[AZ-Observing] Call for Observations

For those considering a Friday and or Saturday night observing session here is 
the current list for March and April.  I'll need your observations in to me by 
Friday, February 27th because I'll not be available afterwards and this needs 
to be completed by then so it can be sent to our great editor.  Thanks for your 
observations and cooperation.
 

Call for Observations
 

Time for another visit to Orion as there's lots to choose from.  This month's 
selection will include multiple objects in the same field of view, which is 
something with which I have organization troubles.  Yet the following should 
give us some fun time observing.  Start in the northern reaches of Orion with 
Cr  65, a large, sparse open cluster with a wide magnitude range and includes 
several stars in Taurus.  Just to the south are some dark nebulae, three to be 
exact.  The first B  30, is about one degree; second B  31 extends about 0.5° 
to the northeast and is the darker part of the triad; finally B 225 is the 
south end of an extension running south from B 30.  With their irregular shape 
you should have fun unraveling this set.  Continuing with multiple objects in 
the same field of view are NGC1973, NGC1975 and NGC1977 and have the moniker 
Running Man Nebula.  Keep in mind NGC1973 and NGC1975 are north of the 
elongated NGC1977 and NGC1973 is west of NGC1975.  Keep in mind there are quite 
a number of stars involved in these nebulae.  Moving to a more southerly place 
is NGC2022, a planetary nebula.  Although it is small and faint, can you detect 
any annular form?  Finally there's NGC2024 also called Tank Track Nebula or 
Flame Nebula.  It is bright but the glow of its source stars, zeta Orionis, 
needs to be masked to see the delicate detail.  These last two entries are on 
both the SAC 110 Best NGC and 400 Herschel observing lists.

 

Let's take a second trip to the Twins, Gemini, for April.  We will have a nice 
variety of deep sky types for our viewing pleasure.  The first is IC 444, a 
bright nebula with a mag 9.5 star involved.  Next is the cluster NGC2304, which 
is pretty large.  How many stars do you see and what Trumpler classification 
would you give?  This is followed up with NGC2355, another cluster, which is 
about twice as large as the prior cluster.  How do these two compare?  
Continuing with the open cluster theme is NGC2395 and is even larger and 
brighter than the prior two.  Do you agree?  Next is the planetary nebula PK 
205+14.1 also known as Abell 21 or the Medusa Nebula.  It is large and has a 
low surface brightness.  Try using a UHC.  Finally is the open cluster NGC2420 
that is pretty rich, meaning how many stars do you see?  Note all of the open 
clusters are entries on the Herschel 400 list.  Yes, some of these selections 
will be a challenge and will be worth the effort.  Enjoy your observations.


AJ Crayon
Phoenix, AZ

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