[sac-forum] Need an Observing List for the next couple of weeks?

  • From: "AJ Crayon" <acrayon@xxxxxxx>
  • To: "SAC Forum" <sac-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 27 Aug 2011 09:28:23 -0700

I have just such a list that you could take advantage.  I'm sure you have 
guessed it by now, as it is the list from Call for Observations.  The 
constellations are Sagittarius and Cepheus.  Enjoy, meanwhile here they are -

For September we shall take a risk and try some great objects in Sagittarius.  
Regardless of where we go this time of year there’s always the good chance the 
summer monsoons will interfere and there’s so much left in the Centaur.  Most 
of what we will do is in the Messier Catalog or the Herschel 400 list.  We 
start with M20, the famous Trifid Nebula.  Look for the double stars and dark 
lanes in this large object.  Next is M8, the Lagoon.  Here look for the cluster 
NGC6530 and the dark lane.  The NGC catalog gives this entry 3 exclamation 
marks.  Moving on we will try the faint and small globular cluster NGC6540, 
also known as Djorgovski 3.  While on a globular cluster try NGC6553, listed as 
faint and a little elongated.  Do you see the elongation?  What is its position 
angle?  Now slew to the planetary nebula NGC6567.  It is very small, stellar 
and 11th mag.  It is very near two 11th mag stars and all 3 look like a Mickey 
Mouse hat.  A finder chart may make locating the little one much easier.  
Moving on we go to M25, a compress open cluster that includes U Sagittarii and 
has stars from 6th to 10th mag.  Getting to the eastern part of our list is 
NGC6717, also known as Palomar 9.  It is just south of 5th mag Nu Sagittarii.  
How much does the 5th mag star impact the view.  The last object is the barred 
spiral galaxy NGC6902.  Can you believe there’s a galaxy in downtown 
Sagittarius?  It’s listed as mag 10.9, faint small and round.  What do you see 
here?

 

Cepheus stars for a box with a triangle on top and in Greek mythology are named 
after Cepheus King of Aethiopia.  We visit this constellation after a hiatus of 
many years.  We’ll start with NGC2276 and its companion NGC2300, both about 
11th magnitude and about 4° east of Polaris.  First NGC2276, which is a late 
barred spiral with a ring.  It is pretty large and has a little brighter 
middle.  Our next one is 6’ to the southeast is the elliptical galaxy NGC2300.  
It to is pretty large, a little elongated and has a brighter middle.  Moving 
well to the other side of the constellation we continue with open clusters.  
First here is NGC7235, aka NGC7234, and is listed as small, poor and a little 
compressed.  Naturally both are circumpolar.  Next is NGC7261 and is listed as 
large, pretty rich and a little compressed.   Does this agree with Trumpler’s 
description of III 1 p?  Now on to the large, pretty rich circumpolar open 
cluster NGC7261.  Again Trumpler’s description is III 1 p, and do you agree or 
not?  Keeping in the same general area of the constellation is another 
circumpolar cluster NGC7380.  It is pretty large, pretty rich and involved in 
some nebulosity but you will more likely than not need a UHC or OIII filter to 
pull it in.  This cluster is on the Herschel 400 list, part of the Cepheus OB1 
association.  Finally Trumpler’s description is III 3 p n.  Going to the 
northeast is King 19 and NGC7510, within 20’ of each other.  Yet they are easy 
to distinguish.  First check out NGC7510, another cluster on the Herschel 400 
list.  It is fan shaped and has some pretty bright stars.  Trumpler gives it an 
II 2 m n.  Look for the region of faint nebulosity to the southeast.  After 
this is should be easy to locate King 19, with a Trumpler code of  II 2 m.  Its 
brightest star is listed as 12th mag.  Good luck with this one.


AJ Crayon
Phoenix, AZ

Other related posts:

  • » [sac-forum] Need an Observing List for the next couple of weeks? - AJ Crayon