Deep Sky Observations with eVscope November/December 2020

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

Since the end of January 2020, I own an Unistellar eVscope telescope for observing and taking photos of deep sky objects. On this page, I collect information about observations from November/December 2020, which might be of interest to other beginners. The photos that were taken during the observations are shown elsewhere on this site.

Notes:

See page Overview of the Unistellar Pages for just that!
I present the first five observation sessions, including photos, on page Unistellar eVscope - Observations.

Conditions

Sky Region and Objects

In November/December 2020, I observed various areas. A map therefore makes little sense...

Observation Time

The observations in this phase started at the beginning of Novtember 2020. They typically took place shortly after dusk, when it was sufficiently dark for a successful star alignment.

Observation Location

Most observations took place in Mühlhausen/Kraichgau (Germany):

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

Equipment Used

When observing with the eVscope, I only needed the eVscope and my iPhone. I also used my laptop for running SkySafari (for DSO) and Stellarium (for coordinates) in parallel to the observations.

General Conditions

In general, the sky above Mühlhausen/Kraichgau is "light-polluted" and does not invite you to search for deep sky objects. For astro photography, however, light pollution is not as disturbing as for visual observations.

Observation Overview

Observation Dates

Date 2020	Observed Objects	Observed Objects, Details	Remarks	Further Remarks
Nov 2 MH	PN: M 27, M 57	Observations (7:45 p.m. to 8:10 p.m.): M 27, M 57	Observed the PN "for technical reasons ", in order to take screenshots and to test the Background slider.
Nov 14 MH	GC: M 2 OC: M 34, M 45, M 73, NGC 752 G: IC 10, IC 1613, M 31, M 33, M 74, M 77, NGC 410, NGC 660, NGC 1023, NGC 7600, NGC 7721, NGC 7742, NGC 7814 PN: NGC 1514 P: Mars, Neptune, Pluto	Order (6:15 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.): Pluto, IC 10, M 2, M 73, NGC 7814, NGC 7742, NGC 7721, NGC 410 (Wirlings group), M 33 (Triangulum Galaxy), NGC 752, M 34, M 31 (Andromeda Galaxy), NGC 7600, Neptune, IC 1613 (nothing seen); after soccer match: M 45 (Pleiades), NGC 660, NGC 1023, NGC 1514, M 74, M 77	Tested the exposure sliders in manual mode (Enhanced Vision mode)	One day before new moon
Nov 17 MH	OC: M 35, M 36, M 37, M 38, M 45 G: NGC 514 GN: B 33, M 1, M 42, M 78, NGC 2024	Order (6:00 p.m. to 00:45 a.m.): NGC 514 + SN 2020uxz, M 45 (Pleiades), M 1, M 35, M 36, M 37, M 38, attempts at C/2020 M3 ATLAS (not found), M 42 (Orion Nebula), M 78, B 33 (Horse Head Nebula), NGC 2024 (Flame Nebula)	Tested the exposure sliders in manual mode (Enhanced Vision mode)	Two days after new moon
Nov 24 MH	GC: M 56, NGC 6934 GN: IC 1396, IC 5070, NGC 6888, NGC 6960, NGC 6992/5, NGC 7000, NGC 7023 PN: M 27, M 57 Moon	Order (6:20 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.): M 56, NGC 6888 (Crescent Nebula), IC 5070 (Pelican Nebula), NGC 7000 (North America Nebula), IC 1396 (Elephant Trunc), NGC 7023 (Iris Nebula), NGC 6992/5 (Eastern Veil Nebula), NGC 6960 (Western Veil Nebula), NGC 6934, Moon, M 27 (Dumbbell Nebula), M 57 (Ring Nebula)	Tested the exposure sliders in manual mode (Enhanced Vision mode)	Shortly after half moon

Bold: First observation during this observation period; G = galaxy, OC = open star cluster, GC = globular star cluster, GN = galactic nebula, PN = planetary nebula, P = star pattern, DN = dark nebula, C = comet, SN = supernova, SC = star cloud

