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Downward Bound
Adrenaline Junkie
Reged: 03/29/06
Posts: 2642
Loc: Seattle
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I had a fun time last Saturday night from my dark site that’s about a 2 hour drive east of Seattle in the foothills of the dry side of the Cascade Mountains. I didn’t have my Sky Quality Meter with me this time but typically the moonless nights there range from 21.60 to 21.90 with low humidity – once the moon set early in the evening, it was one of those nights – cold and clear. I was traveling light this trip and only brought a pair of 15x63 bins which I had mounted on a camera tripod. Given the limitations of the tripod for viewing higher in the sky and the below freezing temps that night I gave up on the bins and spent my time simply gazing with my eyes unaided. I had to get up from at various intervals during the night to stoke my wood stove (10PM, 2 AM and 5 AM) so I was able to view throughout the nightly progression. I’ve seen M31, the Double Cluster and M13 unaided from here before without too much trouble and on the best of nights I’ve picked up M81/82 very faintly. Last Saturday I added a few more to my naked-eye Messier list including M93, M35, M36, M37, M38, M44 and M33 (of course M45 and M42 are freebies).
I remember a thread here a year or two ago about possible/known naked-eye DSOs but I have lost the link. I’m not sure about other viewers but I like trying to coax out some of these gems when I get the chance to gaze under clear dark skies. What have you viewers found only with your eyes?
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Bill
'flector: R200SS, 22" f/3.6 (on order)
'fractors: PST, AT-66, TV-85, FS-102, NP-127, TMB-152
'bins: 15x63, 10x52, 22x85
410+028B, Sphinx, Telepod, EZ Touch, G-11
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star drop
Guilty as Charged
Reged: 02/02/08
Posts: 16368
Loc: Snow Plop, WNY
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We can see M41 from my magnitude six location but not many of the others that you have mentioned.
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Ted
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Hrundi
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/06/08
Posts: 1240
Loc: Estonia
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M82? Don't think I've heard that one being seen naked eye.
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 8285
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Quote:
M82? Don't think I've heard that one being seen naked eye.
M82 is a little too faint (mag. 8.4) for the unaided eye, although some people at really dark sky sites have seen M81 (mag. 6.9). I have seen M81 only a handful of times from my dark sky site, so it is one of the most distant and difficult naked-eye targets. Here is a list of possible naked-eye Messier objects which might potentially be visible from a pristine dark sky site to those with good eyesight:
M2 (Globular Cluster, Aqr: mag. 6.6)
M3 (Globular Cluster, CVn: mag. 5.9)
M4 (Globular Cluster, Sco: mag. 5.8)
M5 (Globular Cluster, Ser: mag. 5.7)
M6 (Open Cluster, Sco: mag. 4.2)
M7 (Open Cluster, Sco: mag. 3.7)
M8 (Diffuse Nebula, Sgr: mag. ?)
M11 (Open Cluster, Sct: mag. 5.8)
M13 (Globular Cluster, Her: mag. 5.7)
M15 (Globular Cluster, Peg: mag. 6.3)
M16 (Diffuse Nebula/Cluster, Ser: mag. ?)
M17 (Diffuse Nebula, Ser: mag. ?)
M18 (Open Cluster, mag. 6.9)
M20 (Diffuse Nebula, Sgr: mag. ?)
M21 (Open Cluster, Sgr: mag. 5.9)
M22 (Globular Cluster Sgr: mag. 5.1)
M23 (Open Cluster, Sgr: mag. 5.5)
M24 (Small Sagittarius Star Cloud)
M25 (Open Cluster, Sgr: mag. 4.6)
M27 (Planetary Nebula, Vul: mag. 7.1)
M28 (Globular Cluster, Sgr: mag. 6.9)
M29 (Open Cluster, Cyg: mag. 6.6)
M31 (Galaxy, And: mag. 3.4)
M33 (Galaxy, Tri: mag. 5.7)
M34 (Open Cluster, Per: mag. 5.2)
M35 (Open Cluster, Gem: mag. 5.1)
M36 (Open Cluster, Aur: mag. 6.0)
M37 (Open Cluster, Aur: mag. 5.6)
M38 (Open Cluster, Aur: mag. 6.4)
M39 (Open Cluster, Cyg: mag. 4.6)
M41 (Open Cluster, CMa: mag. 4.5)
M42 (Diffuse Nebula, Ori: mag. ?)
M44 (Open Cluster, Cnc: mag. 3.1)
M45 (Pleiades Star Cluster, Tau)
M46 (Open Cluster, Pup: mag. 6.1)
M47 (Open Cluster, Pup: mag. 4.4)
M48 (Open Cluster, Hya: mag. 5.8)
M50 (Open Cluster, Mon: mag. 5.9)
M52 (Open Cluster, Cas: mag. 6.9)
M62 (Globular Cluster, Oph: mag. 6.6)
M67 (Open Cluster, Cnc: mag. 6.9)
M81 (Galaxy, UMa: mag. 6.9)
M92 (Globular Cluster, Her: mag. 6.5)
M93 (Open Cluster, Pup: mag. 6.2)
Kinda gives you something to work at eh? Clear skies to you.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
Prairie Astronomy Club
http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
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stevecoe
"Astronomical Tourist"
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2648
Loc: Arizona, USA
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I could see the fun of making a Non-Messier list of objects that might be seen with just the naked eye. A few for starters:
Double Cluster in PER
Coathanger (Col 399) in VUL
NGC 457 in CAS
Mel 20 (Alpha Persei Group) in PER
NGC 6231 (The False Comet) in SCO
NGC 2477 in PUP
I know that there are some more Collinder clusters that are big and bright enough to see with no optical aid, I would need to look through my notes.
