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Observation log continued; IV

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#2276 weis14

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Posted 29 June 2025 - 10:37 PM

I was driving home around 9:15pm with the moon tempting me in the western sky, so when I got home around 9:30, I went out with my grab and go setup for a quick 60 minute session despite the humidity making me sweat profusely and continually fogging up the eyepiece.  It was a nice session with a younger moon that I often observe.  I tend to observe a lot around first quarter given how my yard is set up, but my neighbors removed a few trees last week, which lowered my western horizon and made this a great opportunity.  A few fireflies flickered in the lawn as I set up, but thermacell I set up for mosquitos must have scared them off.

 

Scope: FS-60CB
Mount/Controler: Sightron Alt/Az
Eyepieces:4.5mm Delos, APM 1.25" Barlow (roughly 120x)
Observing Site: Midland, Michigan

Books: Reiseatlas Mond, Ronald Stoyan, Hans Georg Purucker
Conditions: 77F, humid and calm; Transparency: below average; Seeing: average

 

I started in the north and my attention was quickly drawn to the pair of Atlas and Hercules.  Atlas was bright with the central peak illuminated.  There was terracing on the western edge where the interior side of the crater was illuminated.  The rim of Hercules was brightly illuminated, but the floor was dark.  The eastern edge of Mare Frigoris was just beginning to be illuminated in the lunar dawn and showed a wide variety of textures all the way north to  De La Rue.  Cepheus caught my eye next with a small crater on the eastern rim standing out.  The eastern portions of the floor were still dark, while the western were illuminated.

 

Moving south, many of the peaks and craters in the Montes Taurus were brightly lit on the terminator, but I couldn't really identify them.  The central peak of Römer was illuminated along with a few portions of its rim.  One particular feature that stood out was a crater, probably Römer A,  on the terminator that had most of its rim illuminated and two ridges running for short distances southwest and south-southwest.  The transition from the mountains to the flatter areas of Sinus Amoris was very apparent.  The craters Hill and Carmichal both had illuminated rims and dark floors.  Craters and peaks in this area stood out with Mons Maraldi looking like a white dot just to the north of the ghostly crater Maraldi. A trio of brightly lit peaks was in the same general area between Maraldi and Carmichael.  Running in a line southeast from Maraldi, several other barely illuminated and flooded craters made a path towards the northern edge of Mare Tranquillitatis.   

 

East of this area, Mare Crisium looked glassy smooth except for a few small craters in it.  Of these, the trio of SwiftPeirce, and Picard all had dark floors, as did the slightly smaller crater Greaves to the southwest.  On western edge of Mare Crisium, there was a ridge that ran roughly north/south and that was probably part of the crater Yerkes and its surrounding area.  Between Mare Crisium and Sinus Amoris, the crater Macrobius was interesting visually due to the small crater on its western rim.  

 

South of Mare Tranquillitatis, I stumbled on what was probably the most interesting feature of the evening.  This was an X-shaped complex of shadows and ridges on the southern edge of Mare Tranquillitatis.  It is slightly smaller than the more famous Lunar X, but has thicker "lines" almost as if it were a lowercase version of the letter written in a bold font.  I believe it to be associated with a small series of mountains southeast of Seechi.  Reiseatlas Mond does not identify this feature, so it will need to be something I look up elsewhere sometime.  

 

The last named feature I looked at was the crater Gutenberg.  As soon as I had looked at the moon, I noticed its keyhole shape.  Its central peak was illuminated.  So was most of its western edge, including the gap in its rim created by the flooded impact crater Gutenberg E.  Between the keyhole edge and the terminator, some rugged terrain was visible.  Aside from this, there were some bright peaks right on the southern limb of the moon, but I couldn't identify them.  I have a lot of work to do to get better at understanding lunar libration and other factors that are an important part of observing along the limb.

 

Finally, while it wasn't visible to the naked eye in the twilight, Mars was about half a degree off the northeastern limb the entire time.  It usually did not fit in the FOV, but when I would write a few notes, I frequently saw it before I adjusted the mount back to the rest of the moon.  A lower power look would have been wonderful, but I left the other eyepieces inside.  

 


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#2277 desertstars

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Posted 02 July 2025 - 08:55 AM

Well, our summer storm season (a.k.a. desert monsoon) has come on suddenly and strong. I may get a break in it now and then, but this is when my already sporadic observing sessions pretty much grind to a halt for a month or two.

 

So long as it actually rains, that's just fine.


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#2278 weis14

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Posted 02 July 2025 - 10:44 AM

Yesterday was a clear and relatively cool (low 60s F) night all across Michigan, so I headed up to my mother's house in Au Gres for a night of observing.  Usually I don't like observing at this site during summer because of the bugs and ticks, but between two Thermacells, a fan, and large amount of DEET spray, I was able to manage them.  I went out around 9:30pm and started observing the waxing crescent moon right away.  My viewing of the moon was much more casual than my previous entry and mostly done at low (30x) power. 

 

The general ambiance of the evening as twilight faded into night was wonderful.  Hundreds of fireflies populated the roughly 5 acre field and the adjacent forest and were very active until colder temperatures and dew calmed them after midnight.  The moon cast bright shadows until midnight or so, but the Milky Way was observable rising in the east well before moonset.  

 

Scope: Stowaway (92mm, f/6.65 refractor)
Mount/Controller: AZ100, SkySafari 7
Eyepieces: 35mm Panoptic, 22mm Nagler, 11mm Apollo, 8mm Delos, 4.5mm Delos
Observing Site: Au Gres, Michigan

Books: None

Conditions: 60F, humid and calm; Transparency: average; Seeing: above average;

SQM-L Readings:  20.38 @ 23:38; 21.16 @00:20; 21.33 @ 01:00.

