NexStar 50 Club Observation Log

Name: Mike Swanson
NexStar Telescope Models: NexStar 11 GPS and NexStar 80 GT
Observations from the patio at my house (fairly light polluted, mag 3 skies (zenith) on best nights), unless otherwise noted.

________________________________

Object: 1 - Orion Nebula… M42 / NGC1976
* Date Observed: 11/19/01 with N80
Comments: First time I have viewed M42 at a semi-dark site. Nice extension, Trapezium visible at 80x, but the Nebula looked better at 40x.
* Date Observed: 2/4/02 with N11, seeing was good, transparency was near perfect.
Comments: Wow! What extension and detail with 23mm Axiom. Extended to at least 2/3 degree. ABCD and E visible in Trapezium. Best view I've ever had, wish I was at a dark site! Baader skyglow filter improved contrast although E became too faint to see. Dark green filter (Baader) improved contrast even more. First time I can say I saw a dark lane between M42 and M43.

Object: 2 - Hercules Cluster… M13 / NGC6205
* Date Observed: 6/23/02 with N11, nearly full moon, but transparency was good.
Comments: HUGE! Stars easily resolved all across. Has the appearance of arms coming nearly straight out.
* Date Observed: 7/13/02 with N11, from dark site.
Comments: Incredible! Used 12.5mm Ultima and it filled the FOV (14 arcmin). Resolved so many stars, more than I could count.
* Date Observed: 8/13/01 with N11, back home. Excellent transparency, no moon.
Comments: Wonderful view tonight, up around 55 degrees alt and WNW (darkest skies here). Very ethereal, countless stars resolved, more with averted vision. Asymmetrical shape.

Object: 3 – Ring Nebula… M57 / NGC6720
* Date Observed: 6/29/02 with N11
Comments: Easy ring shape, outer lobes easily visible, variation in texture visible around ring.
* Date Observed: 8/13/02 with N11, excellent transparency.
Comments: Very rare view of the Ring Neb. In 23mm and 18mm, appeared to have blue-green tint. Knots clearly visible in ring, 2 outside lobes easily visible. Nearly at the zenith.

Object: 4 - Saturn
* Date Observed: 11/19/01 with N80 from semi-dark site
Comments: Rings fully open giving great view. Titan visible. First time I seem to have made out a slightly brighter patch on the planet itself.
* Date Observed: 2/27/02 with N11, seeing was occasionally excellent
Comments: Best tonight in 12.5mm. Cassini Division all the way around, crepe ring, 1 band on planet disk - all clearly visible. Also, splotches on the disk. Planet's shadow easily visible on the rings. Subtle shading on disk (especially the edges) gave a definite 3-D appearance. Able to clearly make out the edge of the planet in front of the rings.

Object: 5 - Moon
* Date Observed: 1/30/02 with N11
Comments: I find it hard to comment on the Moon, as I am not well-versed in lunar geography. Cruised around the Moon with 12.5mm (224x) and 7.5mm (373x) Ultimas. 14 or 15 day old moon, just beginning to wane. Nice views of lava plain with small craters as well as craters with complex central peaks. At such high magnifications the Baader Moon and Skyglow filter works well.

Object: 6 – Andromeda… M31 / NGC224
* Date Observed: 11/10/01 with N80, transparency very good.
Comments: Easily visible, but not much extension and no detail beyond core. Darker site makes some structure visible in the arms/disk.

Object: 7 – Dumbell Nebula… M27 / NGC6853
* Date Observed: 11/10/01 with N80, transparency very good.
Comments: Just a smudge, but I was impressed it was so easily visible at an altitude of 30 with the skyglow and local lights. Visible at 16x and 40x - washed out at 80x.
* Date Observed: HUGE in 18mm (156x), about 10' across, definite bow-tie shape. Contrast poor (or M27 too faint), stepped down to 23mm (122x), then 40mm (70x). All produced good view, but low contrast/detail.

Object: 8 – Pleiades / Seven Sisters… M45
* Date Observed: 2/6/02
Comments: Ahhh! That's the way to see it: 23mm Axiom in N80 (17x magnification, 4 degrees TFOV!). 50+ stars though sky very bright.

