Deep Sky Observations with eVscope 2 August to December 2023

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

Since the beginning of December 2021, I own an Unistellar eVscope 2 telescope for observing and taking photos of deep sky objects. On this page, I collect information about observations from August to December 2023 (third sample). In this phase, I used app version 2.4.1, which introduced the Deep Dark Technology, and version 2.5. The photos that were taken during this phase are presented elsewhere (e.g., on page Exposure Time versus Brightness).

Notes:

See page Overview of the eVscope Pages for just that!

Conditions

Sky Region and Objects

In August 2023, I observed mostly the following sky area (some observed objects are indicated):

Click the map for a larger version - it opens in a new window (Image Courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy, www.simulationcurriculum.com)

Since it is possible to start observing earlier in October, the same DSO can still be accessed.

Observation Time

The observations in this phase took place in August to December 2023. They typically took place shortly after dusk, when it was sufficiently dark for a successful star alignment (e.g. 9:30 to 9:45 p.m. in August, 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. in October, and about 5:30 p.m. in December).

Observation Location

The 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 2, I only needed the eVscope 2 and my iPhone or iPad.

General Conditions

In general, the sky above Mühlhausen/Kraichgau is "light-polluted" (SQM 20.5) and does not invite you to search for deep sky objects. For astrophotography, however, light pollution is not as disturbing as for visual observations.

Observation Overview

Observation Dates

Date 2023	Observed Objects	Observed Objects, Details	Remarks	Further Remarks
Aug 21 MH	GC: M 13, M 56, M 92 G: M 51, M 101 GN: M 16, M 17, NGC 7000, NGC 7023 PN: M 27, M 57	Order: M 13, M 92, M 51, M 101, M 17, M 16, M 27, M 57, M 56, NGC 7023, NGC 7000 (11 objects)	eVscope 2 (third sample), iPad, from about 9:35 p.m. up to about 11:45 p.m. Practically no bug in the app!	SQM 18 (21:45), 18.4 (M 13), 19.14 (M 92), 19.56 (M 51) 19.75 (M 101), from then on about 20; shortly after new moon Goal: Test new image processing (Deep Dark Technology) of the eVscope; check, whether the image gets brighter over time (it does so up to 10...15 min)
Aug 23 MH	G: M 51	Order: M 51 - long time observation, up to 110 min	eVscope 2 (third sample), iPad, from about 9:35 p.m. up to about 11:35 p.m.	SQM up to 19.6 Goal: Test new image processing (DDT) of the eVscope; check, whether the image gets brighter over time (it does so up to 110 min)
Aug 25 MH	G: M 101	Order: M 101 - long time observation, up to 40 min (aborted because of clouds)	eVscope 2 (third sample), iPad, from about 9:30 p.m. up to about 10:30 p.m. (then clouds appeared)	SQM up to 19.5 Goal: Test new image processing (DDT) of the eVscope; check, whether the image gets brighter over time (it does so up to 40 min)
Sep 6 MH	GC: M 13 OC: M 11, M 29 G: M 101, M 102, NGC 7331 GN: NGC 6888, NGC 6960 PN: M 27	Order: M 13, NGC 6888 (Crescent Nebula), M 29, M 27, M 11, M 101, M 102, NGC 6960, NGC 7331 + Stephan's Quintet	eVscope 2 (third sample), iPad, from about 9:45 p.m. up to about 11:20 p.m.	SQM about 20 Goal: Collimate eVscope and check the results (it seemed to be a little bit better)
Oct 10 MH	GC: M 15, M 56, M 92 OC: M 11, M 29 GN: IC 5070, NGC 6888, NGC 7000 PN: M 27	Order: M 27, M 11, M 56, M 29, NGC 6888 (20 min), M 92, M 15, IC 5070, NGC 7000 (clouds appeared, stopped after 29 min)	eVscope 2 (third sample), iPad, from about 8:00 p.m. up to about 11:00 p.m.	SQM between 19 and 20 (at the end below 20 again) Goal: Collimate eVscope again and check the results (it seemed to be a little bit worse)
Oct 13 MH	PN: M 27	Order: M 27	eVscope 2 (third sample), iPad, from about 7:30 p.m., to about 8:30 p.m.; aborted because of clouds	SQM 19 Goal: Collimate eVscope once more and check the results (it seemed to be a little bit worse)
Dec 17 MH	GC: M 2 GN: NGC 6888 Moon, Saturn	Order: M 2 (5 min), NGC 6888 (34 min)	eVscope 2 (third sample), iPad, from about 5:20 p.m., to about 7:20 p.m.; aborted because of fog	Goal: Check the eVscope 2 (e.g. collimation). Collimation was the poorest, I ever had (Moon, M 2); was much better after my collimation attempt (M 2)
Dec 17 MH	GC: M 13, M 92 OC: M 45 PN: M 57, M 27, G: M 31, M 33, NGC 404, NGC 7331 GN: IC 5070, IC 5146, NGC 6960, NGC 281 Moon, Saturn, Jupiter	Order: Moon, Saturn; M 13 (6 min), M 92 (3 min), M 57 (3 min), IC 5146 (15 min), M 27 (7 min), M 33 (10 min), M 31 (7 min), NGC 404 (3 min), NGC 7331 (3 min), NGC 6960 (20 min), IC 5070 (15 min), NGC 281 (5 min), M 45 (15 min); Jupiter	eVscope 2 (third sample), iPad, from about 5:50 p.m., to about 8:45 p.m.; aborted because of fog and clouds	SQM 19.2...19.5 Goal: Check the eVscope 2 collimation once more. >> Collimation was still OK. Focused using Altair.

