The Lion’s Tail

26 March 2020, 20:30 – 22:15

Conditions: Cold and breezy (again). No clouds, no condensation.

Seeing: Poor to average
Transparency: Poor

Breeze aside, the forecasts on clearoutside.com and other websites predicted a really good night for observing. However, as soon as I went outside I could tell it was going to be a challenging session. Although the stars were out and astronomical twilight had passed, the cloudless sky seemed unusually bright, particularly the western half – which was dominated by a weird glow that had no obvious source. It seemed too bright and too big for the Zodiacal Light, although that may have contributed to the overall glow. Add to that an excessive (even by 2020 standards) number of satellites crawling across the sky and weird rummaging noises coming from the overgrown parts of the garden (I never did identify the culprit(s)), and it was altogether a very strange evening.

I started by looking at some double stars with the 9mm Nagler (133x). Polaris, Mizar/Alcor and Gamma Leonis have all been previously documented, but I did observe one new double while star-hopping to a galaxy.

54 Leonis, double star, Leo
A pretty pair of bright stars – close (6 arcseconds), but clearly separated at 133x. White primary and a green/blue secondary. (There are no green stars, so this must be a contrast effect.)

NGC 3344, galaxy, Leo Minor
133x. An extended, irregular misty patch with 2 bright foreground stars superimposed. Admittedly the conditions weren’t ideal, but its apparent “shapelessness”, along with the two field stars, made it seem more like a reflection nebula than a galaxy.

Despite the adverse conditions I had a go at “mopping up” the dozen or so galaxies on PSA chart G (The Lion’s Tail). Several of them weren’t visible tonight, but I did observe the following:

NGC 3607 & 3608, galaxy pair, Leo
Two faint misty patches comfortably in same fov at 133x. Similar size, but 3607 seemed brighter than 3608.

NGC 3626, galaxy, Leo
(Caldwell 40) 133x. Faint ellipse, aligned roughly north-south. Stellar core with averted vision.

NGC 3655, galaxy, Leo
133x. Ghostly ellipse, rather faint. Brighter towards centre with averted vision.

NGC 3593, galaxy, Leo
133x. Faint ellipse not far from the Leo Triplet, aligned east-west. Brighter towards centre with averted vision.

The Leo Triplet galaxies themselves were unimpressive tonight, even when I dropped down to 92x. I had also planned to track down some galaxies in the north-western corner of Coma Berenices, but that didn’t last very long…

NGC 4448, galaxy, Coma Berenices
92x. Ellipse near Gamma Comae Berenices, aligned east-west. Brighter towards the centre.

And with that uninspiring description, the session kind of fizzled out. The curious glow had subsided somewhat, but the sky transparency was still very poor. Globular cluster M3 still looked impressive at 133x, albeit a little washed out. It just wasn’t a night for galaxy hunting. Still, I can’t complain. To get this many (relatively) clear nights over a new moon period is rare for any time of the year, let alone early spring.

Galaxies, Globulars and a Comet

23 March 2020, 20:30 – 23:30

Conditions: Another cold, breezy night. The wind wasn’t as excessive as it was on Sunday, but still too severe for astrophotography. After the rigours of the Virgo Cluster this session was somewhat unstructured, and it took me a long time to properly get going. Though with hindsight I think my eyes hadn’t fully recovered from the previous night. Peering at faint galaxies can be surprisingly tiring.

Seeing: Good
Transparency: Average

Comet C/2019 Y4 (Atlas)
Viewed at 133x (Nagler 9mm) and 171x (DeLite 7mm). Other than having moved near a different star it appeared much the same as it did the previous night. Though without the glare of Rho UMa affecting it, there did seem to be a hint of a stubby tail to the southeast.

While I was in the area I took another look at M81, M82 and NGC 3077 at 133x and 171x. Nothing to add to previous notes. I think I’ve reached the point with these galaxies (particularly M81 and M82) where I’d need one of those rare nights of excellent transparency to eke out any more detail.

