Messier Observing Log - M. Bracewell
Equipment:
  75 year old 100mm f/15 E.B. Meyrowitz brass refractor (Bruno). More...
  80mm f/6 Stellarvue AT1010 Nighthawk refractor.
  254mm f/5.5 Dob (Little Dipper). More...
  Eyepieces were 10, 12.5, 17 and 25mm Plössls, 4.8mm Nagler, 7mm Nagler T6, 35mm Panoptic
Locations:
  San Jose is my light polluted back yard near downtown San Jose, California
  Montebello Ridge is at about 2280 feet in the hills above Palo Alto, Ca.
  Coyote Lake is at about 1000 feet near Gilroy, Ca.
  Henry Coe State Park is above Morgan Hill, Ca., at about 2600 feet.
  Shingletown is near Mount Lassen, Ca., at about 3800 feet.

M 1
M 2
M 3
M 4
M 5
M 6
M 7
M 8
M 9
M 10
M 11
M 12
M 13
M 14
M 15
M 16
M 17
M 18
M 19
M 20
M 21
M 22
M 23
M 24
M 25
M 26
M 27
M 28
M 29
M 30...
M 31
M 32
M 33
M 34
M 35
M 36
M 37
M 38
M 39
M 40
M 41
M 42
M 43
M 44
M 45
M 46
M 47
M 48
M 49
M 50
M 51
M 52
M 53
M 54
M 55
M 56
M 57
M 58
M 59
M 60
M 61
M 62
M 63
M 64
M 65
M 66
M 67
M 68
M 69
M 70
M 71
M 72
M 73
M 74
M 75...
M 76...
M 77
M 78
M 79
M 80
M 81
M 82
M 83
M 84
M 85
M 86
M 87
M 88
M 89
M 90
M 91
M 92
M 93
M 94
M 95
M 96
M 97
M 98
M 99
M 100
M 101
M 102...
M 103
M 104
M 105
M 106
M 107...
M 108
M 109
M 110

M 1
 
Date: 15-16 October 2004
Location: Calstar, Lake San Antonio
Seeing: 6
LM: 6?
Scope: 100mm f/15 E.B.M. Refractor
53x
The seeing went bad and the clouds went by when I found this near the horizon.
Very faint, squarish patch of grey that seemed to shift 1/2 its own width once
or twice per second because of the seeing - not swimming, more like the hula
dance. About this time I started to notice a bad neck-ache from what Stacy calls
refractor yoga, it made me tense up and I realized that the quality of the view
has a lot to do with how relaxed one is. On the bright side - polar-fleece lined
jeans and sheep-fleece lined boots seem to do the trick below the neck.
---

 
M 2
 
Date: 2005-7-1   1h53m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 5
LM: 4+
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
A bit fatter and more dense than M 15, need to avert vision to resolve stars en masse
pretty low in the muck from backyard
dense core, less of a point than M 15
---

 
M 3
 
Date: 2005-3-9  22h08m  ( TU +  -8h00m )
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 7-8
LM: 4.2- Wispy Cirrus clouds above and skyglow in the north.
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
38x
first glob in a long time, inside a little triangle.
Sweet fuzzy 1/2 way between  cor caroli and arcturus
RDF'd it smack on. Cant resolve any stars but is v. bright
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Big, sweet glob. Can resolve 30% of stars. Nice!
---

 
M 4
 
Date: 2 Aug, 2004
Location: East Park Reservoir in Colusa County, California.  elev 1168
Seeing: 7
LM: very clear, slight light dome, some haze to 5-10 degrees, but great low horizons
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
10mm 48x - Just apparent as a GC w/ averted vision, about all you can say is 'not a comet'
---

Date: 17 Sep, 2004 9:30 pm
Location: Henry Coe
Seeing: 7-8
LM: Good ~5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x & 48x
drew a speckled clump sketch
could resolve about 5 stars clearly @ 48x, with averted vision
---

Date: 6 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
68x
Very sparkly and bright.

