Nebulae in Monoceros

15 March 2021, 19:45 – 22:30

Seeing: Average / Poor

Transparency: Average (cloud permitting)

A cool evening (after a mild day) with bands of high, hazy cloud drifting across the sky. Very light condensation on the telescope tube. The gentle breeze was a welcome change after a run of very blustery weather over the last few days. 

With the nights getting shorter and a new lunar cycle already underway, this was probably my last opportunity for a while to explore the winter Milky Way, so I started at low power (50x) with the 24mm Panoptic, plus the OIII filter to pick out some nebulae. When using this filter you have to cup your hands around the eyepiece to get the best out of it, as it does tend to reflect stray light bouncing off your eyeball. (I’ve noticed this before, but tonight it was more prominent than usual, particularly on the right hand side of the field of view.)


NGC 2359, “Thor’s Helmet”, emission nebula, Canis Major

50x + OIII filter. The nebula showed up clearly with this eyepiece/filter combination, but only the brightest sections were visible tonight. Averted vision showed a bright spot on the northern part of the nebula.

The area northwest of NGC 2359 is rich in nebulae according to every chart I’ve seen, but nothing obvious jumped out at me when I scanned this region. Pushing on into Monoceros, I arrived at…

NGC 2237-9, Rosette Nebula, Monoceros

50x + OIII filter. Visible as a very large, structureless haze surrounding open cluster NGC 2244. The nebula appeared widest and brightest on the north and west sides.

After sweeping north, to the Christmas Tree cluster, and then west, I stumbled upon something I hadn’t seen before:

NGC 2245, reflection nebula, Monoceros

50x + OIII filter. Although catalogued as a reflection nebula (I didn’t know this at the time, as the chart doesn’t make a distinction between reflection and emission nebulae), it showed up very clearly as a small, fuzzy patch of light immediately southwest of a bright 8th magnitude star. Averted vision showed it to have a bright core. Increasing the magnification to 171x (no filter) improved the view considerably: now I could see an 11th magnitude star embedded in a wide, comet-shaped swathe of nebulosity fanning out to the southwest. Reminiscent of nearby NGC 2261 (Hubble’s Variable Nebula) but with a curved rather than a pointy apex. There was a hint of similar (albeit fainter) nebulosity corresponding with the position of nearby NGC 2247, but some hazy cloud pushed in before I could confirm it.

Relocating to a cloud-free (for now) part of the sky:

M97, Owl Nebula, Ursa Major

50x + OIII filter. Viewed at low power with an OIII filter, the Owl Nebula actually looked “bright” for once, appearing as a round, soft-edged disc of light. At 171x (no filter), it was faint, but the dark “eyes” were just about visible.

NGC 3893, galaxy, Ursa Major

171x. Follow-up from the previous session. At this magnification the companion galaxy (NGC 3896) was visible with averted vision as a small, faint patch of light roughly east of the main galaxy, and adjacent to a 13th magnitude field star. Together, the two galaxies resembled a subdued version of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and its neighbour as seen through a small telescope. Magnification makes the difference on this one; NGC 3896 was much harder to distinguish from the 13th magnitude star when I dropped down to 92x.

NGC 3166 and 3169, interacting galaxies, Sextans

92x. Pair of small oval galaxies in same field of view, separated by a few arcminutes. Similar in size, but the western galaxy (NGC 3166) has a much brighter core. The other galaxy (NGC 3169) is just west of an 11th magnitude field star.

With more clouds pushing across the sky from the west, I called it a night.

Nebulae in Cepheus and Cassiopeia

20 – 21 September 2020, 21:45 – 01:00

Conditions: Chilly, breezy. Light condensation appearing as the temperature dropped.

Seeing: Good
Transparency: Poor

With Mars now larger than the magic 20-arcsecond threshold, deep-sky observing (and indeed deep-sky astrophotography) will be playing second fiddle to the red planet for the next couple of months. (The autumn constellations will be back next year; Mars won’t be this good again until 2030-something.) That said, the nights are getting longer, so I was able to get a couple of hours of observing before Mars took centre stage.

I started with a short wander around Cygnus at 133x, during which I stumbled across 27 Cyg – a close double in a dark nebula (B146). The transparency in this part of the sky was very poor (the Crescent Nebula was disappointing – even with the filter it was barely visible ), so I relocated to Cepheus.


NGC 7538, emission nebula, Cepheus

133x + OIII filter. Initial impression was of an amorphous patch of light, like a puff of smoke, surrounding a pair of 11th magnitude stars. Averted vision showed some detail in the form of mottling, including what looked like a dark lane or rift on the eastern side of the nebula. Not a showpiece object by any means, but not bad given the middling conditions. Switching up to 171x plus the Ultrablock filter gave much the same view, but larger and fainter – although the two central stars were easier to see. The nebula was just barely visible without the filters.

IC 1470, emission nebula, Cepheus

133x + OIII filter. I never know quite what to expect when tracking down obscure IC-designated nebulae. Sometimes they’re surprisingly bright; other times they’re all but invisible. However this object was fairly easy to spot as a quite small, fuzzy round patch of light. The core appeared stellar with averted vision. Increasing the magnification to 171x (no filter) showed a star embedded in a wide, fan-shaped nebula, a bit like a comet. (It reminded me of Hubble’s Variable Nebula, NGC 2261.) The Ultrablock filter offered a little improvement: the central star became harder to see, while the nebula itself seemed more triangular and harder-edged.

A quick look at the eye-catching clusters NGC 7510 and Mrk 50 (see last year's notes on these) and then onto another nebula.

NGC 7635, Bubble Nebula (Caldwell 11), Cassiopeia

171x + Ultrablock gave the best view, though it wasn’t nearly as good as my previous look at this object (perhaps the Ethos plus the OIII filter would be a better combination). Bright star associated with a nebula of indistinct shape; with averted vision it looked a little bit like one half of a Yin-Yang symbol.

NGC 40, “Bow-Tie Nebula” (Caldwell 2), planetary nebula, Cepheus

171x + Ultrablock filter. While reading up on this nebula (after my observation on 16 September), I found some reports claiming it responds better to narrowband filters than OIII. Now I’ve tried both I do think the Ultrablock filter gives a slightly better view than the OIII, but this nebula is bright enough that it doesn’t really need it. The two arcs were a little easier to see (with averted vision), but of course it helps when you already know where they are.


Mars: The combination of the 9mm Nagler and the 2.5x Powermate (giving a magnification of 333x) seemed to hit the sweet spot tonight, giving me my finest view yet. The SPC was a brilliant little oval and the Sinus Meridiani (home of the Mars Opportunity rover) and Sinus Sabaeus regions were showing particularly well. I could also see a blue haze over the north polar region and brighter patches along the morning limb. I swapped the eyepiece for a camera and captured some videos, resulting in the image below:

Nebulae in Sagittarius

22 – 23 July 2020, 23:00 – 1:00

Conditions: Breezy, partial cloud cover to begin with – clearing over the course of the session and then returning towards the end.

Seeing: Poor / average
Transparency: Average / poor

I know I’ve spent a lot of time exploring Sagittarius lately, but at the rate the neighbour’s trees are growing and the likelihood of local light pollution returning to its pre-lockdown levels, this might be the last best chance I get to study this object-rich part of the sky. With the nights growing longer again, the wonders of Cygnus and Cepheus will still be well-placed for the next two or three months; the same can’t be said for the southern Milky Way.

NGC 6440, globular cluster, Sagittarius
133x. Faint condensed blur in same field as NGC 6445, brightens with averted vision.

NGC 6445, planetary nebula, Sagittarius
133x (no filter) and 171x (OIII). Quite faint without the filter (one of the consequences of averted vision is that this nebula was easier to see when I was looking straight at 6440). With the filter in place, 6440 disappeared and 6445 became much more obvious. The higher magnification made the misshapen ring structure more apparent (it looked more like a buckled wheel than a box). Most prominent feature was a bright condensation on the northern rim.

