Deep Sky Winter/early Spring Observations February/March 2017

Observation Conditions | Observation Overview | List of Observed Sky Objects | Remarks | References

From the second half of February to the end of March 2017, I conducted simple deep sky "winter to early spring observations," which might be of interest to other beginners and are therefore described here.

See also the deep sky observations that closely follow in time Deep Sky Spring/Early Summer Observations May 2017.

Observation Conditions

Sky Region and Objects

I initially (with Heritage 100P) restricted myself to the sky region around Gemini (Twins), Orion, Auriga, and Taurus (Bull) (southwest to south).

On my "observation list" there were firstly (Feb 13): M 45 (Pleiades / Seven Sisters), Mel 25 (Hyades), M 42/43 (Orion Nebula) and M 78, M 35, M 1, M 36, M 37 and M 38. On February 14, I searched additionally for M 44 and M 31, and on February 15, in addition to these also for NGC 884/869. At the end of February, I extended my observation list with about half a dozen further deep sky objects (a.o. M 41, M 81/82, NGC 2237/2244, and NGC 2264).

At the end of March, I first restricted myself to the sky region around the constellations Canis Major (Small Dog), Monoceros (Unicorrn), Gemini (Twins), Cancer (Crab) to the left, and Auriga (Charioteer) to the right. This sky region is therefore similar to that of my February 2017 observations. On my "observation list" there were initially: M 41, M 93, M 46, M 47, NGC 2362, M42/43, and M 78 (n.f.). These objects were followed by M 48, M 50, M 1 (n.f.), NGC 2392 (Eskimo Nebula), NGC 2264 (Christmas Tree Cluster), and NGC 2237-9/46/NGC 2244 (Rosette Nebula). Later, M 35, M 36, M 37, and M 38, as well as M 44 (Praesepe/Crib in Cancer/Crab) were added to my list.

Overview Maps

The following map shows approximately the sky region that I primarily browsed during my observations from February to mid-March):

Click the map for a larger version - it opens in a new window. The deep sky objects that I tried to observe are indicated by red dots. (Image Courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy, www.simulationcurriculum.com)

The second map shows approximately the sky area that I primarily browsed during my observations at the end of March. The major part of the observed deep sky objects is located in the mily way, a few of then to the east of the milky way:

Observation Time

The observations started every day with observations of Venus (from 6 p.m.), which was very bright during these days. And as it should turn out, it appeared (in spite of the enormous brightness!) as a crescent shape in the telescopes. This is described on page Venus Crescent 2017 (for February 13). For the deep sky objects, it was sufficiently dark only from about 7 p.m. on, at the end of March only after 8 p.m. (summer time).

Observation Location

Most observations were conducted in Mühlhausen/Kraichgau (Germany):

Coordinates: 49° 15′ N , 8° 43′ E
Coordinates (dec.): 49,25° N, 8,72° E

On March 27, 2017, I observed one day in Erkerode (near Braunschweig, Germany).

Devices Used

General Conditions

The observations started two to four days after full moon, and because the observations took place between 6 and 8-9 p.m. the moon still did not have any significant influence on the observation conditions. At the end of February, we were already passing the new moon (February 26), and the moon did not play a role in the observations. From the beginning of March (March 2) on, the moon returned to the sky and made observations progressively harder. In mid-March, the moon waned again and appeared later during the night so that it did not disturb my observations any more. At the end of March, the moon did not disturb my observations.

In general, the sky above Mühlhausen/Kraichgau is "light-polluted" and does not invite you to search for Deep Sky objects. This is certainly one of the reasons why I found some of the Deep Sky objects that I wanted to observe only sometimes or not at all. In Erkerode, Northern Germany, the sky was a little bit darker.

