I went out to the Onan observatory on 18th Jan 2009, a moderately cold Saturday evening. I was surprised to find a few members of the Minnesota Astronomical Society (MAS) out there. I learnt that they had come to tidy up some equipment and other stuff.
The skies were extremely clear and almost perfect, a 9/10. I used my Celestron Upscale 10X50 binoculars and finally today, I was able to peek at M41, the open cluster in Canis Major. Although easy to find, I was unable to observe this cluster mainly because it used to be too low on the horizon. I was out at the observatory a little late and at 08:12pm, I could make out the cluster. It is a few degrees South of the bright star Sirius. Through binoculars, it appears as a small collection of stars.
Next up was the beautiful Beehive cluster, M44 in Cancer. Most cancer stars are faint to it took some time to locate the exact position initially but soon figured it out. A small group of stars is all that is seen through the binoculars.
Then I moved closer to the meridian, to M34. It is a open cluster in Perseus. Finding this one is easy as it is located very close to the line connecting Almach (Gamma Andromeda) to Algol in Perseus. I moved West to Cygnus for M29, another open cluster. It is located at about 10'O'clock position from Deneb, when Cygnus is setting. Seen as a small patch.
I also looked at M31, the great galaxy in Andromeda. Under these nice skies, the galaxy is clearly visibe to the naked eye. With binoculars, I could clearly make out a fuzzy patch with a white central core and a fainter outer area. I also looked at a number of objects that I observed previously, the three open clusters in Auriga, M36, M37 and M38, the Pleiades (M45) and the Orion Nebula, M42.
The skies started clouding up and I had to abondon my pursuit. I hope to have more objects on my list to get the astro-league Bino-Messier certificate.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Continuing the Bino-Messier project....
On another Brrrrr..... cold Minnesota evening, when the temp was about -19F (~ -29C) and when the wind chill was close to -30F (~ -35C), I decided to continue working on the Bino-Messier project. I drove-out to the Onan observatory on 01/14/2009 (Wed) in the evening and looked at a some Messier objects using my Celestron Upclose 10X50 binos. The seeing was wonderful and on this cold winter night, the transparancy was 9/10.
I started with the open cluster in Gemini --- M35. I initially confused this cluster with another open cluster but was soon able to spot the right one using a the S&T pocket star atlas. Once you know the position of this cluster, it is easy to locate and is fairly bright. Gemini was up in the sky in East and this cluster was approx 40-45 degrees in the sky.
I tried looking for M44 which is in Cancer but, Cancer was washed out in the lights of the nearby Young America, MN.
So I moved to the open cluster (some list it as an annuerism) in Cassieopia, the M103. This one was near the meridian and as such at a very awkward angle using the binos. This one sits between the delta-star and the famous double-cluster.
I decided to call it quits after starting to feel the wind-chill. I intend to complete as many Messier's as possible before my trip to India.
I started with the open cluster in Gemini --- M35. I initially confused this cluster with another open cluster but was soon able to spot the right one using a the S&T pocket star atlas. Once you know the position of this cluster, it is easy to locate and is fairly bright. Gemini was up in the sky in East and this cluster was approx 40-45 degrees in the sky.
I tried looking for M44 which is in Cancer but, Cancer was washed out in the lights of the nearby Young America, MN.
So I moved to the open cluster (some list it as an annuerism) in Cassieopia, the M103. This one was near the meridian and as such at a very awkward angle using the binos. This one sits between the delta-star and the famous double-cluster.
I decided to call it quits after starting to feel the wind-chill. I intend to complete as many Messier's as possible before my trip to India.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Bino Messier....
Yesterday, 01/11/2009, Sunday, I was out at the Onan observatory, near Young America, MN. It was a beautiful night, with the full moon rising. It had been quite a while since I had done some good observations. I decided to start working on the Bino-Messier project. I had been looking forward to doing some serious observations and got a good boost after listening to a lecture by Greg Haubrich at the MAS Jan meeting (01/08/2009, Thu at Science Museum).
I went to Onan at about 06:00pm with a Celestron Upclose 10X50 handheld binocs. The near full moon was rising in the East, Orion was up, Sirius was not yet up. On the western front, the Summer Triangle was low down, Venus was bright and high up in the sky. It was fairly cold and the temp at Onan (which sits next to a lake and is away from the twin cities) was about 5F (~ -15C) with a light breeze. A cup of hot coffee, which I picked up at a loc al gas station was my only solace in this cold, breezy and desolate place.
I started with the open cluster M45, also known as Pleidas. It was extremely easy to spot. The 10X50 binocs showed the 7 bright stars and about 20 or so fainter stars. No sign of nebulosity was seen. After observing M45 for a while, I snooped lower to M1. I was unable to spot the Crab Nebula at all, partly because of the full moon nearby, but also partly because it is not an easy object especially considering that I had only 50mm objective size.
I shifted further South to M42, the Orion Nebula. Extremely easy to spot as the central object of the three stars in Orion, I was able to barely resolve the stars located in the Nebula. Nebulosity was clearly seen even with the binocs and with the wide field of view, all three stars easily fit into the view.
