The Week That Was

Barnard 86 (the Ink Spot Nebula) and the star cluster NGC 6520. B86 is composed of grains of silicate dust and organic matter, and is of the type of nebula from which clusters of stars–like NGC 6520–are eventually born. Image courtesy European Southern Observatory.

I. The last week of June brought with it the Third Quarter Moon and an unprecedented run of clear nights. Starting with June 25th, members of EAS went out to Eureka Ridge 8 of 9 nights; I made it 6 of those 9, using the more mediocre nights to catch up on much needed rest (and taking one night off due to work the next morning).  I even hitched a ride with Jerry one night, as Mrs. Caveman was off taking the offspring to Portland on her way to Japan and needed the van.

I spent much of the week working on the Herschel 400 and Herschel II lists; each has 400 objects taken from William Herschel’s 2500 or so deep-sky discoveries.  The 400 list is, more or less, the highlights of Herschel’s 2500, while the Herschel II collects (ostensibly, anyway) the second-tier 400.  There is a Herschel III, but it hasn’t formally been acknowledged by the Astronomical League as of yet. The Herschel 400/II lists contain objects bright enough that I wouldn’t want to “waste” the uber-dark skies at the Oregon Star Party observing them, when I can do it from Eureka Ridge or Eagle’s Ridge nearby.  The better to save OSP for targets requiring the darkest possible conditions.

Due to the sheer number of objects I observed this week, I’m not going to dress up my notes in the more prose-y style I used in the previous entry; I’ll do so in later entries, but there’s just too much here to afford that kind of time.  Here, they’re straight-from-the-transcription field notes, with some extra background material thrown in.

A note about the format I use on all of these notes, the prosier ones and the stripped-down version: eyepiece directions are north (N), south (S), west (P[receding]), and E (F[ollowing]).  The reason for this is that telescopes change the orientation of the cardinal directions, depending on the scope and the use of a diagonal mirror. Preceding indicates the direction that objects drift through the field, due to the Earth’s rotation, and is easier to note while observing than saying West; Following is the opposite side of the field, the side from which new stars and objects enter. North and south are reversed in a telescope, but can be misidentified easily based on the orientation of the telescope field. In a polar-aligned equatorially-mounted telescope, south is at top and north at bottom; in an alt-az Dobsonian scope like the ones I usually use, north and south always have to be determined by nudging the telescope toward Polaris, the North Star.  It’s more complicated than it seems.

In addition, the notations [ ‘ ] and [ ” ] don’t mean feet and inches here unless used to describe a telescope–they denote arcminutes and arcseconds, respectively. An arcminute is 1/60th of a degree; an arcsecond is 1/60th of an arcminute. The Moon covers roughly 1/2 of a degree, i.e. 30 arcminutes.  Estimating the size of galaxies and star clusters that are only a couple of arcminutes across is fidgety work, and less accurate than I’d prefer; it requires knowing the exact size of an eyepiece field and subdividing it to a reasonable measure of accuracy.  I can do it fairly well with my 14mm Explore Scientific 82˚ eyepiece, which has a field 0.7-degrees wide, or 42’, and a magnification of 112x.  In other eyepieces, it’s more of a crapshoot, as I don’t always remember to change scale when taking notes with a different eyepiece (or, as I discovered, using a different telescope).

Observing this week was cut short by Moonrise, clouds, or exhaustion–usually Moonrise.

6/25-6/26/16
EUREKA RIDGE
MOON: 22 days (61%), rose at 12:26 AM
SEEING: 6
TRANSPARENCY: 7
SQM: 20.77 (11:30); 21.5 (12:00)
NELM: not checked
WEATHER CONDITIONS: temps in low 60s, no dew; windy, but did not affect ground-level conditions much
OTHERS PRESENT: JO, KO, CW, RB, AG (Alan), PH, PH’s brother

11:24
NGCs 5426, 5427 (Vir): 5427 is larger of two by quite a ways—about 3.5’ across, pretty round—very diffuse, no central concentration in direct, little bit of core in averted—probably face-on spiral—maybe a bit of texture visible in halo—below (S) it is 5426 [got mixed-up and called both 5427]—elongated almost due N-S—2.5’-3.0’ long by 1.5-2.0’ wide—very very faint star between two galaxies, may be partly in halo of 5426—5426 has some central concentration—a little core, possibly sub-stellar nucleus in averted—not many bright stars in field, brightest (9th mag) is to NF side by about 25’—area directly around galaxies in 10’ radius almost barren of stars