 

I had a lengthy target list, but it was focused mostly on revisiting summer objects I'd observed before to check on the detail visible with my current equipment and to compare details visible under darker skies with some observations from home.  Given the experimentation inherent in the evening, I revisited some of the objects several times to try different eyepieces or filters.  The entries below consolidate all observations into one writeup.

  • M4:  I observed this cluster early in the evening.  I used the go-to of the mount to locate the cluster before twilight was dark enough to see it.  Once I saw some granulation at 77x, I deemed the skies dark enough to start observing in detail.
     
  • M6: This is a wonderful object despite it not rising more than about 10 degrees above the horizon at my location. At 56x, roughly 50 stars were visible in a tight group.
     
  • M7: This open cluster was wonderful in any eyepiece, but I liked the view in the Apollo 11 the best.  At 56x, the cluster filled the FOV with relatively bright stars, similar to the Pleiades at lower power.  
     
  • M8: The Lagoon nebula was as good as I've ever seen it in a scope of this size.  At 56x there was some nebulosity associated with the star to the west side of the embedded NGC 6530 cluster.  Observing a bit later in the evening with my 22mm Nagler fitted with a O-III filter brought out much more detail.  The nebula completely encompassed the cluster (which had roughly 25-30 stars) and varied in intensity inside it.
     
  • M16: The Eagle Nebula has always been a tough target for me and tonight was no different.  There was a small amount of nebulosity visible at 28x (22mm Nagler) with the O-III filter, but none at other magnifications with or without the filter.
     
  • NGC 6604:  This open cluster is an easy star hop north of M16 and can fit in the same FOV at low power.  At 56x, it showed a small group of 8-10 faint stars.  This was a new object for me and a nice cluster to visit when in the neighborhood.
     
  • M17: The Omega Nebula was visible in all eyepieces without the O-III filter.  The best view was at 56x with the O-III filter, which showed the shape of the cluster clearly.  I have to say that I've always seen a lowercase greek letter sigma in this nebula, not Omega.  Last night was no different.
     
  • M18:  I've never been impressed by this cluster and tonight was no different.  Roughly 20 stars were visible at 56x, but the cluster barely stands out from the rich starfields around it.  It would probably be a pretty nice cluster if it weren't hidden in the middle of the densest parts of the Milky Way.
     
  • M20: I did not have a lot of luck with this object.  I could find it easily and a small bit of nebula was visible at 56x.  This one definitely needs more aperture to really stand out.
     
  • M21: This was a small, unremarkable cluster with about 15-20 stars visible at 56x.  
     
  • M24:  The Sagittarius Star Cloud is always a fun area to just roam around at medium power.  At both 28x and 56x there were uncountable numbers of stars.  I tried to see the small nebula IC 1284 to the south, but couldn't spot it.
     
  • NGC 6520:  This is a tight cluster of stars in all eyepieces.  It is very small and has a mottled appearance at 56x.  The adjacent dark nebula, Barnard 86 (this month's Cloudy Nights cosmic challenge), was visible as a dark oval roughly the size of the cluster between the cluster and a star on the other side of the nebula.  The darker skies later in the evening definitely helped with B86.  I doubt it would be visible at home, but it is on my list to check.  These two were both new objects for me.  
     
  • M25: This is one of my favorite summer open clusters.  At 56x, I estimated more than 80 stars visible in
    the middle of the FOV.
     
  • IC 4766: This is known as the Summer Beehive and at low power I can definitely understand why.  It looks quite similar under dark skies as it does at my home location with roughly 50 bright stars.  At low power, Beta Oph. is in the same FOV, which makes it very easy to find.
     
  • Cr 350:  Tried observing this cluster again under dark skies to see if it looked better than it does at home.  It doesn't.  This cluster is loose and faint.  I'll probably try again some time with more aperture, but it isn't a showpiece object by any estimation.
     
  • NGC 6645:  At 56x, this is a tight fuzzy ball of stars. Roughly oval shaped with approximately 10 faint stars visible in averted vision.  This was a new cluster for me and with more aperture, this has the potential to be a wonderful object.
     
  • M11: This was one of the best objects of the evening.  At 56x, it was a dense group of bright stars with one foreground star outshining the rest.  Some of the dark nebula complex to the north (Barnard 111) was also visible.
     
  • M13:  Brilliant and fills most of the center portion of the FOV at 136x.  I successfully located the adjacent galaxy NGC 6207, which is the first time I've done it in this small of scope.  The galaxy was a small diagonal oval near a right triangle of stars.  Visible mostly in averted vision. 
     
  • M27: The Dumbbell is always one of my favorite nebulae because of the rich field of stars around it.  At 56x, it had an almost 3-D appearance.  I tried the O-III filter, but it did not reveal any additional detail at the magnifications I was using.  
     
  • Veil Nebula:  With the O-III filter at 28x, this object was amazing.  It didn't fit into the FOV of this combination (it fit in the 35mm Panoptic at roughly 17x), but both the Eastern (NGC 6992) and the Western (NGC 6995) were visible with a lot of detail.  Some additional nebulosity associated with Pickering's Triangle, NGC 6974 and/or NGC 6979 was also visible.  I had never seen this intermediate nebulosity before, so I really think the filter helped in this region.
     
  • NGC 7000:  I finally saw this object using the O-III filter at 28x.  It was unmistakable with the shape of North America easily discernible.  The regions representing Mexico and the contiguous western and northern parts of the continent were much brighter than the eastern seaboard or Florida, which were so obscure as to only be visible in averted vision.  This object was probably the best example of the usefulness of the O-III filter.
     
  • Coathanger:  Did not observe telescopically, but thought it worth noting that it was an obvious naked-eye object as a knot of brightness in the Milky Way.
     
  • M51:  Faint in the west, but both cores visible with the larger one clearly standing out as compared to the smaller one.  In averted vision, I thought I could see some elements of spiral, but that was likely to be as much "averted imagination" based on what I think it should look like.
     
