My intention of setting of the 25" in my light-polluted sky early in the early evening was to get up later to view Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF). I spent some time observing some obvious deep sky objects. It WAS so nice to see them in a big telescope again.
List: 22/01/20 25” Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
HD 34318
(Double Star in Lepus)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 7:56:47 PM
Comment: Rigel and it's companion were simply beautiful on this clear, goos seeing night. The companion stands out easily
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 48° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
IC 418
(Planetary Nebula in Lepus)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 8:00:35 PM
Comment: A planetary nebula not to be missed. The outer annulas is easily seen as a pinkish color. Fantastic object; so much better than in smaller telescopes
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 48° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
Trapezium - Theta1 Ori
(Variable Double Star in Orion)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 8:06:42 PM
Comment: All six stars were easily seen on this great seeing night
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 48° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
IC 430
(Bright Nebula in Orion)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 8:10:40 PM
Comment: A large but faint reflection nebula best seen by rocking the scope back and forth. The bright star d Ori lies just to the south
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 48° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
Jupiter
(Planet in Pisces)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 8:14:08 PM
Comment: This will probably be one of my last views of Jupiter this season as it sinks further wermst each night. All four moons were on the west side, with Callisto the furthest away from the planet
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 48° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
NGC 1535
(Planetary Nebula in Eridanus)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 8:21:52 PM
Comment: Fantastic PNe 5.6 thousand light years away, deep blue in color with it's blue central star popping in and out with averted vision. The view in the 25" blows away the views in my smaller telescopes. With the Lumicon OIII Type 3 I was able to see a faint outer annulus
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 48° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
HD 22333
(Star in Fornax)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 8:32:33 PM
Comment: A deep orange 6.5 magnitude star 450 light years away. Lies next to the PNe NGC 1360.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 48° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
NGC 1360
(Planetary Nebula in Fornax)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 8:35:36 PM
Comment: A large, peculiar oval, planetary nebula with very low surface brightness. I could not see it at all without a filter but showed faintly with the Orion UltraBlock. I tried the Lumicon OIII Type 3 but the UltraBlock was far better
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 48° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
NGC 2215
(Open Cluster in Monoceros)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 8:56:27 PM
Comment: Pretty 8.5 magnitude open cluster of two dozen fairly bright stars
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 48° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
NGC 2232
(Open Cluster in Monoceros)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 8:58:02 PM
Comment: Huge 4th magnitude open cluster of 50 or so bright stars. The cluster is far larger than the field of view of the 16mm Nagler at 200x. In actuality it's better in the diminutive 10x40 finder!
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 48° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
NGC 2250
(Open Cluster in Monoceros)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:05:18 PM
Comment: Small cluster of 20 mostly faint stars with the exception of a bright 9th magnitude member.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
HR 2469
(Star in Monoceros)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:07:23 PM
Comment: One of several deep orange stars in this region. This one is 340 light years away
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
HR 2508
(Variable Star in Monoceros)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:08:35 PM
Comment: Bright 5th magnitude deep orange star 1400 light years away and 1461 times the luminosity of the sun
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
Theta Canis Majoris
(Star in Canis Major)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:10:32 PM
Comment: There are several deep orange stars in this region of the sky but this 4th magnitude one in twice as bright as the others, and 31 times the diameter of our sun.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
NGC 2360
(Open Cluster in Canis Major)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:13:04 PM
Comment: Fantastic open cluster of about 100 stars with one out shining the others
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
NGC 2374
(Open Cluster in Canis Major)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:14:19 PM
Comment: Fairly large open cluster of 40-50 bright stars
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
HD 57057
(Star in Canis Major)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:16:01 PM
Comment: Deep red carbon star next to NGC The Duck Nebula, aka Thor's Helmet
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
Duck Nebula - NGC 2359
(Bright Nebula in Canis Major)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:19:24 PM
Comment: I prefer the name Thor's Helmet to SkySafari labeling it The Duck Nebula. Nevertheless, it's a major disappointment seeing this in light polluted skies compared to the way it looks in dark skies. No filter makes it stand out all that well in the city but the Lumicon OIII Type 3 seemed better than the Orion UltraBlock.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
NGC 2374
(Open Cluster in Canis Major)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:23:49 PM
Comment: Large 8th magnitude open cluster of about 25 fairly bright stars that fill the field of view
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
NGC 2360
(Open Cluster in Canis Major)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:25:11 PM
Comment: This is another gorgeous Canis Major open cluster of about 75 stars scattered across the field