Object: 9 – Jupiter
* Date Observed: 11/19/01 with N80, poor to average seeing
Comments: Two bands clearly visible, good contrast. All 4 moons easily in field of view. Seeing didn't permit more than 80x.
* Date Observed: 2/6/02 with N80, seeing was very good.
Comments: Three bands visible with 5mm Ultima and 5mm with Barlow. Best view I've had with the N80.
* Date Observed: 2/27/02 with N11, seeing occasionally excellent.
Comments: Best tonight with 12.5mm (224x) and Baader Skyglow filter. North Equatorial Band (NEB) was VERY red, with darker spot that I've often noticed with Great Red Spot (GRS) was not visible. Lots of texture in the NEB. South Equatorial Band (SEB) - lots of white ovals/spots. 4 moons required 23mm Axiom (40 arcmin TFOV) to see all in same FOV. At 2240 local time (verified in Sky & Telescope) Ganymede started transit of planet. At first it was like a pearl against the darker edge of the disk. As it continued, it crossed in the white zone south of the SEB. At that time it was a dark spot against the white. (Shadow transit was to follow many hours later.)
* Date Observed: 4/5/02 with N11, seeing very good to excellent.
Comments: Collimated on Aldebaran before viewing, scope had cooled for about 90 minutes. 12.5mm & Baader Skyglow. WOW! NEB was very red, 2 darker red barges, light band along the bottom of the NEB, splitting it about 1/3 up from the bottom. SEB: gray with many white ovals. 1 thin band above NEB and 1 below SEB. Other fainter bands towards poles.

Object: 10 – Wild Duck Cluster… M11 / NGC6705
* Date Observed: 7/21/02 with N11, bright Moon
Comments: Wow! Very impressive in N11, well over 100 faint stars, even with 12 day old moon nearby.

Object: 11 – Bodes Galaxy… M81 / NGC3031 & Cigar Galaxy… M82 / NGC 3034
* Date Observed: 2/22/02 with N11, transparency excellent, seeing good.
Comments: M81 - faint due to moon and light pollution, but easily seen. M82 - Faint as well, seemed a little brighter or at least larger than M81.
* Date Observed: 4/5/02 with N11, transparency good, gusty winds shaking things up.
Comments: M81 - core very apparent with slight extensions showing the disk faintly. M82 - surface brightness fainter than M81, but more evenly bright out into the disk, so it appeared larger than M81 in the eyepiece.

Object: 12 – Swan Nebula… M17 / NGC6618
* Date Observed: 8/13/02 with N11, transparency average to good, seeing average.
Comments: Complex faint nebula, especially stunning in a wide field as it is found in a rich star field.

Object: 13 – Albireo-Double… Double List
* Date Observed: 8/13/02 with N11, transparency average to good, seeing average.
Comments: Glad I took a look at an old friend. Scope completely cooled, stars compact pinpoints. Albireo at zenith, blazing yellow gold with beautiful blue companion - excellent color contrast, one of the best doubles suitable for any scope.

Object: 14 – Perseus Double Cluster… NGC869 & NGC884
* Date Observed: 11/10/01 with N80, transparency very good, seeing good, no moon.
Comments: Wonderful view in a wide field scope. About 100 stars split between the two open clusters. Stars very clearly defined points of light, even with budget 25mm SMA eyepiece.
* Date Observed: 12/16/01 with N11 and N80.
Comments: Just fits (edges cut off) in 35mm Ultima (about 40 arcminutes). Better view in N80 due to wider field to show more surrounding sky, but N11 showed many, many more stars in the clusters.

Object: 15 – Whirlpool Galaxy… M51 / NGC5194
* Date Observed: 4/5/02 with N11, transparency good, gusty winds shaking things up.
Comments: Just able to make out the core of M51 and its companion, just too much light pollution for this faint object.
* Date Observed: 7/13/02 with N11, dark site.
Comments: Easily able to spot halo of the arms and the bridge between M51 and companion galaxy. Unable to study as this was a club outing and others needed time at the eyepiece as well.

Object: 16 – Lagoon Nebula… M8 / NGC6523
* Date Observed: 8/13/02 with N11, transparency average to good.
Comments: Sort of fan shaped, could only make out about 10' wide diffuse glow (using averted vision to get this extension) due to location immersed in skyglow of Naha city. Center fairly bright with "Lagoon" faintly visible with direct vision. Also notable was NGC6530, the open cluster associated with M8. West of brightest part of M8, with skyglow, M8 did not extend to NGC6530. NGC6530 is a loose cluster about 15' across with some striking stars almost blue/green in color. Perhaps the green tint is from the surrounding nebulosity.