11:39
NGCs 5221, 5222, 5230 (Vir): not easy, tougher than expected—5221: elongated pretty much P-F—about 1.25’ long by 0.75’ wide—really surprisingly faint—some central concentration—in averted, may have slightly-brighter core, not by much—S of 5221 by 8’ is 5222: elongated more N-S—2.25’ x 1.5’—definitely has stellar nucleus and slight core brightening—on S edge of halo is threshold star—about halfway between and slightly P of 5221/5222 is a 13th-mag star—due F 5222 by 8’ is 12th-mag star—following previous 12th-mag star by 6’ is 5230 (due F 5222): 2.5’ round—very diffuse—has some central concentration, which makes up most of diameter—tiny fringe of halo, then central concentration/core, no real nucleus to speak of; very amorphous—all three galaxies are fairly marginal objects—F and slightly N of 5230 by 10’ is 9th-mag star—when 5222/21 are centered, on NP edge of field is 7th/8th-mag star, brightest in field

12:26
NGC 5838, 5841, 5846, 5846A, 5850, 5845, 5839, 5869 (Vir): following 110 Vir—5838: bright galaxy—halo kinda elongated NF-SP, 3.5’ x 2.0’, but halo dim—core very bright—core makes up brightest component by far (0.5’ across and round), no stellar nuc—to S slightly F by 9′ 5838 is 8th mag star, star has 12th-mag companion separated by 2’—with galaxy centered, to SP edge to field is 8th mag star (23’ from galaxy)—F 5838 by 27’ and slightly N is NGC 5841: nowhere near as bright as -38—about 0.75’ across—slightly elongated NP-SF—very much P-F, slightly tilted—tiny central brightening—tough tough galaxy at this magnification—core/nucleus almost resembles field star—SF of 5841 by 30’ is a quartet of galaxies, brightest of which is NGC 5846: quite bright, diffuse, almost looks like double galaxy—2.5-3.0’ across—halo fairly thin, core very large—no stellar nucleus—pretty round—to SF part of halo either v. dim star or companion galaxy—may be another galaxy [NGC 5846A]—F that pair and slightly N is another galaxy (5850)—about 1.0’ across—much dimmer—elongated slightly P-F—has bright core, no stellar nucleus—F and slightly N previous pair of galaxies by 9’—line of three stars halfway between pair and 5850—stars not evenly spaced—stars about 10th/11th/12th mag—P and S of pair by 7-8’ is another galaxy (5845): round, small (0.75’)—brightish stellar nucleus—due NP pair by 9’ is 9th mag star—SP 5845 by 10’ is another galaxy (5839)—0.75’—has 10th-11th mag star S by 4’—has slightly brighter core—no stellar nucleus?—core looks like field star at first glance—5869: 2.25’ diameter—round—brighter core—averted shows no stellar nucleus—in middle of diamond of three 10th mag stars and a 12th mag star—12th mag star is NP corner of diamond—galaxy may have substellar nucleus in averted [losing detail; Moon rising]—to NP side of galaxy by 10’ is a 9th-mag star—companion galaxy (-68) not seen

Above: a sunset panorama from Eureka Ridge, from northwest (top) to northeast (bottom).

 

II. The next night we were again back out by 9 PM, in time to set up before dark.  With sunset near 9 PM, it still took until after 11 PM before skies were dark enough to actually observe any but the brighter deep-sky objects (usually globular star clusters) and the planets; we used views of Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn to check our collimation and alignment of finders, as well as to note the seeing and the amount to which our mirrors needed to adapt to the falling temperatures.  All three planets have been spectacular this summer: Jupiter with its striking cloud belts, dancing Galilean satellites, and shadows of said satellites on the tops of the planet’s clouds; Mars with its white polar ice caps and dark surface albedo features, resembling landforms; Saturn with its stunning rings and retinue of tiny moons, with subtle cloud belts of its own.

We also observed tiny, dim Pluto these several nights; the ninth planet (HA!) passed just south of the bright star Pi Sagittarii on the evening of the 26th, making it slightly easier to find. It’s quite surprising how much Pluto moves against the background sky in the course of one night, and was interesting to track for the first few nights of the observing run.

This second night found me tackling globular clusters early, before proceeding to galaxies. I must have found very few new galaxies, as I took no notes on them.  I did, however, catch the elusive microquasar SS 433, an object that had been on my list for a long, long time.