  • M101:  No spiral visible at 56x.  Fairly faint and ghostly for how dark the evening was.
     
  • Double Cluster:  At 56x, it was magnificent poking through a clearing in the trees 15 degrees above the northeast horizon.  By this time, I was damp and cold from the dew, so it felt like fall was on the way!
     
  • M31: This was the final object I looked at around 2:00am as it was roughly 10 degrees above the horizon.  Given its low altitude and the dew starting to form on the scope, it was fairly lackluster.  It will be a lot better in October!

I ended up being outside observing and enjoying the ambiance from roughly 9:30 pm until 2:30 am when dew drove me in.  It was a great night, even if the moon interfered with observations before midnight. I always enjoy just sitting outside listening to the sounds of the summer in the woods and these rare observing nights close to the summer solstice can be quite rewarding.  


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#2279 DC869

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Posted 03 July 2025 - 02:13 PM

7-2-2025
79° F / 59% RH
S: VG T:6
1/2 Moon illuminating yard
10x50 Binos Mounted

BINOCULAR DOUBLES -- I'm really, really enjoying this observing program! I've been working on this one a bit, and only have 9 to go plus one more naked eye observation.



Forgive the "OEE"-- I have no capital Sigma symbol on my phone

OEE 178 (aka STTA 178) @ 22:38 CDT
5.7, 7.6
Located with Zeta Aql at appox 2 o'clock point on FOV. The 5th mag A appears slightly yellow. 7th mag B appears white. The field stars form a noticeable ladder of stars along a similar angle line as the pair.
sep=99" pa=267°
my est pa=270°

57 Aquilae @ 22:50 CDT
5.7, 6.4
Easy locate of this close pair NW of Alpha Capricornus. Both appeared white to me.
sep=36" pa=171°
my est pa=165°

S 752 Delphinus @ 23:10 CDT
Nicely separated pair. No color detected. An arch of 3 stars to NW of the pair.
sep=196" pa=288°
my est pa=294°

Epsilon Sagittae @ 23:29 CDT
5.8, 8.4
With Alpha & Beta Sag about 1/3 in from left side FOV, puts Epsilon Sag at center.
Nicely separated duo; A component a yellowish. No color detected on the 8th mag B companion.
sep=87" pa=82°
My est pa=80°

7-3-2025

15 Sagittae @ 24:14 CDT
5.9, 6.9
Located with Gamma Sag approx 11o'clock to FOV. The pair is easily detected, with a fainter 8th mag star (HD354615) coming in/out of view with AV to the S making a little trio of stars. The 6.9 mag secondary component of this pair is HD190338.
sep=217" pa=335°
my est pa=345°

Theta Sagittae @ 24:17 CDT
Sits in a field of 6th-8th mag stars that look like a Chtistmas tree lying top at NE and trunk toward SE.
HD191856 is the top point, V372 is NW outer bottom, and Hd191705 is SE outer bottom side. Theta Sag forms the trunk
Nicely separated pair.
sep=92" pa=222°
My est pa=213°

Rho Capricorni @ 24:32 CDT
4.8, 6.6 mag;
An easy locate AND Omicron Cap is in same FOV, forming a acute triangle with Pi Cap.
sep=259" pa=150°
My est pa=135°

Omicron Capricorni @24:33 CDT
5.9, 6.7 mag
Very, very tight, BUT I detected a dark line between them. Not the cleanest split, bu could def tell it was two stars.
Easy find just SE of Rho Cap approx 3°
sep=22" pa=238°
My est pa=225°

Alpha Cassiopeiae --NOPE !?!
2.4, 9.0
sep=71" pa=283
Despite some 10 minutes fiddling with focus, relocating line of sight away from roof tops, and intently observing bright, golden Shedar, I absolutely could NOT detect the 9th mag companion listed on the target sheet. I assume the main reason to be that Alpha Cass is so bright in itself plus the wide range in magnitude? I've detected other 9th mag stars, but the primary wasn't nearly as bright. Skies were gorgeous at time of viewing, though a mild, balmy breeze had kicked up.

Phi Cassiopeiae @ 24:57
5.1, 7.0
The EYES of E.T. !! FWIW, I could just barely detect where the hazy body of the ET Cluster was in 10x50s.
The A component appeared golden
sep=133" pa=235°
My est pa=235°

I totally get the position angle measurement now.

**BUt I'm still struggling with recognizing the separation in arc seconds. The learning curve continues.

~De
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#2280 desertstars

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Posted 03 July 2025 - 02:40 PM

 

10x50 Binos Mounted

BINOCULAR DOUBLES -- I'm really, really enjoying this observing program! I've been working on this one a bit, and only have 9 to go plus one more naked eye observation.

I've been working on this one for a few months, and it really is an interesting way to observe the stars. I especially enjoy the way color perception improves when using two eyes. I'm working the list with mounted 10x50s, same as you. Anything those can't get, I'll try later with the 20x80s. For the AL, you need 50 observations, but I'll more than likely take a look at the entire list in time. (Desert monsoon notwithstanding.)

 

I had a pretty good sense for position angle from years of double star observing with a 60mm refractor and, later, my 20mm Newtonian. While the AL program doesn't require determination of PA, being able to judge it has proven very useful. Especially in a busy star field, it helps verify that I've centered on the correct pair of stars. 

 

Of the stars I've observed with my 10x50, S 752 Delphini is one I've studied that's on your list for this session. My description matches yours perfectly.


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#2281 DC869

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Posted 03 July 2025 - 03:20 PM

I've been working on this one for a few months, and it really is an interesting way to observe the stars. I especially enjoy the way color perception improves when using two eyes. I'm working the list with mounted 10x50s, same as you. Anything those can't get, I'll try later with the 20x80s. For the AL, you need 50 observations, but I'll more than likely take a look at the entire list in time. (Desert monsoon notwithstanding.)