 
M 5
 
Date: 17 Sep, 2004 8:50 pm
Location: Henry Coe
Seeing: 6
LM: not bad for not dark yet, before moonset
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x & 48x
fast easy find - tight center GC, @ 28x distinct, still tight center.
---

Date: 2005-5-27  22h29m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 6
LM: ~4
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
Very sparkly cluster, not packed like M 13, small pinpoints
---

 
M 6
 
Date: 2004-7-19  23h21m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 
LM:
Scope: 9x25 Binocs
Impressive bright cluster, looking over back fence.
I got a beautiful look at some of the things in Sagittarius with some 
dinky 9x25 binoculars, made it all worthwhile. That color between black 
and indigo, with a hint of yellow streetlight glow, and the few clusters 
I could make out like diamonds on velvet in a dark room... went to sleep 
with a smile on my face. 
---

Date: 2 Aug, 2004
Location: East Park Reservoir in Colusa County, California.  elev 1168
Seeing: 7
LM: very clear, slight light dome, some haze to 5-10 degrees, but great low horizons
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
17mm 28x - irregular bunch of *s, maybe 50 resolved.
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
Weird - I logged "Small crescent cluster, 6 bright stars, 20 with averted vision" - doesn't sound like M 6 does it?
Too much power (too much happy hour?), who knows?? Sounds more like a naked eye report. Very odd.
 
M 7
 
Date: 2 Aug, 2004
Location: East Park Reservoir in Colusa County, California.  elev 1168
Seeing: 7
LM: very clear, slight light dome, some haze to 5-10 degrees, but great low horizons
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
17mm 28x - Myriad of bright pinpoints
---

Date: 13 Sep, 2004
Location: San Jose
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
Just logged.
---

Date: 6 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
68x
Fat bright cluster - resolves to core. 
Too high a power for this one.
---

Date: 11 July 2005, 11:00
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: naked eye
Brilliant loose cluster

 
M 8
 
Date: 2004-7-19  23h26m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 
LM:
Scope: 9x25 Binocs
Just logged it, over back fence.
---

Date: 2 Aug, 2004
Location: East Park Reservoir in Colusa County, California.  elev 1168
Seeing: 7
LM: very clear, slight light dome, some haze to 5-10 degrees, but great low horizons
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x 17mm - nice bright glow from nebula and bright tacks around it especially 2 bright *
at 10mm 53x softer glow with better shape
---

Date: 27 July 2005
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 4-6/10
LM: 5.0-5.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
58x plossl, 200x nagler
First at 200x, dark lagoon contrast is great. Seeing not
good enough to pick out much in the hourglass except turbulence, but
it's obvious that something is there besides just a bright star.
@ 58x, becomes obvious it is too big to fit in 1 degree FOV.
2 halves so dissimilar, the one with only 2 bright points in a broad neb.,
and the other with the big very bright cluster of = mag stars moving in on a 
slightly fainter neb.

 
M 9
 
Date: 27 July 2005
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 4-6/10
LM: 5.0
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Puny fuzz ball, barely resolve half a dozen stars averted. Obviously dense, but not bright.
SEDS says it is dimmed by nearby dark neb.
Logged this way back last year at Coe, but lost the logs :(
If I recall right, it was a smudge in the 80mm (everything was a smudge in the 80mm)



 
M 10
 
Date: 2005-5-31  23h33m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 5
LM: 3.5+
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
A bit more interesting and regular than M 12 nearby. Somewhat faint from SJ.
Skimming the tree tops.
I think this was the first DSO I looked at after building the Dipper scope, or maybe M 5.
I was hoping for eye-blinding spectacle, o well :) 
---

 
M 11
 
Date: 2004-7-18  21h59m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 
LM:
Scope: 9x25 Binocs
Only noted I spotted it, was just looking over back fence to see Sag
---

Date: August 2004
Location: San Jose
Seeing: OK
LM: Awful
Scope: 100mm E.B.M Refractor
Star hopping win. From end of Aquila, followed stair step string of stars and there
at the end, there was a thing! A patch or blob. I'll remember this accomplishment.
No finder, just a CDC chart and the old Huygenian 85x EP with Bruno mounted on
an ancient wooden tripod with a hacked up equally ancient fluid head contraption,
not alt-az, more like shove-yank.
---

Date: 17 Sep, 2004 10:30 PM
Location: Henry Coe
Seeing: 7-8
LM: ~5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
Only noted I saw it.
---

Date: 8 July 2005, 11:00
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
40x panoptic
200x nagler
Brilliant @ hi and low powers. @ 200x an almost squarish patch. 
When viewed directly it almost blends with field stars, but averted 
shows many bright components in a square shape. A favorite object.
One really bright star just off center.
Fills the fov @ 200x and maybe 5% at 40x, is just a dense brilliant patch.
Next day Dan Wright showed me how to catch geosynchronous satellites passing thru here
and I got one and watched it for a while.
 
