Halo Roger, you are indeed busy, but as always so nice to share and talk astronomy…

A few nights until the sun gets up and observed a few galaxies in the constellation Grus. What a nice constellation, elegant showing off of the Crane quite well in formation.

My trusty 16-inch telescope with magnification 350x to 462x.

Two days ago, I decided to take solar images as it was clear and many sunspots were present.

With my solar scope I did take Ha images, both at prime focus and also with a Televue powermate, which came out well.

However, I also attempted to take white light images of the many sunspots with my Hershel wedge mounted on my 6-inch triplet refractor. I placed my scope pointing to where the sun was, took off the lens caps, and then opened my dome.

As the slit opening reached my scope I almost immediately saw smoke from the back end of the telescope. I had left the plastic dust cover on my focuser, and the concentrated light of the telescope vaporized it.

I covered up the scope and removed the lens cover with a large hole in it. (I have others, not in itself a problem). Can you imagine if anyone was looking out the back of the tube? So be very careful when pointing at the sun, or Venus nearby, etc. especially with uniformed visitors or children nearby. Instant blindness!  

As I removed the burnt cover, lots of smoke came out of the tube. I left it for a while, but still the smoke continued. I used a small vacuum cleaner and tried vacuuming out the smoke, but it was still present.

So, at this point, I did an invasive “colonoscopy” on the telescope. I tried a “Flex tube” at first, but it kept getting caught by the baffles I built into the tube. I then resorted to a “rigid tube” and this finally got all the smoke out. 

Yet when I viewed the sun, it was very blurry, I could not get good focus. I finally had to unmount the telescope, and take off the lens, which is a Zeiss style triplet, very heavy lens.

This was originally made by Roland Christian as an experimental lens which I obtained directly from him at a Stellafane meeting around 1990. It has a front element, air space to the second element, and a third element which is oil spaced.

Looking at the back of the lens, a film-like deposit which was from the smoke (?) and was able to clean it off. However, the oil space area didn’t look right, so I took the assembly apart, and with a rubber mallet separated the third element.

The oil had streaks and splotches. It’s hard to imagine that some smoke did this as I cleaned it, and noticed a blue tinge on the cleaning wipes.

I recall last fall cleaning the optics with my spray polymer from photonics Inc. This is a polymer gel spray, wait a half hour, peel off the polymer. Works very well on my 32-inch EQ mounted telescope. I tried it on my refractor, and it also looked good afterwards.

But…I suspect the spray somehow got into the oil space between the elements. So the oil was wiped off, then cleaned with acetone. When completely clean, a small amount of mineral oil is placed on the surface, then the third element is re-positioned onto the second element.

One must be very careful to match the alignment exactly as before, as you will notice in my photos that I have the elements marked on the edges to make sure of this.

I use a strip of old camera film, it’s just the right size applied as a girdle around the outer edge to keep the elements stable, tape that up, then carefully placed back into the cell.

Conclusion: I tested it last night, and happy to report that all is well, and now back to normal.

The advantage of building your own equipment is you know how to take it apart and repair if necessary. This job would have cost a fortune to “send back” to an optics or telescope company for repair.

So, the moral here: Be careful near the sun….Mario Motta

Jim Mullaney is coauthor with Wallace McCall of “The Finest Deep-Sky Objects” (Sky Publishing) and “The Cambridge Double Star Atlas” and also the “Cambridge Atlas of Herschel Objects” which were both coauthored with celestial cartographer Wil Tirion.  Jim’s last two books are “Celestial Harvest” (Dover) and “Celebrating The Universe” (Hay House).

Observing the “FDSO’s” and getting to know James Mullaney more than 30 years ago: By Roger Ivester:

“The Finest Deep-Sky Objects” was one of my first reference books, and the first list of deep-sky objects I would complete, with both notes and pencil sketches.

Shortly after observing all of the “FDSO’s” I found James Mullaney’s mailing address, from one of his S&T articles. I wrote Jim a hand-written letter telling him how much I enjoyed the book. This was in 1993, long before most were using email. Jim responded, and we became friends, and have communicated with each other, ever since. However, for the past 25 years, we use email. 🙂

The following card file contains over 350 of my observations, complete with notes and pencil sketches. I actually self-published “The 105 (+1) Finest Deep-Sky Objects Revisited” which required more time and effort than I could ever have imagined.

