[Lvas] Winter Challenge Objects

[Rob]

Guys,

According to my Starry Nights Pro, NGC 253 is best viewed in late 
October/early November while NGC 891 is prime for viewing anywhere from 
October through March.

I would also suggest we consider M76, the Little Dumbbell for December.  
As one of Messier's fainter objects, this could be a pretty good 
challenge object for us.

Finally, I would like you to consider for March NGC 4631 and NGC 4627, 
the Whale Galaxy and its companion, the Pup.  The Challenge would be to 
see the star forming regions and the bridge between the Whale and the Pup.

There is always M51 that is fun.  For those at the eyepiece, the 
challenge is seeing the spiral structure and the bridge between M51 and 
its companion.  I work with a Scientist that did her Phd dissertation on 
M51 and for me she put to rest, the issue surrounding whether or not the 
two galaxies are interacting.

Anyway, I definitely don't want to dominate what our challenge objects 
are.  I am completely open to anything you guys suggest.  These are just 
some objects that have appealed to me and should be pretty good objects 
for different types of scopes.

Take care, guys.

Looking forward to our future challenges.

Rob


roger ivester wrote:
> Rob,
>  
> Re: NGC-253 and NGC-891
>  
> Excellent pick.  
>  
> I have spent a lot of time on these galaxies over the past 20 years, 
> and the opportunity to work with others on them will be great.
>  
> It is very interesting that these two galaxies are also favorites of 
> mine. There is a lot of fine detail in each to look for.
>  
> Mullaney listed NGC-253 as the second object in his 1966 book "/The 
> Finest Deep-Sky Objects"./
>  
> Skiff can see N-891 with a 60mm refractor and I have difficulty with 
> my 10-inch if transparency is not good, when observing from my 
> backyard. A very dark sky is essential for this galaxy, as the surface 
> brightness is very low.
>  
> I can hardly wait for the frosty and cold nights of October, November 
> and December. We normally have our first frost of the season by early 
> to the middle of October.  
>  
> roger
>  
>  
>  
>  
>
> /*    *The moon and stars to govern the night.....   Psalm 136:9/
>

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