2011-11-16, Sight Report

2011-11-16, 22:00-23:30 CST
Ankeny backyard
~26F, slight breeze, clear and cloudless

Poor seeing, transparency not as good as I’d hoped, but not bad

What I saw:

* M15
Equipment: Zhumell Z10 10″ Newtonian reflector

Globular cluster, near Cygnus. Viewed at 40x, but was unable to get much star definition, poor seeing. BUT, it was found quite easily using my DIY push-to method of using Stellarium (or an app) to note the current altitude and azimuth, and using the magnetic angle finder and a degree circle attached to the dobsonian base. After aligning the degree circle with Deneb (in Cygnus), I lined it up for M15 and there it was, just on the edge of the FOV.

* IC 5146 (Cocoon Nebula)
Equipment: Zhumell Z10 10″ Newtonian reflector

I found it, but did not see it. I know I was in the right place, the stars matched the charts I was looking at, but I guess it is either a dim nebula that requires a darker sky, or perhaps the sky wasn’t as transparent as the clear sky chart indicated it may have been. Or maybe it will require a filter.

* M39
Equipment: Zhumell Z10 10″ Newtonian reflector

Open cluster. I was hunting around all over in the area above Cygnus and near Cepheus and Cassiopeia. This one was on the way to IC 5146, ish.

* NGC 7380
Equipment: Zhumell Z10 10″ Newtonian reflector

Open cluster in Cepheus. Also contains the “Wizard Nebula,” but all I could see was the open cluster around/in it. I can’t wait for my UHC and OIII filters to arrive for more nebula viewing.