Observation Overview

Date 2017	Observations	Details, Remarks	Further Observations and Remarks	Devices Used	Eyepieces Used
Feb 13	GE: M 42/43 (Orion Nebula) OC: M 45 (Pleiades / Seven Sisters), Mel 25 (Hyades), M 35, M 36, M 37, and M 38	Venus observations: I used both telescopes and, of course, shorter eyepieces, because otherwise I would not have been able to recognize the crescent shape (this was what I thought - but I was able to recognize the crescent already with an 32 mm eyepice in small telescopes...).	M 1 and M 78 not found	Heritage 100P, some objects with Skymax 102; LT binoculars	mostly a 32 mm Plössl, sometimes a 16 mm UWA
Feb 14	The same deep sky objects, plus: G: M 31 OC: M 44 (Praesepe)	On this day (Feb 14), I repeated the observations with my GSO GSD 680 telescope (8" Dobsonian) to check (1) if I would be able to find objects with this telescope that I could not find with the 100P, and (2) how the objects that I found the day before would look like in the larger telescope.	I also looked in the direction of the Andromeda galaxy (M 31, between Cassiopeia and Andromeda, in the west) as well as Praesepe (M 44, Cancer, in the east) using my binoculars	GSD 680 with red-dot finder; LT binoculars	32 mm, 16 mm UWA
Feb 15	The same deep sky objects, plus: G: M 31 OS: M 44, NGC 884/869	I hoped (1) to be able to find the objects faster, and (2) to clarify whether objects might not have been found just because I had searched for them at the wrong location (hoping that the GoTo control would work properly...).	Additional excursion to Praesepe (M 44) and the Andromeda galaxy (M 31) and then to the Perseus double star cluster (NGC 884/869, between Cassiopeia and Perseus, near the zenith)	Heritage 100P on GoTo mount; LT binoculars	32 mm Plössl, 16 mm UWA, and 7 mm UWA
Feb 18	GE: M 1 (Crab nebula) GE: M 42/43 G: M 31 OC: NGC 884/869, M 45, M 35	I had supplemented the Telrad finder on that day with a dew cap with integrated 90° mirror and a 5 cm riser base.	M 1 now found! M 42/3 seen well like never before!	GSD 680 with Telrad finder	32 mm Plössl, 16 mm UWA, 7 mm UWA
Feb 26	GE: M 1 GR: M 78 GE: M 42/43 G: M 31 OC: M 45, M 35, M 36, M 37, M 38		M 78 finally found!	Heritage P130 on GoTo mount	32 mm Plössl, 16 mm UWA, 7 mm UWA, 6 mm Planetary, 4 mm UWA
Mar 2	GE/OC: NGC 2237-9/2244 (Rosette Nebula) G: M 81/82 (Bode Galaxies) OC: M 41, NGC 2264 (Christmas Tree Cluster)	On March 2, I finally visited the remaining objects that I had put on my observation list.	in addition observed M 42/43, M 44, M 45	Heritage P130 on GoTo mount	32 mm Plössl, 16 mm UWA, 7 mm UWA
Mar 16	GE: M 42/43 G: M 31 OC: M 45, M 35, M 36, M 37, M 38	On March 16, I repeated the observations of some objects.	in addition observed M 44, NGC 884/869; M 31 was very faint; M1 and M 78 not found	Heritage P130 on GoTo mount	16 mm UWA, 4 mm UWA (Venus only)
Mar 27	GE: M 42/43 OC: M 41, M 44, M 46, M 47, M 93	Erkerode	M 78 not found	Heritage 100P	32 mm Plössl, 16 mm, 7mm, and 4 mm UWA
Mar 28	The same deep sky objects as a confirmation	Back home in Mühlhausen again!	Also observed with bigger telescopes for confirmation of the findings.	Heritage 100P, Heritage P130 on GoTo mount, GSD 680	32 mm Plössl, 16 mm, 7mm, and 4 mm UWA
Mar 29	The same and a few more deep sky objects: GE: NGC 2237-9/2244 PN: NGC 2392 (Eskimo Nebula) OC: M 48, M 50, NGC 2264		I forgot to observe a few objects from the initial list... M 1 not found	Heritage P130 on GoTo mount	32 mm Plössl, 16 mm, 7mm, and 4 mm UWA
Mar 30	Everything repeated and a few more deep sky objects: OC: M 35, M 36, M 37, M 38		Everything repeated...	Heritage P130 on GoTo mount	32 mm Plössl, 16 mm, 7mm, and 4 mm UWA

Bold: First observation during this observation period; all observations in Mühlhausen/Kraichgau; GE = galactic emission nebula, GR = galactic reflection nebula, PN = planetary nebula, G = galaxy, OC = open star cluster, GC = globular star cluster

List of Observed Sky Objects

Object details can be obtained via the links to the relevant deep sky objects.

DSO Details	Name	Constellation	Type	Bino*	100P	100P GT	P130 GT	GSD 680	Remarks
M 81/82	Bode Galaxies	Ursa Major	G				yes		very faint
M 36		Auriga	OC		yes	yes	yes	yes	the brightest of M 36-38
M 37		Auriga	OC			yes	yes	yes	located outside of the "Auriga body!
M 38		Auriga	OC		yes	yes	yes		the most difficult to see from M 36, M 37, and M 38
M 1	Crab Nebula	Taurus	GE		--	--	yes	yes	very faint, not found with 100P
M 45	Pleiades	Taurus	OC	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	large
Mel 25	Hyades	Taurus	OC	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	very large
M 42/43	Orion Nebula	Orion	GE	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	in part seen very beautifully
M 78		Orion	GR		--	--	yes	???	very faint, not found with 100P
NGC 2392	Eskimo Nebula	Gemini	PN				yes		there seemed to be a small little dot...
M 35		Gemini	OC			yes	yes	yes	nice, many stars
NGC 2237-9/2244	Rosette Nebula	Monoceros	OC/GE				yes		saw star cluster NGC 2244 only, did not find the Rosette Nebula
NGC 2264	Christmas Tree Cl.	Monoceros	OC				yes		initially, christmas tree not recognized; recognized the "christmas tree" at the end of March, but not the nebula within the cluster
M 50		Monoceros	OC				yes	yes	nicer than M 48, filled the view
M 41		Canis Major	OC		yes		yes	yes	nice, particularly at higher magnifications
NGC 2362		Canis Major	OC		yes		yes	yes	I saw primarily an "L" shape...
M 46/NGC 2438		Puppis	OC		yes		yes		star cluster M 46 weak but nice, looked like a nebula at low magnification; nebula NGC 2438 not found
M 47		Puppis	OC		yes		yes		brighter than M 46
M 93		Puppis	OC		yes		yes		nice at higher magnifications, only glow otherwise
M 44	Praesepe	Cancer	OC	yes	yes	yes	yes		in an awkward position for me, very nice end of Marh
*M 67*		Cancer	OC						not found or forgot results
M 48		Hydra	OC				yes		nice, not bright
M 31	Andromeda Galaxy	Andromeda	G	yes		yes	yes	yes	fairly faint in the West
NGC 884/869	P. Double Cluster	Perseus	OC	yes			yes	yes	in the West, close to the zenith

