Observing Log

We've got a core of members who continue to push the envelope by attempting to observe difficult objects. Andy is one of the more accomplished observers. After building his 22 inch scope and acquiring O3 and H-Beta filters, he's found objects that were unthinkable just 10 years ago. The following observations were prepared by Andy and appeared in the Spring 1997 issue of our club newsletter, The Valley Skywatcher.

You’ve Come a Long Way Baby…

After the February 1997 meeting of the CVAS, Observing director Bob Modic asked me about a previous article that I had written for the Skywatcher. The article entitled "Some Other Place, Some Where, Some Other Time," described an elusive group of objects that I had been looking for, but had not found, with the 18-inch. Well, some of the objects still are on the list, while others have been seen with either the 18-inch, or the 22-inch:

NGC 1499- Or the infamous California Nebula. By far one of the most well known objects in the entire sky. The California was conquered easily with the purchase of a Lumicon H-Beta filter. It came as no surprise since the ad for the filter claims amazing performance on this object, and a few others as well. The deal went down at the Hidden Hollow October ’96 convention.That same night was clear and the filter was brought into action the minute the California was in good view. Don, Steve, and myself were the first to witness the H-Beta’s amazing abilities. It is no doubt the filter which made all the difference in this case. An 8-inch with the H-Beta should do fine for viewing the object from a dark location.

IC 59 and IC 63- My original article contains a mistake on the properties of these two nebulas. I originally referred to them as emission nebula, but in reality they are both reflection nebula. These two objects were eventually seen in the 18" from IHO one extremely clear October night. They were "easy" using low power and by keeping Gamma Cassiopeia out of the field of view. A 12-inch telescope should be enough to allow a keen eyed observer to view them. Since they are reflection nebulae, you can’t get a way with using a nebular filter, since reflection nebulae are "continuous spectrum" objects and will be hurt by the nebular filter and not helped.

NGC 6822- Barnards Galaxy. As of writing this article, I am still unclear if I’ve observed this galaxy or not! I would like the opportunity to observe this galaxy again and confirm any doubts as to weather I’ve seen it! This basically means that the object is not high on my list and that I’ve been busy un-observing other objects to pay much attention to it.

S147- Siemese 147. Named after the Russian observatory that originally discovered it, this supernova remnant in Taurus is now my latest challenge. Unfortunately, looking at my calendar, it has now been almost 2 months since the last clear night. This means the chances of seeing this one this year are slim to none for me! This object has been observed by more than a few amateurs now and will definitely be on my observing list the next clear winter night I’m out.

Abell 74- The large, low surface brightness planetary nebula in Vulpecula. This object really is "impossible" in my book. Since the completion of the 22-inch, I’ve only tried to look for this object once without success. After this article, you won’t see any more whining about me not seeing it!

With the completion of the 22-inch and the purchase of an H-Beta filter, some new objects that are notoriously faint have revealed them selves to me. A few objects that have given themselves up to me appear below.

IC 405- "The Flaming Star Nebula" Located in the constellation Auriga, this nebula appears only because the star AE Aurigae is passing near this cloud of interstellar dust and gas and is being illuminated by the energy from the star itself. Once the star leaves the region, the nebula will cease to shine. The object was easily found using the H-Beta, once again. You may notice a pattern here!

Sh2-231- A faint emission nebula in Auriga. This one eluded me with the 18-inch but fell easily with the 22-inch and the H-Beta filter. Could probably be seen using a smaller scope and the H-Beta filter.

IC 1396- More commonly known as the large, low surface brightness emission nebula surrounding m (Mu) Cephei. This one also revealed itself using the H-Beta filter, though only the brightest portion was visible.

NGC 7822- Very large emission nebula in Cepheus. I tried in vain many times to see this one using the 18-inch and the OIII filter but was never successful. Once again using the H-Beta was the answer. Another one that I’m sure could be seen in a smaller scope with the H-Beta filter.

Ced 214- Cedarblad 214 lies just to the south of NGC 7822, and once again was seen using the H-Beta filter.

NGC 7023- What’s this, a reflection nebula? You bet. Located in Cepheus, I was amazed at the detail visible in this object from the New Lyme site in Ashtabula county. Definitely worth a look when under excellent conditions.

Abell 71- One of the eighty-some planetary nebulas recorded by George Abell while reviewing the Palomer Sky survey. This one had eluded the 18-inch, but was seen in the 22-inch with little difficulty. Located in Cygnus, this object went un-observed with the 18-inch, but was seen with 22-inch and the OIII filter. You probably thought I had used the H-Beta on this one too, but that is not the case!

Abell 58- Located in one of the most dense areas of the summer milky way-Lacerta, this one required about 45 minutes of star hopping to track down! After all was said and done, the faint planetary was visible. Like almost all planetary nebula, this one was seen using the OIII filter.

Looking at the original list of objects, it can be seen that the un-observation of many of the objects, such as IC 59, IC 63 and IC 342 were probably a result of poor sky conditions and the lack of skill on my behalf. I have no doubt that my observing abilities have become a lot better with just practicing. Also, the careful observation of the sky conditions can help decide whether the time spent trying to observe some "threshold" object will be well spent or not. As mentioned in the article, many of the objects can be seen with little or no difficulty with smaller instruments, along with the proper nebular filter. Many people have seen the California nebula with binoculars from a really dark site.

As for the faint Abell planetary nebulae, it appears that dark sky conditions along with the largest aperture available are the key to viewing these challenging objects. Most of the objects that were border line in the 18-inch were verified using the 22-inch. Also, as mentioned above, many became visible for the first time with the 22-inch. But, there are also at least a half dozen Abell objects that can be observed using an 8 or 10-inch telescope under proper conditions.

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Updated July 24, 1997