Posts Made By: Rod Kaufman

Observing from the LAAS site in Lockwood valley last night, Friday 11-25, was a bit of a challenge. Seeing was poor, at 2/5 and transparency could have been better with less ice crystals in the air. However, I was able to do fairly well with DSOs in Cetus, the whale. The constellation does not ride high enough for really outstanding views in my latitude but enough detail can be realized in some of the objects to make the observing effort worthwhile.
A couple of objects stand out from the many galaxies observable in this constellation. First up is a fine planetary, NGC 246, registering 10.9 magnitude and nearly 3' in diameter. Although visible without an 0111 filter, I used my Lumicon 0111 to enhance the view in my 16" dob in conjunction with an ES 24mm eyepiece. The latter combination afforded a view quite similar to the image in the Observer's Guide. I think both I and Floyd Blue were similarly impressed with the overall appearance of this object, given the seeing conditions at the time.
Next up, a very large 9.2 magnitude galaxy at 19' x 5' is NGC 247. This one spanned a great deal of the 82 degree AFOV in my ES24mm ocular. As noted in the Observer's Guide, the halo is teardrop-shaped with a mottled central area. It's definitely a must see object.
I tried but failed to detect IC 1613, a member of the Milky Way's Local Galaxy Group. Although having a magnitude of 9.2 and a size of 20.0' x 18.5', the Observer's Guide notes it is visible even in larger scopes as only a large irregular haze. The Guide also notes it is a dwarf irregular system similar to the Magellanic clouds. I suspect if the seeing had been better, or if the object was riding higher in the sky, I'd probably would have detected it. I'd be interesting in reading the comments from other observers who may have seen this galaxy.
Check out NGC 1035, a spindle galaxy having a magnitude of 12.2 with an appearance of a "slash" in the eyepiece. It certainly has a distinct view in the eyepiece compared to most galaxies.
I hit other galaxies in Cetus as well but the aforementioned objects were stand-outs. If you've observed them and wish to share your comments, please do...

Very nice work on one of my favorite galaxies. Splendid!

Well, how about it? Any responses to help liven up another dead AM forum?
I really don't want to post the same thing on CN and end up hearing from the likes of poopy pooh, wee wee and tinkle4U.
Geez...

Although Sunday(9-16)evening at Mt Pinos was a bit of a challenge with poor transparency coupled with good seeing at a SQM reading of 21.15, I did enjoy observing a number of objects including an elusive planetary in Cepheus. The Observer's Guide notes NGC7139 has an angular diameter of 47', roughly the same size as Jupiter. It appeared quite a bit larger in my 16" f4.5 dob when I used my 14mm ES 100 AFOV eyepiece, together with a paracorr. I did need several attempts to find it as it doesn't stand out at magnitude 13.3. I found an O111 filter helped quite a bit and I had just put my Lumicon O111 filter away so I grabbed my Celestron 0111 near my fingertips and placed it in front of the eyepiece and immediately noticed an improvement. I think the shear size of the planetary is a bit of a surprise, here's Skyhound's take on it:
http://observing.skyhound.com/archives/sep/NGC_7139.html
I found it more challenging than the account in the aforementioned link, probably due to less than optimum transparency. Clouds, not predicted by either NOAA or the clear sky clock, persisted for awhile after sunset and likely contributed to poor transparency. Nevertheless, I doubt this object would be visible in a four inch scope, and questionable in a six, despite what skyhound says. The Observer's Guide notes it is difficult in a 8"/10" scope. I'd like to know what others think about it...

I was able to study this one in front of my home despite moderate light pollution. I used a Lumicon 0111 filter and two eyepieces, a ES 24mm 2" model 84AFOV and the ES 9mm 2" 100AFOV unit. My scope is a 16" f4.5 astrosystems scope.
With wider fields and lower power, the central ring structure appears lost in the substance of the planetary. However, at higher powers the ring structure becomes apparent:
http://www.noao.edu/outreach/aop/observers/n6894.html
Any commentary would be welcome...

Most deep sky observers are quite familiar with Stephan's quintet, a faint grouping of five galaxies in Pegasus. They are a visually challenging target in winter skies and are frequently imaged by amateurs as well.
An equally challenging grouping of five galaxies appears to be overlooked by both visual observers and imagers. Specifically, the NGC6962 grouping in Aquarius:
1. NGC 6962: The largest and brightest at mag 12.1.
2. NGC 6961: The fifth brightest member of the group at mag 13.7.
3. NGC 6967: The third brightest member of the group at mag 13.1.
4. NGC 6959: The fourth brightest member of the group at mag 13.7.
5. NGC 6964: The second brightest member of the group at mag 13.0. It touches the SE edge of NGC NGC 6962.
Details on the group are sparse. Information can be had in the Observer's Guide and here:
http://dso-browser.com/dso/info/NGC/6962
and:
http://338arps.com/NGC%206962%20Group.htm
To up the ante, Aquarius doesn't ride as high for most observers as Pegasus, so excellent seeing and transparency are likely requirements to see the members clearly. Obviously, this target is a challenge object, probably more so the Stephan's Quintet. It would also be interesting to see if imagers can push the envelope and capture this grouping.

Antonio,
I think you pegged it your observation that experience really does help in detecting what the "Observer's Guide" refers to as a "stellar association." The Guide states it's easy in an 8"/10" scope at 125X in the SE arm of M31. The Guide further states it is an elongated "2:1", and "fades off into the spiral arm".

John,
This link has the IC galaxy "hard" at the limit of an 18". Looks like your scope pushed it right to the envelope!
http://www.nightsky.at/Photo/GlobClu/M13_Newton.html

"Spectacular!" is the word ascribed to this object in the Observer's Guide when viewing it with an 16/18" scope.
I saw it last night at Mt Pinos under good conditions in my 16" dob. It really does seem to resemble an iridescent needle in my 10mm Ethos eyepiece. Try viewing it now before we lose Virgo to the summer skies.
http://observing.skyhound.com/archives/apr/NGC_4762.html

The clear sky clock has recently (Oct 3) revised its light pollution mapping and both Mt Pinos and Lockwood Valley have been downgraded to Bortle 4 skies.
Here's the Bortle scale for reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bortle_scale