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NGC 1579 – “The Northern Trifid” – Reflection Nebula in Perseus – February 19th 2013

December 19, 2015

NGC 1579 – “The Northern Trifid”  Reflection Nebula in Perseus 

Date: January 31st 2013 – Telescope: 10-inch f/4.5 reflector @ 104x – Location: Moderately light polluted Backyard in western North Carolina with a NELM 4.8 

Faint and very diffuse with a brighter oval shaped middle.  The texture is somewhat mottled and uneven, and at least two dark lanes can be seen with averted vision (see sketch).  The nebula has very uneven edges which fade very gradually outwards.  A 12M star lies just to the NE, and a group of four stars to the south make the shape of a dipper.  This is a most interesting object which seems to be overlooked by many amateurs.  The following sketch was made using a 5 x 8 blank notecard, a No. 2 pencil, and an eraser.  The color was inverted using a scanner…

Roger Ivester  2-16-13

NGC 1579 - Reflection Nebulae-1

Date: January 31st 2013 – 10-inch reflector @…

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Roger Ivester: Christian; Amateur Astronomer; Cyclist; Freelance Writer And Blogger

December 15, 2015

Thank you for visiting my site and I’m hopeful you’ll find it interesting.  

      DSCF5178 

6-inch f/6 Newtonian (below) which is now becoming my favorite telescope, due to the smaller size and weight.   

The following 80mm f/5 refractor was a gift to me by my son, Brad. I enjoy using this telescope when time is limited and for brighter deep-sky objects.

My other hobby: Still riding a bicycle as of current with about 135,000 miles since June 1979. However, it would take me 29 years to log 100,000 miles in October 2009. I continue to ride even to this day, but not as fast or as many miles.

Another interest or hobby of mine for “almost” 50 years (as of 2026) is lifting weights, and for the past 10 years with my wife. Good health is the most important thing you have in life: It’s not money, not your house, not cars or any other tangible thing.

We can only “try our best” to take care of our health by eating a healthy diet combined with regular physical exercise.

A few examples of my pencil sketches as following which were made at the eyepiece without any embellishments or computer enhancements.

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NGC 7789, Open Cluster in Cassiopeia

December 14, 2015

NOVEMBER 2015 OBSERVERS CHALLENGE – NGC-7789 

NGC 7789, Open Cluster in Cassiopeia:  Location of observation:  From my moderately light polluted backyard in Western North Carolina 

Observer:  Roger Ivester 
Date: October 7th 2015
Conditions: Good   NELM: 5.2
Telescope: 10-inch f/4.5 Newtonian Reflector
Sketch Magnification: 104x    FOV: 0.79º
Catalogued Magnitude: 6.7

Very bright and rich with well over 120 stars counted with the 10-inch. The cluster stars encompass an area of about 25 arcminutes. Loops of stars with dark lanes throughout, but mostly a random scattering of stars. A fairly bright, mag. 9 star is located just off the cluster edge toward the west.  

Pencil Sketch with inverted colors.

Rogers NGC-7789

Image by Dr. James Dire of Hawaii using a 10-inch f/4 reflector, and a SBIG ST-2000 XCM CCD camera.  Exposure time 30 minutes.

NGC7789

The following notes and pencil sketch (with inverted colors) of NGC 7789:  By Jaakko Saloranta of Finland

Despite poor observing conditions a rich and very beautiful cluster.

Strong background glow is lost at high magnification.  Several dark pathways visible within the cluster as starless regions.  

Brighter stars concentrated towards the W edge. ~80* within 9′ down to 13th magnitude.  Resembles an open rose.  

Sketch @ 101x (30′) using a 4.5 inch Orion SkyQuest.

NGC7789_LVAS

 

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