M8, Lagoon Nebula, Sagittarius
171x + OIII filter. Obviously M8 loses a lot of its impact at this magnification, but the brightest part of the nebula is easier to study. Hourglass shape apparent, of which the southern component brighter. Smattering of embedded stars visible with averted vision.

M20, Trifid Nebula, Sagittarius
171x + OIII filter. M20 also loses some impact at higher magnification, but the central star system was easier to resolve (when the seeing allowed) as a line of three very close stars. Nebula and dark lanes best seen with averted vision.

M16, Eagle Nebula, Serpens
171x + OIII. Averted vision showed a dark patch at the centre of the nebula, but the contrast was still too low to make out any kind of shape or structure. Lower magnifications are better for this object.

M17, Swan Nebula, Sagittarius
171x + OIII. Nebula still very bright at 171x. This magnification doesn’t really add anything to this object although the dark lanes were a little easier to see, giving it a segmented appearance. The body section does appear remarkably straight, like it’s been “dragged” across the sky with a paintbrush.

NGC 6629, planetary nebula, Sagittarius
171x + OIII. Very small, bright little disc, north of M28. I may have seen the central star with averted vision, but it was tough to separate from the nebula.

I also looked for other Sagittarius planetaries 6537, 6567 and 6644 with this eyepiece/filter combination, but they eluded me on this occasion. Or to put it another way, nothing jumped out at me in the manner that 6445 and 6629 did.

M28, globular cluster, Sagittarius
133x. As per previous observations. Bright, condensed; grainy with averted vision.

M22, globular cluster, Sagittarius
133x. If this is my last look at Sagittarius for the year I had to finish with arguably its most spectacular object. Several dozen stars seen in direct vision. The low altitude can make this cluster look somewhat washed-out at first glance, but it's well worth investing the time to let the magnificent view build up on your retina like a developing photo.

As usual I closed the session with a look at Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter was the stand-out tonight with the GRS on show and all four Galilean moons positioned on one side of the planet. However the seeing was too mushy to bother with an imaging run.

From the Lagoon to the Eagle (in OIII)

21 – 22 July 2020, 23:00 – 1:00

Conditions: Started mild, ended chilly (much like the previous night). Light breeze. Some light pollution spilling over from next door (I’m glad I didn’t leave those last three Messiers until tonight).

Seeing: Poor
Transparency: Average

I’d been hoping to revisit the various Sagittarius nebulae with the Astronomik OIII and tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity to use a filter. Observations at 92x unless otherwise stated.

NGC 6445, planetary nebula, Sagittarius
Conspicuous-sized ghostly disc on the western side of the constellation. Quite bright in OIII. Averted vision transformed the disc into a ring, with brighter segments to the north and south.

M8, Lagoon Nebula, Sagittarius
The nebulosity becomes even more expansive in the OIII filter, filling most of the fov of the Ethos (at the expense of the starlight, which is greatly subdued). The large rift dividing the cluster from the brightest part of the nebula now looks like a dark crescent surrounded by nebulosity. On previous occasions I’ve found it difficult to reconcile the telescopic view of M8 with the familiar one seen in images, but tonight it really did start to resemble a photo (minus the colour of course).

Another bright ISS pass (nearly overhead) at 23:20 – 23:25.

M20, Trifid Nebula, Sagittarius
The Trifid seemed distinctly larger and – while not particularly bright – stood out from the background sky much better in the OIII filter. The dark lanes showed well in averted vision. It took a little more effort than M8, but again, it did start to resemble a black-and-white photo (but without the reflection nebula component).

M17, Swan Nebula, Sagittarius
Very bright in the OIII filter; the elongated swan shape is so distinctive that once you’ve seen it a few times it’s hard to see anything but a swan. It almost appeared to be frozen in the act of gliding through space. The area immediately to the north (directly beneath the “body”) was very dark by contrast, as if the swan is riding on black ice or on the surface of an impenetrably dark lake. The nebula itself was mottled, including a dark band cutting across the neck, although I think these dark features are easier to see at 133x. Also noticed a little detached portion of nebulosity directly above the head.

M16, Eagle Nebula, Serpens
Not especially bright, even in OIII, but the bird-like shape was more apparent. The filter transformed the nebula into a broad, diffuse band of light which appeared to curl (like wings) around the cluster. averted vision showed a wedge of darkness cutting into the nebula from the eastern side, but it was ill-defined, certainly not as dramatic as the photographic appearance.

Subsequent observations at 171x (no filter).

NGC 6717 (Palomar 9), globular cluster, Sagittarius
Small, grainy glow just south of 5th magnitude Nu² Sgr – not hard to spot despite the glare from the star. Condensed with averted vision, which also revealed a second bright spot north-east of the core. An interesting object (the globular equivalent of NGC 404 in Andromeda).

Rounded off the session with a look at Jupiter and Saturn, followed by some imaging of the same. Variable seeing limited the quality of the results.

From the Lagoon to the Eagle

24 – 25 June 2020, 23:30 – 3:00

Conditions: Warm and breezy.

Seeing: Terrible
Transparency: Poor

Once again I set up two telescopes in the garden, but this time, instead of the TV-60 on the Super Polaris mount, I brought my old Vixen 4-inch refractor (below) out of retirement to see if the extra aperture would help me catch those last remaining Messier globulars. As it turned out, the sky transparency was too poor to spot them (if only I’d had this idea before the previous session). The XT10 was, once again, coupled with the 13mm Ethos.

I warmed up with a look at M13 and M11 in both scopes. I didn’t take notes as the conditions were too poor to make a fair comparison. Neither cluster was at its best tonight. That was followed by a dive back into the wonders of Sagittarius.

M23, open cluster, Sagittarius
92x. As noted before: a rich cluster of uniformly bright stars, but better-framed at this lower magnification. The stars seemed to form the outline of a flattened starfish or a magic lantern (although the fluctuating seeing may have been a factor in my interpretation). Bright star north of the cluster.

M8, Lagoon Nebula, Sagittarius
92x. M8 is so large that even the Ethos barely contains it, but it’s a wonderfully complex region at this magnification. Despite the less than ideal conditions, even the unfiltered view clearly showed the key components: the bright star cluster NGC 6530, the nebulosity to the west, and the wide dark lane (the “laguna”) dividing the two. A little further west, the bright star 7 Sgr completes the line up, giving M8 the extended shape which is so distinctive in finders and binoculars. The nebulosity filled out considerably with the addition of the Ultrablock filter, revealing another patch to the south extending along the other side of the laguna into NGC 6530, and a large fainter band of nebulosity to the north, all separated by dark lanes. The brightest segment (the one clearly visible without a filter) was transformed into a dense mottled patch of nebulosity. It’s a shame with it being so low in the sky that I don’t get more time to savour M8, but any view is better than no view at all.

M20, Trifid Nebula, Sagittarius
92x + Ultrablock filter. Considerably smaller and fainter than M8, but shows well with averted vision. Nebulosity split by three dark lanes converging on a tight double star.

M6 and M7, open clusters, Scorpius
42x (SP-102 + 24mm Panoptic, giving a 1.5-degree field)
Both clusters were well-framed in the Vixen and showed a respectable number of stars, although they suffered from the haze and poor seeing. The butterfly shape of M6 was more apparent tonight, and the ring of stars surrounding the core region of M7 gave it a stretched-out appearance, like a spider’s web slowly being pulled apart.

Back to the XT10, and back to the nebulae:

M17, Omega/Swan Nebula, Sagittarius
92x + Ultrablock filter. As noted before: very bright, distinctive swan-shaped nebula. Mottled with averted vision but a lot of the fine detail I’ve seen previously was lost to the deteriorating seeing.

M16, Eagle Nebula, Serpens
92x + Ultrablock filter. Loose, sinuous cluster (NGC 6611) embedded in a faint haze, the size of which increased dramatically with averted vision. The most prominent section was a large band of nebulosity south of the cluster extending SW to NE, filling a large part of the field of view. The edges of the nebula tapered off smoothly into the background sky and it was hard to make out any dark features or other structure.