M 12
 
Date: 2005-5-31  23h20m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 5
LM: 3.5+
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
Visit this and M 10 a lot the past week, as it's well placed from back yard.
Somewhat irregular shape, not as sparkling as M 5, easy to find. Does resolve into stars.
---

 
M 13
 
Date: 2004-7-11  23h43m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 
LM:
Scope: 9x25 B&L Binocs
lying on back in backyard looking straight up
little smudge not resolving to a point
also 3 satellites, 2 going Nnw, one going ssw
This is my first ever logged observation.
---

Date: 2 Aug, 2004
Location: East Park Reservoir in Colusa County, California.  elev 1168
Seeing: 7
LM: very clear, slight light dome, some haze to 5-10 degrees, but great low horizons
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
10mm 48x - easy find, can't resolve into individual stars but very bright
---

Date: 7 Aug 2004
Location: Coyote Park
Seeing: 7
LM: ??
In a big 18" dob, huge billions of bright (but kinda square looking) stars, 
like tiny tiny glowing postage stamps.
---

Date: 6 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
Showed to the folks making coffee for us. Got a wow out of them :)
Pretty great view, near zenith, almost overflows fov in 7mm nagler.
Really impressive. 
---

 
M 14
 
Date: 2005-7-24  23h47m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 6-7
LM: 3.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
 at 25mm - very faint round fuzz patch
 17mm larger, less well defined
 7mm broad - 1/3 fov, almost with averted can resolve some but not quite
---

 
M 15
 
Date: 2005-7-1   1h38m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 6
LM: 4+
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
Pretty, resolves to hundreds of stars, bright core.
---

 
M 16
 
Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
40x panoptic, 85x plossl
Broad and grainy, nebula in cluster, faint nebula @ 40x
More dark visible @ 85x
---

Date: 27 July 2005
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 4-6/10
LM: 5.0-5.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
58x plossl
Nice cluster, but only faintest hint of nebula. I can imagine the pillars
in there, but I can't see them.
Found NGC 6645 OC while panning around.
---

 
M 17
 
Date: 13 Sep, 2004
Location: San Jose
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
Just logged "Nebula" no notes.
---

Date: 8 July 2005, 11:00
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
Can easily make out swan shape. Fills view of 7mm, very dark inside neck.
Pretty exciting, got a wow from me, first time I could see the shape.
40x, fades somewhat, still shapely. Surprisingly well defined.
---

Date: 27 July 2005
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 4-6/10
LM: 5.0-5.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
58x plossl
Very nice view, Again noted how very dark it is under the swans neck.
---

 
M 18
 
Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
40x panoptic
Little keyhole shaped cluster @ 40x
---

 
M 19
 
Date: 17 Sep, 2004, 9:46 pm
Location: Henry Coe
Seeing: 7-8
LM: ~5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x & 48x
Smooth fading in GC in rich field of stars.
Can't resolve stars in these GCs
Bullseye finding it with chart and RDF.
Finding that star hopping is easy with a chart that matches NELM.
---

 
M 20
 
Date: 2004-7-19  23h27m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 
LM:
Scope: 9x25 Binocs
Just logged, looking over back fence.
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
I often skip logging it. Doesn't do much for me.
---

Date: 27 July 2005
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 4-6/10
LM: 5.0-5.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
58x plossl
Spent some time on this and other poorly logged items. That was tonight's plan.
Can make out 2 of the 3 dark lanes, third only a guess with averted vision.
I always think of this as being more or less round, and fainter roundish shadowy
bit next to the bright bit trips me up. It's views like this that end up costing folks money,
as in aperture.
---

 
M 21
 
Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
Bright loose and blue - must be young. 10 * ring at center, very dark background.
---

 
M 22
 
Date: 2004-7-19  23h41m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 
LM:
Scope: 9x25 Binocs
Just logged the observation.
---

Date: 13 Sep, 2004
Location: San Jose
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
Just logged.
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
Unremarkable glob, but always hard to find for me.
---

Date: 27 July 2005
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 4-6/10
LM: 5.0
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Looked at this a million times, but I never seemed to log it properly before.
Largish open glob, many bright blue foreground members. Blue haze in background
but not a point source type center. Small 5-6 star bunch in south next to a dark wedge.
Oddly it seems to have few intermediate mag stars, just the bright ones and the 
haze, probably seeing impinging, pretty unsteady.
---

 
M 23
 
Date: 2004-7-19  23h41m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 
LM:
Scope: 9x25 Binocs
Just logged.
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
40x panoptic
Broad, rich and loose, equal mag. components.
 
