| ← Late Fall |
Herschel II Project - Early Winter
03h–06h NGC 1169–2112 A photo journey of my observing adventures with EAA/CAO (electronically assisted astronomy / camera assisted observing) Observed for the Astronomical League's Herschel II Observing Program
Marie Lott, Atlanta, GA
Updated 10/18/22 04:56 PM -0400 |
Late Winter → |
| Size: | 2.8' x 2.0' | Mag: | 12.1 | Type: | S0 Gx |
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| Observations: This galaxy is hiding in plain sight in a hockey stick of 4 similarly bright stars. It can be distinguished from them because it is slightly brighter & oval and has a fuzziness to it, especially at its two tapered ends. An interesting looking dim spiral galaxy, NGC 1160, floats ghost-like just above center. Lots of dainty stars lie scattered all over the field. | ||
| Size: | 4.2' x 2.8' | Mag: | 12.2 | Type: | Galaxy Sb |
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| Observations: If it weren't for the obvious haze emanating from this galaxy it could be mistaken for a double star, as a field star is overlapping it. The surrounding haze is diffuse, with two brighter portions winging out to the left and right. Zooming in, one can see that the envelope is quite extensive and has hints of arm structure in the lower reaches. At least 5 tiny little galaxies can be seen in this busy field. | ||
| Size: | 2.3' x 1.7'' | Mag: | 12.7 | Type: | E Gx |
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| Observations: This galaxy appears simply as a round glowing ball in a surprisingly sparse field. A slight haze surrounds it, a bit more extensive to the NE/SW sides than to the NW/SE. | ||
| Size: | 1.9' x 0.6' | Mag: | 13.9 | Type: | S0-a Gx |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This is a simple looking galaxy with an elongated diffuse envelope and a bright bulbous core. The top portion of the haze is more blunt, with dim portions extending further outward. The other end of the envelope is more well-defined and seems to come to point. A wispy dim galaxy lies at the far left of the field, looking like a tall thin spectre. | ||
| Size: | 2.8' x 0.5' | Mag: | 13.4 | Type: | S0-a Gx |
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| Observations: A bright needle in space! This galaxy appears edge-on to us with a bright bulging (almost diamond-like) core and fine needlepoint arms extending out at each tip. The top arm has a banded appearence - possibly due to dust bands or dark lanes between the arms. A nice meandering of little pairs of stars lies at the lower left of the galaxy. | ||
| Size: | 5.5' x 4.0' | Mag: | 11.3 | Type: | Sc Gx |
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| Observations: What a pretty galaxy! Bright and oval, this galaxy has two beautiful chenille-like arms wrapping around the top and bottom. The bottom arm is shorter than the one coming around the top. The top arm cicles a full 180° around the galaxy, ending in a displaced right angled foot. Both arms have stars and/or knots in them. A dim diffuse haze surrounds the bright parts, with evidence of structure visible when zooming in. Another galaxy, quite petite, is a close neighbor to the upper right, next to a bright (mag 8.8) star. | ||
| Size: | 1.5' | Mag: | 13.5 | Type: | OC |
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Images: Observatory: Scope/Camera: Seeing: |
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| Observations: This is a small open cluster with tiny stars squeezed together like very fine grains of sand. I can imagine visually that this would look more like a granular cloud than a cluster of stars. It is slightly wedge shaped, almost rectangular but not quite. Next to it to the right (west) is a striking pair of bright stars, one orange-red, the other white-blue. | ||
| Size: | 2.4' x 1.9' | Mag: | 11.3 | Type: | OC |
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| Observations: Similar to NGC 1172 but a bit more oval. It is bright, almost "all-core" with a faint fuzz surrounding it. I can see at least 5 other small galaxies in this uncrowded field. | ||
| Size: | 2.2' x 1.5' | Mag: | 13.4 | Type: | Sb Gx |
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| Observations: This small oval galaxy has a field star sitting right next to its core like a Siamese twin. The enveloping haze is interesting because when looking at a close-up view, there is a distinct darkness contained within a looping arm on the left (east) side. The haze to the north side has a slight blue tint, probably from the star it encloses. The starfield is a busy one, full of strings of stars - a fun one for your eyes to explore. | ||
| Size: | 2.3' x 1.1'' | Mag: | 12.4 | Type: | E Gx |
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| Observations: This is a bright thin oval with diffuse fuzzy haze surrounding it. Zooming in, a slightly brighter bit of haze can be seen sticking out just a little bit from the left side of the galaxy. | ||
| Size: | 4.7' x 1.5' | Mag: | 12.2 | Type: | OC |
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| Observations: A pretty tilted spiral facing slightly away from us, this galaxy appears thin with a luminous core. A bright star sits on its left rim. The enveloping haze is two-toned with a brighter region close in to the core and a dimmer zone further out. An extremely faint extension of the envelope can be seen washing out even further on the bottom right side. Two other bright galaxies can be easily spotted in the west side of the field, and the very dim circular partner galaxy to this one, NGC 1325A, can be seen near the north edge (looks like a dandelion puff).. A bright mag 8.9 star lies to the south. | ||
