Observing Report -- Coyote Lake -- 24 January 2006 (Tuesday)
(also 22 January at Montebello)
I went to Coyote Lake on Tuesday, because the weather was predicted to
turn sour on Wednesday, possibly all the way through the new moon
weekend. So it might well have been the last chance for this Lunation.
Due to traffic, I didn’t leave home until 7:00, so I got a late start.
Kevin S., Peter N., and another gentleman that I didn’t know (Steve?)
were already set up.
Conditions looked good right away. I was worried about wind, since
some was predicted in Gilroy, but it was dead calm at the boat dock
parking lot. And it was much warmer than it had been the last couple
of times I was out. Quite dry, as well, and completly clear the whole
evening.
Early on I repeated observations of several asteroids that I had
observed at Montebello two nights earlier. While doing the asteroids,
I also split a few double stars that were in the field of view or the
“hop path”. Later, I switched to Herschel-2 objects once Leo was up
reasonably high. I went for Leo, even though I have a few H-2 targets
left in Monoceros and Puppis, because the sky is best to the East at
C.L.
At 10:30, I did a limiting mag check in the Gemini triangle. Got 10
stars most of the counts and or occasionally 11 (5.7 to 5.9). Peter
was getting better than mag 6 higher up in Taurus. Transparency was
quite good, as the light domes were not diminished, and this is about
the best LM I’ve ever seen at Coyote. Seeing was only fair down low (6
stars in the trap only occasionally), but must have been pretty good
overhead, because I split a 1.0 arcsec double at one point.
We all packed up between about 11:30 and 12:30. It was a very nice
night.
Cheers, Tacos
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Observations with 12.5” Mag1 Portaball, f/5.
47 Aglaja -- asteroid, Gem -- estimated magnitude about 12+. Moved a
couple of minutes of RA almost due West since Sunday’s observation at
MB. Used 176x.
STT 186 -- double star, Gem -- this is a nasty Otto Struve double that
I noticed on the chart right in the same (wide) FOV as the asteroid.
(AKA HIP 39401 and TYC something.) I didn’t know how close it was, so
I just kept bumping the power up. Finally suspected a split at 226x
(7mm Nagler) and confirmed it at 317x (5mm Tak LE). I could see a gap
about 25% of the time at this mag. The two companions are about equal
magnitude. When I got home, I looked it up -- 1.0 arcsecs. (There was
another double in the same field that I failed to notice -- STF 1177;
well, there’s always another day.)
NGC 2420 -- OC, Gem -- I found this OC in the low-power (35 Pan) field
of view while hopping to the next Asteroid. At 176x: Fairly large and
bright. About 1 dozen brighter stars in the outline of a heart and
another 1/2 dozen or more dimmer ones scattered around, many of them in
the right “chamber” of the heart interior. Nice.
111 Ate -- asteroid, Gem -- not too far from Aglaja was another
asteroid. Estimated mag about 10.5 to 11.0. Moved a couple of minutes
of RA almost due West since Sunday at MB. Used 176x.
STF 1124 -- double star, Gem -- same low-power field as Ate. Easy
split at low power.
96 Aegle -- asteroid, Per -- located between Perseus and Auriga.
Estimated mag about 12.5. Moved about 15 arcmin South since Sunday at
MB. 93x.
STF 552 -- double star, Per -- obvious double star on the way to Aegle.
Splits cleanly at 45x.
NGC 2903 -- gal, Leo -- First observations in Leo this year for me.
Why not start with the eye candy? Large and bright. Elongated 3:1 or
so, roughly N/S. Brighter center, slightly elongated center with same
orientation as the extent. 176x.
NGC 2916 -- gal, Leo -- Near 2903; smaller and dimmer, but then what
isn’t? Also elongated about the same PA as 2903. Elongated about 2:1.
Only slightly brighter center and broadly so.
NGC 3107 -- gal, Leo -- DNF. Maybe getting tired.
NGCs 3185, 3190, 3193 -- gals, Leo -- 3 obvious galaxies in same FOV
(9mm Nagler). The middle one (3190) is quite a bit brighter than the
other two. Elongated with brighter center. It is visible at 93x,
studied at 176x. The other two are dimmer. 3193 is near a pretty
bright star. 3185 is farther away. Did not see 3187, also plotted in
the same area.
NGC 3177 -- gal, Leo -- DNF.
NGC 3162 -- gal, Leo -- Easy location near Zeta Leonis. Set almost
within a triangle of stars within a larger, brighter triangle of stars.
Medium size and dim -- low SB. Uncertain shape, maybe slightly
elongated. Not much brighter center. 176x.
NGCs 3222, 3226, 3227 -- gals, Leo -- two obvious galaxies and a dimmer
one all in same FOV (9mm Nagler). Located just a couple of degrees E
of Algieba. The two bright ones are quite close together and are
elongated at a relative PA of about 45 degrees. The dimmer one (3222)
is a bit farther away. 3226 and 3227 are small, pretty bright,
elongated about 2:1 or more and have brighter centers. The shape of
3222 is not certain, and it does not have a brighter center, but it is
about the same size as the two others.
NGC 3301 -- gal, Leo -- small but bright, pretty elongated, bright
center. Adjacent to a right triangle of 3 equally bright stars.
176x.
NGC 3287 -- gal, Leo -- galaxy near 3301. Much dimmer, but large. Low
SB. 176x.
NGC 3596 -- gal, Leo -- Fairly large, low SB, shape not certain, but
not obviously elongated. Not brighter center. Not much to look at.
Just SE of Theta Leonis.
Trio in Leo -- gals, Leo -- Wrapped up with more eye candy. Wow!
3628, the non-M poor cousin, is huge and elongated! I had forgotten
how nice this trio is.
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Also observed Sunday 22 Jan at Montebello.
It was cold and a little breezy. Typical MB light domes. But it was
clear.
NGC 2192 -- OC, Aur -- Not really a target; just “collateral damage”
-- got in the way while I was hunting for an asteroid. Just a dim glow
at 93x. Switched to 176x -- medium small, quite dim. About 1/2 dozen
stars on edge of resolution and some more unresolved glow. Roughly
rectangular shape. Probably not half bad from a darker site.
134 Sophrosyne -- asteroid, Aur -- estimated magnitude about 12. In
among a little arc of mag 12+ stars and near an 8.3 star and an obvious
double (see below). 176x.
STF 883 -- triple star, Aur -- easy split of a double star in the same
FOV as Sophrosyne. Failed to note the third companion (didn’t notice
it was a triple until after the fact -- the third member is mag 10 and
quite far away from the two brighter components).
-- end
Received on Sun Jan 29 12:09:22 2006