Galaxies:
M51 / NGC5195
Date & Time:
April 4, 2002 - 23.00
Sky darkness: 5.5
<Limiting magnitude>
Transparency: 6 <1
worst - 10 best>
Seeing: 8 <1-10
Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Location of site:
Annen, The Netherlands
53ºN, 6ºE
Site classification:
Village backyard:
Telescope: Intes
MK67
Eyepieces: 30m Ultima,
20mm TV plossl,
12mm Nagler
Magnification: 60x,
90x, 150x
Galaxies: M51 /
NGC5195
Date & Time:
April 5, 2002 - 23.00
Sky darkness: 5.5
<Limiting magnitude>
Transparency: 8 <1
worst - 10 best>
Seeing: -- <1-10
Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Location of site:
Annen, The Netherlands
53ºN, 6ºE
Site classification:
Village backyard:
Telescope: Celestron
C11
Eyepieces: 30m Ultima,
20mm TV plossl, 12mm Nagler
Magnification: 90x,
140x, 230x
|
An MK67 is not a C11, so
the view of this galaxy-pair is not that spectacular when using the MK67.
Nevertheless it is also with this modest scope a real favourite of mine.
Every time I observe M51 I am reminded at the first time I actually saw
the companion. It was some years ago on a holiday in the Provence (Southern
France) with its very clear and very dark skies. I used the 80mm Swarovski
spottingscope then and was really enthouiastic about that view.
With the MK67 both galaxies
show well at all magnifications, but no structure can be seen besides the
small, bright cores.
The 20mm TV plossl (90x)
gives the best defined view of this pair. Both galaxies show a bright roundish
area around the core and with averted vision a dark band can be seen in
between them (real fuzzy splitting). With the 30mm Ultima the sky-background
becomes considerably more light, which disturbes the view. The brightness
of the surface of both galaxies seems to be sensitive to magnification,
because they become more faint when they are blown up to 150x with the
12mm Nagler. Still the spacey view of the Nagler is more spectacular than
the somewhat narrow views of the other EP's. The galaxies become real large
and seem to float in space because of the enormous FOV.
Rating for this pair: 1
The magn. 12.5 foreground
star mentioned by Richard was obvious at first glimpse with the 30mm Ultima.
It is located at ~2' SW of the core of M51. A careful study of the surface
of M51 with the 20mm TV plossl and the 12mm Nagler showed signs of the
spiral structure. A first impression is that the surface is mottled. Better
darkness adaptation reveals a sort of circular tendency in the structure,
but very undefined. In the end a few dark and light arced areas become
perceptable. I was able to locate parts of the spiralarms and the dark
spaces in between that were confirmed afterwards by pictures of the galaxy.
Wow! I was pleased with that!
The 20mm TV plossl confirmed
to be my real Galaxy Grabber on the C11. This EP gave the best view of
the surface and the spiralstructure. The 12mm Nagler did a very good job
on the cores. The high magnification of 230x showed the difference in the
two galaxies extremely well. M51 has a bright roundish core of about 30",
somewhat diffuse and of almost uniform brightness. NGC5195 has a very bright
pinpoint stellar core, with a bright area around it, gradually merging
with the surrounding outer regions of the galaxy.
|