M 24
 
Date: 2004-7-19  23h27m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 
LM:
Scope: 9x25 Binocs
Just logged, over back fence.
Not 100% sure - there's a lot of activity in the sky here despite the light pollution.
---

Date: 4 Aug, 2004, around 10-12 pm
Location: Lassen, devastated area parking lot
Seeing: 9
LM: Spectacularly dark.
Scope: naked eye
the dark lanes were "brighter" than the rest of sky, more intense
M 24 amazing glow in sag. like a streetlight
---

Date: 13 Sep, 2004
Location: San Jose
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
Just logged.
---

Date: 8 July 2005, 11:00
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
40x panoptic
Just fills the field of view - dazzling. Read an article today about the 
galactic center, it looks better when you know you're looking through a window :)
 
M 25
 
Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
40x panoptic
Fat, loose with a dark tear in the center.
---

 
M 26
 
Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
40x panoptic
Loose, 30 star cluster
---

 
M 27
 
Date: 7 Aug 2004
Location: Coyote Park
Seeing: 7
LM: ??
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
17mm 28x
dumbbell neb., like a bowtie, blurry
same night in 100mm binocs, huge, but same features in amazing milky way field
---

 
M 28
 
Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Small fuzz ball glob, can barely make out that it is stars.
Transparency suffers toward horizon.
---

Date: 27 July 2005
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 4-6/10
LM: 5.0
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Another small glob, can resolve many stars with averted.
Rich irregular sprinkle of foreground brighter members makes it look
not round. Dense unresolvable core.
---

 
M 29
 
Date: 2005-6-30  23h14m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 6-7
LM: poor 4
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
55x
harp shaped cluster, 8 bright members in a harp shape
smudge effect in finder
---

 
>>> M 30
 




 
M 31
 
Date: 2004-7-15  23h56m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 
LM:
Scope: 9x25 Binocs
diffuse oval smudge in downtown light pollution
amazed I could see it at all
---

Date: 4 Aug, 2004, around 10-12 pm
Location: Lassen, devastated area parking lot
Seeing: 9
LM: Spectacularly dark.
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
10mm % 17mm
Huge! Bright glow expands way outside FOV - showed it to a passer by
naked eye and helped him get it in little binocs, really amazing
---

Date: 7 Aug 2004
Location: Coyote Park
Seeing: 7
LM: ??
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
17mm 28x
really nice, on horizon @ 17 mm but noticeably cropped
could make out the 2 companion G's but didn't log them
showed to ranger passing by
---

Date: 7 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 6
LM: 6.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
55x 25mm plossl
40x 35panoptic
Huge - 5 FOVs wide, southern dust lanes/arms
Opaque core, only hint of northern arms. Companions huge objects in their own right.

 
M 32
 
Date: 7 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 6
LM: 6.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
55x 25mm plossl, 200x 7mm nagler
Very bright mini core in the glow of M 31.
---




 
M 33
 
Date: 11 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 7:00
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 6
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
19x, 28x
Early evening - large and faint, no discernible center or shape
apart from a slight oval.
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
58x plossl
Fills FOV (1 degree), lopsided oval core, very dim.
Later while writing this up I realize that when I see these
diffuse ovals with a lopsided core, I am seeing a bar. Couldn't make out spiral
arms on this, but next time I'll know better how to look for them.
---

 
M 34
 
Date: 11 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 7:20
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 6
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
19x, 28x
OC in very rich star field, 4 double stars or pairs in center
star field so rich as to make cluster almost missable
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Loose cluster, 20 stars similar mag.
Looks like a group of many pairs.
---

 
M 35
 
Date: 15-16 October 2004
Location: Calstar, Lake San Antonio
Seeing: 6
LM: 6?
Scope: 100mm f/15 E.B.M. Refractor
58x, 70x
Sweet! Really sparkly cluster in a wide band rich with stars running
north-south, like the buckle on a belt. Tried to count them and stopped at 100
as the longer I looked, the more stars were there.
---

 
M 36
 
Date: 15-16 October 2004
Location: Calstar, Lake San Antonio
Seeing: 6
LM: 6?
Scope: 100mm f/15 E.B.M. Refractor
58x, 70x
Loose cluster with about 30 stars in what looked to me like the shape of a
spider - fits well with the LSA tarantula stories I heard next morning.
---

