The long haired star.
/ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describes Haley's Comet in 1066 /



In memoriam Halton C. Arp (1927-2013).


My astronomy sketches. Hover mouse over image for the inverted look. For fainter objects, take a look at the black-on-white original, sometimes it reveals more details.


Need advice? Want to discuss an observation? Feel free to contact me at flovro gmail*com.

ÚJ! Amennyiben elérhetġ, a ikonra kattintva magyarul is olvashatod az észlelést.


Show me the newest sketches!
By type: open clusters [67] globular clusters [14] diffuse nebulae [3] dark nebulae [0] planetary nebulae [27] variable stars [18] binary stars [23] asterisms [2] galaxies [119] quasars [1] planets [2] minor planets [1] comets [5] Sun [0] Moon [5] other objects [8]
By catalogue: Messier 1-50 [20] Messier 51-110 [18] NGC 1-1000 [17] NGC 1001-2000 [21] NGC 2001-3000 [32] NGC 3001-4000 [25] NGC 4001-5000 [18] NGC 5001-6000 [22] NGC 6001-7000 [40] NGC 7001-7840 [35] IC 1-5386 [1] other catalogues [71] uncataloged [10] [25]
By constellation:



NGC 1184 (Galaxy)
Right ascension: 03h 20m Declination: 80° 51'
Constellation: Cepheus
Date/time: 2017.10.20 22:15 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 15' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 5/10 Transparency: 3/5
SQM: 21.40 m/as2 Temperature: 6°C
Humidity: high Wind: none
Sight: 3 - definite details, interesting look
Difficulty: 3 - moderately visible, dark adaptation needed, averted vision might add to details
Position: 4 - hard, complex starhopping needed
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Moderately bright, highly elongated to the SSE-NNW. Surprisingly large and spectacular. Especially on its Western side I suspect a well defined central bulge. The two ends are very sharp and react well on averted vision: the galaxy clearly grows. Nice galaxy, perhaps I should try again on a night with less humidity in the atmosphere.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

NGC 1169 (Galaxy)
Right ascension: 03h 05m Declination: 46° 27'
Constellation: Perseus
Date/time: 2017.10.20 21:15 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 15' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 3/5
SQM: 21.25 m/as2 Temperature: 6°C
Humidity: high Wind: none
Sight: 3 - definite details, interesting look
Difficulty: 5 - almost invisible, total dark adaptation, very dark skies and averted vision is a must to see the object
Position: 3 - moderate, some starhopping needed
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

At the edge of direct visibility, very tiny galaxy. The shape is very difficult to see because of the low surface brightness. It isn't smooth, and it looks like it has TWO stellar cores. I suspect a little tentacle on the Northern side. At 71x it looks like a defocused star. At 250x it looks better but it's still best to view with averted vision. This is a fine example that one must always believe his eyes: I never check objects beforehand but decide on what to observe on the spot, based on my list of previously unobserved objects. I've checked later on astrophotographs and it really has a dual stellar core - probably one of them is a foreground star.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

NGC 16 (Galaxy)
Right ascension: 23h 28m Declination: 25° 11'
Constellation: Pegasus
Date/time: 2017.10.19 21:50 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 17' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 3/5
SQM: 21.41 m/as2 Temperature: 6°C
Humidity: high Wind: none
Sight: 2 - minor details, somewhat interesting
Difficulty: 4 - hardly visible, dark adaptation and very dark skies needed, averted vision is required to see details
Position: 2 - easy, bright star nearby
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Faint, very small oval galaxy with an elongation to the NNE-SSW. The core is disk shaped and is obviously brighter than the galactic surface. Visible already with low magnification, but the shape can only be seen clearly at higher powers.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

NGC 7664 (Galaxy)
Right ascension: 23h 28m Declination: 25° 11'
Constellation: Pegasus
Date/time: 2017.10.19 21:30 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 15' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 3/5
SQM: 21.43 m/as2 Temperature: 7°C
Humidity: high Wind: none
Sight: 3 - definite details, interesting look
Difficulty: 4 - hardly visible, dark adaptation and very dark skies needed, averted vision is required to see details
Position: 3 - moderate, some starhopping needed
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Very tiny and very faint elliptic galaxy. At 71x it is already visible as a fuzzy little spot, but it is necessary to increase the magnification for better looks. Interesting, but with my 6mm TMB Planetary II eyepiece it disappears whereas with my 6mm Synta GoldLine eyepiece it appears nicely, which is weird as usually the Planetary EP gives a much better view, but now the GoldLine wins easily. This is a fine example why one needs more eyepieces of the same focal length.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