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
M 2		Aquarius	GC	Nice globular cluster, one of the larger ones; this time with poor and better collimation...
M 11	Wild Duck Cluster	Scutum	OC	Is located in the Scutum cloud, a special section of the Milky Way; therefore the photos are full of stars.
M 13	Hercules Cluster	Hercules	GC	Nice globular cluster, one of the largest ones, larger than M 5
M 15		Pegasus	GC	Supposedly, this is the best globular cluster in autumn, bright core.
M 16	Eagle Nebula	Serpens	GN	Star cluster M 16 embedded in the Eagle Nebula IC 4703
M 17	Omega/Swan Nebula	Sagittarius	GN	One of the most beautiful emission nebulae; in the reversing telescope, some observers recognize a swan...
M 27	Dumbbell Nebula	Vulpecula	PN	Nice
M 29		Cygnus	OC	Pattern created from only a few stars
M 31	Andromeda Galaxy	Andromeda	G	M 31 is too large for the eVscope 2's field of view
M 33	Triangulum Galaxy	Triangulum	G	Very faint, details recognizable only after longer durations in EV mode.
M 45	Pleiades, Seven Sisters	Taurus	OC	Too large for the eVscope 2's field of view; faint nebula somewhat visible
M 51	Whirlpool Galaxy, with NGC 5195	Canes Venatici	G	Nice spiral galaxy with connected satellite galaxy NGC 5195
M 56		Lyra	GC	One of the smaller globular star clusters
M 57	Ring Nebula	Lyra	PN	Ring clearly visible
M 92		Hercules	GC	Nice globular star cluster, smaller than M 13, but brighter core
M 101	Pinwheel Galaxy	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 2
M 102	Spindle Galaxy	Draco	G	Seen edge-on; shares the name "Spindle Galaxy" with two other galaxies
IC 5070	Pelican Nebula	Cygnus	GNE	Large reddish nebula, faint
IC 5156	Cocoon Nebula	Cygnus	GNE	Reddish nebula, faint
NGC 281	Pacman Nebula	Cassiopeia	GE	Reddish nebula, fits the eVscope 2's FOV, faint
NGC 404	Mirach's Ghost	Andromeda	G	Galaxy close to Mirach, therefore called Mirach's Ghost
NGC 6888	Crescent Nebula	Cygnus	GN	Nice, but faint; better with longer exposure time...
NGC 6960	Western Veil Nebula	Cygnus	GN	Rather faint
NGC 7000	Northamerica Nebula	Cygnus	GN	Too large for the eVscope 2
NGC 7023	Iris Nebula	Cepheus	GN	NGC 7023 is the name of an open star cluster containing the Iris Nebula. The Iris Nebula is a reflection nebula illuminated by a central star.
NGC 7331	and Stephan's Quintet (NGC 7317)	Pegasus	G	Spiral galaxy, some further small galaxies can be seen on the photos; it is possible to have also Stephan's Quintet on the eVscope 2 photo with careful selection of the FOV

G = galaxy, GaC = galaxy cluster, 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 nebula in other galaxies)

References

Books

Michael Feiler & Philip Novak (2023). Deep Sky Reiseatlas (5. Auflage), Oculum Verlag (ISBN 978-3-949370-04-5)
www.oculum-verlag.de/detailview?no=608
Ronald Stoyan (2021). Deep Sky Reiseführer (6. Auflage), Oculum Verlag (ISBN 978-3-938469-72-9)
www.oculum-verlag.de/detailview?no=603
Erich Karkoschka (2022). Atlas für Himmelsbeobachter, Kosmos Verlag (EAN: 9783440173602)
www.kosmos.de/de/atlas-fur-himmelsbeobachter_1074889_9783440173602