I had a pretty good sense for position angle from years of double star observing with a 60mm refractor and, later, my 20mm Newtonian. While the AL program doesn't require determination of PA, being able to judge it has proven very useful. Especially in a busy star field, it helps verify that I've centered on the correct pair of stars.

Of the stars I've observed with my 10x50, S 752 Delphini is one I've studied that's on your list for this session. My description matches yours perfectly.


I'm like you, in that I will likely try to get all of the binocular targets as well, even though only 50 are required. I'm also working on the Telescope DS Observing program, which I thought asked you to make an est of pa. So I started doing it with the binocular program. It is helping my understanding and verification a lot.

My very first double star observation and sketch was April 15, 2025 with Zubenelgenubi II. I was clueless aboit how to observe, sketch or figure out the pa. But I made a little field sketch and tacked it on my office bulletin board at home. I looked at it last nigjt and realized I nailed it, except had flupped the N and S. Once I double-checked the drift, I had the estimated pa to within 14°. So, the little Zubi II field sketch got removed from the BB and taped into my current Binocular DS journal. 😀
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#2282 daveb2022

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Posted 03 July 2025 - 04:49 PM

...May and June have provided the longest stretch of clear sky I’ve ever seen. This has been accompanied by higher-than-normal winds almost every night, something also different weather wise.

Hard to complain about wind. It just doesn’t affect my observing site, plus it helps keep the mosquitos off me.

On the positive side of things, this has been one of the coolest springtime for many years, and there have only been a handful of days over 100°F.

 

While the seeing values have been mostly normal this year, the transparency has been slightly below average. In 2020, I was able to visually see the Lyra trapezoid most nights, but now I’m lucky to be able to make out Beta or Gamma Lyrae.

 

SQM reading’s in the 18.50 range are now my more common dark evenings. Compared to last year’s average of 18.60, the brighter sky has been noticeable. And there must have been a sale on LED security lights, because all my neighbors around me have decided to install em.

I had to laugh that neighbors on the next block put in some sort of patio lighting, and now my chimney will light up when they are out BBQing.

But I still feel the LP conditions are reasonable for brighter targets or DSO’s using night vision despite my neighbors attacking me with outside lighting.

 

It's been galaxy city lately. Not quite the best targets from inner city conditions, but NV is an equalizer.
I’ve ran the S&T pocket guide star chart expanded view of the Virgo group several times and have also, revisited a lot of Ursa Major.

But probably my favorite has been observing my only low horizon… south. As I posted in my last report, I was able to observe globular cluster NGC 5139 from a small slot between two large trees. The zone is slightly above the -50° declination and objects passing through are visible for about 8 minutes.

 

 

 

On the 20th of June, it was the start of the summer season but the weather didn’t reflect it. It was cold enough I had to wear a hoodie. The winds were in the 20mph range, and gusty again. Winds don’t always have a bad effect on the seeing, but on the 20th, the seeing was on the poor side. Porrima split OK, but was turbulent.

 

I did something I haven’t done in quite some time… a limited Messier galaxy run in the Vir/Com area ignoring all the small fry.

 

I usually average several minutes of observing each object, but not tonight. I still logged descriptions, but didn’t scrutinize or stay too long on many targets. There were a few I was fixated on, but basically observed at warp speed.
I was surprised how many galaxy designations I’m recognizing from their star patterns. Later moving into the southern skies, I slowed down a bit and observed a few major and minor globular clusters.  Just a fun night.

 

 

 

6-20-25

 

 
9:30PM to 1:30AM

 

Urban city skies from my patio, Central Ca.

 

C925, NP101

 

PVS-14 NVD/32mm and standard EP’s.

 

67.7°/24%h to 59.6°/53.5%h, 20+ MPH winds and very gusty at times.

 

SQM/Zenith readings 18.00 to 18.52

 

NELM mag 3.5 after midnight.

 

Seeing below average for my site about a Pickering 5 rating.

 

Transparency was 3/5 and was in-step with NELM value.

 

Moon at 28%, rising at 1:46AM, and not a factor.

 

 

 

 

Twilight until about 21:30 hours. I’d love to see DST go away. At 21:50, temps were down to 66°and the sky SQM-L reading had darkened to 18.36 @ zenith. M56, 66 and 105 were low over the neighbors roof but still highly visible via NV.

 

 

After a cup of espresso, I headed in to Coma Berenices and moved on from there via my star charts.

 

 

M98, M99, M100, M85, M91, M88, M86, M84, M49, M87, M58, M59, M60, M8p, M90, M91, M53, NGC 5053, M64, NGC 4147, M3, NGC 5466, M63, M94, M51, M106, M108, M106, M4, M5, NGC 5921, NGC 5846, NGC 5850, NGC 5838, NGC 5638, NGC 5792, NGC 5746, NGC 5701, NGC 6144, M80, M62, NGC 6235, NGC 6287, NGC 6325, NGC 6284, M19, NGC 6293, NGC 6304, NGC 6355, NGC 6342, M9, NGC 6356, M10, M12, and M14.

 

Highlights were:

 

M88 was a nice elongated galaxy that did well.

 

M49 was another galaxy that was face on looking and showed some structure in its halo.

 

M60. Kind of appeared as M51 with a local galaxy nearby.

 

M53 wasn’t as impressive as it can be, but a nice detour from galaxies. The globulars’ halo resolved into individual stars, but still a bit rough due to the bad seeing.

 

M64, the Blackeye galaxy was bright as usual.

 

M3 resolved very well and always a favorite. M3, M92 and M10 all have a similar look to me.

 

NGC 5466 in Bootes was a challenging globular. It’s a medium sized looking scattered group and I was able to resolve about 30 stars.

