[LVAS] Well????

[roger ivester]

All,

 

Fred, thank you for your interest in regard to the observing session in the South Mountains of NC last night.

 

I hope that all will find this report interesting.  

 
It was amazing. The sky just opened up just giving enough time to see the Helix, but NGC-6231 was in a bad location as we worked hard to see it before it was lost in the treetops and haze due to it's southerly position. 
 
NGC-6231 is filled with many faint stars but due to the haze and some intermittent clouds in that area could see only 10 or 12 of the brighter ones using the 4-inch refractor. A higher altitude and a clear sky would have presented a beautiful cluster. 

 

Steve Davis brought his 12-inch Lightbridge and we would have been in trouble without it. The Helix was bright and easy with a darker central region using averted vision. An O-III was absolutely necessary. The nebula "almost vanished" when the filter was removed. A mostly round very faint light glow was all that remained with the removal of the filter. 

 

Steve is a fabulous and accomplished observer and I sure appreciated and enjoyed his company. 

 

My notes and memory from 1992 using my 10-inch indicated that a filter was required when observing the Helix. During that session I used only a nebula filter. Of all the objects that I have observed over the years I can remember that night very well in '92 and can still see the view of the Helix in my mind.   
 
Steve discovered something pretty interesting. We would observe the Helix with the O-III and then remove the filter...all of the stars would remain in place. The central star and some of the others were very easy. I would then draw the stars and then look again with the filter in order to properly place the stars within the nebula in their correct location. 
 
A nebula filter actually worked best as it would not dim the embedded stars so much. I could draw the stars with the nebula filter in place. 
 
The 4-inch barely showed the Helix. It was difficult at best. A mostly irregularly round, even texture, dim, almost featureless circle. However it should be noted that we did have significant moisture in the air. My note and sketch pads became soaked.      
 
NGC-6822 was going toward the west and was lost in the haze and some "pesky" clouds in that area. 
 
Shortly after we started the clouds rolled in and we thought it was a total loss, but after only 20 minutes or so it cleared cleared out. We worked diligently on the Helix. 

 

The propeller in M-13 was unbelievable with the 12-inch...so easy with all the lanes showing nicely.   
 
We spent some time on M-27 and the central star would "wink" with great regularity. M-27 was almost a complete circle in the 12-inch, not like my sketch from my backyard under less than idea conditions using my 10-inch from July.   
 
At 10:45 PM the clouds covered the entire sky...just giving us enough time to at least get the Helix, and NGC-6231. Unfortunately we could not get Barnard's Galaxy.
 
On the trip back home it was completely cloudy and it began to mist rain again. We were fortunate indeed to have been able to take advantage of the short 2.5 hour window of opportunity. 

 

It was indeed the 11th hour opportunity that I had hoped for.       
 
Roger    
 
 
 
Subject: Well????
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:43:15 -0700
From: fred.rayworth.ctr at nellis.af.mil
To: drivester at hotmail.com





Roger,
 
Saw your note last night but didn’t get to respond.
 
How did it go last night? Did you see anything?
 
Fred
  		 	   		  
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