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
Messier 47
(Open Cluster in Puppis)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:27:02 PM
Comment: Open clusters don't get much better than this, so large and bright that it's an easy object in my 10x40 finder.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
Messier 46
(Open Cluster in Puppis)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:28:49 PM
Comment: Without a doubt one of my all-time favorite open clusters, not only because of 75-100 stars but also the involved PNe NGC 2438.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
NGC 2438
(Planetary Nebula in Puppis)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:30:56 PM
Comment: All I can say is WOW. This PNe looked fantastic using the Lumicon OIII Type 3. Large, bright and annular embedded in the open cluster M 46, aka NGC 2437. The Orion UltraBlock ia nearly as good, and actually might be preferable because more of the stars of M 46 show, giving an almost 3-D effect.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
QY Puppis
(Variable Double Star in Puppis)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:43:46 PM
Comment: A pretty pair of equally bright deep orange carbon stars.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
HR 3027
(Variable Double Star in Puppis)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:44:26 PM
Comment: A pretty pair of equally bright deep orange carbon stars.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 47° H 50%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
NGC 2479
(Open Cluster in Puppis)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:45:19 PM
Comment: Large 9.6 magnitude open cluster comprised of mainly faint members
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 45° H 52%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
NGC 2509
(Open Cluster in Puppis)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:48:19 PM
Comment: Small faint 9.6 magnitude open cluster of 7 or 8 stars
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 45° H 52%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
Messier 93
(Open Cluster in Puppis)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:53:27 PM
Comment: It's been quite some time since I've looked at this fantastic 6th magnitude open cluster that lies far south. Bright stars are spread across the entire field of view.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 45° H 52%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
Ruprecht 34
(Open Cluster in Puppis)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 9:56:40 PM
Comment: An interesting V-shaped group of a half-dozen fairly bright stars
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 45° H 52%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
ARO 81
(Planetary Nebula in Puppis)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 10:07:29 PM
Comment: This 14th magnitude PNe was a real challenge to see, but once I saw it it wasn't too difficult. The only filter I was able to see it was the Lumicon OIII Type 3. Extremely faint, small but not stellar.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 45° H 52%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
IC 2165
(Planetary Nebula in Canis Major)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 10:14:03 PM
Comment: Small, but bright PNe, easily seen without a filter but it responds beautifully to a filter. Very blue in color
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 45° H 52%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
TYC 1332-1011-1
(Star in Gemini)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 10:20:50 PM
Comment: A pretty 11th magnitude carbon star next to the PNe J900.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 45° H 52%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
Jonckheere 900
(Planetary Nebula in Gemini)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 10:23:40 PM
Comment: A small but bright PNe lying next to a star. It responds well to the Lumicon OIII Type 3 filter but no filter is necessary for this high surface brightness planetary
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 45° H 52%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
Orion Nebula - M 42
(Bright Nebula in Orion)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 10:31:51 PM
Comment: The Orion Nebula looked fantastic with the 31mm Nagler at 100x. The extension arms took on a pinkish color while the brighter portions were green.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 45° H 52%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
IC 434
(Bright Nebula in Orion)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 10:37:04 PM
Comment: IC 434 was fairly easy to see using the 31mm Nagler at 100x with the Lumicon H-Beta filter. I ~might have~ managed to glimpse The Horsehead, but dubious.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 45° H 52%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
Horsehead Nebula - B 33
(Dark Nebula in Orion)
Observed: Jan 20, 2023 at 10:38:57 PM
Comment: As always, seeing The Horsehead Nebula is no easy task. I suspected a very dark patch with the 31mm Nagler at 100x with the Lumicon H-Beta filter but I can't be 100% sure what I was seeing was indeed The Horsehead Nebula.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 45° H 52%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
(Comet in Bootes)
Observed: Jan 21, 2023 at 3:16:15 AM
Comment: In northern Bootes, heading towards Draco. Large and quite bright, with a very bright head. I could not see much of a tail with the 16mm Nagler at 100x. The comet looked larger with the Lumicon Comet filter. The 20mm Pentax at 150x gave a good view, especially with the filter. I also tried the 31mm Nagler as well as the 27mm Tele Vue Panoptic but the 20mm Pentax gave the best view. The 5mm Pentax at 750x gave a good view of the very large head. After trying all those eyepieces, the overall winner was back to my original 16mm Nagler, both with and without the filter. I was also able to see it in the 10x40 finder, but just barely.
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 38° H 52%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
Messier 3
(Globular Cluster in Canes Venatici)
Observed: Jan 21, 2023 at 3:40:07 AM
Comment: I just had to swing over to M 3, and I was so glad I did because the globular looked incredible, even in bright city lights. I was able to resolve it to the core using the 16mm Nagler at 200x
Location: Virginia Beach SQM-L 18.5. 38° H 52%
Equipment: 25" F/5, 16mm Nagler
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 8