 

M94 is the Crock’s eye IIRC. This has got to be one of the brightest appearing galaxy stellar wise.

 

M51 impressive as usual and showed spiral structure but not much connecting the two.

 

M106 was also a nice-looking galaxy. Very large oval with a bright stellar core.

 

NGC 5846 had a partner galaxy nearby not on my chart that was visible.

 

NGC 5746 is a fantastic edge on looking galaxy that had a visible bulged core. Resides in a nice star field.

 

NGC 6144 is one globular I can measure the observing conditions and generally appears more like a din open cluster. On a good night, I might be able to make out about 30 stars. I was only able to make out 18, however I was dealing with the power lines obstructing it.

 

NGC 6356 in Ophiuchus was like a mini M14 globular cluster…very fine textured.

 

 

While most of the more notable and larger globular clusters were fine targets (as usual), M19 and M9 were pleasant to observe on this evening.

 

 

 

Non-detects of the night were NGC 5053, NGC 6304, and NGC 6355. While NGC 5053 is always challenging with the below average conditions, generally I can make out a haze. Nothing tonight. NGC 6304 and 6355 were blocked by the power pole and transformer obstructing my southern views.

 

 

While I enjoy straining to find the dimmest galaxies and clusters, most of this session was a no brainer night. No stats or research. Open my star chart and follow the bread crumbs. Sometimes simple can make it an enjoyable night.


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#2283 daveb2022

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Posted 03 July 2025 - 05:33 PM

...Picking up from where I left off on the 20th.

 

On the 25th I had another night observing as much as possible in the lower southern horizon. Again my -50 declination observing slot proved fascinating.

 

 

 

6-25-25 

 

9:30PM to 12:30AM

 

Urban city skies from my patio, Central Ca.

 

C925, NP101

 

PVS-14 NVD/32mm and standard EP’s.

 

77.9°/33.2%h to 69.1°/51.5%h, 10 to 15+ MPH winds and gusty at times.

 

SQM/Zenith readings 18.25 to 18.56

 

NELM mag 3.4 after midnight.

 

Seeing was slightly below average for my site (about a Pickering 5 to 6 rating).

 

Transparency was 3/5 and was in-step with NELM values.

 

Moon at 1%, and not a factor.

 

 

 

 

Just after it darkened up a bit, I observed a few brighter doubles.

 

Algieba, Porrima, Cor Caroli, Mizar and 23 UMa all split nicely and confirmed the seeing values.

 

 

The seeing and transparency levels didn’t change much throughout the evening. Not quite the night to be splitting challenging doubles.

I was also a bit baffled that the NELM value stayed constant throughout the evening, while the SQM levels got darker.

 

 

I would visit DSO’s in Hydra, Lupus, Libra, Virgo, Serpens, Ophiuchus, Scorpius, Norma, and Ara, plus a few doubles here and there.

 

 

NGC 5786, NGC 5694, NGC 5824, NGC 5903, NGC 5897, NGC 5728, NGC 5634, M5, STF 1962, STF 1999, M107, M80, NGC 6169, NGC 6124, NGC 6139, NGC 6200, NGC 6178, NGC 6250, NGC 6259, NGC 6322, and NGC 6352. 

 

 

 

A few of the minor DSO’s that stood out:

 

NGC 5694 in Hydra is a globular that appeared, small, round, with a bright stellar core. Easy to mistake as a galaxy. It has a unique line of about 6 stars running south that make it memorable.

 

NGC 5903 in Libra was a set of galaxies, but only one on my chart. Both were very small, round, and compact.

 

NGC 5813 in Libra was a mid-size globular that had a more transparent spread-out core. I seem to be drawn to these types of globular clusters. It’s almost like an open cluster. I was able to count about 18 stars over a slightly hazy patch.

 

NGC 6124 is a fine open cluster in Scorpius. It’s large and looked like the Butterfly cluster a bit. I counted over 120 stars.

 

NGC 6200 in Ara required me to observe close to ground level and as low as I can get from here. It was an open cluster that was difficult to pick out of a busy area of sky. About 25 stars stood out, but was hard to determine a boundary.

 

NGC 6250 in Ara is an open cluster that resembles the lower 48. Or maybe a rib-eye steak.

 

NGC 6259 in Scorpius looked like a dense version of 6250. Very dim, I still counted over 100 stars.

 

NGC 6322 in Scorpius was a nice open cluster that in some ways reminded me of parts of the Hyades cluster. About 70 stars visible in the group.

 

NGC 6352 in Ara was the low record of the night. It is a globular and was so low that the FOV was bracketed by trees and the ground. I’ll be trying for that again if the conditions improve. All I was able to make out was a dim patch and the one target I couldn’t confirm.

 

 

If this was a normal year, my lower open slot on the southern horizon would have banana trees blocking the view. Perhaps I’ll do some pruning this year.

 

 

Enjoy your skies.


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#2284 DC869

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Posted 06 July 2025 - 09:18 PM

@daveb2022 Great reports! I always enjoy seeing what you haul in. I've been hanging out in Scorpius and Ophiuchus lately. I'm not at all familiar with Ara and Norma... they must be more southern than I can get here.
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#2285 weis14

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Posted 07 July 2025 - 09:45 AM

@daveb2022 Great reports! I always enjoy seeing what you haul in. I've been hanging out in Scorpius and Ophiuchus lately. I'm not at all familiar with Ara and Norma... they must be more southern than I can get here.

Same here.  No portions of Ara or Norma rise above the horizon a meaningful amount from my observing sites.  Even the tail of Scorpius is skimming the horizon here.  It is fun to hear about these objects that others can't see.

 

What I want to do is find a site with a clear northern horizon.  Capella is nearing its lowest position in the sky and should just be circumpolar from my darkest locations.  I don't know why, but I think it would be very interesting to observe it at its lowest.  Maybe I'll get to an appropriate spot along Lake Huron later this year.  

