Observing Reports
August 2005
6th – 7th August 2005
Weather/sky conditions – very clear, fully dark at midnight , magnitude limit approximately 5.5
Objects viewed – M13, M92, M56, M57, M11, M16, M18, M22, M24, M25
- Report -
The sky had been cloudy over the past few days and to my surprise tonight was extremely clear. Thousands of stars could be seen and I found it difficult to distinguish some of the constellations. After a quick look at my star atlas Uranometria, I was able to locate various areas of interest.
Once I had set up my equipment I noticed a large flash of light to the West from what must have been a meteor. This had to have been the brightest one I have seen and I noticed it brighten towards the end of its life as it entered our atmosphere. The view only lasted a few seconds and took me by surprise.
Looking at the sky with the naked eye showed amazing sights of the full constellation layout of Lyra. This was the first time I have seen the full outline so brightly and looking towards Cygnus brought an even bigger surprise…..the Milky Way was on full view ! Dust clouds and dense star fields could be seen and only with the aid of my glasses (I think I need to go back to the optician as the stars did not seem very sharp). I have never seen such a sight and was very impressed with the view.
Having only observed Hercules once last year, I thought this would be a great place to begin the night. First stop, with my new 32mm (18x) was the famous globular cluster, M13. Although I could not resolve any single stars the globular was very bright and easy to locate. A larger scope shall be required to resolve the glob better. The view was also best during lower magnifications of 18x – 24x. A quick look for M92 the smaller version of M13 and slightly fainter. This was another nicely looking Messier object.
Moving over to Lyra for another view of M57, The Ring Nebula but this time tried higher magnifications. The doughnut shape of the planetary nebula was very apparent with higher magnification. The only problem I found was focus could be quite hard to achieve as M57 was still a fait fuzzy. It’s best to focus on the nearby stars. Yet another globular on view was M56, which was found relatively quickly but a lot dimmer than the last few in Hercules. Epsilon Lyra split at 200x to view the double double. Probably could have split it at lower magnifications but instead I moved over to Sagitta.
I forgot the Dumbbell nebula was in this area so I missed it tonight but instead I achieved a better view of M71 (yet another globular cluster). I roughly knew where M71 was so using my red dot finder I pointed to the location and there it was….almost in the centre of my field of view.
I went in doors to check on the position of Neptune and Uranus but found that more Messier objects would be on view to the South. Started with M11 (The Wild Duck Cluster). At first I thought it was a nebula but viewing it for a few more minutes brought out some single stars. This was an impressive cluster of which I didn’t realise I could view from my location. I couldn’t locate the other nearby cluster M26 and may try again another night. Moving further South towards M16, M17, M18, M24 and M25 bright the biggest surprise, I could actually see M16 (The Omega Nebula). **update** I thought I had viewed M17 but had mixed it up with M16. M17 shall be tried at a later date. M18 a small cluster was also a nice sight and below it was M24 a larger space cluster. M25 was excellent, with a cross shaped star formation of bright stars. Further South I located a globular cluster but could not identify it as light pollution was effecting this area as it was very low towards my visible horizon. I think it must have been M22 so I shall put it down as located. I just wonder if it is possible to see M20 & M21…..might give it a try. I didn’t try for Neptune or Uranus and I left them for another night.
I packed my gear up and move to the front of the house for some viewing of Mars. Boiling away at its altitude was quite a disappointment but I did manage so new images. Pretty sure I have captured Syrtis Major.
That was one of the best nights, I’m so happy it is now getting darker. I’m off to Rome in a few days for a holiday but should be able to get out more as I’m off work for two weeks.
Wow 7 new Messier objects….what a night.
Clear skies.
Chris