[AZ-Observing] Observing from TIMPA


About 7 observers with scopes attended the TAAA star party at TIMPA;
Glenn Nishimoto, John Kalas and some newer members rounding out the
group.  Since I didn't get out earlier due to family and holiday
activities, I made a point of getting out for at least a little time
last night with my 18" to assuage the photon deprivation I have been suffering.

I spent the time visiting with the few other observers who showed up and
giving a quick tour of the showpiece objects to a couple new mwmbers who
were visiting as well as working on my H400.  The night cooperated
fairly well, once the moon was low enough to stop casting shadows and
the few thin cirrus clouds cleared out it was a pretty good night.  The
cold front left several presents behind, unsteady seeing (maybe a 5),
good transparency and COLD!  My mirror monitoring system was reporting
an ambient temperature of -5C when I broke down after midnight.

I hope you took a chance and braved the cold for a good night!

Andrew



For the H400 I finished off a few winter Milky Way open clusters and a
planetary in Perseus...

NGC650/651 (M27) (18" f/4.5, 174x) Very nice planetary, good sized,
bright, distinct dumbbell shape, much brighter on the southern lobe.  I
had been unaware that Herschel had assigned two separate numbers to the
separate lobes, Dreyer also assigning two separate numbers in the NGC. 
I did not see the outer halo, need to try again with an OIII filter. 
http://www.seds.org/~spider/ngc/ngc.cgi?650

NGC1245 (18" f/4.5, 174x) Good sized, very rich, innumerable stars in a
circular patch at the center of the constellation, anchored at the NE
and SE corners by a pair of bright stars. 
http://www.seds.org/~spider/ngc/ngc.cgi?1245

NGC1342 (18" f/4.5, 60x) Large, bright, coarse, 50 or so brighter
members in a roughly rectangular patch 15' x 10' with the long axis
angled NE to SW. http://www.seds.org/~spider/ngc/ngc.cgi?1342

NGC1444 (18" f/4.5, 174x) I missed this one at first as I was searching
at lower magnification looking for a bright cluster, my data showed a
magnitude of 6.5.  But this bright magnitude represented the central
star only, the remainder of the cluster is much dimmer and clustered in
tight around the central star, easily missed at lower magnification.  An
interesting small cluster of a dozen or so stars tightly grouped around
a bright double (Struve 446). 
http://www.seds.org/~spider/ngc/ngc.cgi?1444 

NGC1513 (18" f/4.5, 174x) Coarse, rich, several dozen stars scattered
across 10', a chain of brighter members along the SE margin.  The shape
reminded me of a tadpole curled in its egg or the bright half of a
yin/yang symbol.

NGC1528 (18" f/4.5, 174x) Bright, large 20', coarse, filling the field
with stars arranged in very distinct clumps

My earlier Herschel 400 notes can be found at http://www.siowl.com/


Andrew Cooper
Tucson, AZ
mailto:acooper@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.whitethornhouse.com
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