Hi
Me and Santhosh (who traveled all the way from India for TSP) took a pilgrimage (I understand why this is the right term to use here) to Jimi Lowrey's observatory to observe with him and his 48" telescope "Barbarella".
Here are some of the observing reports, mostly from my memory. They were spread across two nights, with the first night being a brief 2 hour "playing around" since the skies weren't good, and the latter night was full night observing.
1. UCD 1:
Ultra-compact dwarf near M104. Was quite easy with averted vision. Jimi and I could also see one uncharted galaxy with extreme averted vision nearby, while Santhosh could see two.
2. M 51:
Wow, that was a view! There were knots and knots everywhere. The spiral arms were clear and distinct. Divine experiences like this and M 104 are what justify in calling a trip to Jimi Lowrey's observatory a "pilgrimage".
3. The bridge in Keenan's system (48" + 13mm Ethos):
(See http://www.universetoday.com/16005/b...dietmar-hager/).
All three of us agreed that the bridge seemed thicker than in the photograph. The tidal tails in the direction opposite to the bridge were also visible. The spiral structure in the spiral was visible. At least a few knots were detected in the spiral galaxy using 10mm Delos eyepiece on the 48". I easily confirmed that I was seeing the bridge by scanning the background across the bridge, to notice an increase in background brightness.
4. VII Zw 466 (48") -- All the three brighter galaxies were obvious, including the "super-faint edge-on" from the 18" view. The ring galaxy
showed a clear ring with mottling on one side, exactly like in the pictures. The fourth faint galaxy (MAC 1232+6624) in the field, that
was not visible in the 18", was also visible.
(Here's an image: http://www.faintfuzzies.com/OR-May20...20Zw%20466.jpg from Alvin Huey's observation of the same object through the 48": http://www.faintfuzzies.com/OR-May2010-Lowrey48.html )
5. Hoag's object:
In the 48", Hoag's object showed clear yellow tint. The nucleus was obvious (compare with 18"), but the ring was still difficult, although not entirely impossible. The ring was held for a few moments.
6. The Cheerio planetary nebula :
With the 48", one could make out that the inside of the ring was not perfectly circular, but very ragged!
7. ACO 2151:
The Hercules cluster galaxies was very easy to see. A yellowish tinge was felt to all galaxies. Particularly remarkable was a hockey stick-like galaxy and a close interacting pair.
8. ACO 2065:
Galaxies were strewn across the field everywhere! Many many galaxies popped in and out of averted vision. The entire field looked filamentous at first glance, and the filaments resolved into galaxies, as if they were mottled. One of the best views through the 48"!!
9. KN J1814-3955:
We observed the planetary nebula suspect discovered by Mathias Kronenberger in Corona Australis. It definitely responded to a nebula filter.
(Here is Erika Rix's report and sketch of this same object from earlier: http://pcwobservatory.com/2013/06/14...kn-j1814-3955/)
Clear Skies
Regards
Akarsh
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