6/26-6/27/16
EUREKA RIDGE
MOON: 23 days (Last Quarter), rose at 12:57 AM
SEEING: 7
TRANSPARENCY: 8
SQM: 21.4
NELM: not checked
WEATHER CONDITIONS: temps in low 60s, little to moderate dew; slight breeze
OTHERS PRESENT: JO, RB, KP (Kristen)

All observations: 12.5″f/5 Discovery truss-tube Dobsonian, 14mm ES 82˚ eyepiece (112x, 0.7˚ TFOV) unless otherwise noted

11:00
NGC 6356 (Oph): globular, nice change of pace—really bright, 9th mag? maybe 10th?—5-6’ across—almost powdery on periphery—core is about 4’—maybe 3 gradients—CC 7? [2!]—due S is 9th mag star about 12’ away, part of tiny triangle—due P by 16-17’ is 7th-mag star—not sure why I missed this one when doing AL GC program

11:05
NGC 6342 (Oph): well S of 6356—3’ across—granular in averted—not well concentrated—has brighter inner region—CC 9 [4!]—to S and a bit P is 11th-mag star, 15’ from cluster halo—brightest star in field is 7th mag star to NP by 18’—F cluster by 24’ is 9th-mag star—P and just N of cluster by 22’ is  pair of 9th/10 mag stars separated by 5’—F and slightly N of cluster by 14’ is pair of 11th/12th mag stars separated by 3’

12:27
SS 433 (Aql): 6mm Radian: putting micro in microquasar—flickering in and out—greater than 14th magnitude—just off SF end of tiny diamond of stars—star on NF end is brightest (11.5 mag)—major axis of diamond is about 1’—SS 433 is off S tip of diamond—minor axis of diamond [0.4?] due P-F—SS 433 is major-axis of diamond to SF tip of diamond—not much to look at, but amazing to know what it is

By the time Jerry and I finished looking at SS 433, the Moon had risen.

III. The next night, I caught a ride with Jerry to Eureka Ridge, as I had no vehicle for the evening. Jerry brought the 20″ TriDob with him; I brought my 70mm TeleVue Pronto, rather than trying to stuff Bob the Dob into Jerry’s car with the TriDob.

What the Pronto lacks in aperture for deep-sky work, it more than makes up for in sweeping Milky Way vistas.  The enormous field of view the Pronto gives–almost four degrees with a 40mm Plössl eyepiece!–allows such sights as capturing the entire extent of the Veil Nebula in a single field, framing both the Eagle Nebula and the Swan Nebula together in a single field; and sweeping up the many lanes and clouds of dark dust along the Milky Way’s spiral form.  No large Dobsonian can provide these sights, which require such a huge field of view.  Yet the Pronto also fared well on smaller objects–with the 14mm Explore in the diagonal, the Dumbbell Nebula (M27) floated among the stars of Vulpecula in such a 3D view that Jerry said it might’ve been the best view of the nebula he’d ever had.

6/27-6/28/16
EUREKA RIDGE
MOON: 24 days (38%), rose at 1:30 AM
SEEING: 7
TRANSPARENCY: 8
SQM: 21.4
NELM: not checked
WEATHER CONDITIONS: temps in low 60s, little dew; slight breeze
OTHERS PRESENT: JO, RB, AG

I took no notes on this night, preferring the casual approach afforded by the Pronto and the simple folding chair I brought along.  Although I wasn’t really able to pursue the Herschel lists, the night had its own astronomical rewards.

I had to work the next day, hunting and gathering and scoring exams. Mrs. Caveman returned from Portland mid-afternoon, and after my work shift and discussion of the offspring’s departure for Japan, I decided to bail on a fourth consecutive night of observing. As I recall, most of the other observers also bailed on the night, the better to catch up on sleep and return the next night ready to go.

IV. Wednesday was incredibly productive: 12 objects I hadn’t taken notes on before, and only two of which I’d previously observed. (This naturally doesn’t count those objects observed waiting for twilight to fade, or some of the showpieces I would observe between groups of very faint objects.  Among these showpieces were M17, M22, M5, M13, M4, M80, M8, and M20.) The two I had observed previously were NGC 6520 and Barnard 86, the Ink Spot Nebula.  I was interested primarily in catching the nearby globular cluster Djorgovski 2, but struck out on this one–it would take another night and a larger scope to pull this one out of the background sky.  As it was, the NGC 6520/B86 pairing is so stunning that I didn’t mind too much not catching Djo2.

I managed to sweep up all of the Herschel II objects in Libra before the constellation began its descent for the year; I hadn’t been able to do so with some of the earlier-Spring constellations, but I could at least close the book on Libra.

