This is an observing report from Asunción, Paraguay, March 29. Light pollution was heavy, but this particular night was very transparent and the light dome of the city shrunk low. I observed a couple of hours with an 8x32 Vixen binocular and my faithful Karkoschka star atlas from a roof terrace in the hotel. I looked only at star clusters and galactic diffuse nebulae (with one exception, number one in the list), but because Milky Way is so rich in the Argo/Crux area, I always felt that I was looking into the inner structure of our own galaxy!
2070, Tarantula - an extragalactic nebula in Dorado, clearly seen as a small nebulous spot. The rest of LMC was drowned in the light pollution.
2516 in Vela - a very large, rich open cluster with stars of different magnitudes, well resolved.
IC 2391 in Vela - a cluster with four stars in an arch and a few smaller stars.
2547 in Vela - a cluster with one bright star and about ten smaller stars around it.
2451 in Puppis - a cluster of several stars, one of them very yellow.
2477 in Puppis - an open cluster seen as a dim nebulous spot, not resolved.
2546 in Puppis - a large cluster, grainy, not conspicuous.
IC 2602 - the Southern Pleiades - large, very beautiful cluster of white bright stars. I had an opportunity to compare directly with our Northern Pleiades, the Southern ones won . . .
3114 in Carina - a very large, elongated cluster, very many stars.
3372 - Eta Carinae - a magnificent nebula! Much larger and brighter than M42 (Orion was almost upside down). Divided in several parts by dark lanes, very conspicuous!
3293 in Carina - a compact group of 6-7 stars, very beautiful.
3532 in Carina - a very large and rich cluster (I thought of a porridge made of stars). Two black spots and a lucida.
3766 in Centaurus - a compact group of ten stars.
4755 in Crux - Jewel Box. Small triangular group of rather small stars.
5193 - Omega Centauri. Very large, bright, not concentrated, not resolved (naturally).
Besides that I looked at M41, M93, M50, M46 and M47 - right above my head!
Dmitri
2070, Tarantula - an extragalactic nebula in Dorado, clearly seen as a small nebulous spot. The rest of LMC was drowned in the light pollution.
2516 in Vela - a very large, rich open cluster with stars of different magnitudes, well resolved.
IC 2391 in Vela - a cluster with four stars in an arch and a few smaller stars.
2547 in Vela - a cluster with one bright star and about ten smaller stars around it.
2451 in Puppis - a cluster of several stars, one of them very yellow.
2477 in Puppis - an open cluster seen as a dim nebulous spot, not resolved.
2546 in Puppis - a large cluster, grainy, not conspicuous.
IC 2602 - the Southern Pleiades - large, very beautiful cluster of white bright stars. I had an opportunity to compare directly with our Northern Pleiades, the Southern ones won . . .
3114 in Carina - a very large, elongated cluster, very many stars.
3372 - Eta Carinae - a magnificent nebula! Much larger and brighter than M42 (Orion was almost upside down). Divided in several parts by dark lanes, very conspicuous!
3293 in Carina - a compact group of 6-7 stars, very beautiful.
3532 in Carina - a very large and rich cluster (I thought of a porridge made of stars). Two black spots and a lucida.
3766 in Centaurus - a compact group of ten stars.
4755 in Crux - Jewel Box. Small triangular group of rather small stars.
5193 - Omega Centauri. Very large, bright, not concentrated, not resolved (naturally).
Besides that I looked at M41, M93, M50, M46 and M47 - right above my head!
Dmitri