 
M 37
 
Date: 15-16 October 2004
Location: Calstar, Lake San Antonio
Seeing: 6
LM: 6?
Scope: 100mm f/15 E.B.M. Refractor
58x, 70x
Very rich OC with a multitude of stars in the background not resolving to
points, blueish color overall. About a dozen very bright points in the
foreground, many more with averted vision. Spent a good deal of time on this
one, waiting for cloud bands to pass by, worth the wait.
---

 
M 38
 
Date: 15-16 October 2004
Location: Calstar, Lake San Antonio
Seeing: 6
LM: 6?
Scope: 100mm f/15 E.B.M. Refractor
58x, 70x
A medium density open cluster with a sort of aluminum color to it. Many stars
not resolving to points but many more very crisp.
---

 
M 39
 
Date: 3 Aug, 2004, around 10-11 pm
Location: Lassen, south summit lake campground - zenith through the trees
Seeing: 9
LM: No idea, but it was DARK
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x & 48x
loose open cluster - very bright blue and white
also noted sibling to M 39 - prolly NGC7082 
---

Date: 4 Aug, 2004, around 10-12 pm
Location: Lassen, devastated area parking lot
Seeing: 9
LM: Spectacularly dark.
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
10mm % 17mm
broad OC - 20 blue stars

 
M 40
 
Date: 2005-3-9  22h25m  ( TU +  -8h00m )
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 7-8
LM: 4.2- Wispy Cirrus clouds above and skyglow in the north.
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
38x
pair of dim similar mag stars - can possibly see why messier logged it,
it's the right size and shape if you defocus, or if you cant totally resolve it
---

 
M 41
 
Date: 11 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 11:00
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
19x
50 star OC with patch in the middle looks like a GC in middle
---

 
M 42
 
Date: 15-16 October 2004
Location: Calstar, Lake San Antonio
Seeing: 6
LM: 6?
Scope: 100mm f/15 E.B.M. Refractor
53x
With M 43  -  first look in a scope
Ok, I must have seen 50 or 100 photos of this, but I had never seen it in a
scope before, and when the clouds were not completely blocking it from view it
was amazing! Half of the field of view just glowed right to the edge and beyond,
amazingly bright and full of swirls and rivers, the other half of the view jet
black with just a few tiny points of stars here and there. the semi-circle of
bright stars at the center almost looked like ball bearings, they seemed so
perfect and round, perhaps the surrounding nebulosity helped conceal some lack
of contrast. This was a stunner, I'll be back.
---

 
M 43
 
Date: 11 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 8:00
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 6
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
100x 4.8mm Nagler
Spent some time concentrating on this - hard to resolve
contrast with M 42, some glow around bright central star.
With vision averted (looking at trapezium) is distinctly nebulous.
---

 
M 44
 
Date: 2004-12-9  23h56m  ( TU +  -8h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 5
LM: <4
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
3 triples in the center, third triple-third star very faint, 
maybe hallucination, whole fits in 25mm (2.5°)
very well, cluster is perhaps 1.5°x1.8°, about 60 stars resolved
down in the muck from city lights though

tried to find M67 but too faint, transparency bad down there
---

 
M 45
 
Date: 15-16 October 2004
Location: Calstar, Lake San Antonio
Seeing: 6
LM: 6?
Scope: 100mm f/15 E.B.M. Refractor
Really bright and blue - again wouldn't fit in FOV. Wished I had my f/6
scope.
---

Date: 2004-12-10   0h23m  ( TU +  -8h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 6
LM: 4
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
Pleiades cluster only, no nebula w/ 25mm plössl
layer of bright stars over layer of tacks
snakelike asterism in back layer
close to zenith with transparency failing to 45° above horizon, 
last object of a short but lucky night
first good night since Calstar
---

Date: 11 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 7:20
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 6
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
19x
Some bluish glow around Pleiades - maybe?

 
M 46
 
Date: 11 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 11:30
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
19x
Windy
Salt (46) and pepper (47) in same 2.5 degree field of view
40 resolvable stars in 47 oval, 200 in 46 round
another small OC adjacent to 47
---

 
M 47
 
Date: 11 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 11:30
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
19x
Windy
Salt (46) and pepper (47) in same 2.5 degree field of view
40 resolvable stars in 47 oval, 200 in 46 round
another small OC adjacent to 47
---

 
M 48
 
Date: 11 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 11:45
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
19x, 28x
Windy
1/2 degree loose wide OC
40 stars resolve, 8 star snakelike asterism in center
---

