The universe is like a safe to which there is a combination, but the combination is locked up in the safe.
/ Peter de Vries /



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 elérhető, 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:



IC 4593 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: White Eyed Pea
Right ascension: 16h 12m Declination: 12° 3'
Constellation: Hercules
Date/time: 2010.05.10 22:50 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 21' Magnification and filter(s): 167x
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 4/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

This extremely tiny planetary is located in a relatively heavy environment, it's not an easy find. At 71x you can perhaps suspect that it's something other than a simple star, I can hardly say that it has any extent. At 167x it looks like a little fuzzy star. At 300x the body of the planetary can be detected easily, as an object which is getting constantly brighter towards its centre. To the South a spectacular binary can be found the STF 2016 (a Struve double). The size of the planetary is about 0.5' and is perfectly round.


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

M27 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Dumbbell nebula, NGC 6853
Right ascension: 20h 0m Declination: 22° 43'
Constellation: Vulpecula
Date/time: 2008.06.10 23:30 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 1° Magnification and filter(s): 71x + UHC filter(s)
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 4/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

A huge planetary nebula in the constellation Vulpecula. The UHC filter enhances the contrasts somewhat, but it is a wonderful sight even without it. The shiny central part resembles the core of an apple to me and has a direction of N-S. Its far from being homogeneous: in its Southern half a brighter area can be observed. On the Western and Eastern sides of this core are two fainter areas that complement it to a whole "apple". The Western one of these looks much brighter.


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

M57 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Ring nebula, NGC 6720
Right ascension: 18h 54m Declination: 33° 2'
Constellation: Lyra
Date/time: 2008.06.10 21:30 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 14' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 4/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

The famous Ring nebula of the Lyra constellation is well-known even for people less obsessed with astronomy. An interesting fact is that its visual surface brightness is about half magnitude better than its photographic surface brightness thanks to the elements that build up its spectra, therefore it's worth taking a look of this shiny planetary nebula with any kind of telescope. Its position is very easy: you can hardly miss it on the line connecting the stars beta and gamma Lyrae. Its central star (14.7m) was barely detectable for me if at all, even with averted vision. I think it demands darker skies. The UHC filter did not help much on the view, but large magnification is really neccessary.


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

M97 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Owl nebula, NGC 3587
Right ascension: 11h 15m Declination: 55° 1'
Constellation: Ursa Major
Date/time: 2008.04.24 20:30 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 20' Magnification and filter(s): 167x + UHC filter(s)
Seeing: 3/10 Transparency: 3/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

The M97, also known as the Owl-nebula is a very spectacular, famous planetary, in the vicinity of M108. It's a nearly regular circle, slightly elongated in E-W directions. Also on the Eastern and Western corner one can find two darker spots, the eyes of the owl. The planetary itself is quite an easy object, looks much brighter than the 11m as listed in catalogues, a homogenous shape with sharply fading edges. Discovering the eyes is a bit harder: especially the Western spot is tend to blink. Using your averted vision helps a lot to see the details. I was using my Baader UHC filter to finish this sketch, however according to my experiences a slightly better seeing helps much more than the filter.


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

NGC 2392 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Eskimo nebula, Clown face nebula
Right ascension: 7h 30m Declination: 20° 54'
Constellation: Gemini
Date/time: 2009.01.24 18:40 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 15' Magnification and filter(s): 167x
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 3/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Also known as the Eskimo or Clown face nebula, this planetary is the real gem of the constellation Gemini. It's a very bright object, showing much details and is quite unresponsive on filters. I estimate the brightness of its tiny, star-like core about 11 magnitudes, with two perfectly regular concentric circles around it, each with surface brightnesses about 1 magnitudes fainter than this. The diametre of the inner circle seems exactly the half of the entire object.