M94, galaxy, Canes Venatici
171x. Bright core; mottled outer envelope. Again, not much to add to previous notes.

The Leo Triplet, as imaged on the following night (24 March)

M65, galaxy, Leo
133x. Large, extended galaxy with bright core. Suggestion of dark and light bands on eastern side (dust lane and spiral arm).

M66, galaxy, Leo
133x. Initially appears smaller than M65, but with time the fainter outer regions became more apparent and the overall shape seemed more irregular than M65. Stellar nucleus, but the surrounding core region seemed larger than the one in M65.

NGC 3628, galaxy, Leo
133x. Third member of the Leo Triplet. A large, faint, boxy galaxy. The dust lane was just about visible with averted vision, but this galaxy really needs a night of excellent transparency to get the best out of it.

NGC 3521, galaxy, Leo
133x. Large oval galaxy, aligned north-south. Bright stellar nucleus. With averted vision it seemed more elongated and elliptical, with a suggestion of a dark lane on the western side. Quite an impressive galaxy tucked away in the southern reaches of Leo.

NGC 4429, galaxy, Virgo
133x. A quick sweep along Markarian's Chain and then south to pick up a galaxy I missed last night. Bright smudge of light, aligned east-west, just south of bright star. Core seemed slightly offset to the east.

M53, globular cluster, Coma Berenices
133x. Subtle, very pale blue tinge. Quite well resolved with averted vision. Large outer halo of faint stars at this magnification; loses starfish shape noted previously. Still no sign of NGC 5053!

M3, globular cluster, Canes Venatici
133x. Bigger, brighter, bolder than M53. Lots of stars resolved with direct vision. Averted vision revealed a roughly triangular pattern of star chains pointing west.

NGC 5466, globular cluster, Boötes
133x. A first foray into the hinterlands of Boötes. After drawing a blank on NGC 5053 I wasn’t confident of finding this one, but it showed up without too much difficulty, appearing as an extended misty patch. Rich sprinkling of faint stars with averted vision, but no sign of the central condensation typically seen in globular clusters. Not striking as globulars go, but certainly unusual and worth tracking down.

NGC 5248, galaxy, Boötes
(Caldwell 45) 133x. Faint oval, brighter towards the centre. Faint stars SW and S of core.

NGC 5866 (M102?), galaxy, Draco
Viewed at 133x and 171x. Bright little lens-shaped galaxy forming a triangle with two field stars. Symmetrical shape and no detail that I could see (I think I’ll need higher power to stand a chance of spotting the central dust lane), although the 7mm DeLite seemed to show fainter “extensions”, increasing the length of the galaxy. Worth seeing, regardless of its disputed Messier status.

Exploring the Virgo Cluster (Part 2)

22 March 2020, 21:00 – 23:45

Conditions: A very windy night with strong, frequent gusts. Quite cold too by the end of the session.

Seeing: Good
Transparency: Average

A challenging night’s observing to say the least, with star-charts threatening to take off in the wind and stray light encroaching from just about every direction (seriously, why don't people draw their damn blinds/curtains anymore?). All observations carried out at 92x magnification with the Ethos 13mm (it was too gusty to attempt anything higher and I really needed that huge field of view so I didn’t get completely lost). Finding a galaxy in the Virgo cluster is easy; the trick is knowing which galaxy you’re looking at.

Comet C/2019 Y4 (Atlas)
Found it at last, lurking very close to the red-hued star Rho Ursae Majoris. On first impression it looked much like one of the galaxies in the vicinity, albeit a little fainter than I was expecting. A stellar nucleus was visible with averted vision, at the centre of a large, extended coma. I couldn’t see any sign of a tail, but the light from Rho UMa made it hard to pick out any kind of structure.

With that out of the way I resumed my expedition into the heart of the Virgo Cluster, this time picking up from near Vindemiatrix (Epsilon Virginis).

NGC 4762, galaxy, Virgo
Small, edge-on galaxy positioned between two field stars. Bright, needle-like core.

NGC 4689, galaxy, Coma Berenices
Large, faint round galaxy, a little brighter towards the centre.