Clear skies;
Steve Coe
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TeleVue 102 refractor on CGEM mount
10 inch f/4.7 Newtonian
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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JakeSaloranta
sage
Reged: 09/18/08
Posts: 237
Loc: Sisu, Sauna, Sibelius...
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Quote:
I could see the fun of making a Non-Messier list of objects that might be seen with just the naked eye.
http://www.ursa.fi/wiki/UNE/UNE
http://www.kolumbus.fi/jaakko.saloranta/Deepsky/NE_list.html
/Jake
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Downward Bound
Adrenaline Junkie
Reged: 03/29/06
Posts: 2642
Loc: Seattle
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Quote:
Quote:
M82? Don't think I've heard that one being seen naked eye.
M82 is a little too faint (mag. 8.4) for the unaided eye, although some people at really dark sky sites have seen M81 (mag. 6.9). I have seen M81 only a handful of times from my dark sky site, so it is one of the most distant and difficult naked-eye targets.
The reason I listed my siting as M81/82 as I am unsure if I am seeing the combined light of the two or simply that of M81. I agree that M82 alone is likely not possible.
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Bill
'flector: R200SS, 22" f/3.6 (on order)
'fractors: PST, AT-66, TV-85, FS-102, NP-127, TMB-152
'bins: 15x63, 10x52, 22x85
410+028B, Sphinx, Telepod, EZ Touch, G-11
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Downward Bound
Adrenaline Junkie
Reged: 03/29/06
Posts: 2642
Loc: Seattle
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Steve, Jake and David - Good lists, thanks! 
Of course there's the Southern list too LMC, SMC, 47 Tuc, Omega Cen.......
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Bill
'flector: R200SS, 22" f/3.6 (on order)
'fractors: PST, AT-66, TV-85, FS-102, NP-127, TMB-152
'bins: 15x63, 10x52, 22x85
410+028B, Sphinx, Telepod, EZ Touch, G-11
Edited by Downward Bound (10/29/09 08:02 PM)
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David Knisely
Postmaster
Reged: 04/19/04
Posts: 8285
Loc: Beatrice, Nebraska
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Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
M82? Don't think I've heard that one being seen naked eye.
M82 is a little too faint (mag. 8.4) for the unaided eye, although some people at really dark sky sites have seen M81 (mag. 6.9). I have seen M81 only a handful of times from my dark sky site, so it is one of the most distant and difficult naked-eye targets.
The reason I listed my siting as M81/82 as I am unsure if I am seeing the combined light of the two or simply that of M81. I agree that M82 alone is likely not possible.
The two galaxies are about 37.5 arc minutes apart. They are too small in angular extent and too widely separated for them to combine their light effectively. I can usually easily separate the magnitude 5.7 star HD 83489 from M81 when the galaxy is visible, and the two are about a degree apart, so even in dim light, the eye's resolution is enough so that even if M82 were considerably brighter, it would be detectable as separate from M81. Indeed, many people with averted vision can see the double cluster as two adjacent faint fuzzy patches, even though they are much fatter than M81 and about 26 arc minutes apart from center to center. Clear skies to you.
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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
Prairie Astronomy Club
http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
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Dave Mitsky
Postmaster
Reged: 04/08/02
Posts: 10505
Loc: PA, USA, Planet Earth
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Well, I must say that this thread's title could be easily taken another way. 
Astronomer Brian Skiff's naked-eye DSO list can be seen at http://www.visualdeepsky.org/chat/msg01732.html
Dave Mitsky
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Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
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FirstSight
Post Laureate
Reged: 12/26/05
Posts: 3898
Loc: Raleigh, NC
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Quote:
Well, I must say that this thread's title could be easily taken another way.
As anyone who's ever actually been to a nude beach can testify, the reason everyone should normally go about clothed around other people isn't the risk that rampant indiscriminate eroticism might be unleashed, but quite the opposite - a huge majority of people aren't very attractive with their clothes off, to say the least.
The only ones who would likely enjoy naked deep sky observing are the mosquitos.
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Chris M., aka "First Sight"
Orion XT12i Dob with Moonlite CR-2 focuser
WO Megrez 90 refractor on UniStar Light mount
Nikon 10x50 Binoculars
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Downward Bound
Adrenaline Junkie
Reged: 03/29/06
Posts: 2642
Loc: Seattle
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>>The two galaxies are about 37.5 arc minutes apart. They are too small in angular extent and too widely separated for them to combine their light effectively. I can usually easily separate the magnitude 5.7 star HD 83489 from M81 when the galaxy is visible, and the two are about a degree apart, so even in dim light, the eye's resolution is enough so that even if M82 were considerably brighter, it would be detectable as separate from M81. Indeed, many people with averted vision can see the double cluster as two adjacent faint fuzzy patches, even though they are much fatter than M81 and about 26 arc minutes apart from center to center. Clear skies to you. <<
Thanks for the explanation David, that's helpful. To your point, I saw only one source so there wasn't any M82 impact on M81 or sighting of M82 in my observation.
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Bill
'flector: R200SS, 22" f/3.6 (on order)
'fractors: PST, AT-66, TV-85, FS-102, NP-127, TMB-152
'bins: 15x63, 10x52, 22x85
410+028B, Sphinx, Telepod, EZ Touch, G-11
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