It was all three that inspired my interest in double and multiple stars in the early 90’s:

It was the FDSO’s, James Mullaney and Tom English who was an astronomy professor at a local university during the 90’s that inspired my interest in double star observing.

Jim signed my FDSO’s in April 2015, when he was a speaker at the “Southern Star Astronomy Convention” in Little Switzerland, NC.

Articles as following: More to come…

No Star Diagonal?  Ouch!

With the exception of reflectors, most of the classic observers of the past used refracting telescopes. I really don’t know when star diagonals first appeared, but all of the early observers were viewing “straight through” their scopes. 

For low declinations this wasn’t so much an issue but for objects high in the sky, or overhead, it was a neck and back breaker.  And this didn’t just apply to amateur observers, but professionals alike.

E.E. Barnard (Yerkes 40-inch), Aiken (Lick 36-inch) and Lowell (24-inch) all worked without diagonals.  In the more than 40 years I used the superb 13-inch Fitz-Clark refractor (see my the great lensnapping piece below) at Allegheny Observatory I never used one.

One of the problems is the mirror image views, of standard star diagonals, which plays havoc for measuring double star position angles among other issues. There are now, of course, correct image, known as “Amici Prism Diagonals” but early observers didn’t have them.

The most shocking example came to me when I realized that my dear friend and one of the greatest observers of all time, Leslie Peltier, never used a diagonal to make his more than 120,000 variable star estimates for the AAVSO. He used his 2-inch spyglass, 4-inch Mogey refractor, 6-inch comet seeker or his 12-inch Clark refractor. However, Peltier used only the 4-inch and 6-inch scopes for comet seeking, as well as variables.

A Mystery Surrounding NGC 6826 Better Known as: “THE BLINKING PLANETARY“

Wally McCall and I first called attention to the strange behavior of the planetary nebula NGC 6826 in Cygnus in a letter to “Sky & Telescope Magazine” and was featured in the August 1963 issue. 

As seen in the 13-inch Fitz-Clark refractor at Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Observatory, it has a bright central star surrounded by an obvious nebula.  Staring directly at the star itself, the nebula disappears – but changing to averted vision the nebula reappears nearly drowning out the central star itself!  Alternating between direct and averted vision results in a striking blinking effect, so we named this object the “Blinking Planetary.”  We’ve seen this effect in scopes as small as a 2.4-inch refractor and as large as a 30-inch refractor.  A few other planetaries exhibit this behavior, but none anywhere to the degree as this one.

Now here’s the mystery: 

My idol Sir William Herschel (who discovered this object), nor his son Sir John nor any of the early classic observers like Smyth or Webb apparently ever noticed the blinking.  Has something changed in the nebula itself to shift its emission lines into a part of the spectrum where the eye is most sensitive since its discovery? Jim Mullaney

MAKING THE PHOTON CONNECTION

Roger, I feel sure that most of your readers are aware that the photons which we see by have a strange dualistic nature…they are both waves and particles.  This means that when you observe a celestial wonder such as those Roger writes about on this site with your telescope, you are getting photons within your eye.  

Think about it…particles that were once inside of the galaxy you are viewing have traveled across the vastness of space and time and ended their immense journey on the retina of your eye.  You are in direct physical contact with what you are looking at! 

As the poet Sarah Teasdale said:  “I know that I am privileged to be witness of such majesty.”

The “Great Lensnapping” By Guest Host: James Mullaney

June 17, 2020

Roger, I don’t know how many of your readers have heard of the “Great Lensnapping” that happened at the original Allegheny Observatory in Pittsburgh in the late 1800s.  

My beloved 13-inch Fitz-Clark had it’s objective lens stolen and held for ransom.  At the time, it was the third largest in the world!  (Now it’s the third largest in the current Observatory.)   

Samuel Pierpont Langley was director at the time and refused to pay anything, as no telescope in the country would then be safe from theft.  He finally met the thief at a hotel in a Pittsburgh suburb – the thief agreed to return it if Langley didn’t prosecute.  He subsequently found it in a waste basket at that very hotel.  

The lens was pretty well scratched up and Langley sent it to Alvin Clark for refinishing.  Thus the dual name Fitz-Clark.  As I’ve stated before, it is without question the finest visual telescope I’ve ever seen or used bar none!

