2023-09-11

• Condition: E6
• Location: Home, Spearfish: 44.49, -103.87

8:21PM

• Target: M 11, Wild Duck Cluster
• Const: Scutum
• RaDec: 18h51m -6.16
• Type: Open Cluster
• Scope: AT102ED
• Setting: 50x, 100x

Stunning tonight. The background stars are popping and the clarity is sharp. The glow was reduced a little when zoomed to 100x, and the cluster fit the eyepiece nicely. There seemed to be the shape of a spiral maze or web created. Possibly a new favorite!

8:39PM

• Target: S Scuti
• Const: Scutum
• RaDec: 18h51m -7.52
• Type: Star (Carbon)
• Scope: AT102ED
• Setting: 30x

Nice and solid orange. Forms a near perfect equilateral triangle with stars of a similar magnitude nearby.

8:48PM

• Target: NGC 6712
• Const: Scutum
• RaDec: 18h53m -8.42
• Type: Globular Cluster
• Scope: AT102ED
• Setting: 100x

Dim, but AV not required. AV helps expand the size a bit. Hard to resolve individual stars.

9:12PM

• Target: NGC 6940, Collinder 424
• Const: Vulpecula
• RaDec: 20h34m +28.17
• Type: Open Cluster
• Scope: AT102ED
• Setting: 30x

30x fills the view nicely, could almost miss it if I wasn’t looking for it!