M24, star-cloud, Sagittarius
92x. As noted last time out, a staggeringly rich star-field, “squared-off” by surrounding dark nebulae. A little smeared-out by the poor seeing, but still a sight to behold.

M25, open cluster, Sagittarius
92x. As pre previous observation: rich, large cluster, well-framed in the Ethos. D-shaped asterism at centre.

I also revisited M22 but, unsurprisingly, the poor sky conditions had turned it into a shadow of the magnificent cluster I saw last time out. Jupiter and Saturn were also afflicted by the mushy seeing.

As noted earlier, I failed to spot M69 and M70 with the Vixen, but M54 was just about visible at 42x.

Nature note:
I had to be careful where I was treading tonight because there were lots of froglets (plus several adult frogs) on the move, as well as all the usual snails and slugs.

Summer Clusters and Nebulae

18-19 May 2020, 23:45 – 2:30

Conditions: Breezy, relatively mild (first night I haven’t needed my winter coat). After a day dominated by high cirrus, the sky cleared suddenly, with just a few lingering vapour trails crossing the sky. Cloudy later on.

Seeing: Average - poor
Transparency: Poor - average

The nights are so short now that it doesn’t get reasonably dark until after 11pm, which makes for a lot of hanging around in the evening when (like tonight) the clear-sky forecast is ambiguous. With the sky near the northern horizon staying noticeably light, and vapour trails drifting overhead, the seeing and transparency varied considerably from minute to minute and from one part of the sky to another.

After warming up with M12 and M10 (both clusters looked a little hazy tonight), I tracked down another lesser-known globular in Ophiuchus:

NGC 6426, globular cluster, Ophiuchus
133x. Very faint hazy patch; a little condensed with averted vision. Unimpressive.

NGC 6572, planetary nebula, Ophiuchus
133x and 171x. Small, very bright oval disc; almost stellar at 133x. Stands out largely because of its strong green-blue colour. At 171x, the central star or core region (it was hard to tell exactly what I was seeing) overwhelms the surrounding nebulosity in direct vision. In averted vision the opposite is true: the outer nebulosity becomes the dominant feature.

NGC 6633, open cluster, Ophiuchus
133x. Follow-up from previous observation. Loose cluster of bright stars elongated roughly N-S. As noted previously, shows well in finder. Small “arrowhead” asterism of about 8 stars separated from main cluster on western (leading) side. Quite large, but a bit more “telescope-friendly” than the nearby IC clusters 4665 and 4756.

IC 4756, open cluster, Serpens
133x. Not as bright as IC 4665 and NGC 6633, but a very rich, very large cluster – best suited for smaller wide-field scopes.

NGC 6791, open cluster, Lyra
133x. Faint, extended haze. Starts to resolve with averted vision, giving at least a sense of its richness. Not much, if any, improvement on my previous observation, but I am slowly warming to this cluster.

M56, globular cluster, Lyra
133x. A little washed-out compared to previous observation. The triangular core was less apparent tonight, but I did notice a bright star leading the cluster and a long “x” shape of stellar arms.

M57, The Ring Nebula, Lyra
171x. Additional prep work for sketch (first draft below). The transparency must have been good in this part of the sky because I could just about detect a faint 14th magnitude star east of the ring (just beyond the brighter 13th magnitude star).

At 1:20 I was distracted by the unmistakable sight of the ISS passing high overhead.

After quick looks at M27, M4 and M80 I was irresistibly drawn to an old favourite:

M11, the Wild Duck Cluster, Scutum
133x. After all these years it still boggles me that I don’t have to travel any further than my back garden to see something as breathtakingly beautiful as this cluster. I have mixed feelings about the bucket list approach to life, but if you insist on such a checklist, seeing M11 through a telescope should probably be on it.

At around 2 AM the clouds returned with reinforcements, but after I’d taken the scope indoors – wouldn’t you know it – the sky suddenly cleared again from the south, and now it was remarkably free of haze. With only about half an hour of usable dark left, it wasn’t worth carrying it back out again, so all remaining observations were carried out with 7x50 binoculars and the naked eye (the most important instrument of all!).

M24, star-cloud, Sagittarius
I don’t recall ever seeing M24 with the naked eye before (the Milky Way in Sagittarius is always a little washed out from my location), but tonight it was visible as a hazy patch, a little smaller than the Scutum star-cloud further to the north. The binoculars revealed it to be sprinkled with stars, the brightest ones forming a distinctive almond shape.

This part of the sky (the steam rising from the spout of the Sagittarius teapot) is rich in bright clusters and nebulae, many of which showed up well in the binoculars (particularly M8, the Lagoon Nebula). Also visible in the binoculars were M12, M10, M11 and M27.

The binoculars resolved several more stars in M6 tonight, giving a much better view than 17 May. I also got my first glimpse of M7, which was just visible as a faint hazy patch very low in the south. I propped my elbow against a door-frame to steady the view and over time a few faint stars began to pop out. Averted vision also showed the cluster to be larger than was first apparent. From the same vantage point I could also see the bright stars Lambda Scorpii (Shaula), Upsilon Scorpii (Lesath) and G Scorpii through the binoculars (but not with the naked eye), all three of which culminate at less than 2 degrees above the horizon from my location. I don’t think I’ll be able to get the XT10 on M7, but it might be possible in the TV60.

490 Million Light-Years from Home

16-17 May 2020, 22:45 – 3:15

Conditions: no wind; cool (not as cold as previous sessions); some clouds – increasing over the course of the session.

Seeing: Good / average
Transparency: Average

I had no set plan for this session, which was just as well because the clouds largely dictated where I could and couldn’t point my scope.

M97, Owl Nebula, Ursa Major
171x + OIII filter. Large round disc, seemed speckled with averted vision. The dark patches (the “eyes” of the owl) were visible but ill-defined. Faint star north of nebula.

NGC 6058, planetary nebula, Hercules
171x + OIII filter. A third planetary nebula in Hercules; plotted in SA 2000, but not the PSA. Small oval nebula, near the centre of a triangle formed by 2 bright stars and 1 fainter one. The nebula was quite faint even with the filter. Brighter centre with averted vision, but I couldn’t quite tell if this was the illuminating star or a brighter portion of the nebula (immediately surrounding the star).

M61, galaxy, Virgo
Another over-optimistic attempt to look for SN 2020jfo; this time at the higher magnification of 240x, but this part of the sky was really too bright to see any stars west of the nucleus. With averted vision and enhanced breathing I could just about make out the spiral form, but that was as good as it got.

NGC 6166, galaxy, Hercules
Back down to 133x, and back to Hercules, for another object plotted in SA 2000 but not the PSA. Appeared as a very faint ellipse north of 3 field stars, aligned north-south. A little brighter towards the centre with averted vision. A tough object, but the remarkable thing about this galaxy is that it’s the dominant member of the Abell 2199 cluster, whose distance is (according to Wikipedia) a whopping 490 million light years. Other sources put it closer to 400 million light years, but either way it’s the furthest non-quasar object I’ve seen to date (ahead of NGC 4889 at 308 million light years).

From the very faint to the very bright as the ISS made the first of three passes at 23:45.

M92, globular cluster, Hercules
133x. Smaller, more condensed than M13, but still impressive. Appeared to be a couple of dark patches east of the core. If there is colour in this cluster, it’s subtle: a very pale aquamarine.

95 Herculis, double star
133x. Very attractive, bright pair of stars separated by just 6 arcseconds. Pale green primary (that colour must be a contrast effect) and a pale orange secondary (almost as bright as the primary).

NGC 6791, open cluster, Lyra
133x. Rare example of a DSO plotted in the PSA but not SA 2000. I failed to spot this last time out and with good reason: it’s a large, faint misty patch lurking in a rich star field. With averted vision it slowly starts to resolve, and there appear to be some foreground stars overlaying the cluster in direct vision. One for the big scopes, I think.

As more clouds flitted across the sky I swapped one Nagler for another and increased the magnification to 240x for quick looks at M57 and NGC 6543. Not much to add to previous observations although, on evidence of this night at least, the central star of the Cat’s Eye is easier to see in the DeLite.