 
M 49
 




 
M 50
 
Date: 11 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 10:45
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x, 48x
About 20 brighter stars in a rich field with glow behind 
(assume unresolvable stars, but looks like a nebula)
cluster stars not much more dense than surrounding field
best view in 10mm with averted vision
---

 
M 51
 
Date: 30 July, 2004, 10:00 pm
Location: San Jose
Seeing: fair
LM: full moon
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
9mm - 53x
no luck finding this - had some trouble with reflex sight (Orion) at steep angle
---

Date: 4 Aug, 2004, around 10-12 pm
Location: Lassen, devastated area parking lot
Seeing: 9
LM: Spectacularly dark.
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
10mm % 17mm
Finally, yes!
central point visible @ 10mm, as well as sibling, can almost make out spiral structure
with averted vision.
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Both galaxies visible with spiral structure well defined, can't
quite make out the bridge arm between the two. Supernova visible with
direct vision as well as 2 other bright overlay stars.

 
M 52
 
Date: 4 Aug, 2004, around 10-12 pm
Location: Lassen, devastated area parking lot
Seeing: 9
LM: Spectacularly dark.
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
10mm % 17mm
Faint OC surrounded by inky ring
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
40x panoptic
Very rich and very wide OC in Milky Way star field.
---

 
M 53
 
Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Smeared glob. resolve 25 stars with averted vision.
---

 
M 54
 
Date: 17 Sep, 2004
Location: Henry Coe
Seeing: 7-8
LM: ~5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x & 48x
Greenish, like M 69 only in darkness - no stars nearby
---

 
M 55
 
Date: 17 Sep, 2004 10:30 PM
Location: Henry Coe
Seeing: 7-8
LM: ~5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x & 48x
very large GC, 1/8 of 10mm FOV, can't resolve into stars
---

 
M 56
 
Date: 2005-6-30  23h54m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 6-7
LM: poor 4
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
55x, 200x
Somewhat core-less glob
non round patch in 25mm
barely globular in 7mm, resolve outer half dozen stars
---

 
M 57
 
Date: 30 July, 2004, 9:30 pm
Location: San Jose
Seeing: fair
LM: full moon
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
9mm - 53x
Easy find! Well, considering I had to crawl on the Deck, it was right at zenith.
Pretty exciting, for some reason the shape of this is so not what one expects in the sky.
Like a smoke ring or donut, surprisingly easy to see, thought it would be much fainter.
Dark in center. Could imagine there was a star in there.
---

Date: 27 July 2005
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 4-6/10
LM: 5.0
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Another object I look at often but don't log.
Takes magnification really well, wish I had more but 200x is the 
max I can do. Well, 300x with the 4.8 nagler but that EP just 
bites 99% of the time. Had a good long look tonight. Can make out
slight thickening of ring along one axis. I bet from the side
this would look like the dumbbell. Tried to see central 
star for a while using all angles of averted vision, no luck there.
For just a moment thought I could see a star embedded in ring. Fleeting, 
couldn't confirm.
---

 
M 58
 




 
M 59
 




 
M 60
 




 
M 61
 




 
M 62
 
Date: 2 Aug, 2004
Location: East Park Reservoir in Colusa County, California.  elev 1168
Seeing: 7
LM: very clear, slight light dome, some haze to 5-10 degrees, but great low horizons
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
10mm 48x - faint fuzzy GC grey-bluish uniformly fading out, about 5% of FOV @ 10mm, 
just fuzz @ 17mm 53x
---

Date: 17 Sep, 2004
Location: Henry Coe
Seeing: 7-8
LM: ~5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x & 48x
sharp fade out, like an LED shape, like a pimple _/-\_
smaller than M 19 but an even richer field, another bullseye with rdf
---

 
M 63
 
Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Oval, semi stellar core.
---

 
M 64
 
Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Oval, dark comma near core. Thought as I logged it well, I am imagining things.
Later see that this is the black eye galaxy. I see more than I think I see.
Need to come up with a list of questions to ask myself when observing an object.
---

 
M 65
 
Date: 2005-3-9  22h55m  ( TU +  -8h00m )
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 6-7
LM: 4.2- Wispy Cirrus clouds above and skyglow in the north.
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
38x
Thought I was using 10mm but it was 12.5, too bad as that one is dimmer
with M 66, both dim mottled oval smudges, 66 slightly larger
neither has a core I could make out, both look more like clouds than objects
due to mottling. also in fov NGC 3628,only imagine it, nothing certain
---