| Size: | 4.6' x 1.4' | Mag: | 11.3 | Type: | E-S0 Gx |
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| Observations: A nice bright tited galaxy with a bulging oval core. A classic diffuse envelope extends symmetrically around the core. Smaller NGC 1331 sits just off to is lower left. A very dim needle-like galaxy is at the far left (east) edge of the field and if you look carefully, a couple other small galaxies can be teased out of the background | ||
| Size: | 6.0' | Mag: | ~ | Type: | OC |
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| Observations: This cluster is anchored by 20-30 easily counted stars, the brightest of which is a red mag 11 star (looks white in my photo though) that forms the bottom right corner of a trapezoid. The cluster reminds me of the Hercules constellation, with a boxy body, two legs, and an arm (plus a bonus shield).One of the "legs" trails off with a curving line of 8-10 stars swinging to the right (west). The entire field is a busy one, but the cluster is fairly easy to pick out. Four bright stars lie in a semi-circle at the far right edge of the field. | ||
| Size: | 6.0' | Mag: | 12.4 | Type: | Sb Gx |
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| Observations: A gently tilted plump oval with a bright round core and very nice inner luminous envelope. A dark region to each side of the core is enclosed within the arms of this envelope, the top arm region being th most defined. Outside of the inner envelope is a dimmer encircling misty haze with only subtle hints of structure. The field is loosely populated with stars, a nice string of 6 medium stars to the right of the galaxy and a large "keyhole" of 10 stars to the left of center. Two other star strings stand out against the empty field. | ||
| Size: | 2.5' x 2.4' | Mag: | 10.9 | Type: | E Gx |
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| Observations: Bright and bold NGC 1407 stands out in this field, but it's the smaller, round NGC 1400 towards the bottom center that we are looking for. I framed the view this way in order to include four other galaxies to the north, IC 343, NGC 1402, NGC 1391, and NGC 1393. Like its brighter sibling, our target NGC 1400 is surrounded by a rather uniform haze, without obious detail. | ||
| Size: | 3.5' x 0.8'' | Mag: | 12 | Type: | Sbc |
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| Observations: A striking sliver hanging vertically in the field, this galaxy seems to have one bright slender arm going upwards with a curl at the tip. A grey-brown wispy cloud rises up from the tight core like smoke and crosses in front of this upper arm (or it actually could just be a dark lane between two arms). The bottom half of the galaxy consists of two uneven, knotty arms hanging almost straight down. Very unusual! | ||
| Size: | 21.0' | Mag: | ~ | Type: | Emission Nebula |
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| Observations: Wowie Zowie! Open up the full image and look at the effects of the stellar wind blowing here! This is a bright fan-shaped emission nebula in Perseus with red towering gas clouds preceeding a bright mag 11.2 star. Darker clouds line the bottom of this flying wedge. The bright star seems to be creating a void on the inside of the gas clouds The star field is a busy one, but boy does this stand out! I'd like to return and spend more time here. | ||
| Size: | 3.6' x 0.8' | Mag: | 12.9 | Type: | SBd Gx |
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| Observations: This narrow galaxy, although quite dim visually, brightened up considerably with the live-stacking of the EAA camera display. The central core is bright but not bulging, and is snugly enclosed by a glowing haze. The upper arm has a curved dark notch-out topped with a brighter knotted portion of the arm bending back to the left. The lower arm has more uniform smooth edges that come to a tapering point. Two tiny dark bands are detectable in this lower arm, making it look like an armadillo tail. | ||
| Size: | 1.9' | Mag: | 10 | Type: | Planetary Nebula |
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| Observations: This was such a surprise to see! It looks like a green tiger's eye marble, with a bright gleam in its eye. This nebula is round with intense coloration on two sides with a cross bar of uneven darkness running the length of the opposite axis. Two smaller rounded dark areas split the other side of the axis. The colored portion seems to have two layers, a more intense top layer and a thinner, diffuse cloud underlaying it. A bright white-blue star illuminates the center. A bright yellow-orange field star lies below the nebula to the southI doubt that I would have been able to see the details of this beautiful nebulosity by eye alone - live stacking with EAA really came through on this one. | ||
| Size: | 7.8' x 5.4' | Mag: | ~ | Type: | Reflection Nebula |
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| Observations: A glowing cloud of reddish nebulosity, this has a blazingly bright central region surrounded by a pinkish cloud with a network of dark vein-like dust channels running through it. It seems to sit on a much darker extended cloud, which appears to support it like a blackened shelf. A fuzzy brown cylindrical tube of murky nebulosity abuts up against the rear of the bright part of the clouds. A string of stars crosses the center and then makes a 90° turn with a 2-star "foot". Just to the west (right) lies a very bright mag 7.4 field star. | ||