6/29-6/30/16
EUREKA RIDGE
MOON: 26 days (18%), rose at 2:42 AM
SEEING: 5
TRANSPARENCY: 6
SQM: 21.4
NELM: not checked
WEATHER CONDITIONS: temps in low 60s, moderate dew; slight breeze
OTHERS PRESENT: JO, RB

All observations: 12.5″f/5 Discovery truss-tube Dobsonian, 14mm ES 82˚ eyepiece (112x, 0.7˚ TFOV) unless otherwise noted

11:21
NGCs 5595, 5597 (Lib): both very diffuse—larger of two [5595] is to P and slightly N—about 2.5’ diameter, fairly roundish—has kind of irregular shape to slight central concentraion, which makes up majority of diameter—elongated core N-S—following that by 6-7’ is other galaxy [5597] —half the size, even more diffuse—in averted just a hint of nucleus—about 1.5’, slightly elongated N-S—still a bit twilighty—bright satellite through field—to SP by 9’ of larger galaxy is 9th mag star— N of each galaxy by 8’ is a 10th mag star—halfway between those stars is 11th mag star—galaxies and 10th mag stars form rectangle—N and slightly P larger galaxy by 18’ is another 9th mag star

11:38
NGC 5605 (Lib)—not at all obvious—elongated SP-NF—about 2.0’ x 1.5’—very very diffuse—(fogged eyepiece)—in averted, no visible core, slight central brightening of nucleus—to F edge of halo maybe tiny threshold star coming and going in averted—7th mag star 15’ SF galaxy; 12th mag companion to NF by 1.5’—galaxy set in isosceles triangle of stars; long sides about 10’—star to SP side of triangle is 10th mag—star to NF 9th mag—star to FNF is 12th mag—would have passed over galaxy without knowing where to look—not overly obvious but not horribly difficult

11:51
NGCs 5728, 5716 (Lib)—galaxies down here not impressive—5728: satellite went through core of galaxy—elongated N-S—about 2.5’ x 1.25’—has some subtle central brightening—substellar nucleus in averted—smallish core—5’ S is 10th mag star at end of arc of three 10th mag stars going P-F—5’ N slightly F galaxy is 11th mag star—almost due P galaxy by 10’ is a 9.5 mag star—several threshold stars within framework of other stars closer to galaxy—galaxy definitely has brighter nucleus—core tapers slightly to S—back to 9.5 mag star to P side of galaxy: hopping from that, SP that star (another satellite through field) by 20’ is 5716—just on edge of galaxy is line of three 12th mag stars—galaxy is dim, unconcentrated—about 1.75’ in diameter—no central concentration—to N and angled NP-SF is line of 12th mag stars—two to F following side of line are spaced 1’ apart and are just on edge of galaxy’s halo—galaxy just a cottony fuzz—easy to overlook

12:07
NGC 5812 (Lib)—surely elliptical—1.5’, very round—definite central brightening—visible core region, substellar nucleus—core looks irregular or elongated—in nondescript field—25’ to F side of galaxy and slightly S is 7th mag star, maybe 8th, brightest thing in field—to NF side of galaxy by 8’ is little equilateral triangle of stars; N-most and F star is brightest at 11th mag—S edge of triangle has three 12th/13th mag stars in it—NP by 8’ of galaxy is 11th mag star—SP by 15’ is another 8th/9th mag star

12:20
NGC 5861, 5858 (Lib): 5861: really diffuse but very large—3.75’ x 2.5’—elongated NP-SF—not much central brightening at all—S of galaxy by 3’ is 11th star—NF by 12’ is 8th mag star—another 8th mag star SF galaxy by 18’—galaxy much more obvious that previous galaxies—supposed to be another galaxy [5858] N of 5861, but not sure I see it—just barely: N of 5861 by 15’—has 12th mag star touching on N side—quite small, visible mostly in averted or by rocking scope—maybe 0.75’ —no real central concentration—very much a threshold object [this may not be 5858—distance from 5861 too great; SG notes 5858 as “fairly bright, very small”, May this be IC 1091?]