At 1:20 (shortly after I was distracted by a large frog bumping into the garden shed), the ISS made its second appearance, reaching magnitude -3.3 as it passed overhead.

NGC 7023, The Iris Nebula (Caldwell 4), reflection nebula, Cepheus
133x. Bright star surrounded by an extended haze, elongated in a N-S direction. One of those objects that appears quite obvious once you know what you’re looking for, but could easily be mistaken for condensation otherwise (there are no other bright stars in the field to compare it to). The nebula appeared vaguely mottled with averted vision. There was also a noticeable lack of stars in the space surrounding the nebula.

NGC 6939, open cluster, Cepheus
133x. Better view tonight. Rich, compact cluster; spray of stars overlying an unresolved haze.

NGC 6946, Fireworks Galaxy, Cepheus/Cygnus
133x. Large amorphous haze (as previously described). A little brighter towards the centre with averted vision, but no structure that I could discern.

There was another distraction at 2:10 in the form of 2 bright satellites passing through Aquila. As I was killing time until Scorpius/Sagittarius cleared the neighbour’s tree, I temporarily switched from the Nagler to the Ethos.

M13, globular cluster, Hercules
92x. The Ethos gives an aesthetically more pleasing view of M13, but it’s not quite as easy to resolve at 92x as it is at 133x. The Ethos fov is also large enough to show the two 7th magnitude stars either side of the cluster.

I also had quick looks at NGC 6543, M57 and M4 with the Ethos, before balancing the scope on the table again.

M6, open cluster, Scorpius
133x: Large, loose collection of bright stars. A slightly better view tonight, but still only just clearing the fence, and atmospheric turbulence made it hard to find the best focus. The brightest stars seemed to form the outline of a watering can. At other times the cluster looked like a fat dragonfly or the flapping pages of a book thrown into the air. (Yes I know I'm over-reaching here, but you try finding the right words to describe a shimmering star cluster at nearly 3 in the morning.) The cluster was also visible in binoculars as a faint hazy patch with at least three stars resolved. I still couldn’t see M7, though.

The third and final ISS pass took place at 2:55; this time lower in the sky and at a less bright magnitude of -2.9.

With the clouds gathering again and the sky starting to brighten, I just had time to screw the OIII filter into the 24mm Panoptic (I’d used every other eyepiece tonight, so why not?) and take a very quick look at some summer nebulae (three of which I’d only previously seen years ago in the SP-102).

M8, Lagoon Nebula, Sagittarius
50x + OIII filter. Large and bright (prominent in the finder and in the binoculars). Nebulosity to the west, star cluster to the east, with a very obvious wide dark lane dividing the two.

M20, Trifid Nebula, Sagittarius
50x + OIII filter. Smaller and fainter than M8. Nebula surrounding tight cluster; mottled with averted vision. Needs higher magnification.

M17, Omega/Swan Nebula, Sagittarius
50x + OIII filter. Very bright nebula and quite large. Like a number “2” with an extended tail.

M16, Eagle Nebula, Serpens
50x + OIII filter. Three-pronged cluster of stars with associated haze of nebulosity. (Unlike the previous three objects, it’s the cluster which grabs the eye before the nebula.) Not nearly as prominent as M17, but at this stage the sky was too bright to really do this one justice.

Sagittarius presents a lot of interesting objects to look at in a limited time, so hopefully I’ll get at least a few clear moon-free nights over the next couple of months.

The Tao of Tau Canis Majoris

28 January 2020, 21:30 – 23:30

A cold, breezy night. My feet felt frozen by the end of the session despite two layers of socks. Some hazy bands of cloud moving slowly from the south-west from about 23:15 onwards. But no condensation for a change.

Seeing: Average
Transparency: Good to Average

I started with a tour of some old favourites using the Panoptic 24mm (50x), before switching to higher magnification once the scope had cooled to ambient temperature and my eyes had dark-adjusted.

M42, The Orion Nebula
Viewed at 50x and 133x, both with and without the OIII filter. Not much I can add to previous descriptions; with the filter in place the nebulosity almost overwhelmed the Trapezium, particularly at the lower magnification. The OIII also imparted a strong green colour, more so than any other object I’ve used it on.

NGC 2392, Eskimo Nebula, Gemini
Showed up nicely at 92x (13mm Ethos). Bright shell and central star seen with direct vision; double shell with averted vision. Pale blue colour.

NGC 2420, open cluster, Gemini
At 92x appeared as a condensed fuzz of stars, about a dozen resolved with direct vision – more with averted vision. Lines of stars appear to curl out to four “corner” stars, giving the cluster a shape resembling a Mermaid’s Purse.

NGC 2355, open cluster, Gemini
92x. Another condensed group of faint stars. Brightest member on southern edge. Curving chain of stars leading north to brighter star. Pretty cluster!

NGC 2395, open cluster, Gemini
92x. Kite-shaped cluster of stars. Sparse, loose; not as good as 2355.

M50, open cluster, Monoceros
92x. As noted previously: rich, large. Prominent red star on southern edge of cluster.

NGC 2335, open cluster, Monoceros
92x. Small, sparse cluster, but there seemed to be an underlying haze of unresolved stars.

NGC 2343, open cluster, Monoceros
92x. Small and sparse again, but brighter stars than 2335. Roughly triangular in shape.

W Canis Majoris, carbon star, Canis Major
92x. Scarlet-hued star; distinctive, but not as vivid as Hind’s Crimson Star.

NGC 2353, open cluster, Monoceros
92x. Rich, if sprawling cluster, gathered around a bright 6th magnitude star (apparently a foreground star rather than a cluster member).

NGC 2362, Tau Canis Majoris cluster (Caldwell 64), Canis Major
92x. In a word: wow! I’ve never seen a cluster quite like this before. A stunning sight in the Ethos despite its very low altitude (declination -25 degrees). A brilliant 4-5 magnitude star (Tau) surrounded by a rich swarm of bright stars. Tau (which apparently is a member and not a foreground star) has a faint companion a few arcseconds east. The cluster has a roughly triangular shape, with another bright star further to the east. It almost looks too good to be true, like it was designed by a VFX artist for a sci-fi film. The highlight of the night.

NGC 2354, open cluster, Canis Major
92x. Loose, filmy mass of stars somewhat washed out by light pollution. Would no doubt be more impressive if it were higher in the sky (and not so near to NGC 2362).

NGC 2360, open cluster, Canis Major
(Caldwell 58) 92x. As previous description. Rich, straggly cluster of moderately bright stars.

NGC 2359, “Thor’s Helmet”, emission nebula, Canis Major
Ethos 13mm + OIII filter. I remember seeing a colour photo of this nebula in an astronomy book when I was a kid, and I was struck by how dramatic it looked: like a spectral demon charging headlong through the heavens. It’s an image that has stayed with me (particularly when I read the epigraph of JG Ballard’s story The Illuminated Man), but I never imagined I would get to see this nebula with my own eyes. For some reason I thought it was only visible from the southern hemisphere (curiously, O’Meara, in his book The Secret Deep, was under the same impression), but while planning my exploration of this part of the sky I realised that not only was its declination just -13 degrees, but also – crucially – it might be bright enough to see in the XT10.

I couldn’t see any nebulosity when I scanned the region unfiltered, but when I added the OIII it was immediately obvious, appearing as a bowl-shaped hemisphere of light with a short bright extension angling away from the southern end (one of the “horns” of the helmet). After staring at it (and to the side of it) for a little while I was able to see the other “horn” as a longer, fainter extension angling from the northern end, pointing west, as well as a bright spot on the northern edge of the bowl. Comparatively, NGC 2359 reminded me of a ghostlier version of the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888 in Cygnus), another object which responds similarly well to filters, and is itself also powered by a Wolf-Rayet star.

It has to be said that telescopically NGC 2359 looked less like a spectral demon and more like a spectral cauliflower, but as nebulae go it was still very impressive. If NGC 2362 was the night’s highlight, this was a close second.