NGC 7497 (Galaxy)
Right ascension: 23h 10m Declination: 18° 17'
Constellation: Pegasus
Date/time: 2017.10.19 20:45 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 23' Magnification and filter(s): 167x
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 3/5
SQM: 21.42 m/as2 Temperature: 8°C
Humidity: high Wind: none
Sight: 3 - definite details, interesting look
Difficulty: 4 - hardly visible, dark adaptation and very dark skies needed, averted vision is required to see details
Position: 2 - easy, bright star nearby
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

At 71x it appears with direct vision in the FoV as an extremely faint galaxy. I tried to make the view better by increasing the magnification to 250x to make the bright sky background fainter, but it just made the object disappear completely. I went back to 167x, that gives me the best views. It is so faint that I need to use averted vision all the time. Highly elongated to the NE-SW. It must be a really interesting object on a darker, less foggy sky.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

NGC 744 (Open cluster)
Right ascension: 02h 00m Declination: 55° 34'
Constellation: Perseus
Date/time: 2017.10.19 19:30 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 21' Magnification and filter(s): 167x
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 3/5
SQM: 21.31 m/as2 Temperature: 7°C
Humidity: high Wind: none
Sight: 2 - minor details, somewhat interesting
Difficulty: 3 - moderately visible, dark adaptation needed, averted vision might add to details
Position: 3 - moderate, some starhopping needed
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Small open cluster. The brightness of its members is highly varying: numerous faint and some bright stars make this cluster up. Located in an environment that is rich in stars, so it's very difficult to separate from its neighborhood. It's the typical example of a cluster that an artificial intelligence wouldn't be able to recognize, but for the human eye (and brain) it is very easy to see.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

NGC 559 (Open cluster)
Right ascension: 01h 31m Declination: 63° 24'
Constellation: Cassiopeia
Date/time: 2017.10.17 20:20 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 14' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 2/5
SQM: 20.71 m/as2 Temperature: 10°C
Humidity: high Wind: none
Sight: 2 - minor details, somewhat interesting
Difficulty: 4 - hardly visible, dark adaptation and very dark skies needed, averted vision is required to see details
Position: 2 - easy, bright star nearby
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

This loose, compact cluster is populated by very faint stars. In the middle a brighter triangle can be seen surrounded by about two dozens of fainter members. At 71x it separates better from its environment that is surprisingly poor in stars, however I need to push the magnification to resolve the faint cluster members. The high humidity makes the sky background very bright, I suspect a much better view if the conditions are great.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

NGC 381 (Open cluster)
Right ascension: 01h 10m Declination: 61° 41'
Constellation: Cassiopeia
Date/time: 2017.10.17 19:55 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 11' Magnification and filter(s): 214x
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 2/5
SQM: 20.55 m/as2 Temperature: 12°C
Humidity: high Wind: none
Sight: 2 - minor details, somewhat interesting
Difficulty: 3 - moderately visible, dark adaptation needed, averted vision might add to details
Position: 2 - easy, bright star nearby
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

This sparse open cluster has a population of faint stars, nearly all of them has identical brightness. Contains about 30 stars, although probably there would be more if the sky background was less bright. Barely separates from its stellar neighborhood at small magnification, increasing the power makes it easier to separate. I detect no hint of a diffuse background.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

NGC 7479 (Galaxy)
Right ascension: 23h 06m Declination: 12° 25'
Constellation: Pegasus
Date/time: 2017.10.16 20:30 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 25' Magnification and filter(s): 167x
Seeing: 8/10 Transparency: 4/5
SQM: 21.25 m/as2 Temperature: 9°C
Humidity: low Wind: none
Sight: 3 - definite details, interesting look
Difficulty: 4 - hardly visible, dark adaptation and very dark skies needed, averted vision is required to see details
Position: 3 - moderate, some starhopping needed
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Elongated to the N-S, with a shape of an eye. Faint, but it is obviously visible even at small magnifications like 71x. Smooth surface, no stellar core or any detail worth mentioning, except the faint star to the SW of the galaxy that sometimes seem to be on the surface of the object.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

NGC 7286 (Galaxy)
Right ascension: 22h 29m Declination: 29° 11'
Constellation: Pegasus
Date/time: 2017.10.16 20:45 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 13' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 9/10 Transparency: 4/5
SQM: 21.33 m/as2 Temperature: 10°C
Humidity: low Wind: none
Sight: 3 - definite details, interesting look
Difficulty: 4 - hardly visible, dark adaptation and very dark skies needed, averted vision is required to see details
Position: 3 - moderate, some starhopping needed
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Quite faint and tiny galaxy, difficult to observe. With an elongation of W-E, it's almost perfectly edge on, very thin object. I suspect two details time to time: a very thin band of dust on the long axis and it seems like there's a faint central bulge on the Southern side.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

