Heep Bags First Galaxy - Part 2

Observing Report 06/30/03 (cont'd)
Equipment: Heep ('umble 4.5" DS Newtonian on EQ mount, 900mm, f/8), 16x50 bino's
Eyepeices: 20mm, 10mm, 6.7mm Meade Plossls
Location: Vallentyne, Ont. (approx. 44n, 79w)
Time: 0230 - 0500 UT
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I later attempted to locate the North America nebula through my buddy's 20x80 bino's but it was too faint for
me to detect. I was able to locate M39 in these bino's which showed a tight grouping of perhaps a dozen stars.
I searched for M29 as well, but was unable to locate it. The problem with Cygnus is that the volume of stars
is so great, one never knows whether one is seeing a cluster or just a rich star field.

I used my own 16x50 bino's to view an interesting looking star cloud south (to the right) of Aquila. It's a
very prominent, well defined puff of smoke near the Milky Way's center, and these objects are quite delightful
in binoculars. I spied a concentrated roundish glow inside this cloud, and mistook it for a globular. Later
one of the club members (he of the 10" Meade) pointed to it and said "Point your scope there. That's where M11
is." Sure enough, it turned out to be the same cluster I had seen before, resolved beautifully at 90X.

Another highlight was my first view of M4, which was easy to locate due to its proximity to Antares, but by
that time dew had set in - the view was not spectacular, although at 90X, some granularity about the edges
could be detected.

Alas, my attempts to find both M3 and M5 were once again fruitless. They don't show up in my crappy 5x24
finder, and there isn't anything bright enough nearby to use to find them. It's not like M13, whose spot
in the Keystone I could find with my eyes closed.

But the highlight of the night had to be M51 - which, because I knew exactly where to look, I was able to
locate even with my binoculars as a faint circle of light close to a triangle of stars south of Alkaid.
Dark skies RULE! Through Heep, at 45X, both M51 and its smaller partner were visible, with brighter cores
and faint edges. No structure was evident, but just to be able to see with my own eyes an object 50 million
light years away ... it truly takes one's breath away. So Heep and I finally bagged a galaxy! Time to put
another notch on my tripod leg.

Clear nights ... dark sites,
Darren

M51 is not one of the easiest ones, Trotwood. If you can see M51 with Heep, you should be able to see M81 & M82 and, of course, M31 & M32.

Yours truly, Micawber.

Say Darren, that sounds like a heap of fun and accomplishment! Try to increase the magnification on M51 to say around 70x-80x. You might be able to see more details as the background sky will darken.

Ron B[ee]

Thanks for sharing your observations, Darren. I enjoyed reading your report.

Hey, you might try starting in *Virgo* when hunting down M5. Check out this chart:
http://www.sciencecenter.net/whatsup/05/v-stars.htm

Note the "upper leg," which ends with 109 Virginis. To its left (east) is another star. Follow that line eastward to M5. The distance between M5 and that "other" star is pretty-much the same as the distance between that "other" star and 109 Vir.

M3 is not-quite halfway from Arcturus to Car Caroli (alpha Canes Venatici), along a straight line. Also, M3 forms the third point in an equilateral triangle, with the other two points being Arcturus and Rho Bootes. (the other star in Bootes's "waist" (~west of Epsilon).
Check this chart:
http://starryskies.com/the_sky/constellations/bootes.html

Hope this helps. Let us know what you think of these two jewels, once you track them down.

Best wishes.
-Dan