NGC 2438, planetary nebula, Puppis
With the OIII filter still in place I moved the scope across to NGC 2438, which would arguably be one of the winter’s best planetary nebulae even if it didn't share a telescopic field with M46. The OIII filter dimmed the surrounding starlight, thus making 2438 much more distinct, although it’s nowhere near as bright as the Eskimo Nebula in Gemini. On this occasion it looked a little like M57, appearing as a ring with a darker centre – although the dark core was smaller in size compared to the ring, giving the nebula a more donut-like appearance. Also the nebula seemed larger than it did on 17 January, though this was probably an illusory effect caused by the filter subduing M46.

NGC 2440, planetary nebula, Puppis
Small disc of light a few degrees south of 2438. A field star to the east helps confirm its status; otherwise I think it would be easy to overlook, particularly at low magnification. A close double star to the southeast can also distract the unwary observer. Very bright in the OIII filter; direct vision suggested a bright core and averted vision suggested a faint outer halo, but my eyes were getting very tired by this stage so it was hard to be sure. One to revisit at higher magnification.

Nature note
One frog in the pond (the usual long-stayer), plus lots of wriggling insect larvae.

Finding Neptune

5 September 2019, 21:30 – 00:15 BST

Conditions: a near first-quarter moon low in the southeast ruled out observations in that part of the sky. A few small clouds passing overhead, air cooling noticeably, otherwise good for observing.

Albireo, double star, Cygnus
At 92x in the 13mm Ethos this presented as a golden primary and pale blue secondary suspended in a sea of stars. This might be the most beautiful view I’ve ever had of Albireo – certainly one worth savouring.

NGC 7027, planetary nebula, Cygnus
Revisiting one of last year’s targets. In the Ethos it resembled a defocused star. At 240x with the OIII filter it was very bright with a tantalising hint of structure. Quite small.

NGC 7039, open cluster, Cygnus
Looks good in the Ethos. A rich band of stars framed by a rhombus of brighter stars. Not far from the North America Nebula.

NGC 7048, planetary nebula, Cygnus
Just visible without the filter at 92x as a faint smudge of light with a star to the west. In the OIII it appeared as an elongated cone of light with a star at the apex. Unusual shape for a planetary nebula, but I think the star probably caused it to appear more distorted than it really is.

NGC 7000, North America Nebula, Cygnus
With the Ethos and the OIII filter, the “gulf coast” region of the nebula was clearly visible as a milky glow, resembling a large question-mark melting into the starry background. I didn’t think I’d be able to see it as well as this in the XT10.

M2, globular cluster, Aquarius
At 240x, the asymmetry noted before appears to be caused by two wings of stars sweeping back towards the west. The foreground star on the eastern side of the cluster seems to sit in its own pool of darkness, adding to the asymmetry. The cluster resolved really well with averted vision.

M15, globular cluster, Pegasus
Also observed at 240x. Member stars brighter than those of M2. Long loose “tail” of stars to north. Bright, dense core. The (rare) opportunity to view these globulars multiple times over the course of a fortnight really makes a difference – the more you look at them, the more you see.

Neptune 
Helpfully very close (maybe a little too close) to 4th magnitude Phi Aquarii, so (unlike last year) very easy to find. Viewed at 240x (5mm Nagler) and 333x (9mm Nagler + 2.5x Powermate). I need to try this again when the seeing is better, but Neptune was a tiny blue-grey disk (like a defocused star), contrasting nicely with the orangey-red Phi Aquarii. No sign of Triton.

M30, globular cluster, Capricornus
Small condensed blur, very low in the sky (-23 degrees declination). Bright leading star to west. Amazingly, with averted vision I could begin to resolve the cluster despite its low altitude: the most prominent features were a straight line of stars to the north and another fainter one (not radial to the core) to the northwest, giving the cluster a very distinctive lopsided, spiky appearance.

Just for fun, I also viewed M57 and M27 at 333x. Despite being on the light-polluted side of the meridian the Ring Nebula looked rather impressive at this high magnification (like a black-and-white photo); the Dumbbell not so much (it's large enough already that it doesn't really benefit from the extra power). But it's good to know I can use this magnification on some deepsky objects.

The Helix Nebula and other Highlights

30 August 2019, 22:30 – 01:00 BST

Much better transparency tonight – ideal for photographing my primary target for the autumn: M33. And the previous sessions had given me enough confidence in the imaging and autoguiding rig to leave it alone while it captured two hours’ worth of data. (With no bright stars nearby, the hardest part was getting the galaxy centred in the camera’s field of view.)

After idly touring the Milky Way while my eyes fully adapted to the dark, it seemed only right that I open the session with a closer look at the object I was imaging:

M33, Triangulum Galaxy
Viewed at both 50x and 133x; challenging as always. The northern spiral arm was easier to see than the southern one. The nucleus was star-like, with a faint star close to it (in line with NGC 604). Some of the other HII regions were suspected with averted vision, but not to the point where I could say I was confident of detecting them. I used a finder chart to pinpoint the location of the globular cluster C39 but, not surprisingly, it was below the threshold of visibility.

NGC 7331, spiral galaxy, Pegasus
Viewed at 133x and 240x. At the higher magnification there was perhaps a hint of one of the companion galaxies, but it was extremely subtle. Likewise, there was a very vague suggestion of a misty glow in the region where Stephan’s Quintet is supposed to be, but not convincing enough for me to call it.

NGC 7009, Saturn Nebula, Aquarius
Bright ellipse at 133x. At 240x with the OIII filter it became very bright, albeit devoid of detail. I couldn’t see the ansae directly, but with averted vision I could tell there was something “Saturn-like” about its shape. The nickname is well-deserved; at first glance it does look a lot like a ghost image of the ringed planet.

M2, globular cluster, Aquarius
Best view yet of this globular. Large, slightly elongated, well resolved, particularly with averted vision. The brightest member is just to the east-northeast of the core (though this may be a foreground star).

M15, globular cluster, Pegasus
Viewing one globular straight after another really allows you to appreciate the differences. M15 is brighter than M2 and clearly more condensed. Easier to resolve too (more stars visible in direct vision).

NGC 7293, Helix Nebula, Aquarius
With a declination of -21 degrees and a reputation for having a low surface brightness, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to see this planetary nebula, but a sweep of the area at 133x with the OIII filter quickly brought it into view. It showed up surprisingly well, looking not unlike its familiar photographic representation (albeit minus the colour). Even though I’d read about it before, I was still unprepared for just how big it appeared in the field of view. Overall it resembled a pair of large, ghostly overlapping smoke rings, with a darker cavity on the northwest edge and a hollowed-out interior. At 50x (still with the OIII filter) it was brighter still. The only other planetary nebula I can think of that vaguely resembles it is the Owl Nebula in Ursa Major, but the Helix is superior in every way (not just size). Easily the highlight of the evening. Afterwards, I removed the OIII filter to test if I could see it unaided, but it had left the field of view by the time I put the Panoptic back in and I couldn’t find it again. I’m pretty certain I was sweeping in the right area, so file that as another success for the OIII filter.

Nature note:
At least 10 frogs in the pond, including several of this year’s froglets and the large pale “telescope-hopper” from Monday night.

A Veil, a Snowball and a Bubble

26 August 2019, 22:00 – 23:30 BST

After the success of the previous night’s imaging session, it seemed only fair that I should photograph the other (eastern) half of the Veil Nebula, though without the benefit of a naked eye star (52 Cyg) to use as a target it took a little longer to get it centred.

Conditions: another warm night, slight haze affecting the transparency.

M71, globular cluster, Sagitta
Rich, filmy mass of stars in an already rich section of the Milky Way. More condensed than M11, but lacking the density of more typical globulars.

Albireo, Cygnus
Lovely double star; golden primary, pale blue secondary. (There isn’t really anything new I can say about Albireo, but I keep coming back to it.)

NGC 6819, open cluster, Cygnus
Cluster with a hat-shaped outline. Member stars not particularly bright. Central gap. Resides in a rich Milky Way field.

NGC 6866, open cluster, Cygnus
Another Cygnus cluster - like a larger, looser version of 6819.

