Date: October 26, 2014
Observer: Tom Campbell
Equipment: Discovery 8" DHQ dobsonian
Eyepieces: 1.25" Plossls - 25mm (49x), 15mm (81x), 10mm (122x), 6mm (203x)
Transparency: Clear (9/10)
Seeing: Mostly Stable (7/10)
Temperature: Upper to mid 60s (°F)
Tonight was clear with just a slight breeze, and I wanted to try to get in at least one more observing session before jacket and coat weather arrived. From my back yard, I could barely make out the Milky Way, so the seeing wasn't as great as I had hoped, but at this time of year, it's hard to be picky. I had no real observing plan tonight, but simply revisited some old favorites. I did, however, look at one new object (for me), NGC 7235.
M15 | Pegasus | Globular Cluster | 9:25pm CDT
I like to call this cluster the "Hedge Apple" because it sits just off the mouth of Pegasus. The best view tonight was at 122x. Many stars were resolved about halfway to the bright, central core.
M31 (Great Andromeda Galaxy) | Andromeda | Galaxy | 9:35pm CDT
The best view is at 49x. It appears as a large, oval fuzzy patch. In the same field of view you can see the much smaller M32. At 122x you can begin to see a darkening along the side of the galaxy facing M32. These are the dust lanes of M31, although they couldn't be resolved as such.
M32 | Andromeda | Galaxy | 9:40pm CDT
This galaxy is much, much smaller than nearby M31, but it definitely has an elliptical shape and a bright, stellar core.
Delta | Cepheus | Double Star | 9:45pm CDT
This appears to be a smaller version of Albireo in Cygnus. It is a pretty pale yellow and pale blue double, with the blue star being slightly fainter. Even at 49x, the two stars are nicely separated.
Herschel's Garnet Star | Cepheus | Carbon Star | 9:50pm CDT
At low power, this star is dazzling, like an amber flame in the midst of the Milky Way. The pumpkin-orange color stands out clearly.
NGC 7235 | Cepheus | Open Cluster | 9:55pm CDT
49x only reveals a few stars within an irregular fuzzy patch. 203x reveals over a dozen stars.
NGC 457 (Owl Cluster) | Cassiopeia | Open Cluster | 10:00pm CDT
In recent years, this has also become known as the E.T. Cluster. The best view is at 81x, where the cluster takes up nearly the entire field of view. There are two bright stars near the center of one end, which make the eyes of E.T. or the owl. Strings of stars form the arms (or wings) and another clump of stars make up the legs (or tail). One star near the shoulder of one arm appears to be a carbon star, as it appears a bit orange. The brightest star (one of the eyes) is yellow.
M103 | Cassiopeia | Open Cluster | 10:05pm CDT
This is a nice open cluster. It kind of reminds me of a capital Lambda shape. The brightest stars form 3 corners of a triangle which define the edges of the cluster. Halfway between the two brightest stars are a couple of other bright stars. One of these is a bit yellowish in color.
M52 | Cassiopeia | Open Cluster | 10:15pm CDT
This cluster is fairly round in shape, like a globular, but the brightest stars are near the outer edges, with most of the fainter stars sprinkled throughout the middle.
M45 (Pleiades) | Taurus | Open Cluster | 10:25pm CDT
Although it is large enough to be easily seen with the naked eye, with my 24x 2" eyepiece, this cluster is spectacular. I can almost get the entire cluster in the field of view. All of the brightest members appear as shiny diamonds. Near the centermost bright star is a small triangle of fainter stars, making an interesting pattern. Overall, this cluster's shape reminds me of a lunar lander.