12:35
NGC 5878 (Lib): field dominated by pair of 7th/8th mag stars—one is NP galaxy by 18’, the other NF galaxy by 9’, form a right triangle with galaxy—seeing fluctuating—galaxy fairly obvious—elongated NP-SF—2.5’ x 1.0’—looks like inclined spiral—has small brighter core—extent of galaxy, especially to SF edge, looks almost like there’s dimmer part of halo, like dark lane crossing perpendicular to plane of galaxy—quite nice galaxy, especially considering most previous ones—NF by 6’ is 10th star, N slightly F galaxy by 3’ is 11th mag star—4’ to NP of galaxy is 11th mag star

1:09
NGCs 6540, 6520; Barnard 86 (Sgr): 6540: non-globular-looking globular—about 1.5’, but not round, almost linear looking—extended P-F—grainy—has 12th and 13th mag star N of cluster by 1’—averted makes it a little more round—v. unusual looking globular—pair of 8th mag stars to P side, N and S by 12’—cluster forms isosceles triangle with pair—moving back P brings to NGC 6520/Barnard 86—6520: rich little cluster—central part is 4-5’ across—pretty detached from Milky Way—quartet of bright stars that run across bottom of cluster, two in central region of cluster, one almost in middle, one on P edge, one off F edge by 4’, one off P edge by 6’*—about 15 obvious stars and then a bunch of threshold stars that pop in averted—looks more like globular than 6540—three brightness gradients (quartet of brighter stars, then group of 12th/13th mag stars, rest fade into background haze)—B 86: elongated N-S—about 7.0’ x 9.0’—P side is darker—tendril of nebula runs along S side of 6520, but is less opaque than main part—to NP edge is 7th mag star—P edge of nebula has three other 11th mag stars that run along P edge, defining it—on N central side of B86 is 12th mag star just about on N edge—nebula like rounded triangle—*between that star and cluster is another patch of dark nebulosity that’s 4’ round, less opaque than rest of nebula—[spent several minutes searching for Djorgovski 2 with no luck]

1:37
NGC 6240 (Oph): seeing crappy at the moment—galaxy is faint—1.0’ x 0.7’, elongated N-S—just to F side on edge of halo is 13th mag star—13th mag stars due N and S—tiny bit of central brightening—averted brings out bit of halo, maybe to 1.25’ major axis—would’ve swept over without knowing where it was—galaxy inside check-mark shape of stars 30’ long—front part of check is 9’ long, almost like Nike swoosh—9th mag star at long end is brightest of check-mark stars—tough little galaxy, not easy in this aperture or magnification

V. We reconvened at Eureka Ridge the next evening—actually, the same evening, only later.  This time, though, I had somewhat heavier “artillery” to observe through.

The Eugene Astronomical Society has a telescope lending system; anyone in good standing in the group can borrow a telescope for three months, and can continue to keep that scope until and unless someone else requests it after that three months.  The 14.7″ Dob we’d built is a part of that lending program (Randy currently has it). So is the 18″ f/5 Dob-monster currently sitting in my garage, which I “checked out” of the club’s inventory the afternoon of June 30th.

The scope is considerably bigger than Bob the Dob, and requires a ladder to observe anything more northerly than Sagittarius’ teapot spout as seen from Eureka.  Fortunately, a ladder is included in the borrowing–along with a Telrad, an 8 x 50 finder, and a quartet of eyepieces–most notably, 19mm and 35mm TeleVue Panoptics.  And so, with great help from Jerry (and from Frank, who’d originally built the scope), the scope was assembled, collimated, and left to cool as night fell on Eureka Ridge.

Observing with a large Dobsonian is a different prospect than observing with a smaller scope, doubly so when a ladder is needed.  Although it’s possible to aim the scope from ground level, looking through the Telrad, moving the giant 18″ from up on a ladder is much more difficult; it’s not as smooth as Bob the Dob, and that, coupled with my insufficient amount of sleep, made me impatient when having to search for objects.  I gave up somewhat quickly on Abell 2065, the Corona Borealis Galaxy Cluster, the central galaxies of which I’d already observed in Jerry’s Trackball and the 20″ TriDob, and I gave less attention than I should have to Abell 2151, the Hercules Galaxy Cluster.  Both clusters are on the Oregon Star Party advanced observing list, and although I’d wanted to refamiliarize myself with them prior to OSP, I just wasn’t in the mood to stand on a ladder and sweep for them that particular night at Eureka. Even though my ancestors had still been tree-dwellers, we Australopithecines hadn’t given up on this ground-dwelling thing, and we weren’t yet ready to climb ladders or abandon the comfortably-solid ground for any length of time.

Other targets lower in the sky got better shrift.  I had spent some time the last few nights casually looking for the obscure globular ESO 452-11, east of Tau Scorpii, but hadn’t really concentrated on it.  This night, with Scorpius on the meridian, I had the opportunity and the aperture to track it down.

