| |
Main
Date: 08 May 2007 10:47:24
From: Esmail Bonakdarian
Subject: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
Hello all,
after not being able to observe at all last year, I am ready to
finish up my Messier list and get some star time in! I want to
be ready in case I can get under the stars in the near future.
Almost all that are left are in the Virgo Cluster. Is there a good
guide for tackling these? Any suggestions on how to navigate this
area which I understand is rich in all sorts of galaxies, but
poor in stars to guide?
I know now is a good time for these Messiers, how long do I have?
I think most of the summer right? with this being the ideal time?
Thanks,
Esmail
|
|
| |
Date: 10 May 2007 20:18:06
From: JimC
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
Esmail Bonakdarian wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> after not being able to observe at all last year, I am ready to
> finish up my Messier list and get some star time in! I want to
> be ready in case I can get under the stars in the near future.
>
> Almost all that are left are in the Virgo Cluster. Is there a good
> guide for tackling these? Any suggestions on how to navigate this
> area which I understand is rich in all sorts of galaxies, but
> poor in stars to guide?
>
> I know now is a good time for these Messiers, how long do I have?
> I think most of the summer right? with this being the ideal time?
>
> Thanks,
> Esmail
The book "Messier Mrathon" by Harvard Pennington includes several pages
of charts of the Virgo cluster as well as Coma Berenices, which borders
Virgo. I think you would find it useful.
Jim
|
| | |
Date: 11 May 2007 11:54:18
From: Esmail Bonakdarian
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
JimC wrote:
>
> The book "Messier Mrathon" by Harvard Pennington includes several pages
> of charts of the Virgo cluster as well as Coma Berenices, which borders
> Virgo. I think you would find it useful.
Hi Jim,
I do have that book and have been studying it.
I don't know why, but for some reason the Virgo Cluster has an
association to me as being very difficult to navigate.
Maybe the challenge is just to sort out the many galaxies and figure
out which is a Messier and which is not.
I've always enjoyed the "hunt" for objects at least as much as looking
at them, so this ought to be both fun and challenging. I hope to get out
under the stars in the next 7 days at least once, and finally mark off
the last few remaining Messiers on my list.
Esmail
|
| |
Date: 08 May 2007 15:44:38
From: canopus56
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
On May 8, 3:22 pm, "Paul Clark" <dr.cl...@dial.pipex.com > wrote:
> But just to be awkward I recommend pointing the scope using a unit power
> finder at precisely half way between Denebola and Vindemiatrix. . . .
> Curve . . . along Markarians chain. Easy....honest. Enjoy, Paul
Thanks, Paul. I'll give it try. Somehow I never get that lucky.
Looks like SEDS did have a couple of active links to online Virgo
cluster charts:
http://www.seds.org/messier/more/virgo.html
Jan Wisniewski's Chart
http://www.astrosurf.com/jwisn/virgo-cluster.htm
Bill Ferris's Chart
http://members.aol.com/billferris/virgocluster.html
- Kurt
|
| | |
Date: 08 May 2007 20:39:52
From: Marty
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
Howdy Esmail!
Not much I can add, but when starhopping for ANYTHING dimmish,
especially from less than perfect skies, I'd be helpless with out the
Uranometria 2000. I even built my observing box around that atlas so it
could easily go along with me.
Marty
|
| | | |
Date: 10 May 2007 11:53:53
From: Esmail Bonakdarian
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
Marty wrote:
> Howdy Esmail!
> Not much I can add, but when starhopping for ANYTHING dimmish,
> especially from less than perfect skies, I'd be helpless with out the
> Uranometria 2000. I even built my observing box around that atlas so it
> could easily go along with me.
Hi Marty, Uranometria 2000 is still on my list of resources to get. I will
have to be first "settled" at least semi-permanently in a place where I know
that I can get access to dark skies regularly.
Until then, I mostly depend on my computerized charts which I print out and
take with me to the field along with my small copy of Karkosha.
Here's hoping for clear skies this weekend,
Esmail
|
| |
Date: 08 May 2007 13:31:18
From: SaberScorpX
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
> Almost all that are left are in the Virgo Cluster. Is there a good
> guide for tackling these? Any suggestions on how to navigate this
> area...
Galaxy-Hopping: Messier's Sweet Sixteen
http://www.astronomyblogs.com/member/saberscorpx/?xjMsgID=3D27675
Along with the basic DSO information, the following
Messier list is ordered by midnight culmination date.
Meridian altitudes from 40=B0N latitude and the Pocket Sky
Atlas chart where each can be found are also included.
http://www.astronomyblogs.com/member/saberscorpx/?xjMsgID=3D28218
Happy hunting,
Stephen
Saber Does The Stars at
http://www.astronomyblogs.com/member/saberscorpx/
|
| | |
Date: 10 May 2007 11:54:53
From: Esmail Bonakdarian
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
Thanks Stephen,
Esmail
|
| |
Date: 08 May 2007 13:17:14
From: canopus56
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
On May 8, 4:47 am, Esmail Bonakdarian <ebonak_XXX_@_hotmail.com >
wrote:
<snip > Any suggestions on how to navigate this
> area which I understand is rich in all sorts of galaxies, but
> poor in stars to guide?
For online guides, no. For some book guides and charts, I like:
Phillip Harrington. 2003. Starwatch. (Good plain language explanation
of navigation the Realm of the Galaxies.)
http://www.philharrington.net/swtch.htm
Don Machholz. 2000. The Observing Guide to the Messier Marathon.
