Telescope Reviews: Glob Hoppin'

I began the night with the intention of looking for the companion to Antares. Once I looked in the general direction I remembered that it has been quite some time since I had looked at M80 (NCG 6093). So why not give it a go? I had a good long look at M80.
That was a big mistake because globular clusters have always been my favorite objects to view. Back when I began observing with an Astroscan in 1976 globular clusters were the most plentiful deep sky objects after open clusters available in my light polluted skies. And those unresolved globular clusters were just so mysterious at the low magnification of 15.4x provided with the included 28mm (before the RKE series) eyepiece. Itsy bitsy gray puffs floating among the pinpoint stars. Delicious.
The last two objects we observed at the Cherry Springs Star Party were globular clusters. So now with the companion to Antares a long lost memory I pointed my telescope over to Sagittarius, specifically the spout area.
Suddenly the view was full of numerous green flashes, some looking like a unfocused star with the shadow of the diagonal mirror in the center, others more tightly focused. Looking away from the eyepiece I was treated to a swarming cloud of fireflies visible to at least one hundred feet in any direction along the ground and at least up to fifty feet above the ground. Pausing to enjoy the light show while perched on the ladder I saw several bright sporadic meteors arcing down behind the lightning beetle light display.
Next I briefly looked at M20 (NGC 6514) and M8 (NGC 6523 = nebulous portion and NGC 6530 = open cluster) as I made my way to those very same globular clusters that finished the last session. They are NGC 6544 and NGC 6553. One is easily resolved at 99x magnification and the other one needs a little more magnification in my 25" telescope. How about another globular? I went down the ladder and opened my Sky Atlas 2000.0 to locate another nearby globular cluster. Just move down and to the left a bit according to the chart. So I hopped up on the ladder and began a night of glob hoppin. The scan down to the next globular took me right through an open cluster NGC 6520 and Barnard 86 (a dark nebula also known as the ink spot). There is a very striking contrast between Barnard 86 and the background star field. The Night Sky Observers Guide book has a picture but the view that night was far better than the photograph. Barnard 86 looked like a black version of M17 on a white background. Time to stop drooling and move on. Besides our astro cats get upset if you are drooling and they are down below.
I found and centered NGC 6528 in the eyepiece for a few minutes. Every globular cluster has its own personality all the way down to the ones that appear as mere ghosts in the sky. So I am not going to expound on the way each and everyone appeared at various magnifications. Next were (without the NGC) 6522, 6569, 6624, 6563 (a faint planetary nebula), 6637 (M69), 6652, 6681 (M70), 6715 (M54) resolution doubtful, and 6809 (M55). I took a little detour to 6822 (Barnards galaxy) the toughest object by far for the night. Next the globular cluster 6723, and then dipping into Corona Australis I chanced upon some glowing nebulous patches. They were 6726, 6727, 6729, and IC (Index Catalog) 4812. IC 4812 is a bright glow surrounding a sixth magnitude star. All of these were superimposed on a dark background cataloged as Bernes 157. Next the last globular here that I observed was 6723. The positions of the last few objects do not seem to be correct on the chart. Definitely something out of whack here besides star drop. My horizon does not permit observations much further south so I began a new trail starting at NGC 6235, 6287, 6284, 6273 (M19), 6293, 6355, 6316, 6304, and finally 6266 (M62). Most of these globular hops only involved a few degrees one way or another. With a smaller telescope or in more light polluted skies some of these 23 globular clusters would be difficult but doable. I am always surprised at certain objects that Messier included in his catalog that are nowhere near as bright or as easily resolved as others that escaped his notice.
By now Jupiter had climbed a fair distance above the horizon and I could hear it calling ... view me, view me. The seeing that night was poor and Jupiter boiled in the eyepiece with fleeting detail. Two major somewhat irregular cloud bands were visible with tantalizing hints of a third thinner band. It has been three years since I have had a moderately stable atmosphere. I long for the good old days when 350x magnification was more the norm. Now 99x magnification seems to push the limits some nights. The gentle breeze has now stopped and Jupiter is sporting a halo from the increasing humidity. Finally one quick peek at a disappointing M31 and its cohorts in Andromeda before closing up for the night.
Looking up with unaided eyes I was pleasantly surprised at the splendor of the Milky Way arched overhead. It was so wide that even M31 seemed to be an extension. Criss crossed by numerous irregular dark and light streaks from just below Cassiopeia and overhead and then down to just below Sagittarius and Scorpius. I held my widespread hands, with my thumbs touching, at arms length perpendicular to my face. With both eyes open the Milky way appeared to extend from pinkie finger to pinkie finger. Later measurements revealed that my widespread hands span 16" from pinkie to pinkie at a distance from my eyes of 21.5". That calculates to a unbelievable, to me at least, 40° of sky. Even considering parallax effects from both eyes the extent of the Milky Way was over 30°.

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Ted

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