6/30-7/1/16
EUREKA RIDGE
MOON: 27 days (18%), rose at 3:25 AM
SEEING: 7
TRANSPARENCY: 7
SQM: 21.4
NELM: not checked
WEATHER CONDITIONS: temps in low 60s, little to moderate dew; slight breeze
OTHERS PRESENT: JO, KO, RB, FS, BH

Observed with EAS’ 18” f/5 Dobsonian. Observations using 14mm ES 82* (178x; TFOV 0.5*)

11:21
ESO 452-11 (Sco): just E of Tau Sco—absolutely tiny, just a little fuzz—0.75’ diameter—substellar point in middle—off to P side is another threshold star, substellar point in middle may also be threshold star, both bracketing cluster glow—both stars are less than 0.5’ apart—P cluster and slightly S is pair of 11th mag stars—twilight still not finished—to F and S is another triangle of stars, 9th and 10th mags—to NP cluster by 15’ is 8th mag star

I also went back to NGC 6520 and the Ink Spot to find Djorgovski 2, and, lo and behold, the extra aperture made the sighting easy once I had the right spot:

11:55
Djorgovski 2 (Sgr): finally!—almost in middle (slightly N) of Hercules-keystone-shaped asterism, which has brightest star to S and shortest side to NP of cluster—cluster is just about 2’ across and very diffuse—no way to check CC—with cluster centered in field, bright star N of Ink Spot lies just on F edge of field—cluster 13th mag? —no stars visible in cluster—in averted to P and very slightly S of halo is threshold star coming in and out of view

Now that I know how to find Djo 2, I’m guessing that I can find it in Bob the Dob.

But there were other objects that I managed, even up on the ladder.  The two most notable were Hickson 72 in Boötes, a good test for the aperture, and the marvelously-named Shakhbazian 166, a chain of tiny, eye-bleedingly faint galaxies next to Eta Ursae Minoris.  Both clusters of galaxies were fascinating to observe, and I regret not taking notes on them, or at least not going after them with the 6mm Radian to prise out what detail could be gleaned from them.

I kept feet on the ground with many targets, observing M 4, M80, M22, M25, and M28 from my observing chair, then using a two-step ladder to catch M5.  Globular clusters become exponentially more remarkable in larger apertures, and nothing can compare to seeing these brilliant examples of the class in such a large scope.  (I also observed the great M13 from the ladder; it was well worth the climb.)

The post-midnight hours saw our group dwindle to a quartet, and though I was just beginning to feel comfortable with the 18″, I was also starting to feel serious fatigue. My last handful of objects for the night included my favorite globular, M15 in Pegasus, and two other Pegasus sights: the barred spiral galaxy NGC 7479 (which looks a bit like Superman’s ‘S’ symbol, one spiral arm plainly obvious and extended, the other dimmer and shorter) and, another target I’d been after for some time, the edge-on super-flat galaxy UGC 12881, a phantom of a sliver of a galaxy that had been the featured Object of the Week over at the Deep Sky Forum a couple of years ago and had been an obsession ever since.  It was a marginal sighting, likely to be bettered under the darker skies of OSP when the galaxy would be closer to the meridian, but it would do for now.

Randy and I got the 18″ loaded into the Caveman-Mobile and were the last two to leave the site.  It was a tough drive home; had we been at Eagle’s Ridge, twice as far from home, I’m not sure I would’ve made it in one piece.  As it was, I don’t remember much of the last fifteen minutes of driving.

The next night, Mrs. Caveman and I took the 18″ scope to a pre-4th of July party on the outskirts of town. We hadn’t realized the party wasn’t on the 4th, and found this out too late to bring food; as the host (our real estate agent) had asked us to bring a telescope, I thought that hauling the 18″ would make up for the fact that we hadn’t brought any food. As it turned out, it more than made up for any food we might have scrounged up to take.  There were about 30 people at the party, and the astonishment they expressed at the sight of the monster scope was reward enough.

The agent’s property included a large field (seen in the above photos) that had the occasional deer sprinting through, and was stable enough ground that I was more comfortable scaling the ladder to the eyepiece.  We still stayed lower to the ground  when possible, checking out the three visible planets (Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn) to the delight of those present—especially the lad who spent much of his waking time daydreaming about Mars and reading up on Curiosity and the other Mars missions.

We did scale the ladder or the stepstool for other sights: M13, M5, M11, M17, and M51. The skies from the agent’s house were surprisingly good—about the equivalent of those at Crab Orchard in southern Illinois–and the Milky Way had a fair amount of detail.  I’d have been well pleased to call that area my own stomping ground.

A number of folks there at the party were suitably impressed with what they’d seen.  A job well done.