NGC 4654, galaxy, Virgo
Large, amorphous galaxy, a little brighter than 4689. Three bright field stars on western side.

NGC 4639, galaxy, Virgo
Faint, extended galaxy in same field of view as 4654. Stellar nucleus with averted vision and faint star just east of the core.

M90, galaxy, Virgo
Following on from previous observation (it seemed a little fainter tonight). Large, extended galaxy with very bright stellar nucleus. I couldn’t see the “shell” structure noted previously, but there did seem to be a sharper, darker cut-off along the eastern side.

NGC 4571, galaxy, Coma Berenices
Back across the Virgo/Coma border. Very faint galaxy immediately SW of bright star. Barely visible with averted vision.

M91, galaxy, Coma Berenices
Fairly large round galaxy with bright, but not stellar core. Seemed like there was a dark area east of the core, but the wind made it hard to be certain.

M88, galaxy, Coma Berenices
Bright elliptical galaxy with field star NW and two more SE. Slightly extended core. Seemed to be a faint spot east of the nucleus; in some moments it appeared star-like, in others it was fuzzy.

NGC 4474, galaxy, Coma Berenices
Small round galaxy southwest of M88. Brighter towards the centre.

NGC 4459, galaxy, Coma Berenices
Compact little galaxy just west of bright field star. Very bright core, but not stellar.

NGC 4477, galaxy, Coma Berenices
Bright, round galaxy. Stellar core; otherwise featureless. The northern end of Markarian’s Chain, depending on where you take the starting point (some extend it to M88).

NGC 4473, galaxy, Coma Berenices
Elliptical galaxy – smaller than 4477, but with a brighter core.

NGC 4458 & NGC 4461, galaxy pair, Virgo
Close pair of galaxies in Markarian’s Chain. Both small, but 4461 clearly brighter and more elongated than 4458.

NGC 4435 & NGC 4438, interacting galaxies, Virgo
“The Eyes”. Bright, well-matched pair. 4435 has a very bright core, but 4438 is larger, more extended – and also distorted. The core brightness is probably similar to 4435, but less concentrated.

M86, galaxy, Virgo
Large round galaxy. Brightness increases smoothly towards the core; at the centre of which resides a stellar nucleus, but otherwise this galaxy appeared featureless. NGC 4402 suspected with averted vision to the north, but not confirmed.

M84, galaxy, Virgo
Another bright elliptical. Not as large as M86, but has a very bright core.

NGC 4388, galaxy, Virgo
Inclined, narrow galaxy forming an equilateral triangle with M84 and M86 (but not as prominent as those two giants). Brighter towards centre.

NGC 4387, galaxy, Virgo
Faint little galaxy at the centre of the M84/M86/NGC 4388 triangle. (All four galaxies in the same fov at 92x.) Stellar nucleus with averted vision.

NGC 4440, galaxy, Virgo
Bright, round galaxy. Brighter towards core.

M87, galaxy, Virgo
Not surprisingly, the biggest, brightest galaxy observed tonight. Large bright core, but no stellar nucleus that I could see. Large halo extending almost halfway towards NGC 4478. Of course, astronomers have known for a long time about the super-massive black hole at the centre of M87, but now that we've seen it, observing this galaxy takes on a special significance. Truth be told, there's not much to see in the way of detail (you need a very large telescope to glimpse the jet), but that didn't stop me from staring at it for a long time.

NGC 4478, galaxy, Virgo
Companion to M87. Like a smaller, ghostly light echo of its monstrous big brother.

And then, to round off the session, a quick excursion to the southern region of chart B1.

NGC 4665, galaxy, Virgo
Bright little elliptical galaxy. Bright centre; field star to south.

NGC 4636, galaxy, Virgo
Bright compact galaxy with mottled outer envelope hinting at structure (though, looking at online images later, I may have been deceived by an unusual smattering of faint foreground stars). Home of a recent 12th magnitude supernova – though I arrived about a month too late to see it.

