This weekend we move on to the constellation
Camelopardalis
the Giraffe. This constellation is extremely faint and hard to
identify... it's brightest star is only mag 4. In fact, this is the first
time that my software package actually refused to draw lines for the
figure!
The focus of our efforts this week will be the deep sky objects of Camelopardalis . Camelopardalis is high overhead and to the north, northeast. Camelopardalis is due north of Perseus and northeast of Cassiopeia. There are some really nice objects in this constellation. Ok... so they're a bit on the dim side. But... that's only half your battle. Since there are barely any guide stars in the constellation itself, you'll have to use stars in other constellations. This, of course, will require you to span large chunks of the sky in your search. Oh, well... Utah Skies readers are often pretty hard core.
Ok, let's start things off with a
nice Spiral Galaxy NGC2403(mag8.4). This far northern galaxy is visible in
binoculars under dark skies. Move to an 8" telescope and (with
averted vision:) you'll begin to see the first of it spiral arms. By
the time you get a large aperture telescope under dark skies, you're in
for a real treat. I viewed this through the 25" under the dark skies
of Utah's Uinta mountains. Let me tell you, the view was sweet. I traced
the arms as they wrapped around the body of the galaxy. Also, there was a
considerable amount of mottling visible at various locations. As the
accompanying image suggests, this was probably caused by the presence of
star clouds and bright emission nebulas -- over 100 have been
identified.. Visually, NGC2403 is quite similar to M33 in Triangulum -- a galaxy we examined a couple of weeks ago. Both appear mottled and splotchy in the eyepiece.
Estimates place NGC2403 about 11.5 million light years distant.
Next we'll hit Barred
Spiral Galaxy NGC2523(mag11.9). I always like the way these objects appear
in images.... kind of like a Star Wars fighter. Notice the bright core with the bar extending out to the spiral arms. How
cool is this image with the spiral arms wrapping around a couple of times.
Checkout the other galaxies in the background. Can you spot these as well
:)
Moving on, we come to Open Star
Cluster NGC1502(mag5.7). This beautiful rich cluster has about 25 stars to mag
8. It is designated a class E cluster due to the density of member
stars.It ought to
look nice in a 4" refractor. With it's small size, you'll want to push
the magnification a bit. While you're pushing the magnification, see
if you notice the two double star members of this cluster.
Let's continue with Barred Spiral Galaxy
IC342(mag9). This large round spiral galaxy is difficult to view due to its ... low
surface brightness. Are you noticing a pattern here with the galaxies.
Ok... If you want to view galaxies, you're gonna need a decent aperture
and dark skies. Or... you'll have to do some imaging. Short of that and
you'll be feeling somewhat deprived.In an 8", you'll see the core of the galaxy and a somewhat fuzzy perimeter. Upping the aperture under dark skies should allow you to tease out the spiral arms.
Checkout this awesome image taken by Al Kelly on 10/20/01 with a Starlight Express MX916 CCD and a 17.5" f4.5 Newtonian from Johnson City, Texas.
Let's wrap things up with this weeks Utah
Skies Challenge Object, Planetary Nebula
NGC1501(mag12). This tiny little object (roughly 1 light year in diameter and less
than 1') will have a stellar appearance in all but the
largest telescopes. Even then, you'll need good skies and high
magnifications. NGC1501 is estimated to be about 4000 light years distant.
Checkout this beautiful image of Planetary Nebula NGC1501 by The National Optical Astronomy Observatory. They captured this image in the light of ionized hydrogen (H-alpha).
Good Luck!