VI. The final night of this observing run was July 3rd, again at Eureka. This time, I brought Bob the Dob, still my mainstay no matter what other gear I have. Given the occasional wind gusts that sprang up, it was a fortuitous choice; Dobsonians being prone to becoming wind vanes in gusty conditions, and the larger ones especially so, it would’ve been chaos to use the 18″.  The shorter 12.5″ avoided the wind for the most part, with only a few ground-level gusts being a problem.

One other aspect of using the 12.5″ was of benefit–I’m familiar with it enough that it’s almost an extension of my own eyes.  I know how it’s going to move, and exactly how much pressure to use to get it where I need to go.  Much as the extra 5.5″ of aperture could be useful on any quarry, the 12.5″ was the scope that I needed for this last night’s quarry… more of the Herschel objects.

It was another very productive night.  Jerry and Kathy were there, as was their neighbor John (a doctor; it didn’t occur to me until I got home that I should’ve called him The Night Tripper) and Randy, again using the 14.7″ scope EAS had built.  Once darkness had fallen, and with the usual twilight targets (M80, et al) out of the way, we all settled into our own projects and our own individual universes.

7/3-7/4/16
EUREKA RIDGE
MOON: 29 days (1%), rose at 6:06 AM
SEEING: 7
TRANSPARENCY: 7
SQM: not taken
NELM: not checked
WEATHER CONDITIONS: temps in low 50s, little dew; occasional wind gusts
OTHERS PRESENT: JO, KO, RB, John

All observations: 12.5″f/5 Discovery truss-tube Dobsonian, 14mm ES 82˚ eyepiece (112x, 0.7˚ TFOV) unless otherwise noted

11:17
NGC 6235 (Oph): largish—about 4’ diameter—partially resolved, very granular—cluster has to SP-NF is orientation of brightest part of cluster’s core—8-9 CC—inset in isosceles triangle of 11th mag stars—long side of triangle is about 12’, other sides about 9’—off to due F edge of field, about 22’ from cluster is an 8th mag star—little very unequal triple is to SP of cluster by 14’—9th mag star is brightest of that triple—to SF by about 15’ from cluster is 10th mag star—to NF edge of cluster is a 13-14th mag star just inside edge of halo—the P edge of cluster looks a little flattened—in averted a sprinkling of stars visible over core, about 8 or 9 stars—in averted one star to SP edge of core, maybe 14th mag, that pops in and out

11:35
NGC 6284 (Oph): 4’ diameter—central 2’ is core—powdery on edges—in averted looks granular—fairly loose, CC 7—to F side by 1.5’ is little diamond of 13th-14th mag stars, major axis N-S—about 18’ P cluster is bright pair of stars (double?) separated by 5’ oriented NP-SF; SF star closest to cluster—F cluster and slightly N is an 8th mag star about 22’ from cluster—SF cluster by 22’ is arc of three unevenly spaced stars—cluster is pretty round—just wants to be resolved in averted—in direct just powdery

12:29
NGCs 5614, 5589, 5590 (Boo): SF of A Boo—supposedly double galaxy with -15, but -15 not at all visible—galaxy inside little almost equi triangle—two bright stars in triangle about 8th mag, third (closest to galaxy) 10th mag—galaxy 4’ P the dim star—two brighter to P side of galaxy, NP and SP—galaxy is 2.5’—definitely gives glimpses in averted of second galaxy, but need more mag—inner region that’s 0.25’ across—hint of stellar nucleus—to N slightly P edge by 17’ is 10th mag star—to SF side of galaxy by 23’ is 10th mag star—two stars P galaxy, preceding them by 25’ is 10th mag star—another 10th star NP that one by 20’ and then F that star is pair of galaxies [NGCs 5589/5590]—one of galaxies [5589] F and slightly N, about 8’ from final star—very diffuse—small, 1.5’—not a lot of concentration, just a bit—not quite stellar nucleus, just barely visible—from that galaxy 7’ to SF (due F star by 12’) is second galaxy [5590]—brighter and larger—2.0’ across—has brighter core region—no nucleus but small bright core

12:40
NGC 5533 (Boo)—in same field as A Boo—P and slighty S A Boo—large, 3.0’ halo— bright core elongated almost P-F—hint of nucleus, uncertain—about 25’ from A—about halfway between galaxy and A is equal-mag (11th mag) double, separated by 3’—these form the S end of isosceles triangle of 10th mag stars—triangle about 15’ on long side, about 10’ on two short sides—pair is 18’ due F galaxy—in averted galaxy elongated P-F side—3.75’ x 2.0’ halo in averted

12:52
NGC 5996 (SerCap): not impressive galaxy—1.0’ across—almost round—elongated a bit N-S—in zigzag line with double star of 11th and 12th mag components to N slightly F side—to NP by 18’ is 8th mag star—double about 2.5’ N of galaxy—other two stars in zigzag are 11th mag star SF by 5’ and 10th mag star SF by 8’—brightest star around galaxy is 6th mag yellowish star 30’ almost due F galaxy

Somehow, I missed NGC 5994, interacting with NGC 5996. This pair, also known as Markarian 690, is one of the targets for the OSP advanced observing program.  A bad mistake on my part.