There are still plenty more galaxies to see in the Virgo Cluster (and many of the ones I’ve already logged are worth revisiting at a higher magnification), but this feels like a good place to stop for now.

Exploring the Virgo Cluster (Part 1)

18 March 2020, 21:30 – 23:45

Conditions: After a warm sunny day, an evening that started mild and got progressively chillier. Low breeze with occasional gusts of wind. A slight haze in some parts of the sky, and overall the transparency wasn’t quite as good as Monday. But all the neighbours’ lights were off for once, which certainly made a difference in the part of the sky I was targeting. Thin layer of condensation on the scope and on the atlas by the end of the session.

Seeing: Average
Transparency: Average

Gamma Leonis, double star, Leo
Superb sight at 171x. Pale yellow pair of stars.

NGC 188 (Caldwell 1), open cluster, Cepheus
Loose, misty spray of stars – well framed at 92x. Better resolution at 171x, but at this magnification it looks less like a cluster and more like a moderately rich star-field.

NGC 4889 (Caldwell 35), galaxy, Coma Berenices
Follow-up from Monday at 92x and 171x. The two main galaxies of the cluster (4889 and 4874) seemed fainter than they did on Monday, but were still visible at both magnifications. I couldn’t see NGC 4889’s “companion” on this occasion, but curiously there did seem to be a star-like point on the opposite side of the galaxy. Not sure if this was a foreground star or the interacting pair NGC 4898AB.

M64, “Black Eye Galaxy”, Coma Berenices
At 171x this galaxy was bright and large, with a mottled outer envelope and a star-like nucleus. The famous “black eye” was clearly visible with averted vision, appearing as a kidney-bean shaped patch of darkness on the northern side of the core. This feature wasn’t quite so obvious at 92x; nor indeed was the star-like nature of the nucleus.

M53, globular cluster, Coma Berenices
Helpfully visible in the finder, and appearing as a condensed fuzzball at 171x. Resolved fairly well with averted vision, but not a patch on M3. Brightest member of the cluster (assuming it is a member) on the north side of the core (as noted last year). After staring at it for a while the cluster seemed to take on a vague starfish shape. Still no sign of NGC 5053 – even when I dropped down to 92x.

I gave up on NGC 5053 and switched my attention to the Virgo Cluster of galaxies, approaching it from the south rather than the north for a change. I also switched charts to my trusty old Sky Atlas 2000.0. The Virgo Cluster Chart in the Pocket Sky Atlas is extremely useful for small telescopes, but - as I discovered last year - it's a little hard to navigate with a 10-inch scope. Chart B1 in Sky Atlas 2000 shows a greater number of galaxies (but not so many that the chart becomes saturated with information), and the scale is large enough to depict them at their correct size and orientation (making them much easier to identify in the eyepiece). The chart also extends further south than the one in the PSA.

All subsequent observations at 92x (13mm Ethos).

You don’t need a red-dot finder, a 9x50 finder and a 100-degree
eyepiece to tackle the Virgo Cluster … but they really do help.

M61, galaxy, Virgo
Large, round mottled haze. Over time, and with averted vision, a star-like nucleus became apparent, along with a central bar (aligned north-south) and a possible reverse-s spiral. This detail was elusive and I wondered if I was overreaching with my notes, so I was pleasantly surprised the next day when I looked this galaxy up and found that my description matched its appearance. (The last time I looked at it was 15 years ago with a 4-inch refractor.) Maybe I should trust my own eyesight a little more.

NGC 4526, galaxy, Virgo
Another one I haven’t seen for 15 years. A small, bright lens-shaped galaxy with a bright core and a faint star to the south. This one’s easy to find (and identify) because it’s positioned midway between two 7th magnitude stars.

NGC 4535, galaxy, Virgo
Oval-shaped misty patch; not very condensed. Star near northern edge.

M49, galaxy, Virgo
Round, bright galaxy; quite bright towards the centre. Star east of core.

NGC 4608, galaxy, Virgo
Small, round galaxy near Rho Virginis. Bright core; faint star due west.