 

The other thing I need to accomplish this summer is to observe a transit of Titan.  The dates and times can be found here and I will be making an attempt at the next one on July 18.


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#2286 DC869

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Posted 07 July 2025 - 02:34 PM

The other thing I need to accomplish this summer is to observe a transit of Titan. The dates and times can be found here and I will be making an attempt at the next one on July 18.


Wow! The Titan transits are definitely intriguing as far as timing goes. Thanks for bringing that to our attention.

#2287 daveb2022

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Posted 08 July 2025 - 07:47 PM

@daveb2022 Great reports! I always enjoy seeing what you haul in. I've been hanging out in Scorpius and Ophiuchus lately. I'm not at all familiar with Ara and Norma... they must be more southern than I can get here.

I've been enjoying observing globular and open cluster in the southern area. NGC 6193 and 6134 are about my lower limit from home, and half of the aperture is blocked by my fence. NGC 6352 in Ara is a low dim globular I could barely confirm. NGC 6200 and 6250 are a bit easier. 

 

CN NGC 6200-6250.jpg

 

 

My observing slot on the lower southern horizon is almost unique in a city full of so many trees. No chance tonight with the moon passing by. 


Edited by daveb2022, 08 July 2025 - 08:00 PM.

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#2288 daveb2022

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Posted 09 July 2025 - 09:43 PM

...The last of my reasonable evenings were on the 27th of June. The 28th of June through July 2nd were clear skies, but the transparency was below average...fun, but nothing worth posting about.

 

 

6-27-25
 

9:30PM to 3:00AM
 

Urban city skies from my patio, Central Ca.
 

C925, NP101
 

PVS-14 NVD/32mm and standard EP’s.
 

84.5°/42.7%h to 72.5°/57.9%h, and calm winds for once.
 

SQM/Zenith readings 18.33 to 18.55
 

NELM mag 3.5 early on and mag 4 after midnight.
 

Seeing was slightly above average for my site (about a Pickering 6 to 7 rating).
 

Transparency was 4/5 and was in-step with NELM values.
 

Moon at 5%, and not a factor.
 

 

The night before I had spent most of my time in Ursa Major until it moved out of view and ended up finishing the night in the southern region. But with the better viewing conditions I started low in Centaurus which was due south. I stayed in the same area and picked up DSO’s as they rolled through my viewing zone.
 

I did revisit many objects.

I would visit Centaurus, Hydra, Lupus, Libra, Virgo, Scorpius, Norma, Ara, Corona Australis, and Sagittarius. As strange as it was, I never ventured into Ophiuchus until the end of the night when I quickly slammed a few Messier objects to end the observing session.
 

DSO’s:
NGC 5786, NGC 5694, NGC 5824, NGC 5903, NGC 5897, NGC 5728, NGC 5634, NGC 5792, NGC 5713, NGC 6178, NGC 6169, NGC 6200, NGC 6250, NGC 6259, NGC 6231, NGC 6352, NGC 6388, M4,  NGC 6144, NGC 6322, Tr 29, NGC 6441, Cr 338, NGC 6496, NGC 6541, NGC 6558, NGC 6569, NGC 6451, M6, NGC 6416, NGC 6522, NGC 6520, B90, NGC 6540, NGC 6553, and NGC 6544.

 

I was getting pretty burned out by 1:30AM. I finished off the night by doing some high-speed observing for the next hour just because the conditions were so good. M8, M20, M16, M17, M18, M22, M28, M13, and M92. One of those nights where I wanted to keep going but just couldn't. 

 

A few pics of the night:

 

CN messier 8-17-22.jpg

 



 

Evening minor highlights:

NGC 5694 and 5903 were observed both nights and I thought it would be interesting comparing both observation reports.

 

NGC 5694 in Hydra was a small hazy globular with an ophidian-like line of 6 stars in the mix that stood out. (6/25 log) NGC 5694 in Hydra is a globular that appeared, small, round, with a bright stellar core. Easy to mistake as a galaxy. It has a unique line of about 6 stars running south that make it memorable.




NGC 5903 was one of two galaxies in Libra that were in the same FOV. Only one on my chart and showed mag 12.2. (6/25 log) NGC 5903 in Libra was a set of galaxies, but only one on my chart. Both were very small, round, and compact.


 

NGC 5897 in Libra is a globular that resembled an open cluster with my scope. I counted 25 stars that were slightly scattered in a medium sized circular group. Probably nice at a dark site.

 

NGC 5634 in Virgo. This globular has a bright dominate star just due east. The cluster is somewhat stellar and didn’t resolve individual stars in its small halo. Pleasant looking.



NGC 6231 in Scorpius is one of the best open clusters in the sky. It’s a bright coarse group and rivals nearby M7.

 

NGC 6541 in Crona Australis is a globular cluster that showed up as a highly visible group for how low it is. The core appeared somewhat stellar, but had a nice medium sized halo of finely textured stars with some brighter members in the outer region.

 

NGC 6520 in Sagittarius was an open cluster that almost resembles a loose globular. The area is highly concentrated. Nearby Barnard 90 was highly visible this night.

 

NGC 6520 B90s.jpg

 

I had to run the gain up a bit to see the dark area.


 

NGC 6544 in Sagittarius was a great globular cluster. It reminds me of M70. Like M70 it’s a smaller globular. Both GC’s have similar lines of stars leading away from the main body. This is a good one and was one of the better mid-sized clusters of the night.

 

After midnight, the sky had improved. The evening ended up one of the better nights I’ve had in a while. I was unable to pull an all-nighter due to lack of sleep, but the last hour supplied some nice premium object observing.


 

Enjoy your skies.


Edited by daveb2022, 09 July 2025 - 09:46 PM.

