Located between the constellations of Leo and Bootes lies the ambiguous Coma Berenices. Made up of three stars that all shine at magnitude 4: α Com, β Com and γ Com, it is a faint constellation and especially so under skies saturated with light pollution. However, while Coma Berenices may seem to be an uncomplicated and uninteresting constellation it is in fact a treasure trove of deep sky objects just waiting to be found.
It was here early on Friday morning (06.02.09) that I concentrated my hunt for two Messier objects: the globular cluster M53 and The Black Eye Galaxy M64. With the waxing gibbous Moon hanging over the north western horizon, conditions were less than cooperative. That’s not to say that the actual sky conditions were bad, on the contrary the seeing was excellent and transparency was the best I’ve seen for a few weeks, but with the setting Moon casting it’s achromatic light, deep sky observing was made all the harder.
Finding Coma Berenices was the hardest part of this observing session, but once I did it was all pretty straightforward from there on in. Aiming the 25×100s on α Com I was surprised to find that M53 (just sitting north west of the star) was clearly visible as a dense, vivid smudge against the washed out sky. I spent around fifteen minutes studying this condensed globular which was (in my opinion) far superior to the view that M92 offered a few mornings earlier. Averted vision yielded little more detail than I could already make out, perhaps because of the Moon light or perhaps because they’re was no more detail to be had. Either way, I’m looking forward to returning to this globular in darker conditions to carry out an extended observation of it.
The Black Eye Galaxy or M64 as it is better known was the next object on the agenda, but considering the conditions I was less than optimistic about grabbing a successful observation. I made a try for it regardless, but as I predicted this was one galaxy that was just out of reach, at least for the moment. Leaving M64 behind for another time I took the opportunity to take in another view of M13 in Hercules - even under a Moon lit sky this mighty globular cluster still delivers a truly fabulous sight. It really is quite something else to realise that you are gazing upon several thousand (possibly millions) of stars lying over 25,100 light years away. If that doesn’t make you dizzy with awe, I don’t know what will! With the time hitting 03:15 UT I decided to call time on my session - just as well really, as a vast bank of cirrocumulus slowly began to consume the sky as it drifted south eastwards. I’ll return to M53 and M64 later in the month (weather allowing) when the Moon rises later; I’ll also be on the lookout for the open cluster M39 in Cygnus so watch this space!
Tags: Bootes, Coma Berenices, Cygnus, Galaxies, Hercules, Leo, M13, M39, M53, M64, Moon, Strathspey 25x100, The Black Eye Galaxy
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My failed observing session on January the 29th (save for a weak observation of Saturn and Titan) left me almost empty handed. However, Wednesday the 4th of February rewarded my patience and determination with a captivating view of Messier 13 (The Hercules Globular Cluster) and Messier 92, another smaller, but exquisite globular cluster also in the constellation of Hercules.
M13 presented me with a truly magnificent sight and left me in absolutely no doubt that it is the king of globular clusters. I spent a good 15 minutes scrutinizing the field of view using direct vision which showed the cluster as an almost spherical, slightly hazy smudge with an extremely dense core. The whole cluster (including the core) brightened considerably when using averted vision where upon it also revealed a delicate hint of some very fine granularity. While M13 had thoroughly impressed me, M92 proved to be more of a polished gem than a shining diamond, but this small and almost diffuse cluster really came to life when using averted vision showing a real increase in brightness but lacking the density or texture of M13. With hindsight this DSO is probably better observed in darker conditions, but even under my light polluted skies M92 is still a wonderful globular cluster to observe. It really does boggles the mind when you realise that you are observing objects that span over 100 light years and contain several hundred thousand stars or more! Two beautiful globulars that are easily attainable with binoculars of medium and high power even under impaired skies.
Before I ended my session I took the opportunity to turn the giant binoculars towards Saturn. As usual I could easily see Titan, the largest of Saturn’s moons’ but on this occasion I also managed a tenuous observation of the extremely faint outer moon Hyperion. At the time I wasn’t all that sure if I was looking at another of Saturn’s moons’ or a star, but after checking things out in Stellarium I was delighted to find that I had indeed been lucky enough to see Hyperion.
Tags: Hercules, Hyperion, M13, M92, Saturn, Strathspey 25x100, Titan
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What began as an A-one observing session early on Thursday morning quickly ended under a blanket of cirrus cloud. I had planned on taking a look at Messier 13 and Messier 92 in the constellation of Hercules, but it seemed that the weather had other ideas.
On a scale of 1 to 5, I’d say visibility was around 3 - I could still see some of the brighter stars but it was like trying to peer through an opaque window. Using the 10×50s I drifted down from Mizar and Alcor in Ursa Major and landed on what I thought (at the time) was eta Herculis and pi Herculis but was in fact iota Draconis and theta Draconis. I really didn’t realise how off target I was, but even if I had been in the right part of the sky, M13 and M92 were probably lost to me anyway.
After half an hour of fruitless searching I decided to abandon these two DSOs for another night when conditions were less stringent. As I turned to head back in doors I saw the glimmer of Saturn above the roof tops towards the south and decided to break out the 25×100s for a closer look. This time around Titan was not as bright (due to visibility) and took on an almost pink hue while Saturn offered up a rather vexing surprise. As I foucused on the distant gas giant I could make out a thin, very faint line running through the planetary disc. As I gazed through the large bins I really began to question what I was seeing. Were my eye’s decieving me or was I observing the rings of Saturn? I took the time to make a quick sketch of the observation in my notebook which I then transposed into a digital render. While this could have been my eye’s playing tricks on me, I think sometimes you’ve just got to trust your own vision and go with what you’ve observed. Seeing is believing and believing is seeing as they say.
Tags: Alcor, Bresser 10x50, Hercules, M13, M92, Mizar, Saturn, Strathspey 25x100, Titan, Ursa Major
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