Clear at last

[glenc (Glen)]

It was clear last night after lots of cloudy nights so I got up at 2am just before the moonset and had a look at the following.

Observing report Sunday morning 17 Oct 2010
Glen Cozens, North Casino, NSW (lat -28.82, long 153.07)

From 2:30am to 4:20am DST (GMT +11)
Moonset 2:35am, astro twilight 4:47am

Temp 9C to 11C, slight W wind (10kph), no dew, very clear

Scope 12” (30cm) black GSO Dobsonian f/5
EP 30mm (2”) with 93’ field, 50 times (it is easy to find things with a 1.5 degree field)
8x50mm finder (no argo)

Light pollution
Brisbane to North, slight pollution
Gold Coast in NNE, worse than Brisbane
Lismore in E, slight pollution
Casino bad but behind house in SW

130 DSO seen (not counting LMC objects)
The numbers below are NGC numbers.

Open clusters (26 objects)
M45, 752, M34, M36, M37, M38, 1893, M35, 2158, M46, M47, M41, 2362, M93,
2477, 2541, 2547, 2516, 3114, 3293, IC2581, IC 2602, Mel 101, 2818, M44, M67

Globular clusters (9)
104, 362, 288, M79, 1851, 2298, 2808, 1261, 3201

Nebulae (25)
1435 in M45, part of 1499, 1931, M1, 2175, 2261, 2264, Rosette 2237,
M42, M43, 1973-75-77, 1999, 2023, 2024, M78,
part of Barnards loop near 2112, 2359, IC2177, 2467, 3372, 3324, 3247, 3199

Planetary nebulae (10)
7293, 246, 1514, 2392, 2438, 2440, 1360, 3132, 3242, 2818

Galaxies (47)
Outer edge of Milky Way, SMC, LMC, M31, M32, M110, M33, M74, M77, 7552, 7582, 7590, 7599
1055, 247, 253, 55, 300, 7793, 1792, 1808, 1617, 1596, 1566, 1549, 1553, 1546, 1533
1398, 1313, 1559, 1365, 1399, 1404, 1380, 1350, 1386, 1387, 1379, 1381, 1374
1316, 1317, 1326, 1269/91, 1531, 1532

SMC (13)
121, 249, 261, 330, 346, 371, 395, 419, 456, 460, 465, L104, 602
Also dozens of LMC objects.

Variable star Mira (mag 3?)
Also the very hot multiple star gam Vel (T shaped)
Finished with Jupiter, Callisto, Europa, Io

[Robh (Rob)]

Glen,

That's a wonderful bag full of goodies in 2 hours.
Some experienced navigation showing there (no Argo Navis).
If only I could get up at that time of night and be functional!

Regards, Rob.

[Liz]

Wow, a huge amount of targets seen and enjoyed, catching up on some lost time due to cloud. Well done.

[glenc (Glen)]

Thanks Liz and Rob.
I looked at the LMC this morning with a UHC filter.
These 38 NGC nebulae are bright.
1722-27
1743-48
1763-69, 2nd brightest after 2070
1770
1850-58 GC & Neb
1871-73
1876
1910
1918
1935-36-37
1948
2030
1955-68-74
1965-66
2014
2018
2032-35-40, 3rd brightest
2048
2070 Tarantula
2074
2078-79
2080-85
2122
2103
Here is Eder Ivan's image of the LMC.
http://eder.csillagaszat.hu/deepsky/...m_eder_en.html

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Geez, man! You on some sort of caffine kick!

Stunning lot of objects bagged.

Let me guess, you've only just started out with a scope and a sky chart?

This raises a question with me, that here might not be the best place to ask, but here goes- Are there any globular clusters associated with the LMC and SMC?

[glenc (Glen)]

Alexandar
There are globular clusters in the LMC & SMC.
I didn't use a skychart when observing the 130 DSO but I did use one for the LMC nebulae.
I started observing in 1979 with a 4.5" K-Mart reflector, 7x50 binoculars and a Skalnaté Pleso Atlas of the Heavens.

[astroron (Ron)]

some good observing the glen you must have had some good weather
for a change

[Suzy]

All that in 2 hours? What's in your coffee? And you started at 2.30am? and without go to? Oh, I have a long, long way to go