I was at a small stargaze party on south of Sweden this week on a island and it was pretty dark ( SQM 21.4-5 ) and seeing was better than decent and not cold and no wind.
Telescopes was several 15” and a 18” and a 20” and a 6” Astrophysics refractor. ( I don’t count on astro photo stuff )
I had some advanced list object’s from OSP last year as the nearby galaxy IC1296 next to M57.
This one is +15 mag but it has not a bright centre so it’s rather dim.
According from the OSP a 18” optics is needed but we had one 20”, so it was not maybe inc black but it was dark and seeing way better than normal.
I say sky was clear as well, but none of us could see this galaxy.
We used Ethos and a Delite 7 mm ( no P2 coma corrector )
I’m not shore but I think I saw this object last year at OSP, and if memory was right it was in Judy’s 18”, and I think I saw it pretty well also.
Anyway on the way back home I passed a club that has a old French made 24” f/6.5 that had new coatings on 2 years ago, and I used my Ethos 13 and later on 10 mm, and there I can say I saw some ‘blur’ anyway here, but I can’t say I saw a galaxy with spiral arms.
Sky there was decent as well and around 21.3-4 but it was not as clear as water crystals in atmosphere.
( It was hot so T-shirt at midnight )
What confuse me vs the observing at OSP.
The memory tell me it was pretty easy see it, but not here and in bigger optics ?
-Any ideas what’ going on.
My memory might be wrong, so a note on that.
Before OSP 2019 I was not aware of the object.
I did not log the object’s so therefore the memory at OSP.
This one requires both high transparency of the air and good seeing.
Perhaps the air was not quite transparent enough.
I've seen it many times at my site at 2550m altitude in the 12.5", usually at 300x +.
I might has to low mag at the stargaze party in the 'smaller' ones, but at the 24" located inland Sweden I had 360X.
Now, next time on a 18" or a 16" bino dob I'm going after NGC3172 aswell.
I could not find it, but now I has now access to a 30" f/3.6 by Lockwood so this weekend it will be first light in that one.
We bought and splitted it at 8 people on a Starstructre scope that was sold to Sweden 7 years ago.
It will be stationary at our club.
It’s a ‘decent’ place but Bortle 3, and I has seen SQM 21.4 there but light from Stockholm is at east south.
I will get back.
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