*) 10 x 25 binoculars; PN = planetary nebula, GE = galactic emission nebula, GR = galactic reflection nebula, G = galaxy, OC = open star cluster, GC = globular star cluster

Remarks

Is it it or not?

If you point your telescope with the help of the red dot finder approximately to the desired sky object, look into the eyepiece and see nothing or only "nebulous clouds," but not something that resembles the object in question, the question arises: Is the sky too light-polluted that I can recognize the object or does the telescope point in the wrong direction? Admittedly, I was - even after repeated attempts - not able to clarify this question for some of the objects that I tried to observe on the first day.

That is why I repeated the observations of the first day on the following days in two different ways: On the one hand, with my 8 "-Dobsonian telescope (GSO GSD 680) and, on the other hand, with my Sky-Watcher Synscan AZ GoTo mount and the Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P telescope. In the first case, one or the other object that was not visible with the 100P should become visible because of the higher light gathering power of the 8 "telescope provided that the object was correctly accessed. In the second case, the sky objects ought to be accessed correctly thanks to the GoTo control (this does not always work, however...). If I should nevertheless recognize nothing at all in the eyepiece, this telescope is, under the given conditions, not able to show the object.

The results above show that especially in the case of M 35, M 36, M 37, and M 38 some clarity could be brought into these questions. Similarly, M 78 and M 1 remained unobservable in all cases (as I thought...), suggesting that the light conditions were not good enough for these objects. However, on the fourth day, I was able to spot M 1 with my largest telescope.

Contortionists Asked for!

Some sky objects (M 35, M 36-38) were so high up in the sky that I had trouble finding them in the LED finder. I had to "crawl" under the telescope, so to speak, to see the red dot in the finder. A slightly higher table might have helped, but this also has its limitations - and if it is too high, you have problems with looking into the eyepiece. An angle finder is therefore required! I searched the Internet to find out, whether there is an angle finder on the market at all, which does not magnify and just uses a red dot. Apparently there is only one for the Telrad finder available - or one for almost 300 EUR from TeleVue, but for the latter neither the base nor the price fit. The Telrad angle finder with dew cap arrived in the meantime, and I tried it on February 18 for the first time. Admittedly, I am not really enthusiastic ...

Luckily, I do not have these problems when using the GoTo control - I may only have difficulties when aligning the telescope to the two adjustment stars, but there are several stars to choose from ... Using it, I was able to access all of the wanted objects without problems, including the Perseus double cluster on the third day.

GoTo: Hit Rate?

With the Sky-Watcher Star Discovery AZ GoTo mount, I made already very different experiences with regard to the hit rate. This depends on the accuracy with which the tripod is set up, the accuracy of time and location information, and also the accuracy with which the telescope is aligned with the alignment stars (the object should appear "centered" in the eyepiece; the double-reticle eyepiece that I bought for this purpose enlarges too strong for my taste, so that I use "normal" eyepieces with long focal lengths, instead). It may also be possible that the position of the alignment stars in the sky, including to each other, plays a role.

So far I have taken all these things with more or less liberty and therefore had very different experiences: On some days, it worked out fine, on other days there was only frustration. I think that the telescope used, that is, the magnification used, plays an important role, as well as the location of the objects in the sky that you are pointing to, that is, whether they are relatively close to each other or diametrically opposite in the sky.

I do not want to dig deeper into this topic here, but only want to communicate that I did not have big problems this time, even though I had to move the objects in the eyepiece a bit "down". You can improve the alignment a little if you control the telescope via the astronomy app SkySafari for the iPad with the SkyWire device. But since I knew the names of the objects all by heart, I have not used the SkyWire device to connect the GoTo control to the iPad. It was OK using the hand control...

References

Books

Michael Feiler & Philip Novak (2014). Deep Sky Reiseatlas, Oculum Verlag
www.oculum-verlag.de/detailview?no=2014
Ronald Stoyan (2014). Deep Sky Reiseführer, Oculum Verlag
www.oculum-verlag.de/detailview?no=2015
Erich Karkoschka (2016). Atlas für Himmelsbeobachter, Kosmos Verlag
www.kosmos.de/buecher/ratgeber/astronomie/einsteiger/6598/atlas-fuer-himmelsbeobachter?number=15147