Starting out in the IDSA at chart 1 and then moving to chart 5, I finally wound up the evening on chart 11-left. The temps this evening were definitely cooler than the previous evening, and while I had my normal layers initially I found that would not suffice as time wore on. Ready to get things started I headed to Polaris to find my first object.
The closest
Slipping south about another 4° I swept up this subtle homogeneous oval glow. Viewed at 152x and 199x it remained a weak presence in a moon brightened sky. A bit brighter to the eye than the previous object, it was not particularly impressive either. (New)
Changing over to chart 5-left, I headed to northeastern Ursa Major for something a little brighter. Small and rounded, it was somewhat bright to the eye at 110x and formed a flattened triangle with two field stars (10th and 11th mag). At 199x it remained an obvious homogeneous presence in the field. (New)
Just northeast of the previous object and over the border into Draco I located my next target. Swept up at 110x it presented a somewhat bright, small uniform oval. Trying with 199x I noticed a very subtle inner lens of broader brightness with an intermittent stellar core embedded within. (New)
Just over 2.5° NNW of the previous galaxy I located a southeast to northwest gentle curve of three 7th magnitude stars. Just south of them I found a wide grouping of three galaxies. This face-on spiral was the easiest of the lot, but that was not saying much. It was a dim homogeneous little dust bunny in the brightened sky that changed little going up to 199x. (New)
About 14.5’ WNW of the first galaxy in this wide triplet I located this dim little oval. Uniformly illuminated it was rather poor visually. While easily noticed, it was a weak presence at both 110x and 199x. (New)
Between the other two and forming a flattened triangle with them, this little elongated oval was similarly dim like the previous object. A weak homogeneous entity within the field of view, it was equally unimpressive. (New)
Sweeping nearly 3° ESE I pinned down my next object. It proved to be a very subtle and small round glow at 110x. It formed one corner of a triangle with two dim field stars. Though easier to discern at 199x, it nonetheless remained a weak presence in the eyepiece. (New)
Nudging ENE for almost 1.5° brought me to this small oval. Swept up at 110x it presented as a bright oval that was evenly illuminated across its dimension. Using 199x a detected a subtle broad brightness within middle. Overall it was strong presence within the field of view. (New)
Nearly 53’ northeast of
Nearby
The third one of this grouping lay about 16’ northeast of the previous pair. At 110x I found it a bright elongated oval, small in size. Using 199x brought out an inner lens of brightness oriented along the major axis.
Shifting westward in Draco again, I located the field in the IDSA (chart 5-left) that shows two galaxies designated as
So while the atlas shows two objects, there is truly only one, which was validated by my personal observation as well. At 110x it was a small somewhat bright oval, generally homogeneous. Using 199x it was very obvious in the field and revealed a stellar core. (New)
Moving over to chart 5-right, in the southwestern corner of Draco, where it meets Ursa Major and Camelopardalis, I swept up this small spiral. It was very small and dim at 110x, but easily seen in the field. Appearing as a homogeneous elongated oval, at 199x it was more visually apparent, but overall remained weak in the view. (New)
UGC 4883 (Camelopardalis, spiral, mag=12.3, size=1.3’x0.7’, SBr=12.0):
Nudging about 1.75° WSW and crossing into Camelopardalis, I nailed down this small and dim oval. It lay at the end of a gentle arc of three field stars and appeared uniformly illuminated. At 199x while more apparent to the eye, it remained ghostly. (New)
Nudging northward about 2° and staying within Camelopardalis, I pulled down this slightly bright and slightly large oval using 110x. It seemed the northeastern end was slightly thicker than was the southwestern half. Taking a look at 199x, it was a strong presence in the field and a little bit large in visual appearance. An inner lens of brightness was elongated with the major axis. Again, the northeastern end seemed to be slightly thicker. (New)
I checked images after the session to see if I could make some sense of this apparent difference in disk thickness from one end to the other. What I found was that there were more HII regions visible in the northeastern end, while the southwestern end exhibited more obscuring dust, muting its brightness. I believe that accounted for the visual differences I noticed.