Object: 17 – Beehive Cluster… M44 / NGC2632
* Date Observed: 3/9/02 with N11 and N80, slightly darker location than my patio, but still under urban skies. Transparency was horrible.
Comments: Large. Many bright stars in this loose open cluster. Looked best in N80 due to size, although the N11 cut through the soup and pulled in more stars.

Object: 20 – Globular in Sagittarius… M22 / NGC6656
* Date Observed: 8/13/02 with N11
Comments: Huge! Easily 15', larger than M13. Cleanly resolved stars clear across with milky background of unresolved stars at the core.

Object: 21 – Butterfly Cluster… M6 / NGC6405
* Date Observed: 7/21/02 with N11, bright Moon
Comments: One of my favorite open clusters in the N80, due to many bright stars and a wide field. Tonight the N11 shows many more fainter stars giving it a more full look that spills to the edge of the FOV in a 23mm Axiom (about 2/3 degree TFOV). Look for the bright gold, almost red star on the edge of the cluster.

Object: 22 – Double Double – Epsilon Lyra 1 & 2… Double List
* Date Observed: 6/29/02 with N11
Comments: Easily split all four stars at 156x and higher. All are same approximate magnitude and color: white. Orientation of pairs is perpendicular:

Object: 24 – Blue Snowball Planetary Nebula… NGC7662
* Date Observed: 9/28/02 with N11.  Transparency good, seeing good.
Comments:Bright, round, small, light blue/green.

Object: 25 – Spiral Galaxy… M66 / NGC3627
* Date Observed: 4/5/02 with N11, transparency average
Comments: Very faint oblong smudge in the eyepiece. Same FOV as M65.

Object: 26 – Coathanger – CR399… Asterism List
* Date Observed: 7/21/02 with N11 finder scope
Comments: Asterism - one of my favorites since I stumbled upon it years ago with my first telescope, a Tasco 60mm refractor. Looks best in the N80 - even the widest FOV in my N11 only shows 2 or 3 stars. It is cute in the N11's 9x50 finder scope.

Object: 27 – Galaxy in Leo… M65 / NGC3623
* Date Observed: 4/5/02 with N11, transparency average
Comments: Very faint oblong smudge in the eyepiece. Same FOV as M66.

Object: 28 – Ptolemy’s Cluster… M7 / NGC6475
* Date Observed: 7/21/02 with N11, bright Moon
Comments: Another great open cluster for small scopes and wide-field views, move than 20' across. Many white/blue stars. Watch for the large triangular outline in the center - made up of about 10 stars.

Object: 29 – Bernice’s Hair Clip… NGC4565
* Date Observed: 5/5/02 with N11, transparency good, no Moon
Comments: Faint oval shape, not much to look at from this light polluted location. Another very faint fuzzy to the southwest - NGC4562 - at the edge of the FOV about 12' away from NGC4565.

Object: 30 – Globular in Pegasus… M15 / NGC7078
* Date Observed: 11/10/01 with N80, great transparency and no Moon
Comments: Very tight star-like object with a faint halo when viewed at 16x. At 40x, started to show a more "fuzzy" appearance. 80x dissolved to a more noticeable cluster-like appearance.
* Date Observed: 8/13/02 with N11
Comments: Very nice, small, compact globular cluster. Easily resolved stars to the core. Seems to have 3 pronounced regions of brighter stars that look like rays extending out at 1, 4 and 7 o'clock positions.

Object: 31 – Owl Cluster… NGC457
* Date Observed: 2/4/02 with N11, great transparency
Comments: Nice! About 50 stars showing in 23mm Axiom.

Object: 32 – Milky Way
* Date Observed: 8/13/02 with N11
Comments: Spent an enjoyable 10 minutes "trolling" the heart of our galaxy in the Sagittarius/Scorpius region. Using a 23mm Axiom in my N11 (about 40' TFOV) at Rate 6, started low in Sag and just drifted up in altitude. Once reaching about 45 degrees alt, I pointed a couple of degrees to the east and drifted straight down. Repeated this for 5 or 6 swatches of the sky. Occasionally I would stop to examine something, but mostly I just floated by. It was like looking down from a bridge watching an incredibly beautiful river flow by.

