Category: Inverted

Conspicuous and Pretty

Conspicuous and Pretty

The Open Cluster M23 (NGC 6949) in Sagittarius
Sketch and Details by Kiminori Ikebe, translation by Eiji Kato

M23 (NGC 6949) Open Cluster in Sagittarius

This is an open cluster located east of M24. Through binoculars you can see M23, M24, and M25 from east to west, M18, M17, and M16 in the north, and M8, M20, M21 and M22 in the south. This area is a treasure trove of open clusters and nebulae. It is large and contains many stars. Stars are fairly bright with similar brightness providing a fine sight. Many arch-shaped lines of stars look overlapping. Near the center stars form a number of small conspicuous squares. There is a star at the edge of the northwestern side and a line of stars run toward it. These asterisms are conspicuous and pretty.

Date of observation: 2001/05/03 02:49
Observing site: Kuju
Transparency / seeing / sky darkness: 2/1/3 out of 5
Instruments: 32 cm Dobsonian with XL21 at 70x. 
Width of field: 0.9°

Rigel

Rigel

The double star Rigel in Orion
Sketch and Details by Michael Vlasov

Rigel sketch.jpg
Object Name: Rigel
Object Type double star
Location Haifa, Israel
Date 29/12/2006

Sketch of a double star Rigel, in Orion.
Star and the companion magnitudes: 0m ,8m.
Separation: 9″
Instrument: 8″ Orion Newtonian, at 80X.
Pencil sketch, scanned inverted and processed

The Great Sagittarius Globular Cluster

The Great Sagittarius Globular Cluster

M22 (NGC 6656) Globular Cluster
Sketch by Janis Romer and text by Frank McCabe

Janis has beautifully captured the ancient, large, bright gravity held group of stars known as M 22. Only Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae of the 140 or so globular clusters are brighter. This beauty of more than 100,000 suns scintillates above the lid of the teapot in Sagittarius. Specifically it is located at R.A. 18h 36m; Dec. -23° 54′. It is well placed if you are not too far north. At a distance of 10,400 light years away it is close to us and shines at about 5th magnitude.
William Herschel may have been the first observer to recognize this patch of light as a cluster of faint stars.
As you can see in this fine sketch many stars are visible here using a telescope of 8″ aperture. Hundreds of the stars are as bright as 11th magnitude in M 22. Currently this globular cluster is receding from us at 144 km. /sec as it orbits the center of the Milky Way.

A Little Dumbbell or a Cork?

M76

M76, NGC 650 Planetary nebula
Sketch and Details by Przemysław Horoszkiewicz

Hello 😉

Sketch information:
Obiect name: Messier 76 (NGC 650).
Scope: Sky Watcher 10”.
Eyepieces: Super Plossl 10 mm.
Place: Poland, Zielona Góra (A few kilometers for city).
Seeing: 4/5.
Date: 14.07.2009r.
Technique:Pencil,graphics GIMP2.
Amateur astronomer: Przemysław Horoszkiewicz (Poland).

Rocking Horse on the Swan’s Back

Rocking Horse

NGC 6910, The Rocking Horse Cluster in Cygnus
Sketch and Details by Ferenc Lovró

NGC 6910 (Open cluster)
Also known as: Rocking Horse cluster
Constellation: Cygnus
Right ascension: 20h 24m
Declination: 40° 48′
Seeing: 7/10
Transparency: 4/5
Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Date/time: 2009.06.19 00:00 UT
FoV: 12′
Equipment: 12″ f/5 Newtonian

This tiny little object is also known as the Rocking Horse cluster. The name says it all: it really looks like a little horse jumping around the space. Although it’s in a quite easy position, it still is a neglected object, as when it comes to Cygnus, everyone thinks of nebulae like the Veil and its companions, and the tiny shiny planetaries. Too bad, because this cluster is a real gem! Its special features are the two brightest stars of the cluster (at the front leg and the eye), that are apparently yellow, even though their spectral class suggests a rather white colour. This optical illusion is caused by the interstellar dust that is so common through Cygnus. A very important hint: you should use a fairly high magnification when looking at this object, because it’s located in a field that is rich in bright stars, which makes it harder to detect the real shape of the cluster.

Ferenc Lovró

Blue Flash of the Dolphin

Blue Flash Nebula

NGC 6905, Planetary nebula in Delphinus
Sketch and Details by Michael Vlasov

blue flash sketch.jpg
Object Name: NGC 6905 – blue flash nebula
Object Type planetary nebula
Location Negev Desert, Israel
Date 29/8/2008

NGC 6905 is a tiny 12m planetary nebula in Delphinus, named a “Blue Flash Nebula” (probably due to it’s blueish color) and it lies 4700 light years from us.
The nebula resembles a little stellar coffee grain, hidden between the stars. It can be quite a challenge to find, unless moderate aperture and dark skies are avaliable. However, especially at high powers, the look is quite rewarding.
Observation and sketch details: The observation took place in Negev desert (Israel), at a local starparty. Sky conditions were excellent (~6.5m stars could be observed). The sketch was made using 8″ Orion equatorial Newtonian, at 250x power, Graphite pencil and a red light. Then the sketch was scanned and inverted in Photoshop.

Michael Vlasov

Three Lobes Glowing

M20

The Trifid Nebula, M20, in Sagittarius
Sketch by Janis Romer, text by Frank McCabe

This is a fine eyepiece sketch of the Trifid nebula (Messier 20) in Sagittarius. Northern hemisphere observers at dark sky sites consider it a real summer time delight. The glow sketched here is mostly an emission nebula but includes a reflection nebula component as well. Three lobes in the emission nebula portion were created by the light blocking debris remnants of exploded stars. The glow is mostly due to H II star formation regions of ionized gas and plasma heated by high energy radiation from hot young stars in the region.

The distance to this deep sky object is not well known. It is believed to be between 2,300 and 9,000 light years away. Estimates of the visual magnitude of this treasure fall between 6.8 and 9.0, making it visible with binocular or a small telescope. Charles Messier viewed and catalogued M 20 on June 5, 1764.

Location:
Sagittarius
R.A. 18h 2.6m
Dec. -23° 2′
Known also as NGC 6514
Scope used:
Criterion 8″ f/8 Newtonian reflector

Seeing Double Twice

Epsilon Lyrae

Epsilon Lyrae, the beautiful double-double star system
Sketch and Details by Janusz Krysiak

Object Name:Epsilon Lyrae
Location:Pyrnik(Poland)
Date:21.06.2009

medium: pencil, white paper
equipment: Newton 300/1500
magnification: 214x

Hi,
These are Epsilon Lyrae. It is probably one of the most beautiful double
sysetm on our sky. It lookes gorgeous in large extention.

Janusz Krysiak

Onion Like

NGC 6535

NGC 6535 Globular Cluster in Serpens
Sketch and Details by Ferenc Lovró

Globular Cluster NGC 6535

NGC 6535 is a tiny, faint globular cluster with four clearly separated stars on its Western side. However, I’m not sure whether they really do belong to the cluster, or they are just plain foreground stars. With several other stars resolved at its slightly brighter core, two of them can be seen clearly with this technique; while some others pop up here and there when the atmosphere calms down for some moments. The core, just like the globular itself is not really sphere-like, but rather looks a little bit like an onion, with the thinner part looking to the East.

Right Ascension: 18h 04m; Declination: -0° 18′
Constellation: Serpens
Date/time: 2009.06.18 21:30 UT
Equipment: 12″ f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 16′ Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 4/5

Location:

Observer: Ferenc Lovró