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Jeff Young
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/04/05
Posts: 4330
Loc: Ireland
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Two nights in a row: decent transparency, average-or-better seeing, and no moon. I think that's a first for this winter.
I had prepared a list of planetaries expecting good seeing like the night before -- sadly, it had deteriorated from Pickering 7 to 5. So I started with a few galaxies from an older list:
Quote:
NGC1400/1407 1/11/2008; Pickering 5, NELM 6, SQM 20.5
Both NGC1400 and 1407 immediately visible (direct vision) at 175x, but field is extremely gray an unappealing at this altitude. [Ed: 17° is about as high as they get from my location.] Once again, DeepSky improves the aesthetics if not the quantitative view.
Both galaxies have semi-stellar cores, NE one (1407) is slightly larger and brighter. 260x divulges no additional secrets -- even direction of elongation is indistinct.
Next up was a bizarre nebula that looks in the DSS images like it's littered with Herbig-Haro objects:
Quote:
NGC2185 1/11/2008; Pickering 5, NELM 6, SQM 20.5
Can't really get a bead on this one -- there are 3 stars near the center of the field -- the brightest seems to have hints of nebulosity around it and exhibits a flared shape, but it's so indistinct that I can't even determine the direction of the flare. Dimmest of 3 also appears flared or embedded in nebulosity, as does the third (NGC2183), although to a much lesser extent.
Magnification doesn't seem to help (175x, 260x, 375x), nor does filtration (DeepSky, UHC, OIII).
Well, that was discouraging enough that I went back to my PN list:
Quote:
NGC2392 (Eskimo) 1/11/2008; Pickering 5, NELM 6, SQM 20.5
Large, bright, but nearly featureless disk around central star at 260x; inner ring shows hints at 375x, but doesn't give up much definition until 510x. Inner ring pinched slightly to N; outer halo contains brighter section to S.
See sketch.
That worked out well enough that I did one more:
Quote:
NGC2022 1/11/2008; Pickering 5, NELM 6, SQM 20.5
Nice little ring, similar in shape to M57 but much smaller and somewhat more indistinct, and without (visible) central star.
Like NGC1553, the center fills in in direct vision -- ring shape requires averted.
See sketch.
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Nikon 18x70s / UA Millennium Colorado:
Solarscope SF70 / TV Pronto / AP400QMD Coronado SolarMax40 DS / Bogen 055+3130
APM MC1610 / Tak FC-125 / AP1200GTO Tak Mewlon 250 / AP600EGTO
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Jeff Young
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/04/05
Posts: 4330
Loc: Ireland
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And the NGC2022 sketch:
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Nikon 18x70s / UA Millennium Colorado:
Solarscope SF70 / TV Pronto / AP400QMD Coronado SolarMax40 DS / Bogen 055+3130
APM MC1610 / Tak FC-125 / AP1200GTO Tak Mewlon 250 / AP600EGTO
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APN
newbie
Reged: 04/24/07
Posts: 1
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Nice sketches.
I also took a look at the Eskimo last night. My skies were pretty clear (sadly this translates to only a limiting mag of a little better than 5 at my site), but seeing was poor (I didn't push it beyond x160). Variations in brightness between the inner and outer areas were clear but the darker region that surrounds the central star wasn't visible.
Looks like you had a much better view!
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novbabies
Postmaster
Reged: 06/05/05
Posts: 15678
Loc: Northern Georgia!
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Jeff, great report, I love those PNs, and chuckled at the "discouraging enough" part; superb sketches  !!
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Good Seeing!
Mark
Orion 12" XTi f/4.9
VERY old Edmund 6" f/8 reflector
Assorted binoculars
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Jeff Young
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/04/05
Posts: 4330
Loc: Ireland
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"APN" --
Welcome to CloudyNights!
Quote:
... Variations in brightness between the inner and outer areas were clear but the darker region that surrounds the central star wasn't visible.
I had a very similar result with another PN, NGC1535. In my first go (seeing 3/10) I drew the center solid ( 1/5/2008, first sketch), while a second attempt only a few nights later, but under much better seeing (7/10), I was able to see the annularity quite easily ( 1/10/2008, second sketch).
Mark --
These Herbig-Haro objects are definitely my nemisis. Struck out on Gyulbudaghian's after repeated attempts, and so far 2 goes at HH1 and HH2 (both below NGC1999) have revealed nothing but empty space. Well, at least NGC1999 itself was a thing of beauty. 
-- Jeff.
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Nikon 18x70s / UA Millennium Colorado:
Solarscope SF70 / TV Pronto / AP400QMD Coronado SolarMax40 DS / Bogen 055+3130
APM MC1610 / Tak FC-125 / AP1200GTO Tak Mewlon 250 / AP600EGTO
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olivier
sage
Reged: 01/05/05
Posts: 209
Loc: Belgium - Leuven
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Nice report and nice drawings, Jeff
I've seen NGC 2022 a while ago, but could not see a ring shape. I'm going to try that one again.
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Olivier
http://deepsky-astronomy.blogspot.com/
http://www.deepskylog.be/
Obsession 18" Classic with ServoCat and ArgoNavis
Celestron Advanced C8N-GT (8" Newton)
Canon EOS 300D
Messier: 110/110
Herschel: 400/400
Herschel II: 195/400
Edited by olivier (01/13/08 09:24 AM)
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