NGC 7053 (Galaxy)
Right ascension: 21h 22m Declination: 23° 10'
Constellation: Pegasus
Date/time: 2017.10.16 19:45 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 11' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 9/10 Transparency: 4/5
SQM: 21.19 m/as2 Temperature: 10°C
Humidity: dry Wind: none
Sight: 1 - nothing spectacular
Difficulty: 5 - almost invisible, total dark adaptation, very dark skies and averted vision is a must to see the object
Position: 4 - hard, complex starhopping needed
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Very faint galaxy, I've been searching for a long time until finally I was able to clearly identify it. Once found, it's no longer hard to track, despite it's really really faint. A bit elliptic with an elongation of NE-SW. Sometimes, especially with averted vision it looks rather like an irregular galaxy. Difficult object!


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

NGC 7139 (Planetary nebula)
Right ascension: 21h 46m Declination: 63° 47'
Constellation: Cepheus
Date/time: 2017.08.15 21:50 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 12' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 4/5
SQM: 21.34 m/as2 Temperature: 14°C
Humidity: dry Wind: none
Sight: 3 - definite details, interesting look
Difficulty: 5 - almost invisible, total dark adaptation, very dark skies and averted vision is a must to see the object
Position: 3 - moderate, some starhopping needed
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Very faint planetary, its edge is very hard to define. It's perfectly spherical, but this shape is obvious mostly with averted vision only. Its Western side looks brighter and almost invisibly but I do detect a slightly darker band in the middle of the surface in the N-S direction, which touches the Northern edge of the planetary nebula. The object is huge, but it is still very difficult to find due to its faint surface brightness.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

M1-92 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Minkowski 92, Footprint nebula, Minkowski's footprint
Right ascension: 19h 36m Declination: 29° 32'
Constellation: Cygnus
Date/time: 2017.08.14 22:10 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 6' Magnification and filter(s): 652x
Seeing: 9/10 Transparency: 4/5
SQM: 21.05 m/as2 Temperature: 15°C
Humidity: dry Wind: none
Sight: 3 - definite details, interesting look
Difficulty: 4 - hardly visible, dark adaptation and very dark skies needed, averted vision is required to see details
Position: 3 - moderate, some starhopping needed
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

This protoplanetary nebula is much fainter than what I expected, but it has an easy location so it's very easy to recognize. At 71x it is completely stellar. At 250x you can suspect that it is an extended object. However, to be able to fully understand the nature of this object, you need to go into extreme magnification levels. Fortunately I had an excellent seeing this evening, so I was able to use my 2.3mm eyepiece (for the first time in the past decade) and view the object at 652x. It has a strong NW-SE elongation, and the shape of an eye. Its NW side is brighter and it has the shape of a drop. The SE side consists of a faint arc and an area that is even fainter and completes the eye shape. Between the two sides of the protoplanetary nebula a thin slit can be seen. The most interesting feature of this object is that it definitely looks blue!


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

PK 80-6.1 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Egg nebula
Right ascension: 21h 02m Declination: 36° 42'
Constellation: Cygnus
Date/time: 2017.08.14 21:30 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 11' Magnification and filter(s): 375x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 4/5
SQM: 21.34 m/as2 Temperature: 15°C
Humidity: dry Wind: none
Sight: 3 - definite details, interesting look
Difficulty: 3 - moderately visible, dark adaptation needed, averted vision might add to details
Position: 4 - hard, complex starhopping needed
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

At 71x it looks like a slightly de-focused star which is moderately faint and seem a bit elongated. At 250x the elongation becomes obvious in the N-S direction, and the protoplanetary nebula splits into two lobes. At 375x it looks somewhat large. The Northern part is clearly brighter and has a denser inner region. The Eastern part is smooth and resembles an arrowhead. The whole nebula appears to have a very faint halo around it. Its light is polarized: by using a polarization filter I sense a change in brightness by about 1-2 magnitudes when I rotate the filter to the correct position.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]

NGC 972 (Galaxy)
Right ascension: 02h 35m Declination: 29° 23'
Constellation: Aries
Date/time: 2017.01.19 22:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 13' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 3/5
SQM: 21.09 m/as2 Temperature: -7°C
Humidity: moderate Wind: none
Sight: 2 - minor details, somewhat interesting
Difficulty: 4 - hardly visible, dark adaptation and very dark skies needed, averted vision is required to see details
Position: 3 - moderate, some starhopping needed
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Faint galaxy, however it is instantly visible in the FoV. Elongated highly to the N-S. Looks smooth at first, but after a lengthy observation it starts to display two brighter little knots to the East of the galactic core.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]
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