Object: 33 – Trapezium in Orion… Center of M42
* Date Observed: 11/19/01 with N80
Comments: Trapezium easily visible at 80x, but the nebula looked better at 40x.
* Date Observed: 2/4/02 with N11
Comments: ABCDE all easily visible with 23mm Axiom (122x).

Object: 34 – Open Cluster in Puppis… M46 / NGC2437
* Date Observed: 2/27/02 with N11, nearly full moon
Comments: Very nice view for a full moon. 30 arcminute, better than 50 stars.

Object: 35 – Double Triangle (Star Gate)… Asterism List
* Date Observed: 4/5/02 with N11, average transparency
Comments: Very cute - triangle with a smaller inverted triangle inside.

Object: 36 – 24 Com Double… Double List
* Date Observed: 4/5/02 with N11, average transparency
Comments: Double star with beautiful gold primary and blue secondary.

Object: 37 – Open Cluster in Sagittarius… M25 / IC4725
* Date Observed: 7/21/02 with N11, 12 day old moon
Comments: Good contrasting colors: brighter yellow stars with many fainter white/blue stars scattered around a wide field.

Object: 38 – Open Cluster in Gemini… M35 / NGC2168
* Date Observed: 2/4/02 with N11, transparency nearly perfect, seeing average
Comments: Wow! Fills FOV in 23mm Axiom (40') nicely. More than 100 stars easily visible!

Object: 39 – Open Cluster in Cepheus… NGC7510
* Date Observed: 9/28/02 with N11, good transparency and seeing
Comments: Very pretty. Small Open Cluster, fan-shaped. Use higher powers to bring out the fainter members.

Object: 40 – Globular Cluster in Hercules… M92 / NGC6341
* Date Observed: 6/23/02 with N11, nearly full moon, good transparency
Comments: Compact, well-defined, easily resolved across.
* Date Observed: 7/13/02 with N11, from dark site, transparency average, no moon
Comments: Much smaller than M13 (viewed just before on this night), but very impressive with many stars resolved across.

Object: 43 – Open Cluster in Ophiuchus… NGC6633
* Date Observed: 7/21/02 with N11, 12 day old moon
Comments: Very wide open cluster with several white/blue giants and some nice yellow stars. Longer than it is wide and larger than indicated in the NGC catalog. Sits in rich star field, would look best in a field of 1 degree or more.

Object: 44 – Galaxy in Coma Berenices… M100 / NGC4321
* Date Observed: 5/5/02 with N11, seeing poor, transparency good, no Moon
Comments: Oblong core - not much else, washed out by light pollution.

Object: 45 – Table of Scorpius… NGC6231
* Date Observed: 7/21/02 with N11, 12 day old moon
Comments: Very nice compact open cluster with about 50 stars in a tight area less than 20 arcminutes. I experimented with a camcorder in 0 Lux mode on this object. Recessed lens makes it hard to get close enough to the eyepiece, but it was able to image magnitude 8 stars in real time!

Object: 46 – Trifid Nebula… M20 / NGC6514
* Date Observed: 7/13/02 with N11, dark site, transparency average.
Comments: Faint, small, but pretty. The southern sky was competing with the city's sky glow. At this disadvantage, looked best with 23mm Axiom. Dark lanes distinctly visible. This was a good example of experience at the eyepiece. This was a club outing and some of the newer observers could not see the nebula at all, while all of the more experienced picked it right out.

Object: 47 – Betelguese… Named Star
* Date Observed: 12/16/01 with N11, seeing was poor
Comments: VERY red, but poor seeing lead to spikes.

Object: 48 - Globular in Sagittarius... M55 / NGC6809
* Date Observed: 8/13/02 with N11, transparency average to good.
Comments: Large cluster of faint stars, easily resolved. More than 10' across. Most prominent stars give the impression of a pentagon.

Object: 49 – Open Cluster in Ariga… M36 / NGC1960
* Date Observed: 2/4/02 with N11, transparency nearly perfect
Comments: Pretty star shaped splattering of about 50 stars, about 25' across.

Object: 50 – Eagle Nebula & Cluster… M16 / NGC6611
* Date Observed: 7/21/02 with N11, 12 day old moon
Comments: Too near the moon to show nebulosity, just a spattering of stars.