 
M 66
 
Date: 2005-3-9  22h55m  ( TU +  -8h00m )
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 6-7
LM: 4.2- Wispy Cirrus clouds above and skyglow in the north.
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
38x
Thought I was using 10mm but it was 12.5, too bad as that one is dimmer
with M 66, both dim mottled oval smudges, 66 slightly larger
neither has a core I could make out, both look more like clouds than objects
due to mottling. also in fov NGC 3628,only imagine it, nothing certain
---

 
M 67
 
Date: 11 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 10:30
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x, 48x, 100x
Some bright scatter on a fainter layer of speckles
about 25 stars resolved direct vision
many more apparent with averted vision
best view with 10mm, about 1/10th field of view (7 arcmin)
low toward horizon.
---

 
M 68
 




 
M 69
 
Date: 17 Sep, 2004
Location: Henry Coe
Seeing: 7-8
LM: ~5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x & 48x
a baby GC, triangle wave form, _/\_ with a bright star about one object width away
---

 
M 70
 
Date: 17 Sep, 2004
Location: Henry Coe
Seeing: 7-8
LM: ~5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x & 48x
Tiny GC, 4 bright stars in a line asterism about 10 mins south
---

 
M 71
 
Date: 7 Aug 2004
Location: Coyote Park
Seeing: 7
LM: ??
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
17mm 28x
by accident while looking for M 27 in Sagitta, little GC faint grey
---

Date: 2005-6-30  23h58m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 5
LM: 4
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
Unremarkable. Kept rechecking as it was too boring to count :)
Not round. Only a hint of resolvable stars. There's another open cluster just south.

 
M 72
 
Date: 17 Sep, 2004
Location: Henry Coe
Seeing: 7-8
LM: ~5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
Lost my logs :(
---

Date: 15-16 October 2004
Location: Calstar, Lake San Antonio
Seeing: 6
LM: 6?
Scope: 100mm f/15 E.B.M. Refractor
With M 73 - constantly going back to these to confirm earlier observations.
This time the tables were turned on me, M73 was easy but faint, M72 was a bear
to find and entirely unremarkable when I finally did find it, barely discernable
as a globular, large but faint. It's usually the other way round.

 
M 73
 
Date: 17 Sep, 2004
Location: Henry Coe
Seeing: 7-8
LM: ~5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
Lost my logs :(
---

Date: 15-16 October 2004
Location: Calstar, Lake San Antonio
Seeing: 6
LM: 6?
Scope: 100mm f/15 E.B.M. Refractor
With M 72 - constantly going back to these to confirm earlier observations.
This time the tables were turned on me, M73 was easy but faint, M72 was a bear
to find and entirely unremarkable when I finally did find it, barely discernable
as a globular, large but faint. It's usually the other way round.

 
M 74
 
Date: 11 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 7:45
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 6
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
19x, 28x
If not for the lack of bright stars in field, would be impossible
in this scope. Vague oval shape, gray but not patchy
(neighbours 10" reflector with 20mm nagler - much better defined oval shape
and gradient from center to edge)
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
58x plossl, 200x nagler
Just a faint fuzzy @ 58x
Elliptical smudge with averted vision @ 200x.
Contrast not enough to make out if it was just core, but probably.

 
>>> M 75
 




 
>>> M 76
 




 
M 77
 
Date: 2004-12-16  20h20m  ( TU +  -8h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 6
LM: 3.5-4
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
48x, 100x
eyes not dark adapted at first
found by hopping 1/2 field north from delta ceti with 25mm ep
switched to 10mm ep and could just make out a very tiny smudge with a bright
core with averted vision
with 4.8mm and a long spell of patience, could make out an elongated bright core
with an adjacent faint maybe mag 11 star close by inside elongation,
about 10% of time with averted vision a wider (maybe 10') slightly mottled 
circular patch showed around core
---

 
M 78
 
Date: 2004-12-16  20h44m  ( TU +  -8h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 6
LM: 3.5-4
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
48x, 100x
Only the faintest sensation of 'something there in the dark'
fan shaped mustard grey patch fanning out from faint star
with averted vision. Interesting sensation of darkness in this
area, perhaps from the quantity of dust and whatnot, gave the view a 3d
effect despite the fact that very little at all was visible.
---

 
M 79
 
Date: 11 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 9:45
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 6
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x, 48x, 100x
Found while using 100x ep - good chart :)
definite globular, a 10mm just a patch, @17mm
much more definite glob., very low on horizon
---

 
M 80
 

Date: 6 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
68x 7mm nagler
Fuzz ball, bright core fading evenly away, couldn't resolve stars
---

Date: 27 July 2005
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 4-6/10 - pretty crappy at times
LM: 5.0
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Kept getting pulled off to look at double * in Rho Oph.
Small glob - hard to resolve stars directly, and only some averted.
---

 
M 81
 
Date: 7 Aug 2004
Location: Coyote Park
Seeing: 7
LM: ??
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
10mm 48x
2 galaxies at once! both v. faint, one 4x larger than the other
shape of smaller one distinctly flattened
---

Date: 8 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
Bright round core, oval glow, no visible arms.