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

NGC 2392 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Caldwell C39, Herschel H45-4, Eskimo or Clown Face Nebula
Right ascension: 7h 30m Declination: 20° 53'
Constellation: Gemini
Date/time: 2010.02.21 20:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 11' Magnification and filter(s): 300x + UHC filter(s)
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 3/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

I've sketched this planetary about a year ago, but obviously I did not mark it as "SKETCHED" in my list of objects, so the result is a new drawing. However, when I compared the two sketches, it was obvious to make this mistake, because now - even if conditions were not ideal thanks to the 50% Moon nearby - I was able to see and record much more details: the brighter arcs around the central star were not at all visible for me, but now they were easily noticeable. The UHC filter was not neccessary to observe this object, however it boosted the intensity of the brighter central bubble.


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

NGC 6210 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Turtle nebula
Right ascension: 16h 44m Declination: 23° 48'
Constellation: Hercules
Date/time: 2008.06.22 21:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 15' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 4/10 Transparency: 4/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

An unexpectedly bright, but tiny (20") planetary nebula. If we already know what and where must we look for, it is an easy target. However, for me it was a really tough one for the first time: it took some time to realize that the mysterious "star" that shouldn't be there according to the star maps is in fact the planetary itself. At 71x it is completely star-like, however at 250x we are able to catch its smaller details too. It has an almond shape, elongated to the E-W directions, with a bright white core. Also towards these directions I could discover two faint little horns. It requires high magnification, and good seeing.


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

NGC 6543 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Cat's eye nebula
Right ascension: 17h 59m Declination: 66° 38'
Constellation: Draco
Date/time: 2008.06.29 22:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 14' Magnification and filter(s): 250x + UHC filter(s)
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 5/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

The first thing that catches your attention on this planetary nebula is its marvellous sea blue colour. After that you may notice its asymmetric shape, which is just like two halves of nut sticked together, slided a bit apart. With the UHC filter on the view is even more spectacular: many additional faint details appear around the planetary, and it also appears slightly larger than without it. It demands for a very calm, stable atmosphere. The oval planetary has a longer axle on the N-S direction.


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

NGC 6572 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Blue Racquetball
Right ascension: 18h 13m Declination: 6° 51'
Constellation: Ophiuchus
Date/time: 2010.06.05 23:30 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 11' Magnification and filter(s): 300x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 2/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

At 71x all I can notice is that a star appears in a magical deep blue colour. I had to increase magnification all the way up to 300x to be perfectly sure, that this star in fact has some extent. Due to the tiny size, the UHC filter does not help me to enhance the view at all. At 300x some tentacles appear but the whole sight is very uncertain. The object is very bright but I don't think it's any larger than 3", maybe even smaller than that. Later on I've checked some photos and I was very happy to see that those tentacles are really there, but they are visible only on the best photographs. SQM reading: 20.85 m/arcsec2, 11°C.


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

NGC 6804 (Planetary nebula)
Right ascension: 19h 32m Declination: 9° 15'
Constellation: Aquila
Date/time: 2009.08.18 21:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 14' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 4/10 Transparency: 5/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

A faint little planetary discovered by Herschel. It has a diametre of 1', even at 71x it does not look like a star, but rather like a large, fuzzy little spot. By increasing the magnification, you may notice a slight elongation in the WSW - ENE direction. By some more careful examination, a slightly brighter central region is visible to the ENE, with a faint star on its edge, which I thought to be the central star. However, as I went on with the sketching, I started to notice an even fainter star in the middle of the brighter core area, first only with averted vision, later on with direct vision too, which I believe is the real central star of this planetary.


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

NGC 6891 (Planetary nebula)
Right ascension: 20h 16m Declination: 12° 44'
Constellation: Delphinus
Date/time: 2009.08.20 23:45 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 13' Magnification and filter(s): 250x + UHC-S filter(s)
Seeing: 5/10 Transparency: 5/5
Location: Tarján, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

A very tiny but bright planetary nebula, which looks pretty much star-like at small powers, but above 100x it starts to show some dimensions, looking like a blurred star. At 250x it seems quite large, without a filter it has some nice bluish colour. With an UHC filter and especially with averted vision its diametre grows even larger. Because of its small size it's very hard to discover any details, but by the time it looks as if the core has some tiny horn eastwards. SQM reading: 21.01 m/arcsec^2 9°C.