To read more and see a photo of the famous 13-inch Fitz-Clark refractor, see the following link:

https://sites.pitt.edu/~aobsvtry/fitzclark.html

This is the telescope that Wally McCall and I used for our visual sky survey in the mid-60’s that resulted in the Sky & Telescope series The Finest Deep-Sky Objects and its eventual Sky Publishing reprint that went through three printings.  My personal total eyepiece time logged using this amazing instrument over many years was some 10,000 hours!   It clearly showed markings on several of the Galilean satellites and spiral structure within Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.  One of the “discoveries” we made using the 13-inch was the “Blinking Planetary” in Cygnus (NGC 6826) which has become a favorite showpiece at star parties and public viewing sessions. 

“The Finest Deep-Sky Objects by James Mullaney and Wallace McCall”

“On Public Nights at Allegheny Observatory, when the dome of the 13-inch refractor is crowded with visitors, all anxious to look at everything in the sky, a handy finding list of impressive objects is invaluable.”

These words prefaced our short list of celestial showpieces published in the December, 1962, issue of “Sky and Telescope”.  We now present an expanded version, intended as a roster of the finest star clusters, nebulae, and other deep-sky objects, for the convenience of amateur astronomers with telescopes of all sizes.  It is the result of our five-year visual survey of the heavens north of -40º declination….

Astronomy Magazine article concerning NGC 6118, by expert visual observer, Stephen O’Meara, which can be read by clicking on the following link:

Many amateurs consider NGC 6118, also known as the “Blinking Galaxy” to be the most difficult object in the entire Herschel 400 list.

I remember first reading about this galaxy almost 30 or more years ago in an astronomy publication, possibly the Astronomical League, Reflector Magazine. This article concerned an amateur who was just beginning his quest to see the entire list, and “as bad luck would have it” chose NGC 6118 as his first object, known as the “Blinking Galaxy” and was unsuccessful after many attempts.  

So, after consulting with other amateurs, he was told that NGC 6118 was an extremely faint and was possibly the most difficult object of all in the H-400 list.   

Just so happened: I was working on the list at the time (1994-1995) while reading this article, but had not attempted to locate and observe this galaxy. I had completed about 250 plus of the Herschel 400 list at this time, but due to light pollution and a very poor southern view, I was forced to cancel my efforts to complete the list.

However, since that time, I’ve just not been able to forget about galaxy NGC 6118 and the article, concerning its difficulty.

So, on August 5, 2023, shortly after sunset, the skies looked pretty good. However, the humidity was very high at 91%, which in-part caused poor transparency. And I was also having to look over Boiling Springs, with lots of light pollution. It was a bit late in the year, as the galaxy that early August night was already too far to the west.

I also attempted two very early morning observing sessions in March and April of 2024, from my suburban backyard, but again without success. A dark site is really needed to observe any low-surface-brightness galaxy, especially one as dim and faint as NGC 6118.

However, traveling to a dark-site has been over for me now for many years. The disassembly of a heavy equatorial mount and handling a large solid-tube Newtonian, loading, driving, unloading, reassembly, and then having to do it all again, became just too much. I will continue to do my best from the backyard.

It occurred to me for my next observing session, I needed to darken the location I would be using in my backyard.

My humble light block system worked (as pictured below) has assisted me many times over the years to see difficult and faint galaxies. It’s easy to set up and take down. However, I keep the steel post and plastic coated clothesline support in place all the time. Without the thick coated auto-marine fabric, the post and lines are hardly noticeable.

I attribute my ability to finally see “The Blinking Galaxy” with notes and a pencil sketch of NGC 6118 was due to my portable backyard light-block system.

Notes and pencil sketch of NGC 6118 as following: (But later today or tomorrow) Sunday, 9:00 AM EDT; May 12th 2024.

Fabric removed for storage, but post and plastic-coated wire remain.

Finally Success!

Saturday morning; May 11th 2024 @ 1:00 AM: Temperature 54º and Humidity 70% with a 5.0 NELM.

With a bit of difficulty, and after almost an hour, I finally saw the galaxy. One of my biggest problems had been a pesky LED streetlight in close proximity, shinning directly into my backyard. My portable “make-shift” observatory was the answer to this.

When I saw it, it was obvious and was fairly easy, despite observing from my light polluted suburban backyard.

Description: A tiny nucleus, which resembles that of a planetary nebula. And like so many planetary nebulae when using direct vision, the nucleus of this galaxy, appears to vanish or wink out. The very faint elongated halo, would have the same characteristics as the nucleus. The halo was oriented NE-SW with extremely low-surface brightness.

