161 replies to this topic

[Cey42]

Welcome to the April EAA challenge! First the list. Heavy on galaxies since it is the season.

Globular Clusters: M53, NGC4147
Planetary Nebulae:  IC3568
Galaxies:  NGC3842 (group), M109, HCG57, NGC3893, NGC4731
Quasar: 4C+16.30
Misc.: Moon, Y Canum Venaticorum, Supernova 2023bee in NGC2727(2708)

 

 

I created this list in the spirit on my typical observation list creation in which I combine a variety of objects. This includes those that I have seen before and ones I have not. Those good for mono and for color. For new objects, I use Sky & Telescope, Deep-Sky Companions by O’Meara and Annals of the Deep Sky by Kanipe & Webb for ideas. My goal was to select objects new to monthly EAA Challenge. Only one of the selected objects has been in a monthly EAA challenge since 2020.

 

Each object contains a short description and why I added it to the list. The order of the objects is by transit time.

 

 

Supernova 2023bee in NGC2727(2708): I recently discovered this site that lists current supernovae, https://www.rocheste.../supernova.html. This should be one of the first objects of the night that you attempt because it will be already have transited after it gets dark. You can find more information about SN2023bee here, https://www.rocheste.../sn2023bee.html  And an image to help you find it here https://astro-photos...023bee_0315.jpg . With a last reported magnitude of 14.3, we should still be able to observe it. Why: It is a supernova.

 

 

4C+16.30: This quasar is 6.3 billion light years away. The emission from an active galactic nucleus is powered by a supermassive black hole with a mass ranging from millions to tens of billions of solar masses, surrounded by a gaseous accretion disk. Why: Never observed. I try to view one quasar anytime I am using a mono camera. I find it fascinating to be able to view an object so far.

 

 

HCG57: HCG57 is also known as Copeland’s Septet and Arp320. It contains the following eight galaxies: NGC 3745, NGC 3746, NGC 3748, NGC 3750, NGC 3751, NGC 3753, NGC 3754 and PGC 36010.  Why: Never seen. I try and image at least one new Arp & HCG each time. I am slowly trying to view them all.

 

 

NGC3842: NGC3842 is a visually small, 2.1’, unremarkable elliptical galaxy. But they are lots of galaxies around it. How many galaxies can you see? Why: It is awe inspiring to see so many galaxies at one time.

 

 

NGC3893: A nearly face on spiral galaxy. You can try also view its companion galaxy, NGC3896. Why: Never observed and I like face on galaxies.

 

 

M109: M109 is a barred spiral galaxy. It was not widely accepted as part of the “official” Messier catalog until the 1950’s. Only one supernova has been observed in this galaxy, which was 1956. Why: I wanted a large Messier galaxy to add to the list.

 

 

NGC4147: At a distance of 63,000 light years with an apparent size of 4.4’, this corresponds to a diameter of 81 light years. With an age of 11.5 billion years, it is considered a young globular cluster. Unlike M53, NGC4147 only contains about two dozen blue strangler stars. Why: I have only seen it once with an evening with 60% moon.

 

 

IC3568: This visually small planetary nebula at 18” looks like a small version of the Eskimo Nebula. The central star has a magnitude of 13.4. This was discovered in 1900 while Robert Aiken was looking for double stars. Why: Not many planetary nebulae to choose from at this time of the year. I have viewed this before, but I am still trying to see if I can resolve some internal structure.

 

Y Canum Venaticorum: Also known as La Superba. It is a carbon star which is a cool red giant with atmosphere rich in carbon molecules. Using a color camera, these stars are amazingly red. Why: I love the very red of carbon stars in my color camera. Never observed. I try and view one new carbon star anytime I am using a color camera.

 

 

NGC4731: Unique looking spiral galaxy. It is theorized that its elongated arm structure could be related to gravitational interactions with a nearby galaxy, NGC 4967. Why: This galaxy is mentioned in April’s Sky & Telescope. Looking at the DSS image in Sky Safari, this galaxy intrigued me given the unique elongated arms.

 

 

M53: At a distance of 58,000 light years with an apparent size of 13’, this corresponds to a diameter of 200 light years. M53 is an older cluster at 12.7 billion years and contains nearly 200 blue strangler stars.  Globular clusters can be challenging to image in that we do not want to over saturate the core stars. Why: I enjoy the view of hundreds of thousands of stars. I have only seen it once with an evening with 60% moon.

 

 

Moon: We often complain about the moon ruining our images. Every few months, I view the moon to remind me how beautiful it is. Even in a small FOV, capturing a small part of the Moon is beautiful. You will need a short exposure.

