm where it is a really beautiful object:
x139 35' TF, UHC filter.
This is a very interesting and remarkable object that shows some response to the UHC filter but not strongly so. the brightest portions of this bipolar planetary type nebula are two arcs that are seperated by about 7' and are each about 3.5' distant from the mag 7 central star SAO 226891 which is Mag(v): 6.77 Spect: O6e, in PA 150 and 330. Each of those two arcs is about 30-40" long and slightly concave from the direction of the central star. The southernmost one is slightly longer and brighter and has a quite hard outer edge. Both seem blusih without the UHC filter. In addition there seems to be some weak haze between the two arcs and the central star, in particular a faint diagonal streak that is in PA 100, that points at the W end of the Northern streak and the Eastern end of the southern streak. This diagonal bit is fainter and more diffuse that the two arcs.
I had another look at it the weekend before last up and Mudgee and enjoyed it immensely -- really, really beautiful object.
The image by Don Goldman is a stunner and shows the outer halo which is probably an impossible visual target. A pearler!
Strange that this should come up now. I'm currently writing about this very target for a future article ...