Moving NNE and back into Draco, I located my next target, but not with 110x. I dropped in the 13mm Ethos (152x) which gave me the same TFOV as the
Nudging back east and onto chart 5-left again, I nailed down the dim pair of galaxies, otherwise known as Arp 181. At 110x they was merely suspected as a small and dim single homogeneous oval. Using 199x, it remained poor visually, but now I was getting a sense of two adjacent very dim ovals almost in contact. They were similar in appearance, but the one to the northwest (
I noticed some heavier clouds starting to work in from the WSW as the cold front overtook our area. With the temps dropping off I already had on a medium jacket over my layers, but eventually added a knit cap and fingerless gloves as the temperature continued to inch down. Turning to chart 11-left, I was headed for the finish line, which would be M101 and some galaxies in close attendance to this marvelous object.
Swept up at 110x, this behemoth was magnificent. Bright yet diaphanous in nature, its delicate spiral structure was easily seen as a large pinwheel, befitting of its nickname. Its core was a small concentrated non-stellar brightness within the larger broad brightness of its central region. From this larger portion its arms uncoiled as mottled diffuse arcs.
Studying the disk further, I easily spotted the brightest of nine HII regions listed in the
Interestingly, though I vaguely recall observing some of the features of M101 and some of the surrounding galaxies many years ago, that was during a time when I mistakenly did not maintain a log. So due to this oversight on my part, I wanted to see some of these galaxies for the purposes of entering them into my log. Sort of make amends for not doing my due diligence in my earlier years!
This is the largest and brightest of the M101 HII regions and appeared east of and slightly separated from the envelope of the galaxy. It was fairly bright and rounded, standing out boldly in the field. Appearing similar to a galaxy, it even contained a small non-stellar central brightness. (New)
About 44’ SSE of M101 I easily located this somewhat large and somewhat bright round homogeneous glow using 110x. Viewed with 199x it was uneven in brightness indicative of its face-on spiral structure. The core was quite bright with an intermittent stellar twinkle at its center. (New)
Shifting my attention about 35’ NNE of M101 I spotted this small bright rounded cotton ball, with a stellar core pinned to its center. Taking a look at 199x its apparent size grew noticeably as more of its diffuse outer halo became visible. (New)
Next up was this lenticular about 22’ ENE of the previous object. At 110x I found it smallish in visual size, but bright to the eye. Rounded in shape its disk seemed evenly illuminated. Using 199x it was very strong in the field and revealed a stellar core twinkling at its center. (New)
Almost 6.5’ NNE of my last object I noticed this small and fairly dim dust mote in the same field of view. Slightly elongated and homogenous in appearance at 110x, it was a tad easier to pick up at 199x, though it remained small and diffuse. (New)
About 47.5’ NNW of
Nearly 26’ WNW of the previous object I picked up another thin galaxy. I found it somewhat bright at 110x with a little more thickness (bulge) at the center and tapered ends. Overall it appeared homogeneous, though at 199x a stellar core emerged within its bulge. I also noticed a dim 14th mag field star just off its southern tip. (New)
Over 40’ SSW of the previous galaxy I easily located my final object for the evening. Swept up at 110x, it appeared small and thin, a little bit bright and generally evenly illuminated across its envelope. With 199x an intermittent stellar core popped in and out. Though generally small it was fairly bright and obvious in the field. (New)
The sky was turning more uncooperative as the minutes passed, and I was also getting a little colder as well. So with residual fatigue from the previous evening, combined with some hard work that ensued during the day, I decided to call it a night. I moved my gear back into the garage and went in for something hot to eat before settling down for the evening. With rain in the forecast for the next day, I would head home in the morning, so the thought of some sleep was enticing.
Thanks for coming along on this two-night journey through the circumpolar skies. I hope you have enjoyed reading of my adventures and that it inspires you to seek out some of these objects during your own evenings of personal discovery. Keep looking up friends and I wish you clear skies and good health during this current crisis.
