950 replies to this topic

[theApex]

First DSO ever, or for the first time?

Again: The latter, not the former.

Sigh! It may be my own fault, but I'm starting to consider asking the moderation to rephrase this thread's title (given that such a thing is feasible/possible.)

Sent via Tapatalk

Edited by theApex, 31 October 2018 - 07:15 AM.

[Asbytec]

LOL

 

Okay, glad I replied correctly. Cheers. 

[WyattDavis]

I, in my own right, have just added another object to my Messier tally: Globular cluster M30.
 

Unlike M2 the previous night, which, though brighter, had practically undistinguishable stars, this last one had plenty of those - though dimmer overall - so, that's a 3.5. .

I saw that one for the first time on Saturday night. Yes - 3.5!

[theApex]

I saw that one for the first time on Saturday night. Yes - 3.5!

Thanks, Wyatt,

 

It's quite reassuring to know I'm not alone in my, erm, "Messier Bingo", as I call it - even though I did observe other less "newbie" objects before, such as quasar 3C 273 and even an extragalactic supernova (SN2012fr). It's just that I can't be bothered observing only from a single catalog.

Also, nice to know your rating for M30 was just like mine.

Perhaps without the thin veil of cirrus clouds I was sure it was lingering up high during my observation that would have been a decimal point or two higher, who knows.

[theApex]

LOL

 

Okay, glad I replied correctly. Cheers. 

No, you didn't.

 

It was meant to be the latest object you observed for the first time, not your first object ever.
 

By using an analogy, let us say we're meant here to tell when we last kissed our partner, not when our first kiss was.

 

Also, ppl would appreciate if you rated said smooch.

Edited by theApex, 31 October 2018 - 07:25 AM.

[Asbytec]

Yikes. Just sharing one I remember well and the first time I saw it. Cheers. 

[Ed Wiley]

Whoops, missed the "just," sorry.

Ed

[Corcaroli78]

For me, my last "first time DSO´s" were at Kompedal Star Party in Denmark last September.

 

I had the honor to look through the Astrojensen´s Zeiss Telemator and his Lightbride dobson. Thomas kindly introduced:

 

The Veil Nebula (amazing) (5)

North America Nebula (4)

Ghost of Mira (a nice surprise) (5)

Kemble´s Cascade  (finally after many years I identified it) (3)

 

Carlos

Edited by Carlos Flores, 31 October 2018 - 03:36 PM.

[REC]

I think it was either M35 or M13 in my 6" reflector scope when I was 16?

[treadmarks]

Cool thread idea. Been a while since I've made it out to a dark site, but the last time I did one of the standouts was NGC 5195, better known as the galaxy that is interacting with the Whirlpool Galaxy. I was able to see it because I was in a Bortle 4 zone. It was cool to see the spiral arm of M51 reaching out to this galaxy like they were connected. It made galaxies seem interesting and dynamic when they are often just nondescript gray smudges. Seeing some well-defined spiral arms definitely helps too!

 

Of course, it was extremely faint and averted vision was needed, which is not ideal. A non-astronomer family member who looked through the scope could not see it.

 

Rating: 4/5

[MikeTahtib]

Cool thread idea. Been a while since I've made it out to a dark site, but the last time I did one of the standouts was NGC 5195, better known as the galaxy that is interacting with the Whirlpool Galaxy. I was able to see it because I was in a Bortle 4 zone. It was cool to see the spiral arm of M51 reaching out to this galaxy like they were connected. It made galaxies seem interesting and dynamic when they are often just nondescript gray smudges. Seeing some well-defined spiral arms definitely helps too!

 

Of course, it was extremely faint and averted vision was needed, which is not ideal. A non-astronomer family member who looked through the scope could not see it.

 

Rating: 4/5

I'm glad to hear that the spiral arms and interaction are visible, as I was very disappointed when I finally found these last summer at a fairly dark (I think Bortle 3 or 4) place.  All I saw was 2 fuzzy dots, the nuclei, I assume, of the interacting pair.  Not a hint of spiralness.

