Despite a rather gloomy outlook the sky cleared for the BBAA Skywatch at Northwest River Park Saturday, April 19. It was good to see so many friends and be able to observe at least a few deep sky objects. Here are a few I observed with my trusty Orion 10" Dobsonian.
List: 24/04/19 NWRP Orion 10" Ptly To Mostly Cloudy
Messier 35
(Open Cluster in Gemini)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 8:36:48 PM
Comment: Beautiful open cluster, with a myriad of stars in this cluster. I switched to lower power for an even better view. This looked great in William Kiff's 8" Celestron SCT at low power as well.
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
Messier 3
(Globular Cluster in Canes Venatici)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 8:45:03 PM
Comment: David Wright suggested this beautiful globular. Easily resolved, especially at the edges.
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
Black Eye Galaxy - M 64
(Spiral Galaxy in Coma Berenices)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 8:48:57 PM
Comment: A large, elongated galaxy, with a much brighter core.
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
Needle Galaxy - NGC 4565
(Spiral Galaxy in Coma Berenices)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 8:56:18 PM
Comment: Very low surface brightness, especially on this hazy night. This is normally a spectacular galaxy, but not when viewed under thick, hazy skies.
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
Sunflower Galaxy - M 63
(Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 8:57:49 PM
Comment: Round galaxy next to a fairly bright star.
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
Messier 66
(Spiral Galaxy in Leo)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 9:01:09 PM
Comment: The brightest of the Leo Triplet
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
Messier 65
(Spiral Galaxy in Leo)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 9:01:35 PM
Comment: Only slightly fainter than M 66, therefore the second brightest in the Leo Triplet.
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
NGC 3628
(Spiral Galaxy in Leo)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 9:02:56 PM
Comment: Very low surface brightness, highly elongated, and by far the faintest of the Leo Triplet. I had to use the old trick of rocking the scope back and forth to see it.
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
Messier 95
(Spiral Galaxy in Leo)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 9:07:33 PM
Comment: More elongated than nearby M96, but lower surface brightness
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
Messier 96
(Spiral Galaxy in Leo)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 9:08:10 PM
Comment: Fairly bright galaxy with high surface brightness. Brighter than nearby M 95.
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
Messier 105
(Elliptical Galaxy in Leo)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 9:10:20 PM
Comment: Small, 9.3 magnitude galaxy but with high surface brightness
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
Ghost of Jupiter Nebula - NGC 3242
(Planetary Nebula in Hydra)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 9:17:02 PM
Comment: This is one of my favorite planetary nebulae, and it holds magnification well. I was barely able to see the CBS Eye. I looked at it in Jeremy Mitchell 12" Celestron Dobsonian but hazy skies knocked the brightness down considerably.
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
U Hydrae
(Variable Star in Hydra)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 9:21:38 PM
Comment: Wow, a gorgeous blood red carbon star 690 light years away. David Wright and William Kiff saw it as well.
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
Sombrero Galaxy - M 104
(Spiral Galaxy in Virgo)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 9:50:55 PM
Comment: Several of us were barely able to see The Sombrero Galaxy in a small break in the clouds at the conclusion of a night at NWRP.
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
Whirlpool Galaxy - M 51
(Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici)
Observed: Apr 19, 2025 at 10:00:17 PM
Comment: Quite literally the last object observed at the BBAA Skywatch at Northwest River Park in Chesapeake as clouds covered the sky. You had to look quick, but a few club members did get see it for a few brief moments through my 10" Orion Dobsonian.
Location: Virginia Beach, VA, User Defined
Equipment: 10" Orion IntelliScope f/4.6, 10mm Pentax
Seeing: 9
Transparency: 6
Kent Blackwell