Late Fall Herschels

October 8, 2024. Spruce Knob, T 3/5, S 1/5, SQM 21.24 (diffuse aurora). 20" F/4. Late fall Herschels.

NGC 772, GX, Ari. 8 mm. Small, slightly elongated, brighter in the middle to a nucleus. Thin arm points between two stars. Much smaller galaxy near.

NGC 752, OC, And. This cluster fills the field of the 26 mm 100-deg. Bright stars, no concentration.

NGC 891, GX, And. 26 mm. Very greatly extended, brighter to the middle, tapering ends. Bisected in the middle by a dark lane.

M33 (NGC 598, HV-17). GX, Tri. 26 mm. Very large, just framed. Overall slightly elongated. Relatively small bright core. Two arms dominate. One ends in two knots, the other extends symmetrically like an "S" and ends in a broad patch. Two more arms are found between these two. One of these ends in an enhanced patch and points at a widely separated compact cloud. The second short arm has two knots.

NGC 404, GX, And. Next to a very bright star. Small, relatively bright, compact.

NGC 908, GX, Cet. 8 mm. Elongated, little brighter in the middle to a nonstellar nucleus. Arm runs on one end inwards of a star. The opposite arm is brighter and has a sharp outer edge near the core, which faces a bright star pair.

NGC 1055, GX, Cet. 8 mm. Greatly elongated. Tapering ends, gradually brighter to the middle. The edge facing the star is straight and sharp. There is a faint extended patch of light next to the star.

NGC 936, GX, Cet. 8 mm. Small round core, bright nucleus, thin extensions of the core. Traces of an off-round halo with an enhanced edge that is extended in a different direction from the core.

NGC 1022, GX, Cet. 8 mm. Round core, gradually brighter to the middle. Short arm emerges CW from the core opposite a star that is near. A fainter star is embedded in the halo.

NGC 1052, GX, Cet. 8 mm. Elongated overall. Small bright core with a nucleus. Faint extensions. A triangle of faint stars near.

NGC 1084, GX, Eri. 8 mm. Elongated, little brighter in the middle. Fine mottling. Short CW arm points S, another points N.

NGC 488, GX, Psc. 8 mm. Slightly elongated. Small core with a nucleus. Extensive halo is brighter away from the star.

NGC 524, GX, Psc. 8 mm. Considerably small and faint. Much brighter in the middle to a nonstellar nucleus. Edges diffuse.

Fall Herschels

October 8, 2024. Spruce Knob, T 3/5, S 1/5, SQM 21.24 (diffuse aurora). 20" F/4. Fall Herschels.

NGC 136, OC, Cas. Conspicuous small cluster. Rich in faint stars. Partially resolved in 13 mm. A line of 3 brighter stars appears superimposed on one side. Bright star near.

NGC 129, OC, Cas. 13 mm. Irregular, poorly detached but conspicuous aggregation of uniform bright stars. No concentration. 3 brighter stars form an almost equilateral triangle in the most compact part of the cluster.

NGC 225, OC, Cas. 13 mm. A group of uniformly bright stars that resembles Capricornus. Two strings of similar stars are near and may be part of the cluster. Star-poor background.

NGC 381, OC, Cas. 13 mm. A somewhat triangular patch of Milky Way. No concentration. Poorly detached except one vertex, which is pointing into a void.

NGC 457, OC, Cas. 13 mm. Bright cluster, moderately condensed, well detached. Two bright stars on edge. A string of stars is snaking across the core.

NGC 436, OC, Cas. 13 mm. Poor, moderately well-detached, little condensed, faint and bright stars. An arc of stars in the middle. A line of similar stars on edge.

NGC 637, OC, Cas. 13 mm. Irregular, poor, but well-detached. Triangle of bright stars in the middle.

NGC 559, OC, Cas. Irregular, extended cluster of faint and bright stars. The faint stars are partially resolved in the 13 mm and merge with the Milky Way background. Overall resembles a goose with spread wings and neck bent to the side.

NGC 659, OC, Cas. 13 mm. This is a questionable patch of the Milky Way next to a bright star. Heart-shaped, one side brighter.

NGC 654, OC, Cas. 13 mm. Irregular, rich, great range of star brightness. One edge straight. Warm-tinged lucida on the other side.

NGC 288, GC, Scl. 13 mm. Large, faint, little compressed. Triangular. Resolved across the core.

NGC 157, GX, Cet. 13 mm. Slightly elongated, little brighter to the middle. An arm embraces an unequal pair of stars. The edge opposite the arm comparatively sharp. Fine mottling.

NGC 613, GX, Scl. 13 mm. Greatly extended. Small core, faint starlike nucleus. An arm curves sharply from this central lens toward a bright star. A second arm curves symmetrically from the other end of the lens, and there appears to be a separated patch opposite the star.

