Telescope Reviews: Showpieces of Summer

Showpieces of Summer; Observing Report

NELM 4.5-5 (observed in twilight)
Sky Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Seeing: Pickering 4?
Transparency: Poor
Equipment: 15" F5 StarSplitter (Swayze), Paracorr, 30mm BW, 22 Pano, 13mm Nagler t6 and 9mm Nagler, Denkmeier Binoviewer with 30mm Ultimas and 13mm Naglers, 15x70 Binoculars (tripod mounted)

July 16, 2003

Observers: Tom Trusock, Keith Rutkowski

Target List: M107, M9, M4, M22, M28, M8, M20, M21, M24, M18, M17, M57, M56, M13, M92, NGC6207, M101, M51/NGC 5195, NCG 6356, NGC 6342

Finally, I had a chance to really observe with the StarSplitter. Intermittent clouds plagued the evening, with some high cloud cover obscuring the targets at times. Even so, we had a very good session. As you can see from the target list, we stuck to mainly brighter (messier) objects. Due to the lack of DSCs, we had to do things the old fashioned way, and golly, much to my surprise; it still works. An 8x50 finder and a Telrad are a pretty good way to do business (Although I'm betting on this size scope a 70mm or 80mm finder would be an even better bet). The NSOG (Night Sky Observers Guide) is a superb reference to have at the telescope. I highly recommend it. Skiff’s Observing Handbook and Catalog of Deep Sky objects is very similar, but unfortunately lacking in maps and finder charts.

The most memorable views of the evening had to be M57, M17 and M13 at 175x (13mm naglers) in the binoviewer.

M57 and M13 looked similar to my reports from the previous evenings, albeit with a (false) 3-d feel. M17, however: This was the first time I've looked at it in this scope. In a word – superb. Best views were at 175x (binoviewed) where a wealth of detail and structure were revealed. The binoviewer coupled with the naglers offered the supreme space walk experience, and one could just literally fall into the nebula. Nebulosity nearly filled the fov, and the Swan; was quite evident. NSOG recommends the use of a UHC or OIII filter unfortunately I dont have a 1.25 version, and didn't think of using one at the bottom of the OCS. That will have to await another evening. Structure was easily visible inside the western portion of the bottom bar which forms the base of the Swan. Extremely impressive sight!

We returned off and on to the binoviewer all evening. Before I begin extensively using the binoviewer with the 15” I want to get an idea of how bright things are in the scope in mono mode. At the moment, I have little base line of what looks like what in this scope; it's bigger than anything that I've ever used and thus in semi crowded areas it's easy to confuse objects. IE: When hunting in Oph, I landed several NGC globulars thinking they were messiers because of their brightness. I need a scale.

M24, M8, M20 and the southern milky way were simply spectacular in the 15x70s. In the binos M22 was a fuzzy ball, and M28 resembled nothing so much as an unfocused star. Obviously the 15 changed that. In the 15" M22 was spectacular showing a fairly loose and well resolved core at higher magnifications, as well as a well defined halo of outlying stars.

M28 is a poor cousin to M22, beautiful at high powers, but after being absorbed by M28 it's a little lacking.

M13 was simply glorious at 243x in the 9mm nagler: it filled the fov with hundreds of bright pinpoints. Just to the north, the SA(s)c III galaxy NGC 6207 lies just outside a triangle of mag 12 stars as opposed to the notes in the NSOG which says it lies inside. A faint outer halo condenses to a fairly bright nearly stellar nucleus. The most impressive views of this celestial odd couple were in the 30mm where one could get both in the FOV at the same time.

Another fine globular in it's own right, but somewhat overlooked due to it's more famous housemate is M92. Discovered by J.E. Bode in the late 1770's, it was given to messier to include it in his catalog at a later date. Fainter and smaller than M13, it is none the less, quite an impressive sight at 243x, it gives me the impression of being more delicate than M13, and yet stars resolve across the face and into the core.

Back down to the southern skies, we found M107 to be less than impressive and showed little resolution, and while looking for M9 stumbled on several other smaller and fainter globs messier overlooked (NCG6356 and NGC6342). M9 we found attractive in comparison to M107, but paled compared to some of the other showpieces of the evening.

By the time we got to M101 and M51, transparency had taken a turn for the worse, UMa was well down in the western sky (heading into my only significant light dome) and Nemesis (the moon) was rising in the east. Even in light of this M101 showed the mottled arms of it's spirals quite well. M51/NGC 5195 on the other hand, was something of a disappointment. The system showed both galaxies to have quite bright cores, and arms were clearly visible on M51 but it certainly wasn't the most spectacular view I've had. If I don't manage to get it in early in the next few weeks, I suppose I'll have to wait till spring to get a truly good view of my old friend again.

Although Mars beckoned through the trees, both Keith and I succumbed to exhaustion and called it a night.

Clear Skies

Tom T.

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There are two theories to arguing with my wife. Neither one works.