Skywatcher 300P Observing Report - 29.04.2013

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29.4.2013

Back Garden

Clear

Seeing magnitude 4.2

Skywatcher 300P and Wo Uwan eyepieces

 

 

 

I decided to do just globular clusters tonight (apart from Saturn), it's something I used to do with my 16" dob, but then with that I could even detect the Pal globular clusters but the 12" dob from my back garden doesn't go down that deep. I started of with the regular ones such as:

 

M13 in Hercules must be the best known globular cluster in the northern Hemisphere, it shines at Mag 5.8 and is 20.3' in diameter Through my 7mm Uwan the cluster just explodes into hundreds of stars, a breathtaking sight. M13 is 25000 LY away and has a diameter of 145 LY. The brightest star in M13 is a variable star called V11 which has a magnitude of 11.95.

 

Moving my scope left by about 10° and I found M92, not as fancy and as large as M13 but still a magnificent globular cluster, through my 16mm Uwan I can detect lots of outer stars, it appears a lot more compact then M13 and is smaller at 11.2' in diameter.

 

Staying in Hercules I then found Ngc 6229  this was quite easy to find as it forms a triangle with two mag 7 stars. It was basically a mottled smudge but was pretty bright at mag 9.4. With the 7mm inserted giving me x214 I was on the verge of revolving the outer stars. This is a small globular cluster at 3.8' in diameter.

 

I then dropped down to Bootes and searched for Ngc 5466 a mag 9 and 9.2 in diameter cluster. This cluster is very dim, and like many just appears as a fuzzy ball. By inserting the 16mm Uwan giving me x93 I started to resolve a few stars but still the cluster remained very fuzzy, I could detect a few star chains curving out of this cluster.

 

Moving upwards to Canes Venacti and the awesome M3, what a change as this is one of the better globulars to view, it's 18.6' in diameter and shines at an impressive mag 6.3. This was first discovered my Messier in 1764 and is the 55th nubulous object known. It is 33900 LY away and is 200 LY across. Using my 7mm Uwan just blew me away, the stars are packed so tightly together one is hardly distinguishable from the next, the cluster appears very bright, and so compact.

 

Down to Serpens Caput next and the equally mighty M5 at Mag 5.7 and 20' in diameter it's just as impressive as M3. Through the 16mm Uwan I could see a bright core surrounded by a larger halo of stars, some of these being resolved but by inserting the 7mm the cluster becomes studded with a huge number of stars that appear intermittently with averted vision, I can also detect chains of stars coming from the cluster itself.

 

Next another weird one it's Ngc 2419 the Intergalatic Wanderer in Lynx, I have only seen this once in my 16" dob, so new it was going to be hard, and it was, I spent a good 20 minutes hunting for this one. It's the most distant milky way cluster, and is ten times as far away as M13. It is only mag 10.4 and is 6.2' in diameter. In the 16mm Uwan it just appears as a dim fuzzy ball it takes at least x214 to start resolving and only then with averted vision. I stuck my 4mm Uwan in which gives x375 and the image was bad but I could make out a few resolved stars.

 

Up to Coma Berenices and Ngc 4147, a mag 10.3 and 4' diameter globular cluster, once again very hard to find but once you have found it, the cluster appears as a very small out of focus smudge, similar to how a comet appears. It is hard to find as the area around it is devoid of stars. Even with the 7mm inserted I barely resolved any stars.

 

Staying in Coma Berenices I then found Ngc 5053, this turned out to be a very nice mag 9 and 9' in diameter globular cluster. Through the 16mm the cluster appears very loose more like an open cluster, inserting the 7mm the cluster appears as a blanket of faint irregular stars, but still very diffused.

 

Just under a degree away is the best globular cluster in Coma Berenices and that is M53. Shining much brighter, in fact at mag 7.7 and an impressive 14.4' in size it is interesting to compare the two. Through the 16mm show it well resolved,  with a moderately concentrated nucleus, and very well resolved outer stars, I could even detect a few colour stars as well.

[Daz Type-R]

Another cracking report there Mick.

 

Packed full of good info.

 

Sounds like a good night.

[T A WOW]

Very nice report, thanks.

[philjay]

Nice report Mick, I do this sometimes, just pick on a subject like globs or doubles and spend the night observing them, I find it less distracting than hopping around different objects. Theres a couple in there I haven't had a go at so I shall give them a bash weather permitting

[8472]

Good report, Mick.

 

I keep telling myself one day I'm gonna get my finger out and actually do one myself, but then I'm quickly sidetracked...