This was an observing report I wrote up in the beginning of October but I didn't have my trademark maps ready, so I put it on hold until I could work on my maps a little bit. One thing led to another and I never got it done until now. So, anyway, here it is. I hope you like it.
Lacerta the Lizard and Aquarius the Waterbearer
10/2/2008 10:00PM EDT - 10/3/08 1:30AM EDT
Equipment: 5" f/5 Reflector with 26mm, 9.7mm, and 6.4mm Plossl (25x/2.1 deg, 67x/0.8 deg, and 102x/0.5 deg respectively, and 50x/1.0 deg, 134x/0.4 deg, and 203x/0.3 deg with 2x barlow, respectively). I was seeing a record 4.6 magnitude at zenith tonight.
I wanted to find the constellation Lacerta. I kept sighting down the axis of Cygnus from Albireo to Sadr to Deneb and beyond and I kept ending up in Cephus. So, I got my atlas and a nice comfy pillow, and started out by lying on my back on my front porch with my head back on the pillow and relaxed. After letting my eyes adjust and consulting the atlas with my red flashlight, I realized that if you look at Deneb at the tail of Cygnus, and look left, there are 2 stars: 58 nu Cygni (mag 3.9) and 62 xi Cygni (mag 3.7). Make the jump from 58 nu to 62 xi and continue zig-zagging to the North West to 73 rho Cygni (mag 4.0) to 81 pi Cygni (mag 4.2). Continue one more hop and you land on the star 7 alf Lacertae (mag 3.8). It seems like this star is invisible until you try to look for it, then it pops out at you. I let my eyes wander there and saw a star to the left called 5 Lacertae (mag 4.4) and a star to the right called 3 bet Lacertae (mag 4.4). Now, take in those 3 stars and a very dim 4th pops out called 4 Lacertae (mag 4.6) and forms a narrow diamond pointing roughly North to South. The Southern star of this diamond, 5 Lacertae, is the North vertex of a trapezoid of stars opening to the South. Going clockwise, 5 Lacertae, 2 Lacertae (mag 4.6), 6 Lacertae (mag 4.5), and 11 Lacertae (mag 4.6) form this trapezoid. Now, from 6 Lacertae go South West you stumble upon a star SAO 72155 (mag 4.5) and zig zag back South East to 1 Lacertae (mag 4.1) and you've taken in the entire constellation of Lacerta "the lizard". It kind of looks like a lizard with some imagination.
Now, from 81 pi 2 Cygni (mag 4.2) if you double back toward Deneb (West South West) and you can find M39 an Open Cluster in Cygnus. M39 was just a knot of about 20 or so stars, not too spectacular, but I get to chalk up another Messier object.
Next, I decided to try M71 a Globular Cluster in Sagitta. I got on 12 gamma Sagittae (mag 3.5) and worked back down the arrow toward 7 delta Sagittae (mag 3.8). Then, I went back to the midpoint between these stars and slightly South. I knew I was there because I could see 9 Sagittae (mag 6.2) in the 26mm EP/2.1 deg FOV, but I couldn't see M71. I thought I saw a smudge, but I just couldn't be sure, so I'll chalk this up as a failed attempt. Sagitta was kind of getting on to the West where there is a lot of light pollution, so it simply might have been too washed-out. At magnitude 8.5, this could easily have been the case.
I turned my attention to the legs of Pegasus. Off Markab (mag 2.5) to the South West you come across Biham (mag 3.5) and zig zag back North West to Enif (mag 2.4). If you keep going in that direction (not quite as far as the jump from Biham to Enif) you hit the Globular Cluster M15 (mag 7.5). This is a small compact Globular Cluster. I was not able to resolve any individual stars, however.
Next, I relaxed and opened my eyes to the South. There, beneath Pegasus' back leg I could see the 4 stars that make up Aquarius the Water Bearer's head (from East to West): 62 eta Aquarii (mag 4.0), 55 zeta 1 Aquarii (mag 4.5), Sadachbia (mag 3.8), and Sadalmelik (mag 3.0). There is a 5th dim star that I couldn't see to the North West of 55 zeta 1 Aquarii called 52 pi Aquarii (msg 4.7) which completes the elongated polygon which forms Aquarius' head. Now, from Sadalmelik go South West to Sadalsuud (mag 2.9) and further South West to Albali (mag 3.8). Albali is Aquarius' back foot. From Sadalsuud South East you arrive at 33 iota Aquarii (mag 4.3) which is Aquarius' front foot (off the horn of Capricornus formed by Nashira to Deneb Algedi). Now, go back to Sadalmelik and go South East to Ancha (mag 4.2) and due East to 73 lambda Aquarii (mag 3.7). This is Aquarius' arm. The water basket is formed starting at 73 lambda Aquarii and East North East to 90 phi Aquarii (mag 4.2) then almost due South to the trio of 91 psi 1 Aquarii (mag 4.2), 93 psi 2 Aquarii (mag 4.4), and 95 psi 3 Aquarii (mag 5.0). (Incidentally from 90 phi Aquarii go East North East a little more than 1 deg. and you'll see the planet Uranus at this time.) From 90 phi, go South South West to Skat (mag 3.3) then North North West to 71 tau Aquarii (mag 4.0) and back up to 73 lambda and you've formed a lobsided pentagon which is the tipping water basket. The water pouring out is formed from 93 psi 2 (the 2nd star in the trio) due South to 88 Aquarii (mag 3.7) and 95 psi 3 (the 3rd star in the trio) due South to 98 Aquarii (mag 4.0). Incidentally, the water is pouring on Piscis Austrinus whose brightest star is Formalhaut (mag 1.2).
Anyways, from Sadalsuud due North, I stumbled upon the Globular Cluster M2 (mag 7.5). M2 seems to be the twin of M15 in Pegasus. And from Albali (Aquarius' back foot) to the East South East (toward Capricornus' mid-back star 23 theta Capricorni (mag 4.1)) I looked for the Globular Cluster M72 but could not find it. No wonder, it's magnitude 10.0! Due East and I could not find M73 which apparently is just an Asterism of stars of magnitude 9.0ish. I'll have to try to find more information on this Messier object.
Next, I swung the scope around to an old favorite of mine, M31 the Andromeda Galaxy. This time I scrutinized what I was seeing, and above and to the left of M31's core, I could see another fuzzy near some stars. I later verified this as M32 a Dwarf Elliptical companion galaxy to Andromeda. Very cool!
It was 1:30am, and I made an attempt on the Crab Nebula M1 because Taurus was coming up in the East. I couldn't find it. Orion was coming up in the South East and I caught this season's first view of the Orion Nebula and the Trapezium at 102x.
-StarNerd