Messier 51

Messier 51
Messier 51
Equipo Tubo New 10’ ’ Dobson Telrad y codo 9x Ocul. 30mm-40x-2ºca Barlow 2x
Objeto NGC 5194 Galaxia Clase: SA(s)bc pec, II-III Mag. 8.5 B. super. 13.1 Tamaño 11’ x 8’
Situación CVn AR: 13h 30m 29.6s DE: +47º 07′ 47″ Elevación del objeto +70º aproximados

M 51 in interaction with its companion (NGC 5195) is one of the most beautiful images that gives us the sky for amateur astronomers. In a moderately good sky and with a half-open tube appreciate how the disks of these galaxies are playing.

Two spiral galaxies are located in the northern constellation of Canes Venatice, about 3 ° away from the star Alkaid (eta UMa). Its location is easy as can be distinguished in the search box 9x as a tiny gray haze. With letters from mag. 6.5 takes me a couple minutes to find them.

Also called the Whirlpool Galaxy, M 51 is a very bright object with a bright nucleus, where it descends gradually to the outside light to get lost in a blur round irregular contour. The brightness of the disk is irregular with signs of spiral arms.

It’s pretty big, about 8 ‘, in relation to the eyepiece of actual field 1, and its shape is round, somewhat flattened perhaps because we see her face.

Attached to the contour Visibly M 51 NGC 5195 is another spiral galaxy about 2 ‘in size, round and rather less luminous than its companion.

Another feature that is seen in M 51 is a little star superimposed in the middle of your disk.

Scattered throughout the field there are several bright stars and about 15 ‘of the galaxy, the more brightness of all.

The 80x I get the best view and choose to do the part. Also alternate direct vision and diverted.

Sketch:

• Media: Graphite Pencil HB 2, torchon 1 and 130g drawing sheet

• inverted colors with GIMP 2.8

Peter Villamiel

Alcorcón 13/05/2013

M64 – A Different View

Messier 64
Messier 64

M64 -Black Eye Galaxy

Object Type: Galaxy

Location: Tarragona – Spain

When I watched M64 for the first time with my 5″ SC, I thought I was whatching an awesome galaxy. But on the night of May 11, I could see how important telescope aperture and dark skies really are. The image with my 9,25″ SC was very impressive. I attach the sketches in order to compare the two nights. Really, both have their own charm.

For more details of my observation you can visit my blog:

http://laorilladelcosmos.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/m64-el-ojo-morado-con-el-sc-de-235mm.html

Date and Time: 2010-04-10, 21h 47m UT / 2013-05-11, 22h 36m UT

Telescope: SC Celestron Nexstar 5i (127mm) / SC Celestron 9.25″ (235mm)

Eyepiece: Nagler 16mm (69,44x / 146,88x)

White paper, HB2 graphite pencil, and scanned and inverted with Photoshop

Seeing: 3/5 (5 the best) – Both

Transparency: Clear. Rural Skies – Both.

Location Constellation: Coma Berenices

Position: R.A. 12h 56m

Dec. +21° 40′

Thank you and best regards.

Oscar

Hickson 68

Hickson 68
Hickson 68

Hello,

on the night of 07th on the 08th May, I had good conditions: no wind, warm temperatures (about 14°C) and clear sky.

So I observed the area between Bootes and Ursa Major till midnight. After lot of nice galaxies I steered my telescope to Hickson 68.
The Galaxies around NGC 5350 in the vicinity of a pretty yellow and blue double star are a great few. Only the faintest galaxy NGC 5358 was imperceptible. After 20 minutes I had placed the stars and the galaxies NGC 5350, 5353, 5354, 5355 on my sketchpad.

It was one of the nights where I enjoy working with the Deep Sky observers Atlas by Gerhard Stropek. I traveled from galaxy to galaxy and simply enjoyed the light of the stars.

And so I hope that you like my sketch.

CS Uwe

Location: Germany near Tauberbischofsheim
Telescope: 10″ ACF on Vixen SXD
Eyepiece: 22mm Nagler
Sketch: pencil on white paper inverted colours

NGC 3993, NGC 3989, NGC 3987 and NGC 4000

NGC 3993, NGC 3989, NGC 3987, NGC 4000
NGC 3993, NGC 3989, NGC 3987, NGC 4000

After a busy very garden weekend both at home and on the allotment, Saturday night out under the stars, a flying visit to Aldershot and back on Sunday and finishing the weekend off with a late night out at the Folk club, I was flagging when Monday evening offered a clear sky! But with the ongoing run of cloud wrap the UK has had, no opportunity should be missed for starlight! So just one sketch I told myself.
Ok so e start off with Arp 138 aka NGC 4015 located in Coma Berenices right onto the border with Leo, a very interesting galaxy with what I believe is a jet emanating from its western side and extending SW-NE. Other galaxies in the sketch are NGC 4021 top left, NGC 4011 to right, NGC 4023 bottom left. To be able to witness such massive forces in action far out across the universe is a privilege of very few people on earth and that is just how I feel, privileged.

