Gerd Waloszek       

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Deep Sky Summer/Autumn Observations August/October 2016

Conditions | Observation Overview | List of Observed Sky Objects | References

From August to October 2016, I conducted simple "deep-sky summer / autumn observations," which might be of interest to other beginners and are therefore described here. Please note that this page primarily serves as a preparation for the respective observations in summer and fall 2017.

Note: This is more a "preparation page" for observations that I hope to conduct in 2017. I list here already the most important deep sky objects that I would like to observe during the next year and that I already tried to observe, but for different reasons was not able to find in part.

Conditions

Sky Region and Objects

I first confined my observations to the sky area in the south with Hercules, Ophiuchus, Cygnus, Lyra.... Later, I extended my observations to the area between Andromeda, Cassiopeia, and Perseus, as well as Pegasus.

Overview Map

The following map shows approximately the sky area that I primarily browsed during my observations:

Click the map for a larger version - it opens in a new window (Image Courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy, www.simulationcurriculum.com)

And here is the section of the sky in the East with Cassiopeia, Perseus, Andromeda, Pegasus a.s.o. that I observed mostly in France:

Click the map for a larger version - it opens in a new window (Image Courtesy of SkySafari Astronomy, www.simulationcurriculum.com)

Observation Time

My observations started in August and ended in early October (apart from one exception); I began observing some time after dusk (which is late in summer, often only after 9 pm) and before midnight.

Observation Location

Most observations were conducted in Mühlhausen/Kraichgau (Germany):

• Coordinates: 49° 15′ N , 8° 43′ E
• Coordinates (dec.): 49,25° N, 8,72° E

I conducted further deep sky observations in Erkerode (near Braunschweig, Germany) and later in autumn also in France (Sumène, Haute Loire, France).

Devices Used

I tried all my telescopes (that I owned at that time) and, as far as possible, also used them on the Sky-Watcher Star Discovery AZ GoTo mount:

• Sky-Watcher Heritage P130
• Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P
• GSO GSD 680
• Sky-Watcher Skymax-102 OTA
• Leica Trinovid 10 x 25 binoculars

That was in the making, however, so I did not use the GoTo control often. Moreover, I used my 10 x 25 Leica binoculars, which are not all night glasses. I used all kinds of eyepieces, but preferred my UWA eyepieces (16 mm, 7 mm, 4 mm), as well as a 32 mm Plössl eyepiece for maximum overview.

General Conditions

In general, the sky above Mühlhausen/Kraichgau is "light-polluted" and does not invite you to search for Deep Sky objects. This is certainly one of the reasons why I found some of the Deep Sky objects that I wanted to observe only sometimes or not at all. Often, the sky was not yet dark enough for observing deep sky objects ...

I conducted further deep sky observations in Erkerode (near Braunschweig, Germany) and later in autumn also in France (Sumène, Haute Loire, France).

Observation Overview

Bold: First observation during this observation period; all observations in Mühlhausen/Kraichgau; GE = galactic emission nebula, GR = galactic reflection nebula, PN = planetary nebula, G = galaxy, OC = open star cluster, GC = globular star cluster

List of Observed Sky Objects

Object details can be obtained via the links to the relevant deep sky objects.

*) 10 x 25 binoculars; GE = galactic emission nebula, GR = galactic reflection nebula, G = galaxy, OC = open star cluster, GC = globular star cluster, DS = double star, SP = star pattern, SC = star cloud

References

Books

• Michael Feiler & Philip Novak (2014). Deep Sky Reiseatlas, Oculum Verlag
  www.oculum-verlag.de/detailview?no=2014
• Ronald Stoyan (2014). Deep Sky Reiseführer, Oculum Verlag
  www.oculum-verlag.de/detailview?no=2015
• Erich Karkoschka (2016). Atlas für Himmelsbeobachter, Kosmos Verlag
  www.kosmos.de/buecher/ratgeber/astronomie/einsteiger/6598/atlas-fuer-himmelsbeobachter?number=15147

On this Website

• Overview of Observations
• DSO List (Collected from Books)
• Sky-Watcher Heritage P130 Information (5" Dobson)
• Sky-Watcher Heritage 100P Information (4" Dobson)
• GSO GSD 680 Information (8" Dobson)
• Sky-Watcher Skymax-102 OTA Information (4" Maksutov-Cassegrain)
• Sky-Watcher Star Discovery AZ GoTo Mount Information
• My Binoculars