Old Favourites in Gemini and Auriga

9 January 2021, 19:00 – 20:15

Conditions: Very cold; hazy cloud and a slight mistiness in the air. Windy earlier, but dropped off by the time I took the scope outside.

Seeing: Poor / average

Transparency: Poor (mostly)


And still the bad weather continues; this being the first clear(ish) moon-free night in nearly a month. With hindsight I’m glad I got so much observing done last winter, because this one's looking more and more like a write-off.


Mars: 240x. Rather small now. The variable seeing made it hard to pick out detail, but there appeared to be a bright spot or cloud close to the SPC.

While in the area I took a quick look at Gamma Arietis (the headlight double) and also stumbled upon a similarly-spaced double in the same constellation. Possible Pi or Epsilon Arietis (most likely the former).

NGC 1514, Crystal Ball Nebula, Taurus

171x + OIII filter. Large (especially at this magnification), but quite faint tonight – even with the filter. Irregular outline with averted vision, but internal structure hard to see. Central star like a dim light shining through candyfloss. Also viewed at 92x (Ethos 13mm) without a filter; the nebulosity was still visible, but if it weren’t for the two halo-less stars flanking it, it could easily have been mistaken for the effects of condensation on the mirrors.

NGC 2392, Eskimo Nebula, Gemini

171x + OIII filter, and 92x (no filter). Bright, condensed, approximately half the size of NGC 1514. If 1514 was like candyfloss then this was like a scrunched-up swab of cotton wool. The shell structure I’ve seen on previous occasions was smeared out by bad seeing. Central star easier to see at 92x without the filter.

M35 and NGC 2158, open clusters, Gemini

Glorious view at 92x. NGC 2158 fairly obvious as an extended misty patch SW of M35 – seemed larger than I remember. A few stars resolved with averted vision, mostly on the outskirts.

M36, open cluster, Auriga

92x. Pretty cluster, bright stars arranged in pairs, but somewhat overshadowed by M37.

M37, open cluster, Auriga

92x. Spectacular view in the Ethos, easily the highlight of an otherwise indifferent night. Superbly rich in stars – arguably the best winter cluster (if you count the Double Cluster as an autumn object). The orange-red star at centre seemed particularly prominent tonight.

M42, Great Nebula, Orion

92x. Partially obstructed by neighbour’s tree, so just a quick look to make sure I get my annual fix. The Trapezium stars seemed to be showing slightly different colours (mostly likely due to combination of poor seeing and diffraction).


As tempting as it was to wait for Orion to clear the neighbour’s tree, the cold was really starting to bite at this point, so I called it a night.

Auriga and Beyond

30 November 2018, 20:30 – 22:30 GMT

Conditions: Good transparency - dark enough that the 24mm Panoptic wasn’t hindered by sky brightness. Clear at first, some bands of cloud later on. Cold, but not especially so for the time of year. Set up the XT10 on concrete for the first time rather than the lawn (so I could have a chance of seeing M42 rising) – despite this the scope seemed to cool down relatively quickly.

M37, Open Cluster in Auriga
Lovely rich cluster, roughly triangular – instantly recognisable. Dark lanes and chains of stars give it a symmetrical shape reminiscent of a crab or beetle (very much like O’Meara’s sketch in The Messier Objects). Best view probably at 50x.

M36, Open Cluster in Auriga
Smaller cluster than M37; individual member stars brighter but less numerous. Would be more highly regarded if it wasn’t outshone by its neighbours.

M38, Open Cluster in Auriga
Large, rich cluster; somewhat “straggly” compared to M37. NGC 1907 in same field of view at 50x: small, condensed cluster – some resolution with averted vision at 50x, giving it a “sparkling” appearance. More stars pop out at 133x

Located AE Aurigae in the eyepiece, but couldn’t discern the surrounding nebula with any degree of confidence. However I had more success with…

NGC 1931 (aka “The Fly”), Emission Nebula in Auriga
An obvious streak of nebulosity at all magnifications. Ultrablock filter improved the contrast – quite bright as nebulae go. Higher magnification revealed a tight triangle of stars at the centre.

M1 (Crab Nebula), Supernova Remnant in Taurus
Appeared as a “puff” of cloudy nebulosity. 133x (Nagler 9mm) + Ultrablock improved the contrast, but no detail to speak of other than a vaguely bi-lobed shape. One of those deepsky objects that can only really be appreciated when you think about what you're looking at.

NGC 1647, Open Cluster in Taurus
Large, sprawling cluster – needs a wider field to get the best view.

M77, Seyfert Galaxy in Cetus
Not the most prominent constellation, but this galaxy is helpfully within 2 fovs of Delta Ceti (a distinctly blue star). M77 itself appears as a very bright core embedded in a disc of nebulosity – immediately obvious even in this light-polluted part of the sky. A nearby 10th magnitude star helps with focus and averted vision. The galaxy holds brightness well at 240x, but I couldn’t see the recently discovered supernova. If it brightens by 1 or 2 magnitudes I might get lucky. (Postscript: it didn’t.)

Also: Mira (Omicron Ceti) was visible to the naked eye.

M35, Open Cluster in Gemini
Rich, large cluster; very distinctive chain of similarly bright stars forming an arc. Nearby cluster NGC 2158 was visible as a condensed patch of light – started to resolve (with averted vision) at 133x, but not as easily as 1907 in Auriga.

M42, Orion Nebula (and M43)
Had to peer between branches of neighbour’s tree to see it, but it was still spectacular despite the partial obstruction. Very bright, greenish core almost overwhelming the Trapezium at 50x, detailed structure apparent with direct vision. Long “wings”, one sweeping out towards NGC 1980. Ultrablock filter significantly increased the extent of the nebula, particularly on the northern side. Could easily spend a whole evening on this object.