Veil Nebula, supernova remnant, Cygnus
A comparison (at 50x) of the Ultrablock and the OIII filter. While both filters do an excellent job on this nebula, it was clear that the OIII provided a much darker background, thus making the nebula itself seem brighter. This also made it easier to see the overall shape of the two arcs and some of their internal structure, as well as the much fainter Pickering/Fleming’s Triangle. When I switched back to the Ultrablock, the triangle was just about visible, but I probably wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t already seen it with the OIII.

Another thing I noticed with the OIII was that the area inside the loop seemed brighter than outside (particularly on the eastern side). This might be an illusion (long exposure images show that the visible nebulosity is confined to discrete sections), but the photos I took seem to hint at a greater star density inside the Veil. (Is the shockwave clearing away the interstellar medium, creating a window in that part of the Milky Way?)

NGC 7662, The Blue Snowball, Andromeda
Tough to find on this occasion for some reason. Otherwise as before, blue-green colour.

NGC 7331, spiral galaxy, Andromeda
Streak of light, no sign of the companion galaxies (the “fleas”), but not surprising given the less than optimal transparency.

NGC 281, emission nebula, Cassiopeia
I needed the OIII filter to see it (at 50x), but once I did the overall comma shape stood out well, with a suggestion of dark inlets cutting into the nebula.

NGC 7635, Bubble Nebula, Cassiopeia
With the OIII filter still in place, I pushed the telescope past M52, not really expecting to see anything, but the nebula stood out surprisingly well. Not so much a bubble as a little crescent-moon shaped patch of nebulosity. I swapped out the 24mm Panoptic for the 9mm Nagler (minus the filter), but the nebula was no longer visible.

I rounded off the evening with a quick look at two old favourites in Cassiopeia: M52 (a rich little cluster) and NGC 7789 (a rich large cluster with faint stars arranged in clumps).

Nature note
While I was taking a test shot of the Veil I heard a “clonk” from the XT10. Upon investigating with a red-light torch, I discovered that a large pale frog had hopped onto the base underneath the main mirror. It took some persuading to vacate its temporary home, but I eventually sent it safely on its way. Still, at least it blundered into that scope rather than the one taking long exposures.

Nebulae and Clusters in Gemini

23 February, 20:00 – 21:30

Sky transparency not as good as on the 10th. Heavy condensation curtailed the session after 90 minutes.


M44, Beehive Cluster in Cancer
Not surprisingly, too large for the field at 50x (24mm Panoptic), but still an attractive sight. Lots of bright stars arranged in twos and threes.

M67, open cluster in Cancer
Lovely sight at 50x; a “filmy” mass of stars which appears richer than it probably is due to the lower contrast. Bright star nearby (to north), which looks like it's trailing the rest of the cluster in its wake.

NGC 2392 (Eskimo Nebula), planetary nebula in Gemini
At 240x (Nagler 5mm), unfiltered, the central star was clearly visible, but with both filters it was overwhelmed by the surrounding nebulosity. Very bright in the OIII (a little more so than the Ultrablock). No structure seen other than the concentric rings (which showed up best at 133x).

NGC 2371-2, planetary nebula in Gemini
Small and faint (more so than the previous viewing). The OIII at 240x seemed to “fill in” the nebula: very faint nebulosity completing the circle. Western lobe brighter, with central knot or condensation.

NGC 2355, open cluster in Gemini
Large, fairly loose cluster – not particularly rich in stars, but still distinctive enough to be pretty. Brightest members form a leaf shape, with a stalk of fainter stars curling north to a bright field star. This cluster doesn’t appear to have a nickname so feel free to call it the “Leaf Cluster” (until O’Meara names it the “Hershey Kiss Cluster” or something similar in his next book!).

M42, Great Nebula in Orion
On the wrong side of the meridian now, but still a majestic sight. Seeing variable, but E and F stars in the Trapezium were occasionally visible at 240x. Lots of intricate dark structure even at this high magnification. The Trapezium seemed to reside in a dark “hollow” within the Huygens region, but this may well be an illusory effect caused by my eyes re-adjusting to the brightness of the stars.

Rigel was a fairly easy split at 240x despite poor seeing.

Castor split nicely at 240x. About a magnitude difference between the pair.

Subsequent observations at 133x (Nagler 9mm).

NGC 2903, galaxy in Leo
Not as good as the last time I saw it, but just a suggestion of spiral arms in an s-shape.

NGC 2683, galaxy in Lynx
Long, bright spindle. Dark lane on northern edge?

Gamma Leonis (Algieba)
Nice split (albeit tight) at 133x. Subtle colour variation (orange and yellow?); needs another look.

With the condensation building, I grabbed a quick look at the following objects (a preview of forthcoming attractions, so to speak):

M63 (Sunflower Galaxy) in Canes Venatici
Bright, finely mottled appearance.

M94, galaxy in Canes Venatici
Bright, suggestion of dark lane.

M106, galaxy in Canes Venatici
Quite large and bright – may well be bright enough to show structure on a better night. Oddly, this is the first time I’ve seen this galaxy. For some reason I always managed to overlook it with the 4-inch (even though I'm sure it would have been easily visible).

Cor Caroli
Double star, wider separation than the other doubles I looked at tonight.


Nature Note
Three frogs in the pond (two mating).

Orion in Forty Minutes

30 January 2019, 19:00 – 19:40

One of those frustrating nights where you collimate the mirror, extricate a spider (a real spider, not the structure that holds the secondary mirror in place) and its web, take the scope outside, let it cool down, and then – just as you’re ready to begin observing – the clouds start rolling in. That said, I did manage to see a few new targets through the ever-narrowing gaps, although the observations were brief and my eyes weren’t fully dark-adapted.

All observations with the Nagler 9mm (now established as my eyepiece of choice for this scope).


NGC 2169, open cluster in Orion
A small, condensed grouping of bright stars. Not particularly rich, but visually pleasing – worth a longer look under more favourable conditions. Begs the question: at what point does a multiple star system become a cluster?

NGC 2022, planetary nebula in Orion
Appeared as a small faint annulus at 133x, like a diminished version of M57. Suggestion of brightness variations – Ultrablock and/or higher magnification should give an improved view.

NGC 1999, reflection nebula in Orion
Small patch of nebulosity roughly south of M42. (I noticed this on the uncropped frames of my December image and thought it might be bright enough to detect visually.) The central condensation looked stellar, but I suspect that higher magnification may prove otherwise. Suggestion of dark patch/hole with averted vision. I wonder how many other DSOs are neglected because of their proximity to the Great Nebula?

Rigel (Beta Orionis)
Close double, easy split at 133x even though the companion coincided with one of the diffraction spikes. Cloud starting to interfere, but used this as an opportunity to fine-tune the alignment on the EZ Finder.

NGC 1788, reflection nebula in Orion
Very faint patch of light north of Beta Eri. Faint star at centre? Literally had less than two minutes to look at this before the clouds finally put an end to the session.

Winter Nebulae

28 January 2019, 19:15 – 21:15

The first clear, moon-free night in over a month. Cold, but not bitter. Light wind. Good transparency. Scope seemed to take longer to reach ambient temperature; best views were at 133x (9mm Nagler).

M45, Pleiades, Taurus
Viewing at 50x (24mm Panoptic); Merope nebula easier to see now I’ve got my bearings: visible as a misty patch fanning out from Merope to the south, framed by dark “lanes” on either side. The nebulosity in the Pleiades is much easier to see when you know which stars aren’t involved in it, such as the distinctive line of stars trailing from Alcyone.

NGC 2024, Flame Nebula in Orion
Tough to see because of the glare from Alnitak. Better contrast at 133x, but more condensed at 50x. IC 434 (the glow behind the Horsehead) was only suggested at best, but NGC 2023 clearly visible as a small patch of light surrounding a star, swelling with averted vision.

M78, reflection nebula in Orion
Twin stars immersed in a cloud, like headlights shining through fog. Some mottled structure apparent with averted vision, sharp cut-off on northern side – NGC 2071 visible on the other side of this dark gap: smaller and fainter than M78, no structure visible.