| Size: | 37.0' | Mag: | 7 | Type: | OC |
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| Observations: Not another nebula this time, here we find a loose open cluster. I count about 34 fine stars snaking around into the shape of a 4-legged creature with a curved neck and an arched tail. This delicate cluster is found in a busy field of hundreds of small and medium stars, but is still relatively easy to pick out from the background. | ||
| Size: | 1.8' x 1.6' | Mag: | 11.7 | Type: | E Gx |
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| Observations: From this distance, NGC 1587 appears as a simple bright oval with a slight fuzz around it. More fuzz is detectable at each tip, but no other details are detectable. A very nice galaxy with a longitudinal dark dust belt, NGC 1160, is located directly to the north. The neighborhod is a busy one, with lot of field stars; several strings of stars lie at the eastern (left) edge of the field. | ||
| Size: | 3.0' x 2.5' | Mag: | 10.9 | Type: | E Gx |
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| Observations: This is another simple oval galaxy without discernable detail. A broad haze can be seen enveloping it, extending out faintly but quite broadly all around. At least three timy galaxies are located immediately to the north and east. A broad arc of 8 faint stars forms a dim cheshire cat smile between our galaxy and a bright mag 7.6 star further east. | ||
| Size: | 3.0' x 2.5' | Mag: | 10.9 | Type: | OC |
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| Observations: The easy part to spot of this open cluster is a wonky square of stars that is next to a swarm of ~20 fine tiny stars in a tight grouping. This swarm of stars probably appears as a nebulous patch at lower magnification &/or resolution. The entire field is quite a busy one, filled with lots of small stars. One bright mag 7.4 reddish star appears in the ESE. | ||
| Size: | 2.8' x 0.9' | Mag: | 12.7 | Type: | Sb Gx |
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| Observations: This galaxy has an overall oval shape, but if you zoom in on the full size image, its core is oriented N-S while its envelope of arms runs at an angle NE-SW. The bright round core has two bits of bright stubby haze sitting directly on its N and S edges. The larger hazy envelope (extending crossways NE-SW) is diffuse and much dimmer.Two other similar galaxies fall off in a curved line from 1618 to the east (NGC 1622) and then to the SE (NGC 1625). Mag 3.9 Nu Eridani blazes brightly to the south. A diagonal line of 14-15 small to medium stars trickles down diagnoally NE-SW across the entire field, seeming to divide off the whole NW (top right) corner of the frame from the rest of the field. That NW corner has noticeably fewer stars than the rest of the field. | ||
| Size: | 6.0' | Mag: | ~ | Type: | OC/Nebula |
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| Observations: A dim red diffuse cloud in the middle of a dense starfield, this nebula contains a small cluster of 6-8 brighter stars forming the outline of a skewed horn sitting on a small square base. If you look carefully at the full size image, there's a tight curved line of tiny stars forming a border of sorts on the top left edge of the cluster within the red cloud. this helps accentuate the cluster against the background. An empty lacuna sits in the center of the right half of the field. | ||
| Size: | 4.0' x 3.2' | Mag: | 11.5 | Type: | Sc Gx |
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| Observations: A face-on spiral with a lopsided look to it, this appears to have much thicker hazy spiral arms on the upper left side than on the lower right. Two pronounced dark gaps can be seen on either side of the innermost upper arm. A matched spiral arm, shorter, but bright and distinct, comes off the opposite (right) side of the core and arcs sharply to the south (down). These inner arms form an "S" shape with the oval starlike core in the center. Several strings of stars decorate the field. | ||
| Size: | 20.0' | Mag: | 6.4 | Type: | OC |
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| Observations: This elongated cluster is a pretty string of stars reaching upwards to the north then dribbling diagonlly almost all the way to the NW corner of the field. A flattened tray of 4 brighter stars anchors the brightest portion of this chain to the center. If you step back from the image, the entire field can be imagined as the outline of a large butterfly. | ||
| Size: | 3.0' | Mag: | ~ | Type: | OC |
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| Observations: The lower part of this cluster forms an gentle arc of 4 bright stars that hangs off like an appendage from a "saucepan" of 10 or more stars. On the right side of this cluster is a dimmer swoop of stars that curls in the opposite direction, away from the other arc. A bright mag 7.7 star lies in the lower SW of the field. | ||
| Size: | 3.3' x 2.0' | Mag: | 12.2 | Type: | E Gx |
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| Observations: This elliptical galaxy appears as a simple bright oval with a diffuse haze around it. A dimmer galaxy, NGC 1699 lies just to the north. A very tiny galaxy is spotted hiding in the lower left (SE) near the tip of a Taurus-like "V". | ||
