Deep Sky Observations with eVscope Mid to End of March 2020

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

Since the end of January 2020, I own an Unistellar eVscope telescope for observing and taking photos of deep sky objects. On this page, I collect information about first observations (mid-March to end of March 2020) using the new version of the Unistellar app (version 1.0), which might be of interest to other beginners. The photos that were taken during the observation sessions are presented elsewhere on this site.

Notes:

See page Overview of the Unistellar Pages for just that!
I present the first five observation sessions, including photos, on page Unistellar eVscope - Observations.
From March 18 to March 26, 2020, I ran a small private "Messier-Marathon" (more like a half marathon...), and also observed a few other deep sky objects. I list these observations here, and also summarize these observations on a separate page (Deep Sky Observations with eVscope - Messier-Marathon March 2020).

Conditions

Sky Region and Objects

In this phase, I observed the sky area in the south, southwest, and somewhat to the west, but also looked into further directions (Ursa Major, Virgo, Canes Venatici, ...). Therefore, a map does not make much sense here...

Observation Time

The observations in this phase started in mid-March 2020. They typically took place shortly after dusk, when it was sufficiently dark for a successful star alignment. Once, I also observed in the early morning.

Observation Location

All observations took place in Mühlhausen/Kraichgau (Germany):

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

Equipment Used

When observing with the eVscope, I only needed the eVscope and my iPhone.

General Conditions

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. For astro photography, however, light pollution is not as disturbing as for visual observations.

