Wednesday 26th July 2006

Southern Sentinel Observing Report

Wednesday 26th July 2006

Date:

26th July 2006 (Local)

Time:

19:30 - 22:00 NZDT (UT +12)

Location:

Kumeu Observatory

60 Minutes from Home

Weather:

Very Cold & Very Clear. No Moon or Wind.

Seeing:

Limiting Magnitude 6.0, transparency 4/5, seeing 5/5

Moon:

New Moon.

Equipment:

13.1 Inch Dobsonian, TeleVue Paracorr & Eyepieces & Lumicon Filters

Dave Ek Box and Palm

First time in a long time since I have had my scope out at Kumeu. Setting up was not to difficult. The conditions were truely wintery but there was no wind. Plenty of warm gear on tonight.

Dave Moorhouse was there set up doing some Astrophotography. Guy Thornley, Alister Duhs and Alan Kane turned up later.

No real plan organised tonight, just a work through the July Target list and some objects not logged for a while. I am still quietly working through the Herschel 400 and second 400 lists.

Object	Type	Magnification	Notes
NGC 6284	Globular Cluster	114x	Small globular cluster not far from M9. Very small and partially resolved. Hard to determine class. Not difficult. Herschel 400 Object.
NGC 6401	Globular Cluster	114x	Faint globular in Ophiuchus, in a spase, although starry, region about 6 degrees West of M8 and 6 degrees SE of M9. Very small and hardly resolved. 12th Mag star embedded in the halo of this globular. Herschel 400 Object.
NGC 6355	Globular Cluster	114x	Small globular cluster in Ophiuchus. Easy, moderately bright. Condensed core possible a Class 4 or 5. Herschel 400 Object.
NGC 6316	Globular Cluster	114x	Small globular cluster in Ophiuchus. Compact with a bright core. Has a bright star close by and in a line of three stars. Herschel 400 Object.
NGC 6304	Globular Cluster	114x	Small globular cluster in Ophiuchus. Even in brightness partially resolved and fairly bright compared to near by globulars. Very similar in appearance to NGC6293 3 degrees to the N. Less than a degree from the Scorpius border. Herschel 400 Object.
NGC 6546	Open Cluster	114x	Sparse open cluster of about 25 stars a degree to the E of M20. 10 stars are brighter than 12th Mag. A distinctive equalateral triange of 10th stars in positioned on the SE side of this cluster.
NGC 6544	Globular Cluster	114x	Small globular cluster a degree south of M8. This object is remarkable, it looks like a pendant on a chain. The glob itself is partially resolved with a bright core but pretty small and has a mottled appearance. A loop of faint stars makes a chain that weaves to the east and loops round to the south. Herschel 400 Object.
NGC 6357	Bright Nebula	114x	Faint nebulous patch near two small 11th magnitude stars. The UHC filter increases contrast and hints at a larger patch of nebulosity over the whole area.
M 20	Bright Nebula	114x	Quick look at the Trifid with the UHC in. Contrasty dark lanes and the reflection nebulosity is still visible despite the filter.
NGC 6642	Globular Cluster	176x	Small globular cluster with a condensed core. Not bright and partially resolved. Herschel 400 Object.
NGC 5850	Galaxy	114x	Faint galaxy to the E of the NGC5846 double galaxy. Even in brightness with a small core. Herschel Second 400 Object.
NGC 5848	Galaxy	176x	Small galaxy east of NGC5838. No detail and fairly difficult,
NGC 5846A	Galaxy	176x	Moderate bright double nucleus galaxy. If it is two galaxies, the galaxies must be very close, less than the width of Jupiter. Round and about 3 arc minutes in diameter. A half degree S of the equally bright NGC5838. NGC5846A is a partner galaxy.
NGC 5846	Galaxy	176x	Moderate bright double nucleus galaxy. If it is two galaxies, the galaxies must be very close, less than the width of Jupiter. Round and about 3 arc minutes in diameter. A half degree S of the equally bright NGC5838. NGC5846A is a partner galaxy. Herschel 400 Object.
NGC 5845	Galaxy	176x	Small stellar glow just to the W of the NGC5146 double galaxy. Faint.
NGC 5839	Galaxy	176x	Small galaxy to the W of the NGC5846 double galaxy. Even brightness with no detail. Hard but not difficult.
NGC 5838	Galaxy	176x	Bright elongated oval galaxy with a bright core. Close to a 9th mag star and a half degree N of the NGC5846 double galaxy. Easy. Herschel Second 400 Object
NGC 5979	Planetary Nebula	114x	Round PN with an even brightness, no detail or central star.
NGC 5844	Planetary Nebula	114x	Small PN, round with not much detail. Not difficult to spot, certainly no filter required, Starry field.
NGC 6025	Open Cluster	114x	Open cluster on the Norma / Triangulum Australe border, Has about 35 bright members brighter than 11th mag. Beautiful white stars in a nice field. Couple of bright stars 8th mag stars are prominent in the SE.
NGC 6087	Open Cluster	114x	Bright but loose/sparse open cluster with about 15 to 20 bright members. Has a bright orange member (Mag 6.5 S Normae) in the centre of the cluster.
NGC 5999	Open Cluster	114x	Condensed open cluster with members very close together, like a loose globular. About 50 to 70 members no brighter than 11th Mag. Fairly faint.
Shapley 1	Planetary Nebula	114x	Shapley 1. Barely noticable without the UHC or OIII filters from Kumeu, although you can spot it fairly easily when you know exactly where it is with adverted vision. However once the OIII was employed this object was easy with a ring shape detected. Spent some time looking at Shapley 1 with different filters etc.
M 92	Globular Cluster	114x	Had to do the limbo with the Dob tonight to see M92. Object down very low and suffered from a milky northern horizon. Large well resolved globular cluster with moderate core, maybe a type 5. Captured exactly as M92 crossed the merdian. Object cannot be observed any higher from Kumeu
NGC 5189	Planetary Nebula	114x	Nice widefield view of the Spiral Planetary. Irregular and bright.

Another accurate night with the Palm DSC's. Kumeu offers excellent views in the east above 30 degrees all the way round through north to the south. OK low in the north but not as good a Wenderholm.

The observations tended to focus around the Scorpius/ Ophiuchus border and the many globular cluster

Had a good look a Shapley 1 through all sorts of filter and eyepiece combinations. NGC 6544 was a highlight due to the surrounding field and it was good to catch up with M92 as well, low down in the north.

A very interesting group of galaxies was observed, this was the NGC 5846 group. The individual objects in this cluster are logged above, but the galaxy grouping was very interesting. NGC 5846/5846A dominates this group. The white circle indicates the FOV with a 11mm Nagler at 176x.

Home at just after 10:30 PM.

Paul Kemp

13.1" Reflector

Auckland, New Zealand

36° 55' 09 " South, 174° 43' 30" East

-- The Southern Sentinel --