Observing Session: 15, February19/02/2015
Astronomy

I’m not sure how long ago I was up for an observing session before sunrise, but I had another this morning. Squinting through the bedroom window  stars were seen so I resisted the urge to roll over and go back to sleep and I hauled myself out of my pit.

Session Data

  • Date: 15/02/2015 
  • Time: 04:32 – 06:17 UT
  • Seeing: III Somewhat  Stable, 
  • Transparency: IV Somewhat Clear, 
  • Temp:2.2c, 
  • Air Pressure: 989mb, 
  • Humidity: 91%, 
  • Dew Point: 2.2c, 
  • Wind Speed: 5mph,
  • SQM: 19.3 mags/arcsecond,
  • NELM: 5.2mag

C4, NGC7025

In the Altair Astro 250mm, 40mm Plossl, 51 X, 52′, West is to the 4 O’Clock.

While the star located within this nebula is very bright, you only get a sense that there is nebulosity surrounding it. What I mean by this is that the star is not sharply resolved, but fuzzy, like the primary has a little dew on it. At this time of the observation, the mirror was clear. However, no real nebulosity was seen.
In the TMB 80 f/6, 26mm Plossl, 18 X, 2.8°. No nebulosity was seen.

Things get a little better in the Altair Astro 250mm, 14mm Delos, 145 X, 29.8′, but the best views of C4, were made in the Altair Astro 250mm, 10mm Delos, 203 X, 21.3′.

I got a hint of nebulosity extending mostly to the Northern size of the bright star embedded within it. However when you look at the DSS image, It really surrounds it in all directions.  I did see (AV4) a short finger of nebulosity extending to the NW side of the star, just once in over an hour of ‘on and off’ observation.

The transparency really started to deteriorate and the Sun was starting to come up at 6:15, so I packed up. Only when I did so,  did I find the Primary mirror was heavily dewed up. With the RC , this happens so rarely, that  when conditions start to go bad, it’s usually the cloud that is the cause, not dew.
I’m going to have to come back to this one again, as I’m sure there is more to see than I observed this time around.