By this time, the air had turned considerably cold; I went for my heavy winter coat, despite wearing a sweatshirt and a polar fleece jacket already.  Astronomy can be a surprisingly physical hobby—putting together heavy equipment, doing calisthenics to reach an eyepiece that’s in an awkward position–but is mostly fairly sedentary, and the usual advice is to dress as if the temperature is going to be twenty degrees colder than the forecast suggests.  This is usually good practice.

For various reasons, though, everyone left but me and Randy.  I wasn’t sure how long I planned to stay out, but managed to constantly find enough reasons to keep observing.

1:05
NGC 5970 (SerCap): in interesting field—galaxy is fairly large—3.0’—has large (1.5’) brighter core but no nucleus—core is elongated P-F—bright star (8th mag) to NF side by 7’—8’ to P slightly N side of galaxy is 11th mag star and 10’ F slightly S galaxy is 10th mag star—to S of galaxy is pair of 11th and 10th stars about 6’ apart; 11th mag star is S just slightly P galaxy by 7’; 10th mag star is S very slightly F by 10’—to N is line of 12th/13th mag stars stretched almost due P-F by 5’ from galaxy

1:33
NGC 6070 (SerCap): large, about 4.5’ x 2.0’—elongated P-F—galaxy flanked P and F by 14th mag stars just on edge of halo—galaxy has brighter, irregular-shaped core not always distinguishyable from halo, edges indistinct—N and very slightly F center of galaxy by 11’ is an 8th mag star—galaxy sits inside triangle with that star and 11th mag stars SP by 7’ and SF by 4’—N of bright star by 8’ and slightly P is small triangle of 9th and 10th mag stars—no nucleus to galaxy visible—obviously inclined spiral, though

2:17
NGC 7217 (Peg): definitely bright, round—2.25’ across—has brighter core about 0.75’ across—hint of quasi-stellar nucleus in averted—galaxy set in trapezoid of 10th mag stars—trapezoid is about 18’ on long side and 9’ on short side—galaxy is closest to star on NF point of trapezoid—about 5’ from star—SP galaxy by 6’ is tiny clump of stars, 11th and 12th mags—nice galaxy, probably elliptical

2:48
NGCs 7448, 7463, 7465 (Peg): 7448: elongated—visible tiny stellar nucleus in averted—in between two stars that are part of an arc of four—galaxy 2.5’ in halo, elongated N-ish-S-ish—brighter core slightly off-center to S—core is 1.5’ long—two stars bracketing it, closer is due F galaxy by 4.5’ and is 11th mag—7’ to P side of galaxy is 12th mag star—halfway between galaxy and P star is very faint double of 13th and 14th mags, separated by 0.25’—star to F side forms large equilateral triangle 30’ on side—star to S is brightest at 8th mag; star F about 9th mag, about 34’ F galaxy—from that star is pair of smaller galaxies—one to NF by 4’ [7463] is very diffuse—elongated P-F—about 1.5’ long x 0.75’ —not much central brightening—kind of ghostly streak—4’ F that galaxy is slightly brighter one [7465]—obvious sub-stellar nucleus—bright central core—dim halo—halo not well seen due to core—1.0’ x 0.75’—NF 7465 by 8’ is line of 13th mag stars elongated NP-SF—SF 7465 by 14’ is 9th mag star—NF 7465 by 23’ is 7th mag star

Somewhere among these objects we also spent a fair time walking through getting to NGC 6905, the Blue Flash Nebula in Delphinus–not a difficult object to see, but tricky to find in a low-power eyepiece in a crowded Milky Way field.

And that was the week-plus observing run after Third-Quarter Moon.  It was fortunate that it had been so clear; I ended up getting sick the next day and being too run down to take advantage of the New Moon-dark, and the past several nights have been cloudy or downright rainy.  The long run here also was good preparation for the next three months of star parties I’m planning on—OSP, Brothers Star Party (near Brothers, OR, August 31-September 5) and the Autumn Camp Delaney Star Party (near Coulee City, WA, September 28-October 2).

It may not count as “productivity” in most peoples’ books, but exploring a large chunk of the universe is a reward all its own.