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

NGC 7008 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Fetus nebula
Right ascension: 21h 1m Declination: 54° 33'
Constellation: Cygnus
Date/time: 2008.09.02 23:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 12' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 4/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

A very large planetary nebula in the Cygnus constellation, also known as the Fetus nebula. Its naming perfectly suits its look, which is very conspicious. Its an asymetrical shell with widely varying brightness and an enormously shiny area to the NE. The central star is a 13.2 magnitude one, easily detectable because its surrounding dark areas. To the East from this you may notice another star of the similar colour and luminosity. I cannot see any hint of colour throughout the planetary. It's a nice object even at low powers of around 100x thanks to its relatively high surface brightness, therefore it may be a reachable target for small telescopes too. I've tried using my UHC filter, but the results were worse than without it.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]
This sketch was featured on Astronomy Sketch of the Day on Oct 4, 2008.

NGC 7026 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: The Cheeseburger nebula
Right ascension: 21h 5m Declination: 47° 39'
Constellation: Cygnus
Date/time: 2008.09.03 00:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 16' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 4/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

I find this object much smaller (around 0.3x0.4') than what is suggested by the values in catalogues (0.8x0.8'). It's a fairly blue, very bright planetary with a shape resembles a diamond, divided in N-S direction by a dark belt of matter in the middle. Its name is very felicitous when taking a look at its entire shape: Cheeseburger nebula. I can detect an additional faint nub on the NW part of the object. Requires large magnification and a very calm atmosphere.


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

NGC 7027 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Magic carpet nebula
Right ascension: 21h 7m Declination: 42° 14'
Constellation: Cygnus
Date/time: 2008.09.04 23:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 16' Magnification and filter(s): 250x
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 4/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Also known as the Magic carpet nebula, this planetary is quite large, with a shape that fits its name well. The surface brightness varies widely, with a brighter larger part to the NW, and a smaller bright portion to the SE, divided by a fainter part. Its colour is remarkably blue, the dark parts are very spectacular with their deep shade of blue.


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

NGC 7354 (Planetary nebula)
Right ascension: 22h 41m Declination: 61° 21'
Constellation: Cepheus
Date/time: 2010.10.12 23:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 10' Magnification and filter(s): 300x
Seeing: 6/10 Transparency: 2/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Nearly round, faint, mid-size planetary. The centre is fairly brighter, dark patch can be detected running from the East. To the South I can see a star that looks a bit as if it is surrounded by some sort of fuzziness. The planetary does not react well to the use of UHC and O-III filters. Located in a sparsely populated environment. SQM reading: 21.07 m/arcsec2, 4°C, humid air.


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

NGC 7662 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Blue snowball
Right ascension: 23h 26m Declination: 42° 35'
Constellation: Andromeda
Date/time: 2008.11.18 19:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 15' Magnification and filter(s): 250x + UHC filter(s)
Seeing: 5/10 Transparency: 3/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

The planetary, also known as Blue snowball nebula looks planet-like even on powers as small as 45x, with a charming cyan colour. I think this is the planetary, that looks nice even is a theatre-binocular. Naturally, a filter is unneccessary to view it, however I've found that by using a UHC filter its size expands, especially to the Northeast, where a dark blue thin arc shows up. Finding this planetary is not hard at all, but it's a bit tricky, because the viewfinder displays it just like a bright star which you are unable to find on your maps. It has a perfect circular shape of a diametre of 0.6', with a brightness of about 8m.


Hi-resolution image: [ reversed sketch | original sketch ]
Click here for a colour version of this sketch.