M42, Great Nebula in Orion
Breathtaking spectacle; can appreciate it even more now I’ve photographed it (above). 133x gave the best view for contrast and detail even though it was too big for a single fov. Intricate detail seen with direct and averted vision, including nebulosity within the “fish-mouth” area. The dark lane between M42 and M43 contrasts nicely with the fainter nebulosity beyond the Huygens region, illustrating that the nebula is much more extensive than its initial bird-like appearance implies. Brighter arc seen on opposite side of cavity, corresponding with sculpted section seen in photos.

Trapezium stars E and (to a lesser extent) F were oddly easier to see at 133x than 240x (clearly not a night for high-power viewing).

The southern wing of the nebula was remarkable: long and irregular but with well defined edges, like a ribbon of light. The adjacent part of the nebula was not the same colour as the ribbon, but hard to say what exactly other than “not green”. Maybe the slightest hint of violet, but it was right on the limit of perception.

The Ultrablock significantly filled out the northern half of the nebula and made the Huygens region seem more boxy, sharper-edged, but otherwise not that much improvement (not a criticism of the filter; just that M42 is bright enough not to need it.)

M43, emission nebula in Orion
Comma-shaped haze surrounding single star. Dark lane visible with averted vision.

Also quick looks at NGC 1981 open cluster and the Running Man Nebula, the latter’s gauzy appearance clearly more akin to the Merope nebula than M42. Averted vision suggested a “bite” taken out of the southern edge.

NGC 2174-5, open cluster + emission nebula, Orion
Obvious and surprisingly large patch of light, somewhat elongated. Nebulosity seemed concentrated around central star, but no obvious cluster, at least not at low magnification.

NGC 2392, Eskimo Nebula, Gemini
Lovely winter planetary. Small, but immediately obvious fuzzy star at 50x. Nearby star helps confirm its nature. Central star visible at 133x. Averted vision showed two concentric rings of material. Seemed more blue-green than typical grey-green, but difference is subtle; certainly nowhere near as blue as the Snowball in Andromeda. Ultrablock filter improved contrast but not really required for such a bright nebula.

NGC 2264, Christmas Tree Cluster, Monoceros
Very pretty (and “right” way up for a change). Very bright blue star at “base” – seemed to be surrounded by haze, but hard to tell if it was genuine nebulosity. No obvious sign of the Cone Nebula, but while sweeping south I soon arrived at…

NGC 2261, Hubble’s Variable Nebula, Monoceros
Small and bright (but obvious even at 50x) fan-shaped nebula. 133x showed bright condensation at apex, but I think it would take a still higher power to show significant detail.

NGC 2237-9 (Rosette Nebula), surrounding open cluster NGC 2244 in Monoceros
Took a while to find – the lack of bright stars in Monoceros (not to mention the ever-present lure of Orion) make it a challenge to navigate via star-hopping. Appearance: Boxy cluster surrounded by large, diffuse nebula – too large for fov even at 50x. Brighter arc on northern side. Potential photographic target for TV60.

While sweeping across Monoceros I stumbled upon what I later identified as NGC 2301 – a distinctive rich cluster, well worth a return visit (if I can find it again).

Quick looks (cold, condensation and tiredness starting to play a part):

M97 (Owl Nebula), planetary nebula in Ursa Major
Large and faint (the opposite of the Eskimo). The Ultrablock dramatically improved the view. Hint of dark cavities (the owl's eyes).

M108, galaxy in Ursa Major
Faint sliver of light, with field star imposed over centre. Another potential photo target (pairing with Owl Nebula).

M81, M82, galaxies in Ursa Major
Not as impressive as previous observations – a sign it was time to pack up for the night.

A Crystal Ball in Taurus

2 November 2018, 19:45 – 21:45 GMT

Cold, very light wind, transparency improving over the course of the session.

Double Cluster, Perseus
Viewed at 50x (24mm Panoptic). Comparing against recent photo (above). The lower magnification is better for framing the clusters – at the expense of some contrast – but the eyepiece view always beats the photographic representation. Red giant stars showing well.

Cr 466, open cluster in Cassiopeia 
Large and loose, would probably look better in a wide field refractor.

vdB 1, reflection nebula in Cassiopeia
First entry in O’Meara’s Secret Deep book. Despite its obscure designation it stood out reasonably well as an extended, if subtle, haze surrounding three stars. Not surprisingly the Ultrablock did nothing to improve the view (other than damping the glare from Beta Cas). Probably worth revisiting at higher magnification on a darker night.

M76, Planetary Nebula in Perseus
Prolonged averted vision (+ Ultrablock filter) seemed to reveal the faint “loop” extensions on either side of the main nebula (brighter on one side). Starting to wonder whether an O III filter might make a significant difference on this and similar nebulae.

NGC 1501, Planetary Nebula in Camelopardalis
133x + Ultrablock filter: green-grey disc which seemed to subtly change shape depending on which side of it I was looking. Otherwise, same details seen as on 9 October.

NGC 1514 (The Crystal Ball Nebula), Planetary Nebula in Taurus
The undoubted highlight of the session – a very pretty planetary nebula flanked by two nearby 8th magnitude stars (which help make the nebulosity obvious even at 50x). At 133x it appeared as a 9th magnitude star peering out from a cocoon of light. Obvious without the filter, but the Ultrablock really enhanced the view. The edges didn’t have a sharp cut-off (unlike other PN I’ve looked at recently), but the nebula had a certain indefinable quality about it that distinguished it as a Planetary Nebula rather than an Emission Nebula (like the difference between smoke and mist). It seems from my notes that I never tried for this with the 4-inch scope, but it doesn’t deserve its reputation as a difficult object. Having two similar-brightness stars in the same field-of-view really helps to “lock in” the averted vision.

Other notes: failed to find NGC 1275 (galaxy, Perseus), but did spot a lovely close double-star pair in the vicinity. Looked a little bit like a condensed facsimile of Eta Cas.

NGC 1342, open cluster in Perseus
133x. Fairly loose at this magnification. The “starfish” shape started to become apparent when I nudged the scope around, so would probably look better at 50x.

Also, a first look at M38 and NGC 1907, pair of open clusters in Auriga: very nice, well resolved at 133x. Two rich clusters presenting very different aspects – would definitely make a good imaging target for the TV60.

Condensation wasn’t so much of an issue this time, being noticeable only on the red dot finder.

Cassiopeia – Camelopardalis

9 October 2018, 22:00 – 23:45 BST

Conditions: Transparency not great again, but still plenty of bright objects to look at.

NGC 281, nebula in Cassiopeia
Ultrablock filter helped a lot to improve the contrast at 50x (Panoptic 24mm). Central portion bright, contrasting against dark “maw”. Some mottled detail visible - dark lanes cutting through the nebula. Hard to determine overall size – nebula faded smoothly into background sky with no obvious cut-off.

Scanned the Cassiopeia/Perseus region for nebulae. Nothing popped out, but did sweep past some attractive open clusters, including Stock 23.

Gamma Arietis, double star in Aries
Pleasing blue-white pair of stars, equal brightness - like headlights.

NGC 1501, planetary nebula in Camelopardalis
Fairly bright medium-size PN, almost round. Slightly darker core revealed with averted vision, but not a “smoke-ring” like M57. Holds brightness at 240x (Nagler 5mm); appeared clumpy/mottled at higher magnification, seemed slightly brighter on north/south edges.

NGC 1502, open cluster in Camelopardalis
Viewed at 133x (Nagler 9mm); bright, rich cluster, pairs of stars running through middle. Triangular or wedge shape – like a racing yacht.

Double Stars and Double Clusters

16 September 2018, 22:00 – 00:00 BST

First quarter moon adding to the light pollution in the south-west, but at least the seeing was good.

M15, globular cluster in Pegasus
Examined at all three available magnifications. The sky background was too bright to resolve stars at 50x; there was an improvement at 133x, but on this occasion the best view came at 240x – pleasing contrast, lots of faint stars resolved.