I went to bed smiling, which is a phrase or quote I’ve used before, after when seeing galaxies M81 and M82 for the first time. It was in the spring of 1977, shortly after the purchase of my first telescope and with a streetlight only 50 feet from my telescope. I was renting an old and “freezing cold” house, as I’d just started my first real job, that paid a decent salary. Fortunately….Life would get better, much better in the years to follow.

Image as following by Mario Motta, using a 32-inch telescope:

Roger Ivester: Observer from North Carolina

Date:  June 19, 2012 

Galaxies:  NGC 5350, 5353, 5354, 5355, 5358 

Constellation: Canes Venatici 

Telescope: 10-inch f/4.5 EQ Newtonian, at a magnification of 208x.  

The brightest galaxy in the group is NGC 5353 at mag. 11 and very easy to see.  Elongated with a brighter and more concentrated middle.  

NGC 5350 is mostly round with fairly low surface brightness. I didn’t note any central brightness, however a fairly bright mag. 6.5 orange star is just a few minutes west, and was very distracting. 

NGC 5354 is just north of NGC 5353 and almost in contact.  NGC 5354 is mostly round with a very subtle brighter middle. 

NGC 5355 is just SE of NGC 5350 and very faint, requiring averted vision, with no visible detail being noted. 

NGC 5358 is the faintest and most difficult of the group, appearing as a faint blur of light, and I couldn’t hold constantly, using averted vision.  A difficult galaxy from my 5.5 NELM suburban back yard.  Very difficult for sure!  

James Dire: Observer from Texas

NGC 5353 is the brightest member of a galaxy group known as Hickson Compact Group 68. More specifically this is the 68th entry in Paul Hickson’s 1982 publication of small galaxy groups. 

NGC 5353 shines at mag. 11.0 and is approximately 110 million light years away. The galaxy measures 2.4 by 1.2 arc minutes in size, which puts the diameter of the galaxy at 70,000 light years, if the distance is accurate. 

The next brightest galaxy in the group is NGC 5354 (mag. 11.4), which lies just north of NGC 5353.  NGC 5354, like NGC 5353, is classified as an S0 galaxy (spiral with no spiral arms). NGC 5354 is slightly smaller in apparent and real size and may be 20 million light years farther away. Just north of that pair is NGC 5350 at mag. 11.5. 

NGC 5350 is a face-on barred spiral galaxy and also a Seyfert galaxy (has an active galactic nucleus). It lies at the same distance as NGC 5353 and is slightly larger in size. NGC 5355 and NGC 5358 are fainter members of Hickson Compact Group 68. 

NGC 5355 is a mag. 13.2 elliptical galaxy while NGC 5358 is a mag. 14.6 lenticular galaxy. 

My image of Hickson Compact Group 68 was taken June 16, 2012 through a 102 mm (4-inch) f/7.9 apochromatic refractor with an SBIG ST-2000XCMCCD camera. The exposure was 90 minutes, just enough to pick up the spiral arms in NGC 5350. 

Visually, in a telescope, the three brighter members look like fuzzy spots with no discernible detail. There are other dwarf galaxies in this group too faint to be captured with my small telescope and not bright enough to make it into the New General Catalog. 

The bright foreground star in the middle of the image is HD121197, an orange giant star shining at mag. 6.5. My image also captured the impressive face-on spiral galaxy NGC 5371 (also known as NGC 5390), which shines at mag. 10.6. 

William Herschel discovered it (NGC 5371) first in 1788 and his son John Herschel discovered it (NGC 5390) again in 1831 and didn’t realize it was already cataloged by his father.  

NGC 5371 lies at the same distance as NGC 5353, which may make it a distant member of Hickson Compact Group 68. If so, that would make it the biggest and brightest member of this galaxy group.

Mario Motta: Observer from Massachusetts

I took this twice, once in Florida with my 14-inch telescope, though it was reasonably bright, too small for good detail. So, I reimagined with my 32-inch for a much better image scale. This is also known as Hickson 68, and a very nice group of 5 galaxies in a small field of view. Spiral galaxy, NGC 5350 is the centerpiece. The two interacting lenticular galaxies are also quite picturesque.

The following image was with my 32-inch f/6.5 scope from Gloucester, using Lum, and RGB filters, for a total of about three hours of imaging, then processed in PixInsight.

I have attached a clean image, and also an annotated image identifying the 5 major galaxies seen. It should be noted that in the background are many faint and distant galaxies much further away. 

Seeing this group visually could be a challenge with the nearby bright star HD 121197