Tuesday 13th February 2007

Southern Sentinel Observing Report

Tuesday 13th February 2007

Date:

13th February 2007 (Local)

Time:

22:30 - 00:00 NZDT (UT +13)

Location:

Pauanui

120 Minutes from Home

Weather:

Calm & Mild with Occasional Cloud. Slightly Hazy.

Seeing:

Limiting Magnitude 5.5, transparency 3/5, seeing 3/5

Moon:

No Moon

Equipment:

13.1 Inch Dobsonian, TeleVue Paracorr & Eyepieces & Lumicon Filters

Dave Ek Box and PalmDSC

First night out observing this year, Janruary was a right off.

Away at Pauanui for the week, and it has taken 5 days to be able to get out because of cloud and an ever present easterly wind blowing cloud onto the Coromandel Ranges. Sky is a bit hazy and the seeing a bit bubbly, but not too bad. Contrast is still good even by Kumeu standards. If I get clear skies the contrast will be a lot better.

Working a large box of sky either side of the celestial equator, from Gemini through to Puppis, mainly taking in Uranometria Pages 94, 95, 96, 114, 115, 116, 134, 135, 136.

Observations as follows;

Object	Type	Magnification	Notes
NGC 2174	Bright Nebula	114x	Small knot of nebulosity just to the W of a 7th Mag star. Not large just like a nebulous star. Object grows if adverted vision employed. Far smaller than most pictures depict.
Cr 89	Open Cluster	114x	Large grouping of stars, 5 bright stars (7th Mag) and probably as many fainter. More a group than a cluster.
M 35	Open Cluster	114x	Messier open cluster. A mass of evenly bright stars, about 200 members, however there is a bright orange star to the N of the cluster.
NGC 2163	Bright Nebula	114x	Small nebulous patch with no detail, just grows with adverted vision.
NGC 2158	Open Cluster	114x	Partially resolved open cluster at this power, compact and dense impossible to determine number of stars. However all are even in brightness. Cluster just to the W of M35.
IC 2157	Open Cluster	114x	Small grouping of 15 stars, 6 brigher stars (12th Mag), the remainder are hard to distinguish from the background field stars.
NGC 2169	Open Cluster	114x	Compact and bright open cluster of about 20 stars with about 8 brighter stars (Mag 9). In two distinct parts E/W. The eastern part has 6 stars. Quite stunning.
NGC 2342	Galaxy	114x	A galactic pair. Both similar of brightness. NGC2342 is slightly larger. Small 12th mag star just to the W.
NGC 2341	Galaxy	114x	A galactic pair. Both similar of brightness. NGC2341 is slightly smaller. Small 12th mag star just to the W.
NGC 2339	Galaxy	114x	Round diffuse galaxy, even in brightness. In a moderately starry field.
NGC 2264	Open Cluster	88x	Christmas Tree Cluster with Cone Nebula. Open cluster has about 40 members with 15 strikingly blue/white between 7th and 10th Mag. Cone nebula is visible as faint nebulosity that extends half a degree to the S. Nebulosity is very faint but descernable. Remarkable
NGC 2024	Bright Nebula	114x	Flame Nebula. Large and suprisingly detailed nebulosity about 20 arcminutes to the E of Alnitak (Leftmost Belt star). Dark lane clearly visible. Object was very easy to spot.
NGC 2023	Bright Nebula	114x	Small patch of nebulosity around a 8th Mag star, near the Horsehead. Herschel II Object.
M 78	Bright Nebula	114x	Small Messier nebulous patch with smaller nebulous patches nearby. Fairly bright.
B 33	Dark Nebula	114x	Horsehead Nebula. Never spotted before, however still not easy from rural skies. The Horsehead appeared as a dark notch directly below (S) of the middle star of a line of three (8th Mag) stars. Took my time to dark adapt fully and blocked out all stray light.
NGC 2251	Open Cluster	114x	Small open cluster wth two branches. 6 brighter stars on the western side and 6 on the eastern side, probably 25 stars all up.
NGC 2246	Bright Nebula	114x	Part of the Rosette Nebula. Eastern edge of nebula is quite faint and tenuous here.
NGC 2239	Open Cluster	114x	Bright open cluster in th middle of the Rosette. 8 bright (8th Mag) stars and about 80 odd fainter stars. Bright orange star (12 Mon) on the SE edge. Extensive nebulosity in this region, especially to the NW.
NGC 2238	Bright Nebula	114x	Largest and brightest part of the ring of Rosette Nebula. Almost half a degree wide on this side.
NGC 2392	Planetary Nebula	114x	Eskimo Nebula. Bright PN with irregularity. No detail logged at this power.

Telescope again performed well, with no major issues. setup during dusk and collimated the telescope and actually re-engaged a collimation bolt that had untreaded itself.

Worked the western side of the area planned with good success.

Spotted the Horsehead for the first time through the 13". The Rosette and NGC 2264 region took some time and observed some objects in this region for the first time in a long time and some objects for the first time. The contrast of M35 and NGC 2158 is also very nice.

Packed up and inside just after midnight.

Paul Kemp

13.1" Reflector

Auckland, New Zealand

36° 55' 09 " South, 174° 43' 30" East

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