Veil Nebula, supernova remnant in Cygnus
Hindered a little bit by moonlight, but with the Ultrablock to filter most of it out, plenty of detail still visible. The nebula had a winding, braided structure. Brightness held up well at 133x with the two main arcs extending across several fields of view. Pickering’s Triangle suspected, but not confirmed – if so, it was right on the threshold of visibility.

A quick tour of the open clusters in northern Lacerta was a little disappointing. The sky was too bright to do justice to the 24mm Panoptic, and at 133x the field of view was too small to properly frame the clusters. For the most part, they just looked like sparse associations of bright stars.

A similar tour of the Cassiopeia clusters at 50x fared better due to the richer clusters and the darker background in that part of the sky. An intermediate magnification might help with some of these NGC clusters.

Eta Cassiopeiae, double star 
Looked very nice at 133x, with the secondary appearing to have an unusual purple hue.

Double Cluster in Perseus
The red giant stars stood out more at 133x, but the two clusters lose some of their impact at this magnification. However, higher magnifications might be useful for separating close pairs and picking out fainter cluster members at 240x.

The following observations were all carried out with the Ultrablock filter.

M76, planetary nebula in Perseus
Holds brightness very well all the way up to 240x. Bi-lobed, boxy shape, with the brighter lobe appearing almost rectangular. No colour apparent. Prolonged examination suggested one or two knots/condensations within the brighter lobe.

NGC 404 (Mirach’s Ghost), galaxy in Andromeda
Only a quick look, but this little galaxy showed up surprisingly well. It seemed the Ultrablock dimmed the glare from Mirach more than it dimmed 404, but I’ll have to try this again without the filter to verify.

NGC 604, emission nebula in M33, Triangulum Galaxy
Perhaps it stood out a little more through the filter, but the difference seemed marginal at best.

NGC 1491, emission nebula in Perseus
I actually meant to look for a different nebula, but this one stood out surprisingly well as an extended misty patch with a single reasonably bright star offset from the centre. Suggestion of mottled structure at higher magnification. Faded smoothly into the background sky, unlike some of the nebulae I’ve been looking at recently.

Andromeda – Cassiopeia – Perseus

5-6 August 2018, 23:00 – 02:00 BST

As expected, I wasted a lot of time getting the SP/TV-60 combo polar-aligned and focused (but in my defence I hadn’t done it since May). I took a couple of test shots of the Veil Nebula but, realistically, exposures longer than about 90 seconds will need autoguiding – especially the further I get away from the pole. But on the plus side, I appear to have fixed the issue with the declination worm gear.

Anyway, I switched to a brighter object and shot 60 x 1 min exposures of M27, the Dumbbell Nebula. While that was in progress I pointed the XT10 at the following targets:

Saturn showed fleeting moments of good seeing, but again, not enough to justify shooting video clips. It’s noticeably lower in the sky now, so it’s unlikely it’ll look as good as it did on 25 June (at least for this year).

The Witch’s Broom segment of the Veil Nebula was faintly visible at 50x, brushing against 52 Cygni – the first time I’ve seen any part of the Veil without having to use the Ultrablock filter. Though I’m not sure I would have noticed it if I hadn’t already known it was there.

Double Cluster in Perseus
Spectacular as always. No significant increase in the number of stars I could see, but they were all that much brighter. The usual red giant stars were prominent – particularly the one halfway between the two clusters.

M31, Andromeda Galaxy
With the higher altitude I could get a sense of the galaxy extending beyond the dark dust lanes. The star cloud NGC 206 seemed to be visible with averted vision, but I’m still getting my bearings with Andromeda. The 24 mm Panoptic is better for getting more of M31 in the frame, but higher magnification might improve the contrast around its constituent parts.

M33, Triangulum Galaxy
Some tantalising structure starting to emerge, but needs to be higher in the sky. Again, higher magnification and a detailed finder chart might help with this one.

NGC 752, open cluster in Andromeda
Bright stars, but a large and very loose cluster. Better suited to the TV-60 or binoculars.

NGC 891, edge-on galaxy in Andromeda
Took a long time to find it, and even then it was extremely faint. I think I was expecting something smaller and brighter, but perhaps (although I couldn't see it) the light from the rising moon was already starting to interfere.

M76, Little Dumbbell Nebula in Perseus
Bright both with and without the filter. Double-lobed structure with one lobe clearly brighter than the other. Light greenish colour.

Then followed a quick tour of Cassiopeia to reacquaint myself with its many star clusters; not much to add on the notes from the old SP-102 log but now all the clusters are resolved to varying degrees (sometimes to their detriment, as the larger, looser clusters are hard to distinguish from the background Milky Way):
NGC 457, Owl Cluster: like meeting an old friend; one of the most distinctive clusters not in the Messier Catalogue
M103: very pretty little cluster
NGC 663, 659 and 654: 3+ clusters in the same patch of sky; potential astrophoto target
NGC 7789: very rich cluster
M52: also rich, but smaller than 7789; Bubble Nebula suspected, but not confirmed
Stock 2: large, sprawling cluster, more like a denser section of the Milky Way

NGC 281, Pacman Nebula (surrounding IC 1590 cluster) in Cassiopeia
Faintly visible without the Ultrablock filter, the addition of which increases its size as well revealing a trace of mottled detail. Very obvious dark bay eating into nebula. Sparse but tight grouping of stars at centre – more like a multiple star system than a cluster. Its size (about the same area as the moon) makes this another potential photo target for the TV-60.

Other Notes
Perseid meteors becoming more frequent.
NELM: Approximately 6 naked-eye stars counted in the square of Pegasus, indicating a limiting magnitude between 5.25 and 5.5 tonight.

Nature Note
One bat, a curlew (and some other bird – likely a wader) calling in the distance, and two frogs in the pond (one big, one little).

Planetary Nebulae in Aquila

2 August 2018, 22:00 – 00:00 BST

Transparency improving week by week, but the seeing seems to be going the other way. Saturn only showed well for fleeting moments, not enough to justify attaching the camera and the laptop. From about 23:00 onwards the entire Sagittarius “teapot” asterism was visible, with Epsilon Sagittarii (Kaus Australis) being the most southerly star I could see at -34 deg 23’ declination. (Apparent mag. +1.85).

The ISS also made one of its regular appearances.

All observations at 133x (Nagler 9mm) unless otherwise stated.

M17 (Omega/Swan Nebula), nebula in Sagittarius
Very bright both with and without the Ultrablock (although the filter really helps improve the contrast in this light-polluted part of the sky). An extended bar of nebulosity with the brightest part forming the characteristic “2” or swan shape around a conspicuous dark patch. The main bar takes on an impressively mottled structure with the filter in place.

M22, globular cluster in Sagittarius
A large, sprawling ball of stars. Surprisingly well resolved despite its very low altitude and the murky light pollution.

Intrigued by all the planetary nebulae symbols marked on the PSA chart for Aquila, I decided to take a closer look...

NGC 6751, PN in Aquila
Small, featureless disc of light.

NGC 6781, PN in Aquila
Large, low surface-brightness nebula. Responded well to the Ultrablock filter. Not perfectly round; suggestion of an asymmetric dark core.

NGC 6804, PN in Aquila
Medium sized planetary nebula. Faint field stars in and around disc – could trick a casual observer into thinking they were looking at a partially resolved star cluster.

Also looked without success for NCG 6741 and 6803 – though I discovered later it was probably due to their very small apparent size. I did however notice a couple of conspicuously bright aquamarine “stars” through the Ultrablock filter, so it’s possible I did see them without realising it.

M71, globular cluster in Sagitta
Not completely resolved (unlike the comparably rich M11), confirming its status as a globular cluster, albeit a very loose one. Roughly triangular in shape, with chains of stars forming two swept-back “wings”.

Mars
Current altitude (approx. 12 degrees) is so low I was literally looking at it through my neighbours’ fence, so the image was severely hampered by diffraction as well as poor seeing. Suggestion of polar brightening, but no significant detail seen.


Nature Note
Saw one big frog in the pond, but no froglets. The heavy rain on Friday night seems to have been the cue for a mass exodus. In recent evenings I’ve also seen a couple of bats hunting low over the garden.