2024-03-25

• Condition: G5
• Location: Home, Spearfish: 44.49, -103.87

Unexpected 6" of snow with a forecast of 80% cloud-cover tonight. As dusk was approaching, I noticed with surprise that the clouds were dispersing rapidly. With a full moon just below the horizon I had a narrow window of time to get some observations. I chose the remaining targets in Puppis, with them grouped closely together I had a better chance of bagging them before the moon rose too high.

I started as soon as I could. Even before the sky was full-dark I was slewing to δ Canis Majoris as a anchor point to RU Puppis.

08:15PM

• Target: RU Puppis[1]
• Const: Puppis
• RaDec: 08h08m -22.58
• Type: Star (Carbon)
• Scope: AT102ED
• Setting: 55x
• Image: ../images/2024-03-25_RUPup.jpg[2]

Warm orange color. Almost confused its location with a similar star pattern just outside of the FoV to the SE.

[1] RU Puppis (ID)

[2] ../images/2024-03-25_RUPup.jpg

08:29PM

• Target: NGC 2440, PN G234.8+02.4[1]
• Const: Puppis
• RaDec: 07h41m -18.12
• Type: Planetary Nebula
• Scope: AT102ED
• Setting: 55x
• Image: ../images/2024-03-25_NGC2240.jpg[2]

Faint, but AV is not required for detection. AV does help expand the size a little bit. Small, but still larger than to be classified as a "fat star" PN.

[1] NGC 2440, PN G234.8+02.4 (ID)

[2] ../images/2024-03-25_NGC2240.jpg

08:38PM

• Target: NGC 2539, Collinder 176[1]
• Const: Puppis
• RaDec: 08h10m -12.49
• Type: Open Cluster[2]
• Scope: AT102ED
• Setting: 55x
• Image: ../images/2024-03-25_NGC2539.jpg[3]

Neat little arrangement of fainter stars, with 19 Puppis acting as an anchor to the SW.

The moon was just over the horizon and starting to fill the sky with light as I was finishing for the night.

[1] NGC 2539, Collinder 176 (ID)

[2] Open Cluster (ID)

[3] ../images/2024-03-25_NGC2539.jpg