Category: Star Clusters

Stunning City of Stars

Object Name: M 12 (NGC 6218)
Object Type: Globular Cluster
Constellation of Ophiuchus
Location: Talaveruela de la Vera-Cáceres;SPAIN
Date: 17/07/2010
Media: graphite pencil, white paper, inverted GIMP 2
Telescope: SCT 8″
Eyepiece: 31 mm Hyperion-Aspheric
Mag.: 65X (Original scanned image of higher resolution)

M 12 was with us during the summer nights. Little by little it has been
hiding, but he has left on the retina a beautiful silhouette. Until next
year!.

More information on the sketch:
http://astrodibujo.blogspot.com/2010/09/m-12-cumulo-globular.html

M 12 estuvo con nosotros durante las noches del verano. Poco a poco se ha
ido ocultando, pero nos ha dejado en la retina una bonita silueta. ¡¡Hasta
el año que viene!!.

Mariano Gibaja

Pile of Diamonds

NGC 7089 (Messier 2)
Globular cluster
Aquarius
08/08/10
Ilford NSW Australia
56cm f5 Dobsonian telescope
Field: 27′
Magnification: 218x
Sky Quality Meter reading: 21:44

Black Canford paper
White pen
White pencil
White pastel chalk
Paint brush

NGC 7089 is a very pretty globular cluster and I spent a considerable time at the eyepiece painstakingly detailing and plotting all the stars as accurately as possible.

In the 56cm dob the cluster was well resolved into stars, with even the central core showing a sprinkling of tiny points.

This object was a very enjoyable experience.

Scott Mellish.

Emission Nebulae in Perseus

The data of the drawing:
NGC869-884

Telescope: 7×50 binocular
Date: 10.11.2010

Observing Location: Zakany – Hungary, 46° 15′ N 16° 57’E elev.: 129m
This digital drawing preparated GIMP 2.6 programs.

Thank you for it!

Clear Sky !

Tamas Bognar

—
Üdvözlettel !
——————————-
Bognár Tamás

http://tamasasztro.haminfo.hu/

skype : bognartamas
msn : bognart@gmail.com

Cluster in Cassiopeia

Object Name: M 52 (NGC 7654)
Location: RA 23h 24′ Dec +61º 35′
Type: Open Cluster.
Constellation: Cassiopeia.
Observing Location: Bonilla. Cuenca. SPAIN
Date: October 2, 2010
Time: 23h T.U
Media: graphite pencil on white paper. Image processed with Gimp 2: inverted
and level adjustments.
Telescope: Celestron S/C 8″ Mount Cgt5
Ocular: Hyperion-Aspheric 31 mm, 65X

Spanish-English translation using Google Language Tools:
M 52 is a rich field of stars to be located in the Milky Way. I used the 31
mm eyepiece to capture the beautiful surrounding environment.

More information about the drawing http://astrodibujo.blogspot.com/

Mariano Gibaja

Tale of Two Clusters

I want to post my drawing about two clusters.

Object: VdB-Ha 23 – NGC 2546
Constellation: Puppis
Date: 06. 04. 2010.
Time: 19:07-20:20 UTC
Location: 27 m above sea level next to Kalo Nero, SE Crete, Greece, EU
Instrument: 60/200 Akr., 20 mm Plossl (10x magn.)
Limiting magnitude: better than 6.5

From 2 to 10 april, 2010 have we three amateur astronomers were at Crete to observe the southern deep-sky objects. This is my best sketch. In the middle is the VdB-23 cluster, and right is the NGC 2546.

Gergő Kovács

Faint But Within Reach

Palomar 8
Globular Cluster
Sagittarius
08/08/10
Ilford NSW Australia
56cm f5 Dobsonian telescope
Field: 17′
Magnification: 354x
Sky Quality Meter reading: 21:71

Black Canford paper
White pen
White oil pencil
Paint brush

The Palomar globular clusters numbering 15 in total were discovered on the original National Geographic-Palomar Sky Survey plates of the early 1950’s.

Those who first determined their nature as globulars were the likes of George Abell, Edwin Hubble, Walter Baade, Fritz Zwicky and Halton Arp.

Some of the globulars such as Pal 8 seen here are faint but not beyond the reach of amateur telescopes under good dark skies.

Palomar 8 in the 56cm was quite diffuse and partially resolved, but visible without averted vision.

18 41 29.9 -19 49 33.

Scott Mellish

The Wolf-Lunmark-Melotte System

MCG-3-1-15
“Wolf-Lunmark-Melotte System”
Dwarf irregular galaxy
Cetus
09/08/10
Ilford NSW Australia
56cm f5 Dobsonian telescope
Field: 32′
Magnification:: 129x
Sky Quality Meter reading: 21:58

Black Canford paper
White pen
White pencil
White oil pencil
White pastel chalk
Paint brush
Blending stump

This diffuse dwarf galaxy required a relatively wide field with modest magnification to show it at its best.
The WLM system is a distant local group member around 4 million light years away and was discovered by Max Wolf in 1909.
However it was not until 1926 that its nature as a galaxy was determined by Knut Lundmark and P.J. Melotte.

This galaxy also has an extra-galactic globular which is a challenge for keen deep sky observers.

After checking some finder charts against the sketch I have marked what I suspect is the globular.

Scott Mellish