Observation Overview

Observation Dates

Date 2020	Observed Objects	Observed Objects, Details	Remarks	Further Remarks
Mar 12	OC: M 44, M 67, M 50	Order: M 44, M 67, M 50	M 50 only seen short before clouds came in	Installed the new app and updated the eVscope; hot pixels seem to be better, still app crashes...
Mar 13	DN: B 33 OC: M 35, 36, M 37, M 38 PN: NGC 2392 GN: M 1, M 42/43, M 78, NGC 2024 G: M 65, M 66, M 95, M 96, M 105, NGC 3384, NGC 3389, NGC 3628	Order: M 42/43, M 78, M 1, M 35, M 36, NGC 2024 (Flame Nebula), B 33 (Horse Head Nebula), NGC 2392 (Eskimo Nebula) After supper: M 36, M 37, M 38, M 35, M 66, M 65, M 65&66, NGC 3628, M 95, M 96, M 105 (+ NGC 3384, NGC 3389)
Mar 14	OC: M 41, M 46, M 47, M 48, M 50, M 93, NGC 2244 PN: M 97 G: M 108, NGC 2903, NGC 2775, NGC 3115	Order: M 41, M 93, M 46 (+ NGC 2438), M 47, M 48, M 50, NGC 2244, M 81, M 82, M 97 (Owl Nebula), M 108 After supper: NGC 2903, NGC 2775, NGC 3115
Mar 15	G: M 51, M 63, M 94, M 101, M 106, M 109, NGC 4244, NGC 4449, NGC 4485, NGC 4490	Order (about 10 p.m.): M 101, M 109, M 51, M 106, M 94, M 63(Sunflower Galaxy), NGC 5005, NGC 4244, NGC 4449, NGC 4490 (+ 4485)	Observed after supper (and parallel to Atik Infinity); fine clouds disturbed the observation	Only looked for galaxies, forgot M 102 (or not accessible...)
Mar 17	OC: NGC 752, NGC 2264 G: M 31, M 32, M 81, M 82, M 102, M 104, M 110 C: C/2017 Y4 (Atlas)	Order: M 31, M 32, M 110, C/2017 Y4 (Atlas), M 81, M 82 After Supper: M 110, M 32, NGC 752, NGC 2264, M 102, M 104	It was about a new comet and a few galaxies (including satellites of M 31).
Mar 18 (M)	KS: M 3, M 5, M 13, M 53, NGC 5053, NGC 5466 G: M 63	Order (4:30-5:40): M 3, M 5, M 13, M 63 (Sunflower Galaxy), NGC 5466, M 53, NGC 5053	Actually, we wanted to observe a special position of the moon and the planets; in parallel, I built up the eVscope.	Primarily, I observed globular star clusters and one galaxy.
Mar 18 (E)	GC: M 79 OC: M 34, M 35, M 36, M 37, M 38, M 41, M 44, M 45, M 46, M 47, M 48, M 50, M 52, M 67, M 93, M 103 GN: M 1, M 42, M 43, M 78 PN: M 76 G: M 31, M 32, M 33, M 74, M 77, M 110	Order (for 20-21 o'clock, 19:30 up to shortly after 21 o'clock): M 41 (was marked for an hour later), M 74, M 77, M 79, M 31, M 32, M 110, M 33 (+ NGC 604), M 34, M 52, M 103, M 76, M 45, M 42, M 43 Order (for 21-22 o'click, up to about 22:30 o'clock): M 78, M 41 (already observed earlier, too), M 50, M 47, M 46, M 93, M 1, M 35, M 37, M 36, M 38, M 44, M 67, M 48	According to the Oculum publishers observation plan, I completed the program for the first two hours.
Mar 20	GR: NGC 1977, NGC 1973, NGC 1975 G: NGC 4284, NGC 4290 DS: M 40	Order: Running Man Nebula (formed of reflection nebulae NGC 1977 anf its parts NGC 1973 and NGC 1975), M 40 (+ galaxies NGC 4284, NGC 4290, PGC 39934?)	Running Man Nebula searched for the Unistellar weekly competition, very faint; M 40 searched in order to close a "gap".	No one knows why Messier added the double star to his list as M 40; nearby are 2-3 small galaxies (the third one can only be guessed at as a faint dot).
Mar 22	DN: B 33 GR: NGC 1977, NGC 1973, NGC 1975 GN: M 1, M 78, NGC 2024 G: M 65, M 66, M 95, M 96, M 105, NGC 2903, NGC 3344, NGC 3384, NGC 3389, NGC 3605, NGC 3607, NGC 3608, NGC 3628	Order: M 1, Running Man Nebula (nebula NGC 1977, 1973, 1975), Flame Nebula (NGC 2024), Horse Head Nebula B 33, M 78, Running Man once more, Flame Nebula once more; NGC 2903, NGC 3344, NGC 3607 (+ NGC 3605 (close) and NGC 3608), NGC 3628 (from the edge), M 65 & 66, M 105 (+ NGC 3384 and NGC 3389 (irregular)), M 95, M 96,	Observed mainly nebulae and galaxies, because it was relatively dark shortly before new moon; in addition, Orion is located lower and lower, and it is time to finish one's observations there...
Mar 23	GN: M 1 KS: M 3, M 53 G: M 51, M 63, M 64, M 65 & 66, M 66, M 85, M 94, M 97, M 98, M 99, M 100, M 101, M 102, M 106, M 108, M 109, NGC 4394	Order: M 1, Venus (no photo), M 66, M 65 & 66, M 97, M 108, M 109, M 106, M 51, M 63, M 101, M 102, M 53, M3, M 64, M 94, M 3 once more, M 85 (+ NGC 4394), M 98, M 99, M 100	Observed until close to midnight ("kitchen observing").
Mar 24	GR: NGC 1977, NGC 1973, NGC 1975 GN: NGC 2024 OC: M 67 GC: M 53 G: M 49, M 58, M 59, M 60, M 61, M 64, M 84, M 85 , M 86, M 87, M 88, M 89, M 90, M 91, M 98, M 99, M 100, M 104, NGC 4697	Start: M 74 and M 77 already too low Order: Running Man Nebula (nebula NGC 1977, 1973, 1975), Flame Nebula (NGC 2024), (B33 did not work, perhaps there were obstacles in between) M 67, M 61, M 49, M 104, NGC 4697, M 59, M 60, M 58, M 89, M 87, M 90, M 91, M 88, M 86, M 86 & M 84, M 99, M 98, M 100, M 85, M 64, M 53	Observed mainly nebulae and galaxies, because it was relatively dark with new moon; Orion is located lower and lower, and it is time to finish one's observations there... Observed until about 1 a.m. ("kitchen observing"), at the end in Virgo (earlier in Leo and Coma Berenice)
Mar 25	DN: B 33 G: IC 2574, M 65, M 66, M 81, M 82, M 84 , M 86, M 98, M 99, M 100, M 101, NGC 2403	Order: B 33, M 81, M 82, NGC 2403, IC 2574, M 66, M 66 & M 65, M 65, M 84, M 84 & M 86, M 98, M 99, M 100, M 101 (Pinwheel Galaxy)	Observed the Horsehead Nebula and some galaxies (two not in Messier catalog), some with very long exposure times of up to half an hour.	NGC 2403 was overlooked by Messier although it is considered as one of the nicest galaxies for small telescopes.

