Telescope:  10-inch reflector

The illuminating star, R Monocerotis is at the southern tip of the nebula.  The comet shape or fan-tail extends toward the N-W.  Some structure was noted in the nebula when increasing the magnification to 267x.   RI

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FEBRUARY 2011 OBSERVERS CHALLENGE – NGC-2261

Using a 76mm (3-inch reflector) at 13x with a 3º field of view:  

I could see both NGC 1502 and most of Kemble’s Cascade, a bright chain of stars cascading from the NW toward the cluster.   At this low power, NGC 1502 appears as a faint patch with several bright stars noted with a triangular shape. 

When increasing the magnification to 70x, I could count 8-10 stars, and double star Struve 485 was very easy.  The central region of the cluster appears a bit hazy due to faint stars in the background, too faint to be resolved with the small scope.   Roger 

JANUARY 2012 OBSERVERS CHALLENGE – NGC-1502