Re: Observing report, TV76, 9/2/2005

Florian:
> Date: Friday early morning, 2-Sept-2005
> Location: Rockhouse Canyon, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Calif.
> Equipment: Tele Vue 76 (3" f/6.3) refractor, Leica 10x32 binoculars
>
> Started observing about 1am local time. Clear skies but nowhere near
> pristine. Light dome from the Coachella Valley to the north and from
> Mexicali to the SE. My site is still fairly remote and probably
> 10 miles from another human being. ;-)
>
> Helix nebula (7293) in Aquarius visible through 10x32 binoculars.
>
> 247, GX, Cetus - Large but faint.
>
> 253, GX, Sculptor - Large, bright, elongated.
>
> 288, GC, Sculptor - Fairly bright. Same field with 253.
>
> 300, GC, Sculptor - Fairly large, faint. Some foreground stars
> superimposed over the galaxy.
>
> 55, GX, Sculptor - Fairly bright. Elongated.
>
> 613, GX, Sculptor - Small and faint. Near a mag 9 or 10 star.
>
> 1097, GX, Fornax - Hard to locate. Medium size, faint.
>
> M74, GX, Pisces - Fairly bright. Round. I think i could almost see
> with 10x32 binoculars but not sure.
>
> M33, GX, Triangulum - Easy in 10x32 binoculars. Could not see
> naked eye.
>
> At 2:10am watched the Orion Nebula rising over the Santa Rosa mtns.
>
> Open clusters M38, M36 and M37 in Auriga.
>
> The Crab Nebula, M1, in Taurus.
>
> Took another nap from about 2:40am to 4am.

Slouch.

> 1291, GX, Fornax.
>
> 1365 and 1399, GX, Fornax - Galaxies in the Fornax Cluster. 1365
> is larger, 1399 smaller. 1365 is a beautiful barred spiral galaxy
> but of course this detail isn't visible in my little 76mm APO.
> Can also see galaxy 1404 which is not plotted in the BSA just
> south of 1399.
>
> 1360, PN, Fornax - Big for a planetary! Round. Can see central
> star. Very interesting object. Surprised it isn't more well
> known. Galaxy 1398 in the same field is quite a bit smaller.
>
> 1232, GX, Eridanus - Fairly faint.
>
> 1407, GX, Eridanus - Small, faint.
>
> Mars overhead showing a gibbous phase.
>
> Saturn rising next to the Beehive M44.
>
> Zodiacal light quite bright. Time to sleep a bit before sunrise.

Slouch.

Great report -- inspiring, literally, as it contains some items I might
have overlooked otherwise. I, too, was out with my TV76 last night --
mounted piggyback on an 8" SCT. The sky was really superb for Maryland
with NELM of nearly 5 in the wee hours. I went out at 9 P.M. and came
in at 5:30 A.M., and I suffered for it today -- napped from 6-9 A.M.
and 2-4 P.M.

Relying on TheSky, Equinox, and Astroplanner, I estimate I bagged
probably half of the objects that were within grasp of my little
'scopes. In my book, excepting rare comets, for naked eye viewing there
is nothing to equal Orion rising.

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com
.

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