Around 1900 hours I moved the scope and table out, and then set up my observing position before going back inside to rest a little. I headed out to let my eyes adapt around 2000 hours, and got started with my galaxy hunt at about 2015, just before astronomical darkness had set in. I worked in Pegasus for this session, in the area west of the Great Square
So off I went into the night in pursuit of galaxies – my favorites. The air was cooling, but not cold. There was definitely some humidity in the air and I had my dew heaters on the finders (both unity and optical). The Milky Way, while very much present in the sky, was not quite as detailed and sharply defined as I have seen it. Nonetheless, seeing was pretty good, and I felt transparency was more than adequate for successful galaxy hunting. I turned the scope in the direction of Lambda Pegasi and began my abbreviated observing session. Come along, won’t you?
(Equipment used)
17.5 inch
Ethos 13mm (152x, 0.7° TFOV, 2.9mm exit pupil)
XW 10mm (199x, 0.4° TFOV, 2.2mm exit pupil)
XW 7mm (283x, 0.2° TFOV, 1.6mm exit pupil)
I started my evening by aiming the scope at mag 3.9 Lambda Pegasi and star hopping west about 2° to pick up mag 7.0 HD 214398. Just south of this star I found my first object. I had already observed this lenticular just over 10 years ago using my Z10
About 6.5’ east of
This spiral was my next target, and it was easily picked up using 152x. It presented a small and dim thick oval glow. The glare from the mag 6.6 star HD 214128 just over 3’ to the southwest definitely impacted the view of the galaxy. Viewing with 199x this object was more apparent, though still bothered by the star. It now displayed an intermittent stellar core. (New)
Up next was this barred spiral which I located a little over 1° NNE of the previous object, It lay about halfway between and just south of a line between two wide pairs of field stars - mags 8.7 and 10.8 for the eastern pair, and mags 8.7 and 10.9 for the western pair. At 152x the galaxy was a small and subtly bright homogeneous oval disk. The view in combination with the nearby stars was a curious contrast that caught the eye. Using 199x the galaxy remained a smoothly illuminated little oval. (New)
I now located a pair of galaxies. The brightest was this small thick oval disk that was just slightly bright to the eye, and revealed a smoothly illuminated envelope at 152x. I took a look with 199x, and it was more apparent, but remained homogeneous in appearance. (New)
The second object in this close pair of galaxies was this lenticular. At 152x I found it a fairly dim and small thick oval disk immediately east of
This spiral was next up on my list. Easily found using 152x, it presented a small oval disk that was subtly bright to the eye and smoothly diffuse. More apparent at 199x, its smooth oval was obvious within the field. (New)
With the 13mm (152x) in the focuser, I swept up this lenticular galaxy almost 4’ southeast of a wide pair of field stars (10th and 11th mag). It revealed a small and fairly dim thick oval disk with an intermittent stellar core at its center. Then at 199x the galaxy was more obvious in the field and its stellar core was now a steady diamond set within. (New)
By the time I got to the field for this galaxy, the clock had slipped past 2130 hours and the sky was noticeably brightening. The moon, while not visible yet, was lurking below the ridgeline to the northeast. Viewing the field with 152x I was catching a suspicion of a small and dim dusty glow. Then at 199x I confirmed its presence as a homogeneous oval disk. I also dropped in the 7mm (283x) and while it remained dim and homogeneous it was clearly seen. (New)
UGC 11964 (Pegasus, spiral galaxy, mag=14.3, size=1.9’x0.2’, SBr=13.0):
This elusive little dust bunny about 5’ west of
This would be my final object of this short outing. Surprisingly it was more easily discerned than was
That was it for me this night. After the long road trip heading back from Indiana, I was quite exhausted. So to be perfectly honest this was one time I didn’t mind the moon interfering with my observing. Being out a little less than 1.5 hours was more than enough for my mind and body. I was ready for some rest and relaxation before we continued on home the next morning. So I moved the gear back into the garage and headed inside for a snack, a nice shower then welcome sleep. While not long the evening was a successful galaxy hunt, and confirmed I was once again capable of handling the big scope, signaling my return to full observing capability. Thanks for reading along and I hope to be able to get back out there again real soon. Keep looking up folks, because that is where the good stuff is!
It does make spending multiple nights, when we can, a lot easier.