 

 

Here is the SkySafari observing list.

 CN APR 2023.skylist   2.64KB   39 downloads

 

 

Clear Skies!

Edited by Cey42, 31 March 2023 - 09:35 PM.

[TentacleJoe]

You have a period at the end of your supernova picture URL that is breaking the link. 

[steveincolo]

The 60 mph gusts have died down enough for me to take a quick peek for the supernova.  At first I thought I wasn't picking it up, because I expected it to be closer to the core.  So I had to use the reference photo.  It's centered in my view below.  You can see it's already faded a little since the reference photo was taken.  It'll be interesting to follow this one.  

 

AT130 EDT at 728 mm (0.8x reducer/corrector); ZWO LRGBSHO filters in ZWO EFW; ZWO ASI533MM; iOptron CEM70; WO 30mm Uniguide; ASI120MM mini; ZWO EAF; Beelink Ryzen 7.  Stacked with Jocular.  10 x 60 sec. 

 

 

Edit: I checked the FOV against Aladin Lite to verify the SN.

Edited by steveincolo, 31 March 2023 - 09:54 PM.

[Cey42]

Thanks for pointing out the bad links. I fixed them.

 

Steveincolo, that is great to see that the supernova is still visible. Hopefully, I will have a clear night this month to see it.

[Tfer]

I love that you added the Moon.

 

We curse it for making clear skies more difficult, when we should use the opportunity to view our closest friend. 

[alphatripleplus]

Nice selection, Cey, and thanks for standing in this month.

[PeterAB]

These are my April 1, 2023 challenge observations.   Moon was bright (86% waxing).  Cool at 0C.   Seeing fair.    Transparency  was not bad considering the moon to magnitude 3.5 or better naked eye.

 

Astro-Tech 102EDL, asi294mc, 1.0x flattener, .   SharpCap live stack.  Dark and flat applied.   All images north up, east left.

 

Carbon Star Y CVn.   210 seconds (14x15s).  1.5x1 degree view.  This is one of the brighter and more colorful carbon stars.   Visually it is an orange/red color and stands out in a sparse star field.    I had an image and sketch of this star from the Astronomical League carbon star program that I completed last year.    This is a second look from yesterday. 

 

M53.   Also showing globular cluster NGC 5053 (dim) in the southeast corner.   1005 seconds (67x15s).   1.5x1 degree view.  NGC 5053 is almost as large as m53, but, less dense and dimmer.    It is at the same distance from earth as m53 and the two globular cluster may have interacted in the past.  M53 was eyepiece visible as a round nebulous patch without stars resolved.   

 

NGC 4147.   615 seconds (41x15s).    Cropped to 32'x24' .

 

Peter

Edited by PeterAB, 02 April 2023 - 06:30 PM.

[Tfer]

Viewing a few tonight. But I’m starting with the Moon. 
 

294MC into C11/Gain 150/2.3ms exposure. No filters.

 

Captured in SharpCap as a Snapshot. 

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[Tfer]

Widefield Moon..

 

585MC into F4L/gain 220/2.8ms exposure.

 

Captured in SharpCap via Snapshot. 

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Edited by Tfer, 03 April 2023 - 12:03 AM.

[m2c4]

Fascinating and eclectic group of targets this month. Was excited to try and capture the supernova before it fades away but was skeptical because of the Moon and the neighbor's lights; but it's definitely there, however faintly. Gotta love EAA!  Lodestar Pro Mono; Starblast 114mm Autotracker; Starlight Live;

 

SN 2023bee - 19x3.50 secs; heavily cropped

 

 

 

[Bob Campbell]

Moon, Mare Humorum, Craters and Neighboring Mare

 

Scottsdale, AZ 4/2/23 below avg seeing

 

The Moon for strict EAA is a challenge, lucky imaging is the more common/fruitful path.

 

Nevertheless, I was able to capture this region in a single frame, no post processing.

 

 

C6(f20)/asi294mc-pro(-10C)/az-gti(eq) L-pro

 

Full ROI, gain 414, mono8 6 msec.

 

A little dark, but my hands are tied

 

(click for better image)

 

Here is a link with some labeling

 

https://www.reddit.c...tm_source=ifttt

 

Comments welcome!

 

Bob

Edited by Bob Campbell, 03 April 2023 - 03:40 PM.

[Cey42]

Tfer & Bob, nice captures of the moon. I like the contrast between Tfer wide FOV and Bob's narrow one.

 

m2c4, The supernova is faintly there. Nicely done given the Moon.

 

PeterAB, I like the color on La Superba.