Bold: First observation during this observation period; G = galaxy, OC = open star cluster, GC = globular star cluster, GN = galactic nebula, PN = planetary nebula, P = star pattern, DN = dark nebula, C = comet, SN = supernova

List of Observed Sky Objects

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

DSO Details	Name	Constellation	Type	Remarks
B 33	Horse Head Nebula	Perseus	DN	Always a challenge; more details after 10 minutes of exposure
C/2019 Y4	C/2019 Y4 (Atlas)	---	C	The comet can be recognized as such
IC 2574		Ursa Major	G	Very faint spiral galaxy, hard for the eVscope
M 1	Crab Nebula	Taurus	GE	More distinct with longer exposure times...
M 3		Canes Venatici	GC	Nice globular cluster, one of the larger ones
M 5		Serpens Cauda	GC	Nice globular cluster, one of the larger ones, larger then M 3
M 13		Hercules	KS	Nice globular cluster, one of the largest ones, larger than M 5
M 31	Andromeda Galaxy	Andromeda	G	Too large for the eVscope's field of view
M 32		Andromeda	G	Satellite galaxy of M 31
M 33	Triangulum Galaxy	Triangulum	G	Very faint, details are hardly recognizable
M 34		Perseus	OC	Large and nice open star cluster, reminds me of M 41
M 35		Gemini	OC	Large and nice open star cluster
M 36		Auriga	OC	Nice open star cluster, smaller than M 35
M 37		Auriga	OC	Nice, very dense open star cluster
M 38		Auriga	OC	Nice open star cluster, larger than M 36, not as dense as M 37
M 40		Ursa Major	DS	Optical double star; nearby are three small galaxies (NGC 4284, NGC 4290, PGC 39934)
M 41		Canis Major	OC	Large and nice open star cluster, reminds me of M 34 ; not as dense as M 35-38
M 42	Orion Nebula	Orion	GE	Too large, somewhat blurry, Trapezium mostly washed out
M 43	De Mairan's Nebula	Orion	GE	Part of M 42
M 44	Beehive, Praesepe	Cancer	OC	Too large for the eVscope, a few bright stars
M 45	Pleiades, Seven Sisters	Taurus	OC	Too large for the eVscope's field of view
M 46		Puppis	OC	Large; NGC 2438 (PN) on the photo!
M 47		Puppis	OC	Large, contains some large bright stars
M 48		Hydra	OC	Large, many bright stars, at the center many nearby stars...
M 49		Virgo	G	Elliptical galaxy
M 50		Monoceros	OC	Nice large open star cluster with many fine and some bright stars
M 51	Whirlpool Galaxy	Canes Venatici	G	Nice spiral galaxy with connected satellite galaxy
M 52		Cassiopeia	OC	Medium-sized open star cluster
M 53		Coma Berenices	GC	One of the smaller globular star clusters
M 58		Virgo	G	Barred spiral galaxy, but hard to see in the eVscope
M 59		Virgo	G	Elliptical galaxy, smaller than M 58
M 60		Virgo	G	Elliptical galaxy with satellite NGC 4647 (spiral galaxy) and neighbor NGC 4638 (spiral galaxy)
M 61		Virgo	G	Spiral galaxy, small and fine spiral in the eVscope
M 63	Sunflower Galaxy	Canes Venatici	G	Nice, elongated spiral galaxie, somewhat larger
M 64	Black Eye Galaxy	Coma Berenice	G	Impressive spiral galaxy with unique look, somewhat larger
M 65		Leo	G	Thin, elongated spiral galaxy, spiral hard to see; part of the Leo triplet (with M 66 and NGC 3623; with M 66 just about into the field of view of the eVscope
M 66		Leo	G	Elongated spiral galaxy, spiral visible; part of the Leo triplet (with M 65 and NGC 3628; with M 65 just about into the field of view of the eVscope
M 67		Cancer	OC	Large, nice cluster with a few bright stars and many not so bright ones