Trumpler 3 + PNG138.1+04.1 (Open cluster)
Also known as: Tr 3
Right ascension: 3h 12m Declination: 63° 15'
Constellation: Cassiopeia
Date/time: 2008.01.26 20:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 45' Magnification and filter(s): 71x
Seeing: 5/10 Transparency: 3/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

This open cluster is located in a star field that's free from bright stars. Its most remarkable figure reminds me of a reaping-hook, and is composed by four stars between magnitudes 9 and 10. These are also considered the brightest members of the cluster, besides these only a couple of stars of 8-10m are visible in the field of vision, but most of the members are fainter than 12m. For about 20' to the south is the planetary nebula PNG138.0+04.1, but its nebulosity can only be suspected even by using averted vision - the large, 5.5' diameter planetary cannot really be seen even with the UHC filter on. However, its 13m central star can be found and a little haziness can be detected next to this star that is probably illuminated by the brighter stars next to the central one.


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

NGC 6905 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Blue flash nebula
Right ascension: 20h 23m Declination: 20° 9'
Constellation: Delphinus
Date/time: 2012.06.19 1:00 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 14' Magnification and filter(s): 250x + UHC filter(s)
Seeing: 5/10 Transparency: 3/5
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Tiny, yet surprisingly bright planetary nebula. Despite its name it doesn't contain any hint of blue colour visually. Its surface is very even, however with deeper examination and higher magnification some details start to show up. To the North for example, you may notice a small bump. The detailed sketch were done at 375x and UHC filter and reveals more surface details. Visible from 71x. With UHC it emerges from its background. The O-III view is not better and not worse than the UHC one. The H-ß filter seem to emphasize faint surface details, however it hides the rest of the nebula and the surrounding stars.

SQM reading: 20.45 MPSAS, 14°C.


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

NGC 40 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Bow Tie Nebula
Right ascension: 0h 14m Declination: 72° 36'
Constellation: Cepheus
Date/time: 2012.09.11 23:30 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 7' Magnification and filter(s): 469x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 3/5
SQM: 21.25 m/as2 Temperature: 11°C
Humidity: low Wind: none
Sight: 4 - lots of details, very interesting, unique 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: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

A wonderful yet tiny little planetary. At small magnification (71x in my case) it looks like a slightly defocused star, however by increasing the power it soon starts to develop into a nice, perfectly round planetary nebula. Some details that also appea: to the South of the bright central star you may notice a small brighter blob, and to the West a bright feature can be seen that resembles a spiral arm of a galaxy. Doesn't react at all on UHC filter, but with an O-III it's size apparently grows, however the central star completely disappears, which is a bit weird, because the Westward star stays in the field even if it's fainter than the central star of the nebula. With low power it has a tint of purple-blue.


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

NGC 40 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Bow Tie Nebula
Right ascension: 0h 14m Declination: 72° 36'
Constellation: Cepheus
Date/time: 2012.10.20 21:30 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 7' Magnification and filter(s): 469x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 4/5
SQM: 21.14 m/as2 Temperature: 10°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: 4 - hard, complex starhopping needed
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Tiny planetary, at 71x it looks like a star with a small halo. Especially with averted vision you can see its round shape. At high magnification I discover lots of details, for example a thin, brighter arc on its Northern border, and a brighter blob next to the central star to the South, and a darker patch to the Southwest. With averted vision, the round shape transforms to a little bit of oval, elongated in the East to West direction.

What makes this observation special is that it is actually an error, because I've already observed this object about a month ago, but again, I failed to mark this object in my list of observed objects: click here for that observation. So I've sketched it again, and what's more interesting is that I have used the same magnification! Although the subjective classification is a bit different, but alltogether the two observations are quite the same.

Lessons learned: a.) the faint details I've sketched last time were also there this night, so I have a strong proof now that I can trust my senses, even if the details are extremely faint or low-contrast. b.) I'm getting older, shouldn't trust my memory anymore. :)


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

Frosty Leo (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: IRAS 09371+1212
Right ascension: 9h 41m Declination: 11° 55'
Constellation: Leo
Date/time: 2013.03.07 21:15 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 7' Magnification and filter(s): 469x
Seeing: 5/10 Transparency: 3/5
SQM: 21.16 m/as2 Temperature: 7°C
Humidity: low Wind: breeze
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: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

A rarely observed protoplanetary nebula I've first read about in Cloudy Night's Sketching forum. It's as small as expected, but much fainter. Elongated to the N-S, with a clearly visible dark band divinding the nebula to to halves, when the seeing gets better for a few moments. Reminds me of a faint little nearly edge-on galaxy. I haven't checked photos of this object before my observation, so I'm quite surprised now that I've seen the dark band, because even on a sketch made with 600mm scope it does not show up. But I know that my eye did not lie. A highly recommended gem.


