asaint
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/25/03
Posts: 2092
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What's Up Lepus
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StarStuff1
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/01/07
Posts: 1134
Loc: South of the Mason-Dixon Line
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Informative article. A unique (as far as I can find out) deep sky object that is rarely mentioned when discussing Lepus is h 3780, also known as NGC 2017. This is a multiple star system that is easily viewed with smaller backyard telescopes. I can see 5 of the 6 stars with 50X in my 8-in newtonian. This is a charming little system that was originally thought to be a very small open star cluster. It is also easy to find as it lies about 7 arc minutes east of alpha Leporis. Try it, you'll like it!
Terry
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Tools that make objects very far away appear much closer than they actually are.
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stevecoe
"Astronomical Tourist"
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2862
Loc: Arizona, USA
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Terry;
Thanks for adding that in, I have not looked at it in a while, I may give it a try.
Thanks;
Steve Coe
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TeleVue 102 refractor on CGEM mount
9.25 inch Celestron SCT
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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spaceydee
Postmaster
Reged: 04/16/04
Posts: 16328
Loc: Where the Kittens Are
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Well for the second year in a row, I'll be searching for Hinds Crimson star!! 
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Dee
space-scientist
student violinist
Nexstar8i,SV80S,80/9D,FC100,94 Brandon,TMB92SS,GM8
8" f/7 Discovery,12.5" Portaball, PST
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DwightX
member
Reged: 08/13/07
Posts: 60
Loc: Kentucky
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Quote:
Well for the second year in a row, I'll be searching for Hinds Crimson star!!
Worth the search! As described in Burham's, it really does look like a drop of blood against the sky.
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Dwight
Orion XT8
Meade LXD55 SC-8
Celestron C4R and 8SE
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Vic Menard
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/21/04
Posts: 3226
Loc: Bradenton, FL
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R Leporis should reach its minima around 03/04/08--so it will be dimming quickly for the next two months. A brighter R Leporis is easier to see, but at its minimum brightness it's truly one of the reddest stars in the sky. At minima, aperture helps to bring out the color--probably 12-inches or more...
If you have some aperture to throw at it--IC418 (The Raspberry) is a fun planetary nebby. At about 200X, it's a tiny, thin, PINK ring surrounding an obvious central star. The pink color becomes pretty easy around 14-inches of aperture. But it's really small, so look close!
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Edited by Vic Menard (01/05/08 08:02 PM)
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spaceydee
Postmaster
Reged: 04/16/04
Posts: 16328
Loc: Where the Kittens Are
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Right now, the largest aperture I have is 8". Do you suppose I'll be able to see it in one of those??
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Dee
space-scientist
student violinist
Nexstar8i,SV80S,80/9D,FC100,94 Brandon,TMB92SS,GM8
8" f/7 Discovery,12.5" Portaball, PST
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Vic Menard
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/21/04
Posts: 3226
Loc: Bradenton, FL
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http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/blog/?p=202
The deepest part of minima only lasts about a month. R Leporis could easily be 1 or 2 magnitudes brighter now, or a month or two after minima. You should be able to see it with 8-inches of aperture through minima--but the last minima I observed in a C8 wasn't as colorful as the view in a larger aperture.
Also, the minima date I provided earlier was extrapolated from the chart provided in the url above, so at best it's an estimate. A few minima dates from years past are available online, but they don't seem to agree with the AAVSO data. So--for the record--minima should occur sometime around late February/early March this year.
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davidmcgo
professor emeritus
Reged: 10/09/04
Posts: 606
Loc: San Diego, CA
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NGC2017 was something I hadn't ever noticed until Dec 30th when I decided to just spend a couple of hours with my 10x70 Nikons and 15x50 Canons up in the San Diego county mountains. It suprised me as it kind of looked like a mini version of the Jewel Box, very bright and "glittery".
It will definitely be worth a follow up with the telescopes sometime. My Bright Star Atlas only shows an unannotated double star symbol here. My old version of Megastar doesn't display the NGC number or OC symbol but will find it if you search on the NGC number. U2000 shows it as an NGC cluster.
Dave
Edited by davidmcgo (01/06/08 12:27 PM)
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Dave Mitsky
Postmaster
Reged: 04/08/02
Posts: 11683
Loc: PA, USA, Planet Earth
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Quote:
Informative article. A unique (as far as I can find out) deep sky object that is rarely mentioned when discussing Lepus is h 3780, also known as NGC 2017. This is a multiple star system that is easily viewed with smaller backyard telescopes. I can see 5 of the 6 stars with 50X in my 8-in newtonian. This is a charming little system that was originally thought to be a very small open star cluster. It is also easy to find as it lies about 7 arc minutes east of alpha Leporis. Try it, you'll like it!
Terry
There's a so-so image of NGC 2017 that I took through the ASH 17" f/15 classical Cassegrain posted at http://www.cloudynights.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2714
Dave Mitsky
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Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
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stevecoe
"Astronomical Tourist"
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2862
Loc: Arizona, USA
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Dee;
I hope that you do get a chance to see R Lep soon. I do love red stars and it is a favorite.
