2022-08-17

Condition: E7
Location: Erik’s Ranch: 45.49, -110.70

Another great night! Carly and I had charcuterie while watching the sunset, then stayed outside until it got dark. I showed her M6, and she stayed out a little longer until she could see the strip of the milky way.

10:37PM

Target: M 16, Eagle Nebula Cluster
Const: Serpens
RaDec: 18h18m -13.47
Type: Nebula with Open Cluster
Scope: ST80
Setting: 33x

Image

Found from γ Scuti (took a while to find Scutum, since it was buried in the strip of the milky way). A neat collection of stars that seems to have a glow “behind” it.

10:41PM

Target: M 17, Swan Nebula
Const: Sagittarius
RaDec: 18h20m -16.11
Type: Diffuse Nebula
Scope: ST80
Setting: 44x

Image

I could see the glow in the finder-scope. The shape does resemble a swan and it appears upside down (from my perspective). AV really helps with the shape.

10:46PM

Target: M 18
Const: Sagittarius
RaDec: 18h19m -17.8
Type: Open Cluster
Scope: ST80
Setting: 19x

Image

More of a view of tightly packed stars than any detection of a “glow”. Kind of hard to determine that it “is” a cluster of stars.

10:50PM

Target: M 8, Lagoon Nebula
Const: Sagittarius
RaDec: 18h03m -24.23
Type: Diffuse Nebula
Scope: ST80
Setting: 33x

Image

Lots going on here! I see nebulous blue “glow”. I see a star cluster in it’s midst, and it seems to be guarded on all sides by pairs of brighter stars. AV helps with the definition of the shape and glow.

11:09PM

Target: M 54
Const: Sagittarius
RaDec: 18h55m -30.29
Type: Globular Cluster
Scope: ST80
Setting: 36x, AV

Image

So tiny, I almost missed it. Without AV, it looks like a single star with a larger than normal “airy disc”. With AV, the “airy disc” becomes pockmarked with speckles of bright light. Small, but cool.

11:15PM

Target: M 55
Const: Sagittarius
RaDec: 19h40m -30.58
Type: Globular Cluster
Scope: ST80
Setting: 40x, AV

Image

Found by RAing from M54. Bigger than M54, but still dim. AV doesn’t reveal much of the shape, but does reveal more detail within the glow.