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

NGC 2371 + NGC 2372 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Gemini nebula
Right ascension: 7h 26m Declination: 29° 29'
Constellation: Gemini
Date/time: 2014.01.03 23:30 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: ' Magnification and filter(s): 250x + UHC + O-III filter(s)
Seeing: 5/10 Transparency: 3/5
SQM: 20.97 m/as2 Temperature: -7°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: 2 - easy, bright star nearby
Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

A tiny, faint planetary nebula in the constellation Gemini, a relatively easy find. Its double lobed shape can be recognized even with very small magnifications (at 71x its shape was very obvious), but shows much more details with high powers. In the two parts two star-like false cores can be seen. Its Northern half looks a bit triangular, while its Southern half appears to grow significantly to SE when using averted vision. UHC filter helps a little but is not necessary and ruins the looks of the stellar neighborhood while an O-III makes it even fainter so is not recommended.


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

NGC 1501 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Herschel H53-4
Right ascension: 4h 8m Declination: 60° 58'
Constellation: Camelopardalis
Date/time: 2015.11.12 23:40 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 16' Magnification and filter(s): 214x + UHC, O-III filter(s)
Seeing: 4/10 Transparency: 4/5
SQM: 21.14 m/as2 Temperature: 6°C
Humidity: low Wind: none
Sight: 4 - lots of details, very interesting, unique look
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:

I was very surprised when I looked into the 21mm (71x) eyepiece I use for searching objects, because I expected a tiny fuzzy stellar sight: instead a small, round, well-defined spot greeted me. Increased my magnification to 250x, however - most probably because of the below average seeing - the planetary nebula was much better looking when I stepped back from my 6mm TMB Planetary II to my 7mm of the same type, providing a modest 214x magnification. This is a very easy target even without filters, however I found that it appears much brighter compared to the sky background with a wide transmission UHC filter. An O-III was also fine, but somehow the UHC view was a bit neater for me. It resembles the M57 Ring Nebula, except that it is a bit fainter, smaller, and the central part of the muffin shape is not as dark, but closer to the outer regions in surface brightness. Can be found relatively easily by following the path of Kemble's Cascade, as it sits near one of its end, close to the nice open cluster NGC 1502.


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

Humason 1-1 (Planetary nebula)
Also known as: Hu 1-1
Right ascension: 29h 09m Declination: 56° 03'
Constellation: Cassiopeia
Date/time: 2015.12.01 19:45 UT
Equipment: 12" f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 10' Magnification and filter(s): 375x
Seeing: 7/10 Transparency: 4/5
SQM: 21.12 m/as2 Temperature: 6°C
Humidity: low Wind: breeze
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: 3 - moderate, some starhopping needed
Location: Talpa Minor Observatory
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Description:

Bright but very tiny, therefore really difficult object: even at 250x it looks completely stellar. I looked for about 45 minutes at a wrong place nearby thanks to some really inaccurate sketches I used to find this planetary nebula. Turns out, some fellow sketchers did not really see this object, yet confidently drawn a similar fuzzy in a field that is nearby, even resembles the real field a bit, but they were wrong. So I've just learned that it's not only astrophotographs a visual observer shouldn't trust, but one must be precautious with sketches too. Higher magnification may be better, but I couldn't go any higher because of my rather poor condition Dobsonian mount. I've tried O-III, UHC-S and UHC filters, but neither enhanced the view worth mentioning.


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 ]

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 ]

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 ]
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