Enjoy;
Steve Coe
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TeleVue 102 refractor on CGEM mount
9.25 inch Celestron SCT
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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spaceydee
Postmaster
Reged: 04/16/04
Posts: 16328
Loc: Where the Kittens Are
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Thanks Steve!!
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Dee
space-scientist
student violinist
Nexstar8i,SV80S,80/9D,FC100,94 Brandon,TMB92SS,GM8
8" f/7 Discovery,12.5" Portaball, PST
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charlie g
sage
Reged: 10/05/07
Posts: 346
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Hello, Steve (the author) talks of a:"very nice greenish glow around the central star", Vic talks of:"thin pink ring around central star"/Viccalls it 'the rasberry'. Both regarding IC418 planetary. I can't wait to get my scope out this weekend for visiting with Lepus. For now please some thoughts on this large difference in 'the color' about IC418 between these two seasoned observers, both with midsized aperture, Steve from I'd guess 'good skies'. thanx, charlie...150mmf/5 SkyWatcher achro, 127mm f/8 apo-triplet, 100x25 Zhumell binocs(now on better fork mount!)
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stevecoe
"Astronomical Tourist"
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2862
Loc: Arizona, USA
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Charlie;
The short answer is "I don't know why Vic and I would have differences in the color seen in this planetary".
Colors in any deep sky object is very subtle. Our vision was not made to see color at those low light levels. But, they do appear "real" within our heads and now it becomes a psychology dicussion that makes it difficult to say anything other than "that is what I saw".
I will certainly leave IC 418 on my observing list and see if I do see anything other than pale green or grey in any future observing session.
Clear Skies to us all;
Steve Coe
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TeleVue 102 refractor on CGEM mount
9.25 inch Celestron SCT
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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Dave Mitsky
Postmaster
Reged: 04/08/02
Posts: 11683
Loc: PA, USA, Planet Earth
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Quote:
Hello, Steve (the author) talks of a:"very nice greenish glow around the central star", Vic talks of:"thin pink ring around central star"/Viccalls it 'the rasberry'. Both regarding IC418 planetary. I can't wait to get my scope out this weekend for visiting with Lepus. For now please some thoughts on this large difference in 'the color' about IC418 between these two seasoned observers, both with midsized aperture, Steve from I'd guess 'good skies'. thanx, charlie...150mmf/5 SkyWatcher achro, 127mm f/8 apo-triplet, 100x25 Zhumell binocs(now on better fork mount!)
I've seen IC 418's "raspberry" colored annulus a number of times, but only through large unfiltered apertures under very good conditions. (The first time I experienced it was through a 25-inch Dob at the Winter Star Party.) Otherwise, it hasn't exhibited that exceptional hue, even through 18 and 20-inch apertures.
Dave Mitsky
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Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
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Vic Menard
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/21/04
Posts: 3226
Loc: Bradenton, FL
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Quote:
I've seen IC 418's "raspberry" colored annulus a number of times, but only through large filtered apertures under very good conditions...
What kind of filter? I've only been able to see the pink coloration unfiltered. A few years back at the WSP I was observing IC418 (about 200X in a 22-inch f/4 Dob) with Barbara Wilson and she commented that it was the most vivid color she had seen in any nebula. I told her I thought that the Ghost of Jupiter was considerably more colorful (violet and chartreuse), but I don't think she had really studied the nebula at RFT magnifications.
The coloration in IC418 does handle magnification better. And it is higher from Florida (and the Florida Keys) than most other parts of the contiguous US. But the pink color (although it's a thin line) is always obvious (at least to me and my observing friends) in Dick Denison's 14 StarMaster.
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Dave Mitsky
Postmaster
Reged: 04/08/02
Posts: 11683
Loc: PA, USA, Planet Earth
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Vic,
My post should have read "unfiltered apertures". I made the correction.
A report that I made some years ago on IC 418 is posted at http://www.visualdeepsky.org/logs/msg02065.html
Dave Mitsky
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Chance favors the prepared mind.
De gustibus non est disputandum.
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Ptarmigan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/23/04
Posts: 2704
Loc: Arctic
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I saw M79 in Lepus and AL does not list as being visible in a urban sky. Of course the seeing was good and a cool front had come by which lowered the dew point. Yet, I can't see the Virgo Clusters.
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Ptarmigans=Cute and Cuddly
Meade Starfinder 8
Nikon 10x50
Rebel XT
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stevecoe
"Astronomical Tourist"
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2862
Loc: Arizona, USA
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I find that many globulars are visible in my light polluted back yard in Phoenix. I believe that they have a much higher surface brightness than most galaxies. Like you said, a clearing front passing through really helps also.
Enjoy;
Steve Coe
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TeleVue 102 refractor on CGEM mount
9.25 inch Celestron SCT
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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WadeVC
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 2831
Loc: Lodi, California,
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Steve,
Once again you have provided many of us with new objects in which to search for (and observe) with your very well written article. Thank you for your time and effort for putting these together!
WadeVC
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Orion XTi10 f/4.7
Orion XTi8 f/5.9
Meade NGC 70mm f/10
Orion UltraView 10x50 Wide-Angle Binoculars
My Sketch Gallery
My Astronomy Blog
A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top.
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