OK with this Arp and neighbours safely to paper I scouted the local vicinity for anything else of interest whilst I was there, so much for just the one sketch! There were no shortage of galaxies very close, one group caught my eye and I moved the scope to encompass as many as I could in the small field of view what I got was fantastic group of diverse galaxies just into Leo and just to the west of Arp 138. In a clockwise direction from top right in my sketch below we have NGC 3993 at mag 11.83, showing nice spiral structure, next there is tiny NGC 3989 with a tiny hook like feature of detail observed, mag 14.9, to the west, an amazing edge on with stunning dust lane, NGC 3987 at mag 13.1. Last but not least to the SE next to a bright mag 8.2 star, is a faint, very thin, very straight edge on, N-S orientation, this is NGC 4000 a mag 14.5 absolute beauty 🙂

Right it’s time for bed, one more sketch in the bag than I had intended so not bad, but with the need to be up for work by 05.30am I closed up.

Do you want to know more about my interest in astronomy? If so take a look at my Website: http://www.chippingdaleobservatory.com/

Keep up to date with observations from Chippingdale Observatory by reading the Blog http://chippingdaleobservatory.com/blog/

Bodes Nebulae: M81 and M82

Messier 81 and 82
Messier 81 and 82

Object: M81\M82 Galaxies in Ursa Major
Scope: 10″ Newtonian
Eyepiece: 36mm Baader Hyperion, FoV 2,07°
Date of scetch: 12.29.2012
Location: Kalteck, Bavaria, Germany

Just before the New year me and my buddy packed our gear and went on a small mountain where we occasionally enjoy the Nightsky . Though my friend is more into photographic Astronomy we sometimes try our skills at the same Objects and share our Scetches\Photos what’s great to compare. Especially if someone asks you if you can see all the colors and details through your scope that they know from Hubble images in Media.
It was a pretty good night with excellent seeing and good transparency. Only 95% illuminated Moon was a little annoying then. Bodes Nebulae are always a nice view.
Made a few scetches that night. This is my first one to post here. There’ll probably be more.

Clear skies
Thorsten

Markarian’s Chain

Markarian's Chain
Markarian’s Chain

Markarian’s Chain superb spring object, this curved line of galaxies is my favorite part of the Virgo Cluster. I sketched 10 of them visible in the 16-inch telescope in small-town suburbia (naked eye limiting magnitude is about 5)

I noticed exactly 10 galaxies from the left:

Ngc 4477
Ngc 4473
Ngc 4458
Ngc 4461
Ngc 4435
Ngc 4438
Ngc 4402
M86
M84
Mgc 4388

Of course, the sketch doesn’t represent the field of view 72 degrees (22mm, eyepiece)- it was just sketched by moving the tube 😉 Power is almost about 82x

Yours Robert

Sketch details:
Object Name: Markarian’s Chain
Object Type: Group of galaxies
Location: Poland, Oborniki
Date: 03-03-2013
Equipment: Newtonian telescope 409/1800 (Capella 41), and 22 mm eyepiece
Object: – Artist: Robert Twarogal (Ignisdei)

PanSTARRS and the Andromeda Galaxy

C/2011 L4 (PanSTARRS) and M31
C/2011 L4 (PanSTARRS) and M31

I made this sketch using my 15×70 binoculars at 1:45 UTC on 4/5/2013. I was just able to get both objects in the the field of view. The comet was brighter than M31, particularly in the core, but smaller. The comet’s tail was noticeably wider than it was when I observed it a few weeks earlier on 3/13. It was an interesting conjunction but was hard to get a lot of detail, M32 and M110 were not even visible, because they were both about 10-15 degrees from the horizon.

PANNSTARRS and M31
Comet and Galaxy
Green Bay, WI
4/5/2013
Graphite Pencil and Blending Stump on White Paper.

Thanks,

Brian Chopp

The Peculiar Shape of NGC 4449

NGC 4449
NGC 4449

Hello asod, this sketch show is pretty irregular galaxy. During the observation, I could visualize the extreme deformities, without much effort. A large object that caused a great sensation through the eyepiece. Do not stand by its size but by its peculiar shape.

Regards.

Object name: caldwell 21 NGC 4449
Object type: galaxy
Location: Pelayos de la presa Madrid ( spain )
Date: 5 April 2013
Media: graphite pencil,processed and inverted gimp 2.8
Optical equipment: Dobsonian telescope 10″ F/5 Meade lightbridge , eye piece Explore scientific 18mm 82°
Magnification 70x True field 1,1°

Sky conditions: Moderate windnelm Nelm 5,2. Temperature 1,5°C relative humidity 53% Borthle scale 5/9

http://dibujodelcielonocturno.blogspot.com.es/

M 64 – Black Eye Galaxy

Messier 64
Messier 64

Hello,

this week I take the chance at the first April to sketch Messier 64. First I observed the supernovae in M 65. I needed more than 2 hours to confirm the sighting with my 10″ ACF. I appreciate the brightness was somewhat less 15 mag and my telescope was at its limit. The conditions were quite good (no wind, temperatures about 0° C, dry air). After this I enjoyed the nice galaxies in Coma Berenices and Virgo Cluster. Markarians Chain is always feast for the eyes. M 64 was the last galaxy in this observing session and so took my pencil and paper block to hold the impressions.
Unfortunately, there were problems with my scanner. The finer details don´t come out and some areas are to brihgt. I hope you like the result anyway.

Object: Galaxy
Name: Messier 64
Telescope: 10″ ACF SC
Eyepiece: 22mm Nagler
Magnification: 120x
Location: Germany near Tauberbischofsheim
Medium: White paper and pencil – inverted colors with Windows Paint

CS Uwe