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#2289 weis14

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Posted 15 July 2025 - 07:57 AM

Last night was completely cloudless, but under as thick of smoke as I will ever observe in.  I observed for roughly an hour starting around 10:45pm.  Only the brightest stars were visible from my home location and the haze was very noticeable.  NELM was probably around 4 naked eye and, in the Stowaway, I struggled to see a couple of faint companions with magnitudes around 9.8.  Still, the weather and smoke aren't going to get much better for the next week or so, which meant that it was worth at least a quick peek to catch a few objects.

 

Scope: Stowaway (92mm f/6.65 refractor)
Mount/Controller: AZ100/Sky Safari
Eyepieces:4.5mm Delos, APM 1.25" Barlow, 8mm Delos, Apollo 11
Observing Site: Midland, Michigan

Books: Double Stars for Small Telescopes, Sissy Haas
Conditions: 70F, humid and calm; Transparency: poor; Seeing: average

 

One of the main motivations for this session was to capture a few targets that I'm still missing for the Astronomical League Urban Observing Program.  I thought I had this complete, but a few targets were actually at a site that is not light polluted enough for the program.  One of these is NGC 6520, which was initially behind a tree.

 

While I waited for my main DSO target to rise further, I started with a few double stars.  The first of these was Beta Scorpii (2.6, 4.5, 13.6", 20 deg), which was split easily at 77x.  I saw both components as white, with a little yellowish tint on the primary, which might have actually been haze.  Next, I tried to get out of the muck by taking a look at Mizar (2.2, 3.9, 14.3", 153 deg), which was easily split at 77x.  The secondary was a bit yellow-green, which matches the description in the Haas book.

 

The Haas book is set up with lists of double stars for each constellation, so I opened it to Ophiuchus and got started. 

  • Rho Oph (5.1, 5.7, 2.9", 340 deg) was a close split at 77x with white stars.  The pair made an equilateral triangle with two other stars, which might be more distant companions. 
  • STF 2048 (6.6, 9.7, 5.6", 297 deg) was difficult due to the smoke nearly obscuring the 9.7 magnitude companion at 136x.  The split was easy, but a bigger scope or better conditions are necessary to see any color or other detail.  
  • Lambda Oph (4.2, 5.2, 1.6", 34 deg) was a very challenging target.  At roughly 210x (4.5mm plus APM barlow screwed on), this pair was elongated with hints of two touching stars in moments of good seeing.  
  • 19 Oph (6.1, 9.7, 23.6", 88 deg) was a wide split at 56x, with the secondary very faint due to smoke and haze.
  • SHJ 240 (6.6, 7.6, 4.6", 232 deg) was a close split at 77x.  The secondary had a bluish tint to it, while the primary was yellow.

By 11:40 or so NGC 6520 was as high in the sky as it was going to get, so I observed it just to see what I could.  There were roughly 5 stars that were visible in the cluster itself, with a gray patch hinting at many more.  B86 was not apparent at all due to the lack of background stars, though the star on the other side of B86 was clearly visible.  This object was very disappointing in comparison to my observation of it under much better conditions (and darker skies) earlier this month.

 

After this, I quickly observed Alberio as a reminder of how beautiful double stars can be.  While I was in the area, I moved over to M71 to check on the transparency, which looked a bit better in this area to the naked eye.  The cluster was an averted vision object only due to the smoke, so I decided to pack things up and call it a night.


Edited by weis14, 15 July 2025 - 08:03 AM.

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#2290 DC869

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Posted Yesterday, 01:12 PM

Thanks for the detailed reports @daveb2022 & @weis14. I haven't been out much the past 2 weeks due to garden canning season taking up my evenings after work. That and clouds ... so I really enjoyed travelling the skies thru your descriptions.
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#2291 weis14

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Posted Yesterday, 02:55 PM

Thanks for the detailed reports @daveb2022 & @weis14. I haven't been out much the past 2 weeks due to garden canning season taking up my evenings after work. That and clouds ... so I really enjoyed travelling the skies thru your descriptions.

"Garden canning season" - I know what you mean.  We are probably a month or so behind you guys, but I just picked my first peppers and a handful of green beans earlier this week.  By this time next week, I'll have more than I know what to do with!



#2292 daveb2022

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Posted Yesterday, 11:15 PM

...It’s been smoggy-like lately thanks to a forest fire up north.

 

Each night has been different and at times has changed throughout the night, but the SQM readings are struggling to surpass 18.40 over the past week and has averaged around the 18.20’s.

 

That is below normal for my level of LP. Visually, the smoke isn’t easy to detect, but it’s there, and obvious when looking at the constellations.

My average NELM is about Mag 3.5-4, but most nights have been in the Mag 3 zone.

On the plus side, the seeing has been average and good enough to split some stars. I pulled out some old lists to run.

I also must deal with my neighbors rooftop air conditioner spewing hot exhaust that makes splitting stars a challenge to observe in my western sections of the sky.

 

I mainly used a 4-inch refractor @ 154x, and if necessary, fell back on a 9.25” SCT @ 196x.

 

I have also been waiting for the summer heat to jump into high gear, but it’s been the coolest I’ve seen in years. Almost zero bug activity. Perhaps the reason has to do with the fact that the winds have been ruthless and never ending for months. Hearing wind whipping through the trees has become nightly background noise. With the lack of heat so far, I’m afraid September/October might be hotter than normal. But I am enjoying the cooler weather while it lasts.

 

 

Sorry for any screwups. Not like I’m a real knowledgeable astronomer. I just did a close guess at the PA’s. I’ve logged stars, and after researching them, found the PA was wrong, or I was on the wrong target altogether.

 

I stayed away from observing multiple members beyond what the conditions allowed…smoke equaled about mag 10 on this night using the refractor. I was mainly after A+B unless other members were bright enough to observe. Used the Henry Draper designations as a main catalogue.

