We'd love you to take part in the September Observing and Imaging Challenge. Please post your reports, sketches and deep-space images of NGC6752 in this thread. Discussions about the images can also be in this thread.
Please ensure the images 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 September, it's not essential so feel free to post older reports and images if you're unable to take some new ones.
Ah finally we come to the starfish glob! This was the nickname given to this glob by esteemed SAS member Kevin Dixon and it does live up to its name even in smallish scopes. The glob appears like a starfish as it has arms radiating out in all directions making it appear like a starfish. This is also one of the better globs for small scopes as it is easily resolved (even from suburbia) and in my opinion is second only to the following globs: Omage Centauri, 47 Tucana, M22, and the Ara glob. The glob is nicely resolved at higher powers even in my grab and go Orion 80ST and there are hints of the "starfish" in this scope at such magnifications. The views are just breathtaking in my C6 at powers above 150x. Need I say more???? The only problem is that it is quite a nightmare to sketch
Well, I THINK I found this last night (1st sept) In the 6" refractor. @ 50 & 60X it did not really resolve very well, which makes me suspicious that I was perhaps looking at something other than the starfish. I followed the map put up on here though & I put the scope right on it. surely there can't be another globular so close to this area.
Anyway, it was definitely a semi bright globular cluster. I did resolve a couple of stars in the centre of the glob. I have a rough sketch of what I saw & will get it a bit better & post later. BTW It sounds like I should have tried some higher mag to resolve the "arms".
Here is what I saw of the Pavo glob. In all the times I have viewed this in the past I have never noticed that the field star very nearby to this glob is a double. I noticed this through the process of sketching as there is a need to take that extra bit of notice of what you are seeing. The conditions were very average with a lot of moisture in the air.
Ignore the elongated stars in the drawing - it was rushed due to advancing clouds. The 'double' field star is above the Glob in the sketch. Through the 12.5" I noticed that the core was made up of three prominent fingers. In the sketch one is going directly up, one heads out to the right, and the remaining one heads to the upper left corner of the sketch.
this was my second MOC aboject for the night... first the bug, then the starfish.
I consulted my charts as i had no idea where pavo was and noticed there was a (approx) mag 8 galaxy near by to check out later
follwed my guide stars to the glob and bam! quite bright in my EP really
nice bright central core with a whole bunch of scattered stars around it. I didnt really use my imagination on this too much so i couldnt see a starfish. still, its gotta be one of the prettier globs in the sky
whizzed around the area of the galaxy for ages and found zip... disappointed, but then i had no luck with galaxies all night
I dont know what eyepieces you own but with a 15mm in your 8"/f6 dob giving about 80X you would not be able to separate the double star. If your keen, try it using about 150X (or a little more) in your 8". The double h 5085, is the bright star about 7' west of the core. The secondary is a very small white/blue star sitting right on the primary.
BTW, I don't care what anyone says, it still looks like a butterfly to me
funny how things work... was a really hard split with my 10.5 TV but tried it last night with my new 7.5 ultima and it was easy. this is a very good EP
funny how things work... was a really hard split with my 10.5 TV but tried it last night with my new 7.5 ultima and it was easy. this is a very good EP
sorry if it seems i am raving bout it
David,
No your not raving, or if you are you have every right to. But, don't forget the extra magnification of the 7.5mm eyepiece helps with the split over the 10.5mm TV Plossl.
The Celestron Ultimas are a 5 element modified plossl design called a Masuyama, they are the same design and almost identical to the Orion Ultrascopic and Antares Elite eyepieces sold in Canada and the USA.
The on axis image quality in these eyepieces is superb, it is as good as any eyepiece you are ever likely to use including the premium widefield products from Televue and Pentax. This is due to it being a simpler design and having less lens elements. The UO HD orthos provide very similar views to the Celestron Ultimas as do the TV Plossls, however, the TV Plossls provide a slightly warmer tone to my eye which I am not that keen on, nevertheless they are still an outstanding eyepiece, very sharp and contrasty with high light transmission. The only downside to Orthoscopics and Plossls is the short eye relief and narrowish FOV. If you don't need glasses, don't mind the short eye-relief and are budget limited these eyepieces are as good as it gets. Compared to the cheap plossl eyepieces normally supplied when you buy a scope, the Celestron Ultima, UO HD ortho and the TV Plossl are light years ahead, chalk and cheese really.
No your not raving, or if you are you have every right to. But, don't forget the extra magnification of the 7.5mm eyepiece helps with the split over the 10.5mm TV Plossl.
CS-John B
yeah i know, the TV gives great views too at a wider angle. I can see what you mean by "warmer" tho.
Does this look like NGC 6752 I had a look at some images of this Glob on the net and it seems like I've imaged the wrong one. I got the RA and DEC right there might be a smaller globular in the same vicinity. I don't know.
Oh and by the way can someone tell me how I can get rid of the dead pixels in the image?
It actually looks to have the right shape for NGC 6752, with the extended curled arms but you seem to have only got about 30% to 40% of the stars you should have got. Not sure what's going on there.
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