List of Observed Sky Objects

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

DSO Details	Name	Constellation	Type	Remarks
B 33	Horse Head Nebula	Orion	GN	Always a challenge; more details after 10 minutes of exposure
IC 10		Cassiopeia	G	Irregular galaxy
IC 1396	Elephant Trunk	Cepheus	GNE	Very large nebula, practically not visible as a nebula...
IC 1613		Cetus	G	Irregular dwarf galaxy, practically not seen...
IC 5070		Cygnus	GNE	Large reddish nebula, can be guessed without post-processing...
M 1	Crab Nebula	Taurus	GE	More distinct with longer exposure times...
M 2		Aquarius	GC	Nice globular cluster, one of the larger ones
M 27	Dumbbell Nebula	Vulpecula	PN	Somewhat faint, but nice; profits from a dark sky
M 31	Andromeda Galaxy	Andromeda	G	Too large for the eVscope's field of view
M 33	Triangulum Galaxy	Triangulum	G	Very faint, details are hardly recognizable
M 34		Perseus	OC	Large and nice open star cluster, reminds me of M 41
M 35		Gemini	OC	Large and nice open star cluster
M 36		Autiga	OC	Nice open star cluster, smaller than M 35
M 37		Auriga	OC	Nice, very dense open star cluster
M 38		Auriga	OC	Nice open star cluster, larger than M 36, not as dense as M 37
M 42	Orion Nebula	Orion	GN	Too large, somewhat blurry, Trapezium mostly washed out
M 45		Taurus	OS	Too large for the eVscope's field of view; for the first time, the nebulae were somewhat visible
M 56		Lyra	GC	One of the smaller globular star clusters
M 57	Ring Nebula	Lyra	GN	Ring nice to see
M 73		Aquarius	OS	According to Stoyan, one of the more obscure Messier objects, but worth visiting
M 74		Pisces	G	Nice spiral galaxy, but in the eVscope just a faint dot/glow...
M 77		Cetus	G	Spiral galaxy, a bit more to see than with M 74, but in the end just a soft dot in the eVscope
NGC 410		Pisces	G	Elliptical galaxy, has extended areas where stars are formed.
NGC 514	+ SN 2020uxz	Pisces	G/SN	Barred spiral galaxy, supernova a small dot
NGC 660		Pisces	G	Spiral galaxy; one of the few polar ring galaxies, which are created from the fusioning of two galaxies
NGC 752		Andromeda	OS	Large, loose open star cluster
NGC 1023		Perseus	G	Elliptical galaxy; the brightest member of a group of galaxies, which includes NGC 891 (Andromeda)
NGC 1514		Taurus	PN	Planetary nebula, appears greenish with a white central star.
NGC 2024	Flame Nebula	Orion	GN	Rather faint reddish nebula next to Alnitak; not easy for the eVscope
NGC 7600		Aquarius	G	Elliptical galaxy, close to the ecliptic
NGC 6888	Crescent Nebula	Cygnus	GN	Faint and better suited to larger telescopes
NGC 6934		Delphinus	GC	According to Stoyan hard to resolve; it is, however, possible with the eVscope.
NGC 6960	Western Veil Nebula	Cygnus	GN	I was able to catch at least a glimpse of NGC 6960 with the eVscope, although all this is far too large for the eVscopes field of view
NGC 6992/5	Eastern Veil Nebula	Cygnus	GN	I was able to catch at least a glimpse of NGC 6992/5 with the eVscope, although all this is far too large for the eVscopes field of view
NGC 7000	North America Nebula	Cygnus	GN	Too large for the eVscope, nebula not really recognizable...
NGC 7023	Iris Nebula	Cepheus	GN	NGC 7023 is the name of an open star cluster containing the Iris Nebula. The Iris Nebula is a reflection nebula illuminated by a central star.
NGC 7721		Aquarius	G	Spiral galaxy, close to the ecliptic
NGC 7742		Pegasus	G	Spiral galaxy, small but has a very active core.
NGC 7814		Pegasus	G	Spiral galaxy, seen edge-on
Mars			P	Too bright
Neptun			P	Small
Pluto			P	Too close to Jupiter, hard to detect
Moon			M	A little morre than half moon

G = galaxy, OC = open star cluster, GC = globular star cluster, GE = galactic emission nebula, GR = galactic reflection nebula, DN = dark nebula, C = comet, PN = planetary nebula, SP = star pattern, HII = HII region (emission nebula in other galaxies), SC = star cloud, P = planet

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