 

 

7-15-25

 

9:30PM to 1:30AM

 

Urban city skies from my patio, Central Ca.

 

C925, NP101

 

PVS-14 NVD/32mm and standard EP’s.

 

79.5°/50.8F%h to 69.2°/62%h, with 8 to 15mph winds. Gusty at times.

 

SQM/Zenith readings 18.05 @9:30pm to 18.32 at 1:00am

 

NELM @ zenith mag 3.2 early on and mag 3.5 after midnight.

 

Seeing was average for my site (about a Pickering 6 rating).

 

Transparency was 3/5 and was in-step with NELM values.

 

Moon at 72%, and didn’t rise until 11:25pm but became a factor the last hour.

 

 

 

 

I started in Coma Berenices with Zeta Com, 24 Com, 32 Com, HD 108007, HD 107398, HD 106887, 17 Com, HD 111844, HD 113022, HD 106365, Alpha Com, HD 115942, HD 111842.

 

I liked:

Zeta Com had a Sep of 4” and was a colorful copper pri-blue sec pair. Bright mag 6 and 7.4 with PA of about 225°. HD 104827/SAO 82123.

 

24 Com. Sep of 20”, but a brilliant mag 5.2 and 6.7. Classic gold and blue pair. PA~240°. HD 109510/SAO 100159.

 

 

HD 108007/SAO 82293. Nice tight split @ 1.7”. Both appeared white/blue. A = mag 6.4, B = mag 7.8. Looked like a PA~315°, but this one was challenging thanks to the neighbors air conditioner.

 

 

 

 

In Canes Venatici I picked up:
Alpha CVn, HD 106784, 2 CVn, HD 108574, HD 114723, HD 114146, 17 CVn, HD 108845, HD 117846, 25 CVn, OSS 125, & HD 123408.

I Liked:

 

 

Alpha CVn, or Cor Caroli is one of the better gold/blue doubles. Mag 2.9 and 5.5 with a Sep of 19”, it’s wide enough to make an easy split. PA~210°. HD 112413/SAO 63257

 

 

HD 108574 was a nice bright close pair. Mag 7.5 and 8.1 with a Sep of 9” made for an excellent split. PA~135°.

 

 

HD 114723 was low but seemed like I was able to see a 3” split with a PA~ either 330°or 145°…hard to tell. At Mag 6.7 and 7.7, I was surprised I had a hard time with the PA. 

 

 

HD 117846 was another nice couple, with a somewhat tight Sep of 4”. A bit dim at mag 6.8 and 8.1. PA appeared to be ~115°.

 

 

25 CVn. A&B tight @ 2.2” made for a challenging double but split nicely. Bright at mag 5 & 6.9, but also had a third mag 8.7 component way out at 215”. A/B PA~ 100°. HD 118623/SAO 63648.

 

 

OS 125. Another nice colored contrasting double. Wide at 71”, the color makes it a keeper. Mag 5.5 & 8.9, it was offset in brightness. PA~240°. HD 120164/SAO 63739.

 

 

I gave up on doubles to observe a few DSO’s. The sky had darkened about as much as it was gonna get. Unfortunately, the county fair is in town and my western view is lit up way beyond normal. But I still picked up a few good globular clusters.

 

 

 

M3 in CVn using SCT/NV was brilliant even with the lit-up horizon. The cluster produced way too many stars to count and had a highly packed core. I’ve always felt with an intensifier, M3 has a similar shape and density as M10 and M92.

 

 

 

M5 in Serpens was also nice and one of the better globular clusters of the night. NV exposed loops of outer region stars that appear like flower pedals. A couple of chevron-like lines of stars on the outskirts of the main group also stood out well.

 

 

 

M4 in Scorpius is a favorite to observe, but was a bit turbulent, and I had to deal with power lines. I still enjoy how scattered out this globular is. With the intensifier, large arched streamers of stars gave it a 3D look to me.

 

 

 

M6, the Butterfly Cluster in Scorpius was turbulent like M4. Still a unique open cluster that fit’s its name.

 

 

 

NGC 6416 in Sco appeared to be a patch of stars laid out in a “M” shape pattern. Counted about 85 stars in the cluster.

 

 

 

NGC 6425 in Sco was visible as a large triangular shape group of about 70 stars with one border more heavily populated.

 

 

 

NGC 6425 in Sco has a unique light bulb shape. The group appears to evenly scatter toward the north. About 60 stars.

 

 

 

M8 is always a treat. 25 years ago, the Lagoon Nebula was highly visible by sight, yet today it’s rare to see the Teapot from home, much less the nebula with the naked eye. But the NV and a scope helps equalize things. Both the nebula and nearby cluster of stars were worth stopping by for a look see. The darker lanes were visible, but the checker board looking open cluster always stands out. 

 

 

 

M20 was a bit subdued, and the dark lanes were difficult to make out. The Trifid Nebula isn’t the easiest target at times, but at least it was visible. During this observation I noticed that even in the lower-level city LP, the background seemed dark. That was good, but there was also a lack of contrast which made the nebula blend in more than usual.

 

 

 

M21 in Sagittarius was a nice large scattered open cluster with a slightly brighter central region. Somewhat uniformly round or star shaped. Moderately populated, and stood out well.

 

 

 

NGC 6440 in Sgr was the only minor globular I’d observe from my light polluted patio. Mostly just a small, finer textured globular with a bright core and small halo. 

 

 

 

Finished the night with M22 and it won 1st place for the evening. His globular has enough character that it’s almost always mesmerizing to observe.

 

 

 

 

It was one of those nights where I looked on the good side… it could be worse. Hoping for a change in the forest fire smoke, and while I don’t want to wish it on anybody, I’d like to see it go somewhere else.

Enjoy your skies.


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