I went in the car, logged my observations, had more coffee and came back out after a few minutes. I started with the three open clusters in Auriga, M36, M37 and M38. All three are easyto spot with a binocs but are not visible to the naked eyes. As a result, you need to know the position of the clusters. M38 is the uppermost object in (when auriga is rising in the East), next is M36 and M37 is the lowermost. M37 sits outside the Pentagonal shape of the constellation of Auriga, while the other two clusters sit inside. Just to the North of M36, I spotted some object which I could not make out. I later confirmed it to be a Nebula (SH2-331) as per the "Sky and Telescope pocket star atlas".
Next, I looked at the Meridian for M31, the great galaxy in Andromeda. It is visible to the naked eye and is extremely easy to find in a telescope or binoculars. The only problem, this time was that M31 was overhead. While this is usually a positive, when using a telescope (a Newtonian or a Refractor/SCT with a diagonal), with a binoculars, the angle of viewing is not very pleasent. M31 shows as as small fuzzy patch when seen thru a binocs and no details are visible. Later on I tried to move to the nearby M33, the galaxy in Triangulum. This galxy is notoriously faint and with such small optics and a full moon, it was no surprise that I could not find the galaxy.
By now, Sirius was up, in the Eastern sky. I tried looking for M41 which is normally an easy target. Because the cluster would be only about 10degrees or so and right in the lights ogf the nearby Young America, MN, I did not spot the cluster. With the cold and breeze, I decided to pack up and left for home. Today (Monday), we had snow and clouds most of the day and I am hoping to go back out to Onan, either Tuesday or sometime later in the week. Hopefully I will be able to add more objects to my total of six Messier objects.
I went to Onan at about 06:00pm with a Celestron Upclose 10X50 handheld binocs. The near full moon was rising in the East, Orion was up, Sirius was not yet up. On the western front, the Summer Triangle was low down, Venus was bright and high up in the sky. It was fairly cold and the temp at Onan (which sits next to a lake and is away from the twin cities) was about 5F (~ -15C) with a light breeze. A cup of hot coffee, which I picked up at a loc al gas station was my only solace in this cold, breezy and desolate place.
I started with the open cluster M45, also known as Pleidas. It was extremely easy to spot. The 10X50 binocs showed the 7 bright stars and about 20 or so fainter stars. No sign of nebulosity was seen. After observing M45 for a while, I snooped lower to M1. I was unable to spot the Crab Nebula at all, partly because of the full moon nearby, but also partly because it is not an easy object especially considering that I had only 50mm objective size.
I shifted further South to M42, the Orion Nebula. Extremely easy to spot as the central object of the three stars in Orion, I was able to barely resolve the stars located in the Nebula. Nebulosity was clearly seen even with the binocs and with the wide field of view, all three stars easily fit into the view.
I went in the car, logged my observations, had more coffee and came back out after a few minutes. I started with the three open clusters in Auriga, M36, M37 and M38. All three are easyto spot with a binocs but are not visible to the naked eyes. As a result, you need to know the position of the clusters. M38 is the uppermost object in (when auriga is rising in the East), next is M36 and M37 is the lowermost. M37 sits outside the Pentagonal shape of the constellation of Auriga, while the other two clusters sit inside. Just to the North of M36, I spotted some object which I could not make out. I later confirmed it to be a Nebula (SH2-331) as per the "Sky and Telescope pocket star atlas".
Next, I looked at the Meridian for M31, the great galaxy in Andromeda. It is visible to the naked eye and is extremely easy to find in a telescope or binoculars. The only problem, this time was that M31 was overhead. While this is usually a positive, when using a telescope (a Newtonian or a Refractor/SCT with a diagonal), with a binoculars, the angle of viewing is not very pleasent. M31 shows as as small fuzzy patch when seen thru a binocs and no details are visible. Later on I tried to move to the nearby M33, the galaxy in Triangulum. This galxy is notoriously faint and with such small optics and a full moon, it was no surprise that I could not find the galaxy.
By now, Sirius was up, in the Eastern sky. I tried looking for M41 which is normally an easy target. Because the cluster would be only about 10degrees or so and right in the lights ogf the nearby Young America, MN, I did not spot the cluster. With the cold and breeze, I decided to pack up and left for home. Today (Monday), we had snow and clouds most of the day and I am hoping to go back out to Onan, either Tuesday or sometime later in the week. Hopefully I will be able to add more objects to my total of six Messier objects.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Upcoming overseas travel
I haven't blogged in quite a while because of various reasons and I am starting my blogging again.
I will be visiting India (Hyderabad and Mumbai) from 26th Jan 2009 and coming back on 14th March 2009. My itinerary is to leave Minneapolis, MN by British airways on 26th Jan for Hyderabad, India. I will be in Hyderabad at my company office till 20th Feb 2009. I will depart for Mumbai on 20th Feb and will come back to Hyderabad on 09th March 2009. I will be in Hyderabad again for a week and fly back to Minneapolis, MN on 14th Mar 2009.
I will be visiting Khagol Mandal in Mumbai, India and taking a lecture on astro-observing and also possibly an actual observing session.
I will be visiting India (Hyderabad and Mumbai) from 26th Jan 2009 and coming back on 14th March 2009. My itinerary is to leave Minneapolis, MN by British airways on 26th Jan for Hyderabad, India. I will be in Hyderabad at my company office till 20th Feb 2009. I will depart for Mumbai on 20th Feb and will come back to Hyderabad on 09th March 2009. I will be in Hyderabad again for a week and fly back to Minneapolis, MN on 14th Mar 2009.
I will be visiting Khagol Mandal in Mumbai, India and taking a lecture on astro-observing and also possibly an actual observing session.
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