[theApex]

For the umpteenth time folks, please READ THE TITLE PROPERLY:

Which DSO did you JUST (I repeat: just) observe for the 1st time?" - not your very first object ever, for all that's sacred - like when you were a kid.

Though those make up for rather interesting yarns, it is clear to whomever read the title properly, they belong into another thread. That's not just because of me but in consideration to other members who "got it" and are interested in what others are observing right now.

I know you're all well-meaning, but let's keep our replies compliant, shall we?

Anyone, or any mod, please feel free to create another one talking just about that.

Edit: Apparently some have retracted deleted their previous post, but along with #34 and other similar ones there was this aforementioned one that just did it for me - hence this looking a tad out of sync now.

Edited by theApex, 01 November 2018 - 04:06 AM.

[NorthernlatAK]

Does Uranus count? If so I'd give it a 3.5... Perhaps if my barlow would arrive it would be higher. I viewed @ 185x in an 8" f/6. Disc was very small, definitely light bluish with what seemed like a whiteish pole area, almost 2 toned blueish and white. It was divided vertically about maybe 2/5ths white? Wondering if I saw weather... i saw this when the seeing steadied. I am going to see if anyone else saw this resently.

[NorthernlatAK]

Amazing! I found an image from Oct 22 that shows what I saw! I change my rating to a 4.5... would be a 5 if I saw it @ higher mag! Never imagined my first look @ Uranus through a scope would show weather...

[bikerdib]

I was out last Friday (clouds since then) with my ES 16" DOB and while waiting on Orion to rise I was just jumping around looking at galaxies and planetary nebula.  One that I've never looked for in 44 years is NGC 246 in the Cetus constellation also known as the Skull Nebula.  It is a rather faint nebula at mag 10.9 with foreground stars that sort of make it look transparent.  The name definately fits the nebula.  It would be a great one for Holloween night.  I rate it at 4/5 due to its shape and the fact that it is rather diffuse and somewhat overpowered by the foreground stars but once found is a joy to observe.  Try an O-III filter if you decide to go for it.

Edited by bikerdib, 05 November 2018 - 08:57 AM.

[theApex]

One that I've never looked for in 44 years is NGC 246 in the Cetus constellation also known as the Skull Nebula.

More than four decades! And there are still some people wondering whether they will ever run out of objects to see, after a couple of years.

 

Congratulations on crossing this one off your ye-to-see list.

[theApex]

Does Uranus count?

Nope. (title says DSOs only - hence it being in the appropriate forum).

 

Well done anyway.

[treadmarks]

I'm glad to hear that the spiral arms and interaction are visible, as I was very disappointed when I finally found these last summer at a fairly dark (I think Bortle 3 or 4) place.  All I saw was 2 fuzzy dots, the nuclei, I assume, of the interacting pair.  Not a hint of spiralness.

Not surprised at all by this, the arms were much fainter than the core. It's why I took off 1 star. It has occurred to me that the sheer faintness may have been more of a problem than the Bortle 4 sky. What do you all think - would it be easier with a bigger scope, or darker skies?

[theApex]

Not surprised at all by this, the arms were much fainter than the core. It's why I took off 1 star. It has occurred to me that the sheer faintness may have been more of a problem than the Bortle 4 sky. What do you all think - would it be easier with a bigger scope, or darker skies?

Commonsensical wisdom plus, say, hokkaido53's own take on it from a few years back makes it clear it definitely would:

 

https://www.cloudyni...canes-venatici/

Edited by theApex, 05 November 2018 - 01:47 PM.

[havasman]

Last night was 1st session in 91 days (mucho lluvia) and it brought a few new observations.

HL111 is a ~bright H-II knot 1^o E of the m12.7 star superposed over the center of IC10, a large, ~faint irregular galaxy in the local group. It is seen in Cassiopeia. I do love those extragalactic detail features. This one's not too difficult.

 

All of LGG485 was observed. The Lyon Galaxy Groups are a recent interest of mine and it is often difficult to observe all of the members of a group. Members are IC1525 brightest in group, PGC2 and PGC676. IC1525 is a face-on that seemed to show asymmetry last night but that was just due to the visual imbalance in the arms. It was an easy catch, elongated with bright core. PGC2 was faint and ~elong but clearly showed a very faint and large halo. PGC676 was very faint and small and my note is "MEH". But seeing the entire group, all in Andromeda, was very cool.

