2023-07-18

• Condition: VG6
• Location: Home, Spearfish: 44.49, -103.87

10:16PM

• Target: T Draconis
• Const: Draco
• RaDec: 17h56m +58.12
• Type: Star (Carbon)
• Scope: AT102ED
• Setting: 100x

Second attempt at T Draconis. Took me almost half an hour of zooming in on stars north of ξ Draconis before I was able to locate it. Sibling to a much brighter star. I could detect a yellow-orange color right off the bat. AV was almost necessary, as it was very faint.

10:32PM

• Target: NGC 6543, Cat’s Eye Nebula
• Const: Draco
• RaDec: 17h58m +66.37
• Type: Planetary Nebula
• Scope: AT102ED
• Setting: 100x-200x

First caught sight of it in the finder-scope, looked like an unusually fat star. AV does not do much until zoomed in to 200x, then you just begin to get glimpses of shape and definition.

10:48PM

• Target: M 13, Hercules Globular Cluster
• Const: Hercules
• RaDec: 16h41m +36.28
• Type: Globular Cluster
• Scope: AT102ED
• Setting: 200x

Before heading in for the night, I decided to take a peek at M13 again and attempt a closer zoom on it. I was able to push the zoom to 200x and maintain good clarity. M13 filled the eyepiece at 200x, this is the best view I’ve ever had of it!