M 74		Pisces	G	Nice spiral galaxy, but in the eVscope just a faint dot/glow...
M 76	Small Dumbbell Nebula	Perseus	PN	Small, colorful, rectangular
M 77		Cetus	G	Barred spiral galaxy, a bit more to see than with M 74, but in the end just a soft dot in the eVscope
M 78		Orion	GE	Faint, but identifiable using two stars; around new moon, I was able to see more details
M 79		Lepus	GC	Smaller globular star cluster
M 81	Bode Galaxy	Ursa Major	G	Nice spiral galaxy; the spiral is not very conspicuous in the eVscope
M 82	Cigar Galaxy	Ursa Major	G	Elongated irregular galaxy (cigar), dirsturbed by an encounter with M 81
M 84		Virgo	G	Elliptical galaxy, which can be seen together with M 86 in the eVscope's field of view (+ NGC 4387 and a bit of NGC 4402)
M 85		Coma Berenices	G	Elliptical galaxy that can be seen together with the galaxy NGC 4394 in the same field of view of the eVscope
M 86		Virgo	G	Observed alone and together with M 84 in the field of view (+ NGC 4387 and a bit of NGC 4402)
M 87		Virgo	G	Elliptical galaxy, seen together with NGC 4478 in the eVscope's field of view
M 88		Coma Berenices	G	Spiral galaxy, spiral can be recognized
M 89		Virgo	G	Elliptical galaxy, a small bright and fuzzy dot...
M 90		Virgo	G	Spiral galaxy, spiral can be recognized
M 91		Coma Berenices	G	Barred spiral galaxy, bar can be recognized, spiral not so much...
M 93		Puppis	OC	Nice open star cluster with compact center
M 94		Canes Venatici	G	Small spiral galaxy, the spiral appears more like a nebula
M 95		Leo	G	Small barred spiral galaxy, relatively faint, but the bar is visible. Forms a pair with M 96, but too far away for the eVscope (40').
M 96		Leo	G	Spiral galaxy, forms a pair with M 95, but too far away for the eVscope (40').
M 97	Owl Nebula	Ursa Major	PN	Small green dot with two dark spots
M 98		Coma Berenices	G	Spiral galaxy seen edge-on, small bright core
M 99		Coma Berenices	G	Spiral galaxy, almost seen face-on, similar to M 100 and M 101, but much smaller than M 101
M 100		Coma Berenices	G	Spiral galaxy, almost seen face-on, similar to M 99 and M 101, but much smaller than M 101
M 101		Ursa Major	G	Spiral galaxy, seen face-on, similar to M 99 and M 100, but much larger than both; quite impressive in the eVscope
M 102		Draco	G	Seen edge-on; shares the name "Spindle Galaxy" with two other galaxies
M 103		Casiopeia	OC	Open star cluster with many fine stars; the brighter stars form a triangle
M 104	Sombrero Galaxy	Virgo	G	Spiral galaxy, seen nearly edge-on; the dust ring and the bright nucleus led to the name; sehr eindrucksvoll im eVscope.
M 105	with NGC 3384 and NGC 3389	Leo	G	Bright elliptical galaxy; can be seen together with the galaxies NGC 3384 (elliptical) and the smaller NGC 3389 (spiral) in the same field of view in the eVscope.
M 106		Canes Venatici	G	Larger and bright spiral galaxy with bright core
M 108		Ursa Major	G	Barred spiral galaxy, nearly seen edge-on
M 109		Ursa Major	G	Barred spiral galaxy, the bar is easily recognized in the eVscope
M 110		Andromeda	G	Satellite galaxy of M 31, fainter than M 32 (very faint...)
NGC 604		Triangulum	HII	The brightest HII region in M 33, a small blob...
NGC 752		Andromeda	OC	Large, loose open star cluster