| Size: | 1.7' x 1.0'' | Mag: | 13.4 | Type: | Sc Gx |
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| Observations: This looks like a double star with a dusty haze around the right half. In actuality there's a foreground star in our line of sight gives the appearance of sitting right on the of the edge of the galaxy. The galaxy's core is roundish and the surrounding haze is oval with its long axis running N-S. The field is moderately dense with strings of stars dribbled about. | ||
| Size: | 6.0' | Mag: | 7.7 | Type: | OC |
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| Observations: This cluster of ~18 stars sits like a thin slice of pie in a busy field. It has 6-7 stars that are brighter than most of those surrounding it, so it catches your eye. I don't see any deep sky objects in the area, but the multitude of extremely dim stars hiding in this field amongst the easily seen ones is impressive. | ||
| Size: | 2.3' x 1.2' | Mag: | 13 | Type: | S0-a Gx |
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| Observations: This is an oval galaxy with bright core and an extended haze which, upon zooming in, gives a hint that the inner brighter portion might extend at an angle above and below the plane of the dimmer outer haze. A small, faint mag 13.7 spiral galaxy, IC 402, floats to the far east (left) of NGC 1779. | ||
| Size: | 2.5' x 1.6' | Mag: | 12 | Type: | Sbc Gx |
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| Observations: This small face-on spiral has a bright round core and fuzzy arms on each side. The thinner left arm point north and is separating from the central haze with a prominent dark space in between and a hook at the end; the right arm is wider with only a hint of space between it and the core, and spreads out to form a blunt wedge as it extends south. The field is only moderately dense and includes a handful of brighter mag 8-9 stars. | ||
| Size: | 2.5' | Mag: | 12 | Type: | OC |
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| Observations: This cluster is an elongated clump of stars that is somewhat triangular in shape. It is connected to a gentle arc of stars coming down from the NE (upper left), a slightly staggered line of six brighter stars sits diagonally to the upper left of the cluster.The entire field is densely populated with strings, zigzags, and even a curving smile of stars. | ||
| Size: | 20' | Mag: | ~ | Type: | OC/Neb |
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| Observations: Wow! How fun to find this in the Herschel II list! Technically the target is the open cluster of stars in the lower center of the field. This cluster is surrounded by the popular "Running Man" nebula, NGC 1975, the dark clouds of which look like a broad shouldered man running to the left. The three brightest stars of this cluster draw your eyes in and then the nebulosity steals the show. An interesting mound of dark clouds forms a cone just below. Fabulous! | ||
| Size: | 1.0' | Mag: | 12.69 | Type: | BNeb |
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| Observations: This is a new addition to the HII list. It is a small 12th magnitude bright nebula sitting in a very busy field. (There are 16 or more HD-catalogued stars here!). When you zoom in the full size image, this nebula is very unusual looking. It seems to show a star (or a galaxy with a bright core) with two fuzzy spots looking like Mickey Mouse ears sitting to the upper left and right of it. There is a dim diffuse haze in a triangular pattern around all three. | ||
| Size: | 10.0' | Mag: | ~ | Type: | Emission Nebula |
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| Observations: This is a lovely Bright Nebula surrounding a mag 7.8 white/blue subgiant star located just east of Alnitak, the east-most of Orion's three belt stars. The full size view reveals delicate blues and pinks in a triangular or bell-shaped cloud with a fairly defined edge on the west (right) side. Dark veins of tortuosity are dectected in this cloud; finer diffuse "ears" are spreading out from the top of it and streaky leg-like extensions are being blown backwards out of the bottom of it. A small twitchy dark cloud snakes in from the left (east) side. I had not observed this nebula before and was impressed by its elegance. Oh, and I almost forget - the famous "horsehead" dark nebula B33 sits right below it, sitting sideways atop the neighboring red glow of a sea of ionized hydrogen gas behind it. | ||
| Size: | 10.0' | Mag: | 10 | Type: | Bright Nebula |
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| Observations: Another beautiful Bright Nebula! Taking a back seat its well known big sister nebula M78 just below it, this small nebula consists of diffuse contorted clouds surrounding a bright star. The illuminated clouds seemed to be held within the dark toothy jaws of an unknown monster of enveloping dark nebulosity. Zoom in and see! Two other dim streaks of dark clouds are in the field to the west (right) of M78 and are identified as NGC objects 2064 and 2067 in the plate solve. | ||
| Size: | 11' | Mag: | 9.1 | Type: | OC |
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| Observations: A triangular cluster reminiscent of a Christmas Tree, with the top bright star pointing to the NW. Many smaller stars decorate the interior. About 50 stars make up the body of the "tree"; 60+ more are loosely scattered around the central portion. The field to the right (west) of the cluster, while not totally void of stars, is rather sparse. | ||