 

I did not think I could see IC1848 with my scope and skills but it was observed last night. Actually, it appeared as very large and very weakly concentrated but certainly visible in Cassiopeia with O-III and, I think, 3.9mm exit pupil.

 

And it was the first time I had observed NGC7331, the Deerlick group and Stephan's Quintet all in the same field of view. That was kinda cool.

 

Numbers? Nah.

Edited by havasman, 06 November 2018 - 01:55 PM.

[StarDustBin]

I do not know if the 440ly away Pleiades (Messier M45) qualifies as a DSO, but it was the first celestial object I have seen magnified on late August.

 

I was at the top of a hill 50Km from the big city were I live and I was just sweeping the clean and dark night skies with some 8x42 binoculars and suddenly I spotted this incredible cluster of blue stars.

 

They looked like blue jewels, sparkling in this kind of lighter blue dust around them.

 

I was a bit perplexed and mesmerized and probably repeated the view a few dozen times during the night.

 

Next day I recognised the cluster using some web based planetarium.

 

Since then I have the wish to go further with night sky observation and get the same feeling again and the joy of discovering more.

 

The Seven Sisters will be my guiding stars along the way.

 

I have observed M45 several times after, from the city park wich I normally use for night sky observation and could never see them as I did for the first time. I can see them, but they seem white, not blue. The blue hue and the reflexion nebula around make the cluster special. I still have to go back to the same place and try to see them in better conditions.

[Tony Flanders]

I do not know if the 440ly away Pleiades (Messier M45) qualifies as a DSO, but it was the first celestial object I have seen magnified on late August.

You bet it qualifies as a DSO! The Pleiades Cluster is the a quintessential deep-sky object, the archetype of all open clusters. And congratulations on "discovering" it. I "discovered" M44, the Beehive Cluster, in a similar way several decades ago.

[StarDustBin]

You bet it qualifies as a DSO! The Pleiades Cluster is the a quintessential deep-sky object, the archetype of all open clusters. And congratulations on "discovering" it. I "discovered" M44, the Beehive Cluster, in a similar way several decades ago.

M44 was one of Galileus first celestial object he studied, so you should be on the good way. 

[Dave Mitsky]

Last night I observed the reflection nebula NGC 2245 in Monoceros for what, as far as I can ascertain, was the first time.  I used the 17" f/15 classical Cassegrain at the Naylor Observatory.

NGC 2245 has an apparent size of 5 by 4 arc minutes and surrounds an 11th magnitude star.  It was small but easily noticeable.

 

http://www.kopernik....chive/n2245.htm

 

http://spider.seds.o...gc/ngc.cgi?2245

 

http://spider.seds.o...15&f=GIF&c=none

 

I give NGC 2245 a rating of 3.

 

Dave Mitsky

[Dave Mitsky]

Tonight I observed two small IC planetary nebulae for the first time using the ASH 17" classical Cassegrain at 185, 259, and 404x.  Unfortunately, while the seeing was fairly good, the transparency wasn't and grew gradually worse as the night progressed.

 

IC 351 (PK 159-15.1) is a type 2a planetary located in Perseus.  According to the NSOG, it is 7 arc seconds in apparent size, has a magnitude of 12.0, and a 15.8-magnitude central star, which was not visible.  The Argo Navis has its size as 6 arc seconds and its magnitude as 12.4.  As the NSOG states, IC 351 lies 3.5 arc minutes northwest of a small triangle of 10th, 12th, and 13th magnitude stars.

 

IC 2149 (PK 166+10.1) is a type 3b+2 planetary located in Auriga.  It spans 8 arc seconds, shines at magnitude 10.7, and has a 11.6-magnitude central star, which I also did not see.  According to the Argo Navis data, IC 2149 has a diameter of 9 arc seconds and a magnitude of 11.2.

Both planetaries exhibited a slight bluish hue.

 

I give both objects a 2.5 rating.

 

Dave Mitsky