2022-05-02

• Condition: VG6
• Location: Cabin: 44.31, -103.88

9:00PM

• Target: M 101, Pinwheel Galaxy
• Const: Ursa Major
• RaDec: 14h04m +54.21
• Type: Spiral Galaxy
• Scope: ST80
• Setting: 40x

Found M101, first target with the new finder-scope. Very faint. Not particularly impressive.

9:15PM

• Target: M 51, Whirlpool Galaxy
• Const: Canes Venatici
• RaDec: 13h29m +47.12
• Type: Spiral Galaxy
• Scope: ST80
• Setting: 40x

M51 was next, fairly bright with a speck of a very bright core.

9:30PM

• Target: M 106
• Const: Canes Venatici
• RaDec: 12h19m +47.18
• Type: Spiral Galaxy
• Scope: ST80
• Setting: 57x

M106 is much smaller, but still has a speck of a bright core.

9:45PM

• Target: M 94
• Const: Canes Venatici
• RaDec: 12h50m +41.7
• Type: Spiral Galaxy

• Target: M 63, Sunflower Galaxy

• Const: Canes Venatici

• RaDec: 13h15m +42.2

• Type: Spiral Galaxy

• Scope: ST80

• Setting: 57x

M94 is very tiny and very faint. M63 is similar.

10:00PM

• Target: M 3
• Const: Canes Venatici
• RaDec: 13h42m +28.23
• Type: Globular Cluster
• Scope: ST80
• Setting: 57x

M3 was small and bright. Could not distinguish individual stars in the cluster at 57x.

Six targets in one night! I had to give up on trying out Terry Peak tonight. Which means that I will not be able to catch M68 and M83. Soren had a high fever and Carly barely slept all week (insomnia). So I decided to stay close on the cabin deck so I could check on Soren and Carly can sleep undisturbed.