NGC 4596, galaxy, Virgo
Oval galaxy near 3 field stars. Bright core; brighter than 4608.

M60, galaxy, Virgo
Bright, round galaxy; very bright core. Large hazy galaxy (NGC 4647) immediately north-west of M60. M60 occupies an impressive field in the Ethos – there’s a lot going on.

NGC 4638, galaxy, Virgo
Small, lens-shaped galaxy roughly west of M60. Bright, bar-like core.

M59, galaxy, Virgo
Bright, round galaxy in same field as M60 (but not as bright). Stellar nucleus, star to north.

NGC 4660, galaxy, Virgo
Small, condensed galaxy with bright stellar core.

NGC 4567/4568, “The Siamese Twins”, interacting galaxies, Virgo
Irregular misty patch; on first impression its bi-lobed appearance reminded me of the Crab Nebula. The south-eastern component (NGC 4568) seemed larger and brighter.

NGC 4564, galaxy, Virgo
Small, bright oval located near a very close double star. Aligned roughly east-west. Star-like core with averted vision.

M58, galaxy, Virgo
Large, bright extended galaxy. Tough to make out any detail other than a bright core.

M89, galaxy, Virgo
Very bright, condensed galaxy. Bright core; faint star east.

NGC 4550/4551, galaxy pair, Virgo
Close pair of galaxies in same field as M89. 4550 seemed slightly brighter than 4551.

M90, galaxy, Virgo
Large, bright, extended “Andromeda-style” ellipse with star-like core. The brightness seemed to fall away from the centre in discrete “shells” rather than a smooth gradation, but I’d need a longer look at it to be sure. Regardless, it was noticeably different from the other galaxies I viewed tonight. (The one knock against the otherwise spectacular Virgo Cluster is that it's dominated by bright - and relatively featureless - elliptical galaxies; hence the repetitive descriptions.)

At this point (23:45) the sky rapidly clouded over – but it was in all the forecasts, so I wasn't surprised when it arrived. M87 and the wonders of Markarian’s Chain will have to wait for another night, which is probably just as well. As I discovered tonight, the Virgo Cluster has so many galaxies within range of my scope that you can’t reasonably tackle them all in one session.

Nature note
The frogspawn is no more, but I now have a pond full of wriggling tadpoles.
Also: one cat on the roof.

300 Million Light-Years from Home

16 March 2020, 20:00 – 23:30

Conditions: no wind (at last). Somewhat chilly, but no condensation.

Seeing: Good
Transparency: Average

I started the session looking at a selection of double stars in Cancer (at 171x with the 7mm DeLite).

Iota Cancri: as per previous observation – a lovely, colourful double.

Phi-2 Cancri (Σ1223): tight “headlight” pair of equally matched 6th magnitude stars. No colour discernible.

24 Cnc (Σ1224): similar separation to Phi-2, but primary was brighter.

Zeta Cancri: neat little triple star system; the primary pair are so close that they only appeared separated during moments of really good seeing.

Leo 1, dwarf galaxy, Leo
171x. I know I was looking in the right place this time, and with averted vision there was perhaps the merest hint of an extended misty patch. Tube-tapping seemed to help with its visibility, but it was immediately extinguished the moment Regulus strayed into the field of view. It was so faint I’m not even sure I can count this as a positive sighting, but I do think this new eyepiece gives me the best chance of spotting it (under perfect seeing conditions).

NGC 3077, galaxy, Ursa Major
At 92x (Ethos 13mm) this galaxy was clearly visible with just a slight nudge of the scope away from M81. In fact it was so obvious, I’m kind of embarrassed that I never noticed it before 12 March. But, like many DSOs, once you know it’s there… Visually it appeared much as it did on the previous session, albeit a little brighter (and at a smaller scale, obviously).

NGC 2976, galaxy, Ursa Major
92x. Another overlooked member of the M81 family. Appeared as a large, faint ellipse (perhaps irregular?), not as bright as 3077, with a faint star just off the southern edge.