NGC 596, GX, Cet. 13 mm. Bright round core, faint extensions. Starlike nucleus.

NGC 584, GX, Cet. 13 mm. Elongated, brighter in the middle, starlike nucleus. Faint diffuse galaxy near.

NGC 615, GX, Cet. 8 mm. Elongated core next to 2 stars. The galaxy extends faintly past the near star and has a separated patch on the other end.

NGC 720, GX, Cet. 8 mm. Small round core, long faint tapering extensions.

NGC 799, GX, Cet. 8 mm. Greatly elongated, gradually brighter in the middle. One half is brighter than the other.

NGC 7662, PN, And. 8 mm. Bright, round, bluish. Middle and one side are darker.

NGC 7686, OC, And. 26 mm. This is a sparse scattering of uniform stars of moderate brightness that appear bluish. A wide unequal pair of bright stars seems superimposed along with several other stars that are comparatively bright. These brighter stars add to the magnitude of the cluster but also make it hard to find in the field rich in similar bright stars.

Early Fall Herschels

October 5, 2024. Cherry Springs. 20" F/4. T 4/5, S 4/5. SQM 21.1, diffuse aurora. Early fall Herschels.

NGC 7209, OC, Lac. Fills the field of 13 mm but is well detached from the surrounding background. Uniform bright stars, no concentration.

NGC 7243, OC, Lac. This cluster is only moderately well detached. Very large; stretches across the field of 13 mm. Moderate range of star magnitudes. Appears to consist of two unequal parts, with a void in the middle. Overall irregularly extended.

NGC 7296, OC, Lac. 13 mm. This is a questionable star group in a busy field. Lucida on one side, a chain of 5 stars leading to it. Brighter star near.

NGC 6939, OC, Cep. 13 mm. This is the OC near the galaxy NGC 6946. Uniformly faint stars. No concentration. Overall triangular, one side marked by bright stars.

NGC 7160, OC, Cep. 13 mm. Small group of bright stars. Double lucida in the middle, arc of faint stars around it, bright small arc near.

NGC 7142, OC, Cep. 13 mm. Irregular group of faint stars, large, no concentration. The backbone is greatly extended and resembles a Milky Way patch. On one side of it is a double lucida, on the other a long arc of faint stars around a void.

NGC 7380, OC+EN, Cep. 13 mm. Triangular cluster of moderately bright stars with no concentration. Well detached. Bright star at the vertex that is facing the bright double outside the cluster. A fainter double near. All of the cluster appears to be highlighted by nebulosity, and it is especially bright in patches along the edge opposite the bright star.

NGC 7510, OC, Cep. 13 mm. Extended bright cluster, irregular, no concentration. Lucida on one end, the other end is marked by a triangular arrangement of bright stars.

NGC 7448, GX, Peg. 8 mm. Overall slightly elongated; small nucleus. A rapidly tapering arm points at a small group of faint stars that is nearby.

NGC 7217, GX, Peg. 8 mm. Bright round core. Faint halo has a distinct edge on the W side. Faint star embedded N of the core.

NGC 185, GX, Cas. 8 mm: Faint, round, gradually brighter to the middle, edges diffuse. Bright star group N, fainter star WNW, threshold star embedded on NE side. 5.5 mm: Most of the nebulosity is erased, but the formerly threshold star now appears steady and the core looks double, with the more compact and brighter part to the ENE. [This was the first time I had been able to see this detail.]

NGC 278, GX, Cas. 5.5 mm. Small core, well-detached grainy halo. Short arm points W from the NE side.

NGC 7789, OC, Cas. 13 mm. Large, well detached, no concentration. Faint and bright stars. The cluster is better defined on one side, where it has a rounded boundary and a semicircular void just inside it. On the opposite side, the cluster seems to be embedded in the Milky Way.

NGC 7790, OC, Cas. 13 mm. This is a loop of bright stars with a clump of fainter stars attached to it. Overall reminiscent of a lasso.

Fall Caldwells

October 5, 2024. Cherry Springs. 20" F/4. T 4/5, S 4/5. SQM 21.1, diffuse aurora. Fall Caldwells.

NGC 188, OC, Cep. 8 mm. Very rich in faint and barely resolved stars. The brighter stars appear to be foreground. No concentration but well detached.

NCG 40, PN, Cep. 8 mm. Bright central star. Slightly ellipsoid annulus. One side enhanced. Faint star just beyond the edge. Brighter star near.

NGC 7023, RN, Cep. 8 mm. Bluish nebula around a bright star, more to one side. On the opposite side, a fainter patch. The latter seems to be connected to a faint star. The nebulosity appears to continue in a spiral fashion from the faint star to a dim, long arc around the central part.

NGC 559, OC, Cas. 8 mm. This cluster seems to consist of 4 arms of stars that converge on one side and are swept toward the lucida on the other. Stars similar to the lucida are in the background nearby.

