The Helix Nebula Revisited

Remember how I whined when I got my new Lumicon O-III filter and still could not espy the Helix Nebula. Well, tonight I espied the Helix Nebula. Yes.

Not only did I espy the Helix Nebula, but I espied the Helix Nebula from my lit up backyard. That is correct. I did not have to go anywhere except out in the backyard. Conditions were better. Oh well, the football field lights were off and the Moon was not yet arisen. Plus more stars than usual were naked eye indicating whatever.

Anyway, the plan was to start in Scutum, then wait until the various heavenly bodies off south moved along the ecliptic into position. M11, M26, NGC 664, check. Dern it. I forgot about NGC 6712.

Then I went in search of M72 in Capricornus. M72 had previously evaded my perusal at least twice. But tonight I found it for the first time ever. Check. M72 is a pretty faint fuzzy.

OK. How about M30. M30 might be worth looking at twice. Off I went searching the heavens for M30. Curiously, once I actually located M30 again, I espied some tiny but bright stars hanging off the bottom of M30 in two strands below the core. This was at about 170x. Very elliptical. This was the best I ever espied M30 compared to the other time.

Hmm, I thought. Espying is good. I found M72 that evaded me before and M30 was pretty cool. I should try for the Helix Nebula one more time. So I lined up the finder on the precise spot where the Helix Nebula is. Then I lined up that spot in the ep. Then I took out the ep and screwed the O-III into my trusty yet goofy 40mm plossl, favorite ep.

Bingo! There it was, a big old spooky grey blob, more or less circular in shape. The tiny stars that normally blink pathetically at that location were snuffed out. Ha! OK. Now I shall employ the Ultrablock on that rascal. Well. I could still see the Helix Nebula, but only because I already knew where it was. The little stars were back. Yet with no filter, nada. Just blinky little stars.

Did I espy the Helical Nebula, well? Course not. The Helix Nebula did not look like it does in the photographs. Nevertheless, I am pleased to personally confirm its existence.


Crumby Ovate, Galaxy Hunter

In the spirit of not seeing heavenly bodies, well, I have decided arbitrarily to espy some galaxies. Naturally, because I don’t want to go anywhere, unless I get to go away from Austink forever, the galaxies I espy should be visible from the backyard.

Many moons ago, before the Druids had a modern calendar, I attempted to espy galaxies from the backyard. Espying galaxies from the backyard is one reason I laid off astronomy for awhile. Too aggravating! Hobbies should not be, too aggravating.

Now though, I have at last figured out that some galaxies may be easier to espy than others. It is the ones that are easy to espy that interest me. Naturally, the easiest galaxy to espy is the Andromeda Galaxy, M 31. Occasionally, with that one I may espy, besides the bright galactic core, some starry haze extending elliptically around the core. Alas, the starry haze never extends all the way out to M32. This fact, for a time, maybe an hour, led me to believe M32 was M110. How stupid is that?

But now I know exactly where M110 is located. All I need is a little less Moon. Then I shall happily espy M110, maybe. Seems like M110 must be pretty dim.

The only other galaxies I have so far knowingly espied are M104, which I lucked out on back before the invention of the modern Druid Calendar, M77 lately, and M81, still more lately.

I am working hard on espying M82, but so far, like M110, it has eluded me. So how many total galaxies is it that I have espied during three years of telescopery? Let’s count them up. Hmm. Five! A mere handful. Dern it!