I couldn’t find Comet C/2019 Y4 (Atlas), though I later found out I was sweeping in the area it was heading towards rather than where it actually was. Turns out it was nearer NGC 2976 than I realised, so I can’t have missed it by much. There will be other opportunities.

M101, galaxy, Ursa Major
92x. The core of the galaxy was the only part visible with direct vision. The faint star just north of the nucleus is useful for getting your bearings. This time there seemed to be a hazy patch west of the core, though I’m not sure what – if anything – this corresponded to. Out of curiosity, I added the Ultrablock filter to the Ethos to see if this would bring out any of the HII regions. The core was still just about visible and there was a suggestion of vague mottled patches which seemed to come and go depending on which side I was looking, but (like Leo 1) whatever was there was right on the threshold of visibility.

IC 3568, planetary nebula, Camelopardalis
Failed to find this last year because I didn’t appreciate how tiny it was (though my notes indicate that I did see the nearby double star Sigma 1694). This time I used the Ultrablock filter to help pick it out in the Ethos (it stood out as a prominent green “star”). At 171x it appeared as a bright perfectly round little disc of light with a star right next to it. It’s circumpolar from my location, so now I know where it is, I can observe it on any clear night of the year (though I don’t expect to see much detail, even at very high power).

NGC 3184, galaxy, Ursa Major
171x. Very faint, round galaxy, with a field star on its north edge. Visibility hampered by bright star to west.

NGC 4725, galaxy, Coma Berenices
One of the bright Coma galaxies that I overlooked last year. At 92x it appeared as a large misty ellipse with a bright core and a stellar nucleus.

NGC 4889 (Caldwell 35), galaxy, Coma Berenices
Another one I missed out on last year, but the finderscope helped me to quickly pinpoint the nearby 7th magnitude star HD 112887. Even then I wasn’t sure if I would be able to see the galaxy, but it was almost immediately obvious at 92x as a tiny round fuzz surrounding a bright core. So visually it was unimpressive, but as with 3C 273, the “awe-factor” comes from knowing its distance: a whopping 300 million light-years (a good 5 or 6 times further away than most of the galaxies I typically observe at this time of year). NGC 4889 is the giant elliptical powerhouse at the centre of the Coma Cluster of galaxies. Most of them are beyond the reach of my scope, but I was able to see nearby NGC 4874 as a small, faint hazy patch east of NGC 4889, somewhat hampered by the glare from HD 112887. In fleeting moments of really good seeing NGC 4889 appeared to be doubled, with a tiny companion next to it (in line with HD 112887) perhaps corresponding to NGC 4886.

NGC 3242 (Caldwell 59), planetary nebula, Hydra
No obstructing foliage this time. Very bright at 92x; blue-green disc. Seemed brighter on northern and southern edges.

I spent the rest of the session revisiting a galaxy-rich area of Leo. All observations with the 13mm Ethos at 92x.

M95, galaxy, Leo
Large, brighter towards the core. Stellar nucleus. No detail apparent.

M96, galaxy, Leo
Similar size to M95. Brighter core, also stellar nucleus.

M105, galaxy, Leo
Round, condensed. Bright, stellar core.

NGC 3384, galaxy, Leo
In same field as M105 but smaller. Also has a bright, stellar core.

NGC 3389, galaxy, Leo
In same field as M105 and NGC 3384. Visible with averted vision as a faint ellipse, angled away from M105 towards 3 field stars. Easy to overlook (I missed it last year).

NGC 3412, galaxy, Leo
Small ellipse with a bright stellar core.

NGC 3377, galaxy, Leo
Same again – a little fainter than 3412, but another ellipse with a stellar core. The print-out I was using showed a 3377A galaxy in the same field, but I couldn’t see anything at that location.

NGC 3489, galaxy, Leo
Extended ellipse with a stellar core; suggestion of a dark cut-off along its southern edge.

At this point galaxy fatigue was setting in (although they’re bright and numerous, a lot of the Leo galaxies just don’t have the “wow” factor of the ones in Canes Venatici and Coma Berenices), so I called it a night.