| Observer: | Tom Campbell |
| Location: | Iola, Kansas (Long: 95°24'W Lat: 37°55'N) |
| Equipment: | Simmons 10x50WA |
| Time: | 8:30pm - 10:45pm CST (02:30-04:45 UT) |
| Transparency: | Mostly Clear (7/10) |
| Seeing: | Somewhat Stable (6/10) |
| Weather: | Temperatures in the lower 40s. There was little or no breeze. |
Looking back on my previous StarLogs, my last observing session was back in November of last year. Bad weather, wind, and cold prevented me from being able to spend a night under the stars. Tonight's weather was a little chilly, but the sky was clear and it was near New Moon. I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity.
After having my telescope outside for an hour and a half, I began my observing session. The weather had cooled off a bit more, and dew was a serious problem. After a few minutes of observing and wiping off eyepieces, I gave up on my telescope and went to my binoculars. I had another dozen Messier objects to observe in order to complete the Astronomical League's Binocular Messier program. I still had to wipe dew off my binocular lenses frequently, but I felt a lot better about doing it on a $25 pair of binoculars.
| M 31 | Andromeda | Spiral Galaxy | 8:35pm CST |
| Andromeda Galaxy | RA: 00h 42m 44s | Dec: +41° 16' | Mag: 4.4 |
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This galaxy appeared as a large, fuzzy patch of light. The core was bright and oval-shaped. The fainter spiral arms appeared as a much fainter glow surrounding the core, and extending out about a core's length in either direction. |
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| M 42 | Orion | Reflection Nebula | 8:40pm CST |
| Orion Nebula | RA: 05h 35m 26s | Dec: -05° 55' | Mag: 2.5 |
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This nebula looked great through binoculars. Two bright stars were visible in the heart of the nebula, which stretched out like a fan. |
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| M 43 | Orion | Reflection Nebula | 8:40pm CST |
| NGC 1977 | RA: 05h 35m 18s | Dec: -04° 49' | Mag: - |
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This reflection nebula appeared as a bright little puff at the base of M42. |
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| M 78 | Orion | Reflection Nebula | 9:00pm CST |
| NGC 2068 | RA: 05h 46m 45s | Dec: +00° 03' | Mag: - |
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This nebula appeared as a star with some fuzz around it. It was somewhat difficult to see from my location. |
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| M 103 | Cassiopeia | Open Cluster | 9:05pm CST |
| NGC 581 | RA: 01h 33m 22s | Dec: +60° 39' | Mag: 7.4 |
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This cluster appeared as one or two stars surrounded by an elongated patch of nebulosity. |
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| M 79 | Lepus | Globular Cluster | 9:20pm CST |
| NGC 1904 | RA: 05h 24m 11s | Dec: -24° 31' | Mag: 7.7 |
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This globular was extremely faint. With averted vision, I was able to detect a faint, almost stellar patch of light in the right location. |
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| M 48 | Hydra | Open Cluster | 9:25pm CST |
| NGC 2548 | RA: 08h 13m 44s | Dec: -05° 45' | Mag: 5.8 |
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With direct vision, this cluster appeared as a round splotch of light. Using averted vision, several faint stars came into view. |
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| M 93 | Puppis | Open Cluster | 9:30pm CST |
| NGC 2447 | RA: 07h 44m 30s | Dec: -23° 51' | Mag: 6.2 |
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This cluster was a fairly bright smudge, and no individual stars could be resolved. With averted vision, a few stars could be seen. |
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| M 50 | Monoceros | Open Cluster | 10:05pm CST |
| NGC 2323 | RA: 07h 02m 45s | Dec: -08° 23' | Mag: 5.9 |
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This cluster was round, with perhaps four or five stars visible with direct vision. A few more stars became visible with averted vision. |
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| M 67 | Cancer | Open Cluster | 10:10pm CST |
| NGC 2682 | RA: 08h 51m 24s | Dec: +11° 49' | Mag: 6.9 |
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This cluster appeared as an oblong fuzzy patch, with two or three stars visible with averted vision. |
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| M 81 | Ursa Major | Spiral Galaxy | 10:30pm CST |
| NGC 3031 | RA: 09h 55m 34s | Dec: +69° 04' | Mag: 7.9 |
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This galaxy appeared as a faint, elliptical fuzzy patch. The best view came with averted vision. |
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| M 82 | Ursa Major | Irregular Galaxy | 10:35pm CST |
| NGC 3034 | RA: 09h 55m 54s | Dec: +69° 41' | Mag: 9.3 |
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This galaxy appeared elongated and smaller than M81. |
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It felt really good to be back under the stars again, and finishing off my binocular list was the icing on the cake.