About 2145 I began to roll my gear out in preparation for astronomical darkness, which would come at 2225. The sky was a patchwork of clouds, haze and many stars. There also seemed to be to ground mist forming in the valley. So with the evening being a bit of an unknown quantity, I embarked on my journey for the evening, however long or short it may turn out.
Observations were made mostly using 110x (18mm) and 181x (11mm), with occasional use of 297x (6.7mm). All surface brightness (SBr) figures are listed in magnitudes per square are minutes (mag/arcmin2). I spent most of my time in Bootes, south of Arcturus picking up galaxies, with a little intermission into Canes Venatici for a supernova about 110 MLY distant in the lenticular galaxy
Star hopping from Arcturus down to 14 Boo (mag 5.5) I found my first galaxy half a degree to its northwest. This barred spiral was a small, slight oval at both 110x and 181x. A little bright visually, it sported a stellar core.
Continuing my movements south of brilliant Alpha Boo I swept up this lenticular. Visually it was small and elongated, as well as a little bright in appearance, and also revealed a stellar core at both 110x and 181x.
Next up was this slightly dim and round diffuse dust mote of light. This nearly face-on spiral appeared weak visually at both 110x and 181x. At 297x it was visually larger but remained homogenous.
While observing
PGC 50713 / N5504C (Bootes, spiral galaxy, mag=14.7, size=1.0’x0.45, SBr=13.4):
This is a third component just north of
Viewed at both 110x and 181x this small round puff of distant light presented as weak visually, and was homogenous in appearance. A nearby galaxy (14.5’ to SSW), MCG+2-36-30 (Bootes, mag=14.4b) in same field was only suspected in the murk, but never confirmed.
Nearly a degree northeast of 15 Boo (mag 5.5) I located a close duo. First up was the brighter of the pair, this lenticular. At 110x it was very bright and round, though small angularly. Using 181x it was a strong visual presence in the field, with a bright stellar nucleus.
About 5’ NNW of
Just over a degree east of 15 Bootis I pinned down this small and round dust bunny. Visually it was a little dim at 110x and 181x, but it did display a noticeable stellar core.
SN 2019ein (Canes Venatici, supernova in
It was now intermission time, which meant Canes Venatici had moved a little beyond the zenith and was easier to access. So using the 10x50 binoculars, I eyeballed the hop from Cor Caroli (Alpha CVn) eastward to the field for the compact galaxy group, Hickson 68. Moving to the 8x50
Studying the southern portion of
I always enjoy the chance to see the light from a single star embedded in a distant galaxy. It is a unique opportunity to witness the immense power that sent the light from a single member star of another galaxy hurtling across the universe to our eyes.
Now, I returned to Bootes, south of Arcturus to continue my fishing expedition. I moved nearer the border with Virgo to a trickle of brighter stars flowing southward. This galaxy, classified as a peculiar, appeared small and rounded in shape. It was positioned between two brighter (6th and 7th mag) field stars. At 110x the two field stars were at opposite edges of the
Nearly half a degree south of the previous object I now entered the field of the
In the same field of view as the previous object, I also picked up this spiral about 7’ to the ESE. At 110x it seemed the brighter of the two, something that was confirmed at 181x and 297x. Overall it was a small homogenous oval that remained diffuse all the way up to 297x.
Nearby in the busy galaxy field was a trio dominated by this bright fat oval. Homogenous in appearance, it was clearly the brighter of the three forming a nearly equilateral triangle.
About 5’ NNE of the previous galaxy and sharing the
The third member of this tiny triangle of galaxies, was dimmer still. Very small and round, it was a weak presence in the field. Though seen at 110x and more easily at 181x, it certainly was playing third string in this little galaxterism of three.
Just northeast of the previous little triangle I picked up the small and round diffuse glow of this face-on spiral. More or less non-descript at 110x and 181x it remained homogenous to the eye.
MCG+2-36-24 / N5434B (Bootes, galaxy, mag=13.9, size=1.6’x0.3’, SBr=12.8):
Sometimes listed at
This was the first picked up of another close triangle of galaxies in the field. Dim and elongated, it did reveal some central brightness within its dim outer halo. Viewed at both 110x and 181x with no significant detail noted.
Almost 3.5’ SSE of the previous galaxy I noted the dimmest of this clutch of three within the larger
The final of the close triangle of three was easily spotted in the field of view 5’ north of
Moving out of the congestion of the
I noticed Libra had moved beyond the large oak tree along the road that fronts our property. So at this time I decided to wrap up the outing by trolling around in the celestial scales. This is a constellation that I’ve visited sparingly in the past as I often do not have a darker and unobstructed southern view at home. So I decided to see what I could pick up before I rolled the big feller back into the garage.
Aiming the scope at mag 2.6 Beta Librae (Zubeneschamali) I slid SSW for nearly a degree to sweep up my first target. This face-on spiral appeared somewhat large and bright at 110x. Round in shape it was a diffuse visual object with even illumination. Taking a look at 181x, I detected some broad brightness within its central region. As an aside, though Zubeneschamali is listed as “Beta”, it is the brightest star within Libra.
Continuing to the SSW I picked up three galaxies in close proximity to one another. This barred spiral was somewhat bright and large at 110x. Homogenous in appearance, it was an extended oval shape. Even at 181x it remained diffuse, lacking any noticeable central brightness.
About 9.5’ northwest of
Just over 9.5’ WNW of
Heading southeast from the previous clutch of three, I eventually came upon a close pair, of which this barred spiral was the most apparent. Using 110x it was somewhat bright and small oval. I noted a foreground field star involved within its envelope and the central region appeared broadly brighter. At 181x it was a very strong presence in the field of view
Nearly 5’ SSE of the previous galaxy I picked up this thin oval. With 110x it was small and dim. Even at 181x it remained diffuse without any central brightening noted.
I located this spiral nearly 5° SSW of Beta Librae. Picked up at 110x, it presented as an elongated and small oval that was somewhat bright punctuated by a stellar core. Viewed with 181x an inner lens of brightness set within a dim outer halo became apparent, with the bright stellar core pinned to its center.
Shifting back to Zubeneschamali and moving to the northwest for almost 4.5° I nailed this elliptical at the end of a north-south curve of bright field stars with mag 4.9 Delta Lib at its southern end. The galaxy was small, round and pretty bright at 110x. A stellar core was noted and no additional details were picked up at 181x.
I studied the field just east of
So with that, I called it an evening. The moon was on the rise, I was chilled and damp from the dew and battling the less than optimum conditions was taking its toll on my stamina. Thanks for coming out on this first night of our stay at the dark site house, and with luck I will be able to make it double-header the following evening. Keep looking up friends.