NGC 1977	Running Man Nebula	Orion	GR	The Running Man Nebula includes the reflection nebulae NGC 1977, 1973, and 1975 as well as the open star cluster 1981; a dark nebula has the shape of a running man; needs long times in Enhanced Vision mode
NGC 2024	Flame Nebula	Orion	GE	Rather faint reddish nebula next to Alnitak; not easy for the eVscope
NGC 2244	Open star cluster in Rosette Nebula	Monoceros	OC	Nice to see (not the embedding nebula, the Rosette Nebula, found)
NGC 2264	Christmas Tree Cluster/Conus Nebula	Monoceros	OC	Saw only the open star cluster.
NGC 2392	Eskimo Nebula	Gemini	PN	Round light blue spot with white dot in it
NGC 2403		Camelopardis	G	Spiral galaxie, regarded as one of the best galaxies for small telescopes; unclear why Messier overlooked it; fairly impressive in the eVscope.
NGC 2438		Puppis	PN	Planetary nebula inside of M 46 (there I found it...)
NGC 2775		Cancer	G	Small spiral galaxy with bright core; spiral not recognizable in the eVscope
NGC 2903		Leo	G	One of the brighter spiral galaxies; unclear why Messier missed it...
NGC 3115	Spindle Galaxy	Sextans	G	Elliptical galaxy, one of the "spindle galaxies"...
NGC 3344		Leo	G	Small spiral galaxy, spiral recognizable in the eVscope, bright stars in the area of the galaxy
NGC 3384/3389	see M 105	Leo	G	The galaxies NGC 3384 (elliptical) and the smaller NGC 3389 (spiral) can be seen together with the galaxy M 105 in the same field of view in the eVscope.
NGC 3607/3608/3605		Leo	G	Three elliptical galaxies, which can all be seen in the eVscope in the same field of view (size: 3607/3608/3605)
NGC 3628		Leo	G	Spiral galaxy seen edge-on; it forms a conspicuous group with M 65 and M 66, the Leo Triplet.
NGC 4244	Silver Needle Galaxy	Canes Venatici	G	Spiral galaxy, very thin and long, seen edge-on
NGC 4284/4290	see M 40	Ursa Major	G	Two small galaxies in the vicinity of the optical double star M 40
NGC 4387	see M 84/86	Virgo	G	Small elliptical galaxy close to M 84 and M 86; more or less in the same field of view in the eVscope
NGC 4394	see M 85	Coma Berenices	G	Small spiral galaxy close to M 85 (in the same field of view of the eVscope)
NGC 4402	see M 84/M 86	Canes Venatici	G	Small spiral galaxy close to M 84 and M 86; more or less in the same field of view in the eVscope
NGC 4449		Canes Venatici	G	Iregular galaxy
NGC 4478	see M 87	Virgo	G	Small elliptical galaxy close to M 87 (in the same field of view of the eVscope)
NGC 4490/85	Cocoon Galaxies	Canes Venatici	G	Distorted spiral galaxies, which interact with one another
NGC 4638	see M 60	Virgo	G	Spiral galaxy, interacting with elliptical galaxy M 60 (in the same field of view of the eVscope)
NGC 4647	see M 60	Virgo	G	Spiral galaxy, interacting with elliptical galaxy M 60 (in the same field of view of the eVscope)
NGC 4697		Virgo	G	Small elliptical galaxy
NGC 5005		Canes Venatici	G	Oblique spiral galaxy with bright core
NGC 5053		Coma Berenices	GC	Very loose globular star cluster near M 53 (1°); already too bright for a good photo...
NGC 5466		Bootes	GC	Rather loose globular star cluster; already a litte bright for a photo...

G = galaxy, OC = open star cluster, GC = globular star cluster, GE = galactic emission nebula, GR = galactic reflection nebula, DN = dark nebula, C = comet, PN = planetary nebula, SP = star pattern, HII = HII region (emission nebala in other galaxies)

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