Sh 2-155, EN, Cep. 8 mm. Only the compact knot that is next to the bright star is seen. It is immediately next to a faint star, and a slightly brighter star is farther away. OIII filter makes it disappear, suggesting that this knot is a reflection nebulosity. [Wikipedia confirms that Sh 2-155 involves some reflection nebulosity, although the source of this information is unclear.]

NGC 663, OC, Cas. Just framed by the 8 mm. Has two arcs of stars on one side and a void in the middle that is shaped like the digit 8.

NGC 7635, EN, Cas. Bubble Nebula. 8 mm. This nebula lies to one side of a bright star. One edge enhanced, running from the bright star. Faint star on the other edge. Comparing with photographs, this is not the bubble but rather the dot in the comma that forms one side of the bubble.

NGC 6946, GX, Cep. 8 mm. One arm dominates and has a fainter branch splitting off its inner edge. A second arm is fainter and has many stars involved. A third arm is shorter and is also traced by some bright stars along its outer edge. It has a distinct knot at its end.

NGC 457, OC, Cas. Just framed by the 8 mm. Bright cluster with no concentration. Double lucida on the edge. The center appears dominated by a symmetrical pair of comma-like arrangements of bright stars.

NGC 7009, PN, Aqr. Saturn Nebula. 8 mm. Bright turquoise ellipsoid with thin ansae, one steadier than the other. Suggestion of annularity in the ellipsoid.

NGC 7293, PN, Aqr. Helix Nebula. Framed by 8 mm. Very large uneven annulus, opposite sides enhanced, in one place almost broken.

NGC 6934,GC, Del. 8 mm. Considerably small, concentrated, resolved across the core. Bright star near.

NGC 7006, GC, Del. 8 mm. Faint, small, resolved on the periphery. Core smoothly concentrated.

NGC 7479, GX, Peg. 8 mm. Faint stellar nucleus. Greatly elongated core reaches to a bright star. Its other end curves around a fainter star.

NGC 7331, GX, Peg. 8 mm. Greatly elongated, stretches across the field. Sharp nucleus, bright elongated core. Dust on one side. 2 small galaxies near.

NGC 7814, GX, Peg. 8 mm. Round core, faint tapering extensions. There is an immediate suggestion of an equatorial dust lane, but it remains subtle. (This is the first time I've been able to to see it.)

IC 1613, GX, Cet. 8 mm. 2 mottled patches are visible: 1 between a filed star and a faint double, the other near the double at right angles with this line.

NGC 246, PN, Cet. 8 mm. Very large, considerably faint, off-round, edge unevenly enhanced. 4 stars involved, including the central star.

NGC 247, GX, Cet. 8 mm. Greatly elongated, stretches across the field. Bright star on one end. Short hook on the other end, which is longer.

NGC 253, GX, Scl. 8 mm. Marvelous sight. Very greatly elongated; stretches across two fields of view. Fine mottling and dust near the core. Two arms run to the ends, one hooked back toward the core and the other straight.

Fall Messiers

October 5, 2024. Cherry Springs. 20" F/4. T 4/5, S 4/5. SQM 21.1, diffuse aurora. Fall Messiers.

M75. Inside an arc of 4 bright stars. Concentrated to a bright center. Begins to be resolved in 8 mm.

M72. 8 mm. Resolved, poorly concentrated, and appears to be shaped like a horseshoe crab.

M30. 8 mm. Resolved. Moderately concentrated to a core that appears off-round. 3 or 4 streams of bright stars sweep to one side from the core.

M2. 8 mm. Resolved to the core. Smoothly concentrated and round. Magnificent sight.

M15. Large but well framed by the 8 mm 100-degree. Resolved. Periphery appears radially scattered, rich in bright stars. Core concentrated to a bright unresolved nucleus. Symmetrical save for a dark sector at the periphery.

M52. No concentration, well detached. Just framed by the 8 mm. Uniformly bright stars. Warmly tinged lucida on the edge.

M103. 8 mm. Moderately rich in a rich star field, yet well detached. No concentration. Dominated by a string of stars that is shaped like a question mark. This string connects two brightest stars and passes through a reddish star in the middle.

M76. 8 mm. Large, bilobed. One side brighter, elongated and has a star on its edge. The other side is larger, longer, and continues in a spiral fashion to a faint separated patch.

M31. Extremely large, stretches across multiple fields in the 8 mm. Small bright nucleus, nonstellar. Two massive dark lanes with a stretch of faint nebulosity beyond the second one. NGC 206 embedded among less prominent mottling on one end.

M32 in 8 mm appears elongated in the direction of the M31 core. Bright, sharp but nonstellar nucleus.

M110 greatly elongated in 8 mm and has an elongated core with a star embedded next to the nucleus.