[MarMax]

I did manage to get almost three hours in last night between 10 pm and 1 am. It was windy early so I tried to wait it out and things did settle down a bit by 11 pm. Unfortunately I could not get a plate solve so this wasted about half my viewing time.

 

This was first light with the Explore Scientific N208CF, another Newt project scope to keep me busy with all the cloudy weather.

 

Losmandy G11G, ES N208CF, Nexus 0.75 reducer, Player One Uranus-C (IMX585) with ProPlanet 642 filter

 

I mainly set up to test this camera/filter combination on M81 which is posted in another topic here. With the wind, 1.5/5 seeing, 4/5 transparency and a 96% Moon, I had to swing over for a Moon shot with the 642 filter. I found Auto white balance to be the best choice. I took 20 PNG frames and picked the best single frame, converted it to JPG and cropped it.

 

Moon (96%), single frame (0.5 ms), gain 150, Link to Medium

 

 

EDITED to add a link to a very slightly processed Moon. This is the best 4/20 frames stacked and processed a bit. Almost makes you want to go down the planetary rabbit hole

Edited by MarMax, 04 April 2023 - 07:40 PM.

[PeterC65]

I was hoping to give some of the March objects a try but had no clear nights during March, then last night while I was out observing, the April targets were announced and so I pounced on some of those further from the Moon.

 

These are all with the 432mm / 72mm Apo and Uranus-C camera with no Barlow / Reducer. Not the best kit combination for these smaller objects but it was what I happened to be using.

 

NGC3893 - 67 x 4s frames

 

M109 - 66 x 4s frames

 

Y Canum Venaticorum (SAO044317) - 272 x 500ms frames

 

These are all new objects to me. I'm finding these Challenge Lists very helpful as there are objects listed that I would not normally observe (the Carbon Star for example) and many that I haven't yet discovered. When the Moon gets out of the way, and assuming I get more clear nights, I will try for some of the other objects.

Edited by PeterC65, 04 April 2023 - 04:43 PM.

[roelb]

Evolution 8 @ F/5

 

HCG 57 - Arp 320_ZWO ASI533MM Pro_30 x 15,0s

11 x 15 s

Edited by roelb, 04 April 2023 - 05:01 PM.

[roelb]

Evolution 8 @ F/5

 

 

IC 3568_ZWO ASI533MM Pro_12 x 5,0s

 

[roelb]

Evolution 8 @ F/5

 

M 53 - NGC 5024_ZWO ASI290MM(53045621)_1 x 2,0s

 

M 109_ZWO ASI533MM Pro_40 x 15,0s

[roelb]

Evolution 8 @ F/5

 

Moon_ZWO ASI533MM Pro_29 x 0,10ms

 

NGC 2708 + 2727 + SN 2023bee_ZWO ASI533MM Pro_25 x 15,0s

[roelb]

Evolution 8 @ F/5

 

NGC 3842_ZWO ASI533MM Pro_25 x 15,0s

[roelb]

Evolution 8 @ F/5

 

NGC 3893_ZWO ASI533MM Pro_42 x 15,0s

[roelb]

Evolution 8 @ F/5

 

NGC 4147_ZWO ASI533MM Pro_31 x 2,0s

[Bob Campbell]

Evolution 8 @ F/5

 

NGC 3893_ZWO ASI533MM Pro_42 x 15,0s

NGC 3893_ZWO ASI533MM Pro_42 x 15,0s = 630s_3_04_2023T22_14_15.jpg

NGC 3893_ZWO ASI533MM Pro_42 x 15,0s = 630s_3_04_2023T22_14_15_CROP.jpg

NGC 3893_ZWO ASI533MM Pro_10 x 15,0s = 150s_3_04_2023T22_14_15_WithAnnotations.jpg

Great image. Love the annotation! Fun, isn't it? Really adds a new dimension to the composition.

 

Bob

[Cey42]

Roel, wow you viewed a good portion of the list. I took your image capture of SN 2023bee and ran it through ASTAP magnitude annotation. According ASTAP, SN 2023bee is currently at magnitude 15.3.

 

[Far_Southern_Skies]

Quick snapshot of the Moon last night during a first light session for my new ASI585 camera and a new Pegasus Focus Cube focuser. Still to check what other April Observing Challenge targets I can see from my 43 degrees south observatory.

 

SharpCap: 1.2ms exposure at gain 300. Simple re-size to fit here.

Vixen ED103S at 530mm focal length using dedicated Vixen focal reducer and new ASI585 camera.

 

[Rons_World]

Here is a photo of the moon taken with iPhone 13pro - 2 sec exposure.  
 

Love the detail it produced 

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