- Condition: VG6
- Location: Home, Spearfish: 44.49, -103.87
The sky opened up unexpectedly tonight (finally)! I was going to stay up longer to see the last three targets from my goal last year, but clouds started rolling in again around 9pm.
- Target: M 43, de Mairans Nebula
- Const: Orion
- RaDec: 5h35m -5°16
- Type: Diffuse Nebula
- Scope: ST80
- Setting: 40x
Great view of the Orion Nebula tonight! I got more details out of it than any time before. After prolonged viewing, I was able to see darker patches in the glow of the nebula, adding a bit of "noise" to the overall view. As far as M43 is concerned, I wasn't sure exactly what to look for. After coming in for the night, I had to look up where it was exactly in relation to M42. It appears that the small round glow north of the major glow is M43? I always thought it was part of M42.
- Target: M 67
- Const: Cancer
- RaDec: 8h50m 11°49
- Type: Open Cluster
- Scope: ST80
- Setting: 50x, AV
Nice little cluster. It took a while to find as there wasn't much that drew my eyes towards it at first. After some prolonged viewing, I was able to see a multitude of pinpricks of light appear. AV was required to find and to get any sort of detail of out it. Found by jumping from M44 to α Cancri, then moving a little west.
