The sky had cleared after a freshening cold front had passed over, and although typically I missed the fireball that lit up at the night at 945pm, I saw plenty with my 10x50s.
Coma Berenices as ever looked beautiful - and I tried to find Messier 53 but couldn't quite confirm it. There's a lot of teasing faint blurs in the area, I need to carry out some greater study. Messier 3 was easily visible, as was La Superba, which looked distinctly pink last night. Messier 51 was just about visible, ditto Messier 81, again these objects tend to tease right at the bounds of my eyes capability.
Over in Cygnus, Messier 29 and Messier 39 are much easier objects, and I was able to keep going North and find NGC7243, one of the Lacerta open clusters. Messier 13, Messier 5 and Messier 92 were all visible easy-peasey as pie. Messier 56 searches are hampered by the fact that I'm always looking in the wrong place.
Indeed in Cygnus, Lyra and Hercules there are all sorts of little knots of stars, and faint open clusters than I know no designation for. It is senseless to try and catagorise everything, I just enjoy the view. It is after all why I am outside.
Messier 52 in Cassiopeia seems to be an object I'll never get my eyes on, but I had a great view of Mu Cephei, the massive Garnet Star, a firey ruby in space.
And finally I observed Ophiuchus, and enjoyed as ever the sight of IC4665, and picked up NGC6633 as well, in a sort of quadrilateral of stars on the border of Serpens Caput.
But the Ophiuchus globular clusters might as well consist of black stars, for all I will ever see them!
Showing posts with label ophiuchus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ophiuchus. Show all posts
Thursday, 9 May 2013
Thursday, 2 May 2013
The blank in space that is Ophiuchus
Last night I tried to re-confirm some of my previous observations, driving my eyes crazy looking for La Superba, Messier 51 and Messier 81 all of which seem to be right on the lowest fringe of binocular visibility from my garden. It was another lovely night to be out, although sky clarity seemed to be a little below the previous two nights excellent quality.
By about 1am, I noticed that the constellation of Ophiuchus was rising over the rooftops, and went and stood beneath a tree to block out a particularly annoying streetlight, and had a study of this large constellation. It represents the "father of medicine" Aesclapius IIRC, commonly portrayed as holding the celestial serpent Serpens Cauda (the head) and Caput (the tail) about his shoulders. It is technically the 13th constellation of the zodiac, as part of it lies between Scorpius and Sagittarius, and the sun passes through every mid december.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus
It contains one of my favourite open clusters, the compact and prominent IC4665 in the north-east of the constellation near Beta and Gamma. It is such an attractive binocular object it always amazes me it is not in the Messier Catalogue, let alone the NGC. I observed it well last night, although it is not yet high enough to be clear of the haze and streelights.
Ophicuchus contains many Messier objects, chiefly a large number of globular clusters. As I have done many times before, I scanned the area looking for them, and saw nothing. Total zero! Ophicuchus may be very rich in globular clusters, but unfortunately it is totally lacking in a guide stars to help you find them; indeed when you sweep around the constellation, which always reminds me of a blown up Gemini in shape, there's barely a star within the outline to be seen.
It's as if someone has very carefully cut out the centre of the constellation with space scissors, and left a hole to the edge of the universe, giving me massive thoughts to contemplate as I sipped on my cider, and took pleasure in the night.
By about 1am, I noticed that the constellation of Ophiuchus was rising over the rooftops, and went and stood beneath a tree to block out a particularly annoying streetlight, and had a study of this large constellation. It represents the "father of medicine" Aesclapius IIRC, commonly portrayed as holding the celestial serpent Serpens Cauda (the head) and Caput (the tail) about his shoulders. It is technically the 13th constellation of the zodiac, as part of it lies between Scorpius and Sagittarius, and the sun passes through every mid december.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus
It contains one of my favourite open clusters, the compact and prominent IC4665 in the north-east of the constellation near Beta and Gamma. It is such an attractive binocular object it always amazes me it is not in the Messier Catalogue, let alone the NGC. I observed it well last night, although it is not yet high enough to be clear of the haze and streelights.
Ophicuchus contains many Messier objects, chiefly a large number of globular clusters. As I have done many times before, I scanned the area looking for them, and saw nothing. Total zero! Ophicuchus may be very rich in globular clusters, but unfortunately it is totally lacking in a guide stars to help you find them; indeed when you sweep around the constellation, which always reminds me of a blown up Gemini in shape, there's barely a star within the outline to be seen.
It's as if someone has very carefully cut out the centre of the constellation with space scissors, and left a hole to the edge of the universe, giving me massive thoughts to contemplate as I sipped on my cider, and took pleasure in the night.
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