Session Data

• Date:  13/09/2023
• Time:  19:46 – 00:34 UT
• Seeing: II. Good – Slight
• Transparency: II. Clear with some cloud
• Temp: 12.9C,
• Air Pressure: 1024mb, 
• Humidity: 86%, 
• Dew Point: 10.6C, 
• Wind Speed: 1mph
• SQM:20.05 magn/arcsec^2

Scope: Altair 250mm RC f/5.3 Camera: ZWO ASI 183MM Pro, No Filter. Dark subtracted and Flat fielded.

Session Notes: 

Second night in a row for some more EAA on SJM ‘Hidden Treasures’

Conditions have been OK this evening. No cloud to speak of and 8 observations is just about right for a second back to back night of EAA.

All images are a stack on varying numbers of 30 second subs.

Packed up at 00:45UT

IC3568, HT64

Looks like this is going to be one of those PN that is just stellar in nature. No Lemon Slice here.

What I do see the hint of is a small 16.6 mag galaxy PGC2786828. Astroplanner doesn’t show it, but Stellarium says it’s at RA 12:35:25.4 Dec +82:30:58.8 and there is another PGC2786836 17 mag at RA 12:32:35.01 Dec +82:32:17.4

NGC7380, HT106

Yet another discovery of Caroline Herschel. That’s four observed in two days.

Two for the price of one, although we are observing the Cluster part of this object. The cluster is embedded within a rich nebulosity field concentrated towards the SE of centre. The epicenter of which in my frame is found at RA: 22:47:46 Dec: +58°06’49”. Looking at it for a while now and I see what looks like a bear paw print.

Notable Star is the variable DH Cep 4.5 arc /mins to the SW and PS Cep the same distance, but to the East.

There are about twenty 9 to 11 mag stars that fill the 25 arc/min field, although I suspect I’m not seeing the full extent of this object. Like the nebulosity, the cluster occupies the SE quadrant.

NGC281, HT3

This was one of the first targets I imaged back in 2005 I think. It’s on the webby anyway.

At the heart are what look like an unresolved double star of 9 and 9.5 mag. This is surrounded by a cluster of stars of about 5 arc/sec in diameter.

What really stands out though is the nebula – which is IC1590. This reaches to the full frame in the East and West and about 2/3rd’s of that to the north and South. There is a dark lane 4 arc/min to the South that runs East West and almost splits the nebula in half. It looks a little like the shadow of a wizard with his arms in the air doing a magic trick. ( I’ve only had one glass of wine – honest.)

What is really interesting is the Bok globule found at RA 0: 53 06.10 Dec +56° 38 54.0 that is silhouetted against the brightly illuminated background. For more about these interesting objects, have a look here.

NGC6664, HT17a

This is rather pretty. Not exactly a compact grouping, but there are enough bright stars to allow the mind to let rip in coming up with all sorts of objects. Nothing springs to mind at the moment. But there is a group of four11ish mag stars just to the North of centre that create a curve pointing to the South. This is almost duplicated 3 arc/mins to the South with a similar curved line of stars.

To the South of centre there are a multitude curved lines of stars going off in all sorts of directions like some kind of join the dots book that when you finish it, doesn’t make up a picture.

NGC5866, HT75

A small and petite edge on galaxy. Immediately obvious is the wide and bloated central bulge which is pierced along its length by a dark dust lane. The dust lane does not run parallel to the glowing halo though. Rotated to the West a little it seems to have a little kink at the NW end that runs due West. At the other end there is a small bulge – a little like an oscilloscope trace – not very high, but very noticeable.

11 arc/min to the South is the galaxy NGC5862 and just on the edge of the frame to the South are NGC5826 and NGC5870, although I cannot separate them from one another.

NGC225, HT2

…and yet another Caroline Herschel discovered object. Is that 5 now in two days.

The Sailboat Cluster. When I observed this visually back in 2014, I couldn’t see a sailboat then either. Made up of about eleven 10 to 11mag bright stars forming what looks like a divining stick with the handles at the South West and sort of pointing towards a line of 5 curved stars of similar magnitude.

After 6 mins of integration, I’m just starting to make out the reflection nebula VdB4 to the North and concentrated around the variable star V594 Cas. This dark cloud of dust and gas extends all the way out to the NW corner of the frame. At 11 minutes, this nebula starts to show a little structure.

NGC189, HT1

Just down the road from NGC225 is yet another Caroline Herschel discovery NGC189.

This actually looks like a football goal keeper, with his arms outstretched waiting for the penalty to be taken. His head to the East. If you just want to find an object within the clusters describe size of 4 arc/min, I see a three leaf clover laying on its side pointing to the North.

NGC2655, HT48

Well it looks like an elliptical, but it’s classed as a SAB0a class mixed lenticular galaxy. Orientated East West, there is a fuzzy but bright core. Outside of that is a halo of about 3 arc/sec in an oval diameter. Outside of that and barely visible, is a 5 arc/sec halo. This looks circular.

10 arc/sec to the North is NGC2653, which is described in the NGC as an Asterism of just two stars of 13 and 14th magnitude. Sounds about as exciting at M40.