 
M 82
 
Date: 7 Aug 2004
Location: Coyote Park
Seeing: 7
LM: ??
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
10mm 48x
2 galaxies at once! both v. faint, one 4x larger than the other
shape of smaller one distinctly flattened
---

Date: 8 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
Classic cigar shape, fascinating dark cut on one side of middle.
 
M 83
 




 
M 84
 




 
M 85
 




 
M 86
 




 
M 87
 




 
M 88
 




 
M 89
 




 
M 92
 
Date: 3 Aug, 2004, around 10-11 pm
Location: Lassen, south summit lake campground - zenith through the trees
Seeing: 9
LM: No idea, but it was DARK
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x & 48x
Faint - couldn't find with 17mm while scanning, but popped out with 10mm
a lot like M 13 GC
---

Date: 2005-6-11  23h15m  ( TU +  -7h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 3.8-4
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x
baby hercules cluster, near dobsons hole tonight
compact, dense core
---

 
M 93
 
Date: 2004-12-18  23h13m  ( TU +  -8h00m )
Location: San Jose
Seeing: 6
LM: 3.5-4
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
48x
Sparkling triangle or half circle shaped cluster, not bright,
with 3 star in line asterism away from main cluster.
2 brightest stars in main cluster seemed gold/ruby color
maybe 10 * resolvable with direct vision
---

 
M 94
 
Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Round, bluish smudgy core. Dark lane to north.
---

 
M 95
 




 
M 96
 




 
M 97
 




 
M 98
 




 
M 99
 




 
M 100
 




 
M 101
 
Date: 17 Sep, 2004
Location: Henry Coe
Seeing: 7-8
LM: ~5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x
Met Mike from SLAC about this time
Faintest object ever - what is it??
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Broad and diffuse, bright star near core.
Hint of spiral structure.
 
>>> M 102
 




 
M 103
 
Date: 11 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 11:55
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 5.5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
19x
Windy
Seen as 5-6 star asterism, should have used a higher power
some confusion between what I thought at first was
just asterism and another OC nearby, but careful look
at chart located it. Transparency poor to north.
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
30 stars in an arrowhead shape.
---

 
M 104
 




 
M 105
 




 
M 106
 
Date: 2005-3-9  22h44m  ( TU +  -8h00m )
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 7-8
LM: 4.2- Wispy Cirrus clouds above and skyglow in the north.
Scope: George's 10" f/5
150x
Very long cigar, v. bright oval core, starlike but oval and somewhat tilted off cigar axis
some mottling in extended bits
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Very wide north-south oval, east face flattened by dark,
Smeared core.

 
>>> M 107
 




 
M 108
 
Date: 12 Dec 2004 - Potluck, 12:10
Location: Henry Coe State Park
Seeing: 7
LM: 4-5
Scope: 80mm f/6 Nighthawk Refractor
28x
Extremely faint, round fuzz. transparency poor so contrast not good
possible this was actually owl nebula, M 97 given that it appeared
round and not oval, and that it had no bright core 
---

 
M 109
 
Date: 2005-3-9  22h44m  ( TU +  -8h00m )
Location: Montebello
Seeing: 7-8
LM: 4.2- Wispy Cirrus clouds above and skyglow in the north.
Scope: George's 10" f/5
200x
Oval fuzz just next to a 3 star belt buckle
---

Date: 11 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 5-6
LM: 6.5-7
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
200x nagler
Faint oval with embedded star.

 
M 110
 
Date: 7 July 2005
Location: Shingletown
Seeing: 6
LM: 6.5
Scope: 254mm f/5.5 Dob.
55x 25mm plossl, 200x 7mm nagler
Totally separate oval or triangular galaxy,
somewhat smeared looking, all alone in nagler FOV. Hints of M 31 in gradient background.
---

 
Notes and Misc.
 



 
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Copyright © 2005 M. Bracewell