2000.
http://www.amazon.com/Observing-Guide-Messier-Marathon-Handbook/dp/0521803861/
Good charts are necessary; good dark skies indispensible. For online
charts, download and install the free Cartes du Ciel. This is what I
use:
http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/
It is more difficult with a DOB because you cannot do right-angle
slews as with an equatorial mount. If you have DSCs, a DOB is as easy
as an equatorial mount. With an 8" DOB, use your lowest magnification
ep in dark skies to increase you chance of "running" over a galaxy.
Essentially, there is an eastern entry route from eps Vir and a
western entry route from bet Libra. For the eastern entry route, use
eps Vir and rho Virgo as guideposts. A right-ascension (RA) slew of
about 3 degrees from eps Vir takes you across m10.2 galaxy NGC4762 and
its faint smaller companion NGC4754. Continuing the RA slew brings you
to v8.8 M60, which is about 2 degs north in declination from rho Vir.
Losing 1 degree of declination and a further RA slewing goes to M59
and then M58 into view.
- Kurt
|
| | |
Date: 10 May 2007 02:49:04
From: EB
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
canopus56 wrote:
>
> For online guides, no. For some book guides and charts, I like:
>
> Phillip Harrington. 2003. Starwatch. (Good plain language explanation
> of navigation the Realm of the Galaxies.)
> http://www.philharrington.net/swtch.htm
>
> Don Machholz. 2000. The Observing Guide to the Messier Marathon.
> 2000.
> http://www.amazon.com/Observing-Guide-Messier-Marathon-Handbook/dp/0521803861/
>
> Good charts are necessary; good dark skies indispensible. For online
> charts, download and install the free Cartes du Ciel. This is what I
> use:
> http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/
>
<.. >
Hello Kurt,
Thanks for the resources, I bookmarked them.
Esmail
|
| | |
Date: 08 May 2007 22:22:09
From: Paul Clark
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
"canopus56" <canopus56@yahoo.com > wrote in message
news:1178655434.622161.301280@n59g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
...snip good stuff
> Essentially, there is an eastern entry route from eps Vir and a
> western entry route from bet Libra. For the eastern entry route, use
> eps Vir and rho Virgo as guideposts. A right-ascension (RA) slew of
> about 3 degrees from eps Vir takes you across m10.2 galaxy NGC4762 and
> its faint smaller companion NGC4754. Continuing the RA slew brings you
> to v8.8 M60, which is about 2 degs north in declination from rho Vir.
> Losing 1 degree of declination and a further RA slewing goes to M59
> and then M58 into view.
>
> - Kurt
>
But just to be awkward I recommend pointing the scope using a unit power
finder at precisely half way between Denebola and Vindemiatrix. This lands
you on M84 and M86. Curve north and east along Markarians chain or and
east and south to M87 etc.
Easy...
...honest.
Enjoy, Paul
|
| |
Date: 08 May 2007 09:49:47
From: Ben
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
> I didn't do anything methodical in February; all I did was aim
> vaguely at the gap between Denebola and Vindemiatrix...
>
> Laura Halliday VE7LDH
That's a lot of fun! Just aim generally between Denbola
and Vindemiatrix and wiggle your tube around until
you see a galaxy. When you find one (shortly) try
to figure out which one it is. You get pretty good at
it after a while.
Ben
|
| |
Date: 08 May 2007 08:35:30
From: laura halliday
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
On May 8, 7:15 am, Esmail Bonakdarian <ebonak_XXX_@_hotmail.com >
wrote:
> tony_fland...@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> >> I know now is a good time for these Messiers, how long do I have?
> >> I think most of the summer right?
>
> > Absolutely not! This lunation is your last good chance. You can still
> > catch the Virgo Cluster in June, but it's already well down toward the
> > horizon by the time the sky is fully dark. After June, it's gone.
>
> Hi Tony,
>
> thanks, this timing information is good to have, I'll definitely will make
> a push now as soon as I can rather than wait.
>
> Esmail
Your best accessory for the Virgo Cluster is a good, dark sky.
But you probably already know that. :-)
I wandered around it last February from a dark sky site in the
tropics and it lived up to what they should have said in _2001_:
"My God! It's full of galaxies!". This was with an 8" SCT.
I've also done it with a 14" SCT from New Mexico. Same
general result. Even more galaxies. This is fun. :-)
I didn't do anything methodical in February; all I did was aim
vaguely at the gap between Denebola and Vindemiatrix...
Laura Halliday VE7LDH "Que les nuages soient notre
Grid: CN89mg pied a terre..."
ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - Hospital/Shafte
|
| | |
Date: 08 May 2007 18:53:53
From: Esmail Bonakdarian
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
laura halliday wrote:
>
> Your best accessory for the Virgo Cluster is a good, dark sky.
> But you probably already know that. :-)
<.. >
>
> I didn't do anything methodical in February; all I did was aim
> vaguely at the gap between Denebola and Vindemiatrix...
That sounds like a whole lot of fun .. I may try that too :-)
|
| |
Date: 08 May 2007 05:32:41
From:
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
On May 8, 6:47 am, Esmail Bonakdarian <ebonak_XXX_@_hotmail.com >
wrote:
> Almost all that are left are in the Virgo Cluster. Is there a good
> guide for tackling these? Any suggestions on how to navigate this
> area which I understand is rich in all sorts of galaxies, but
> poor in stars to guide?
Personally, I find a good chart more useful than any number of words.
The detailed Virgo Cluster chart in Sky Atlas 2000.0 is superb, and
the one in the Pocket Sky Atlas is pretty good too. Barring that, you
can run off your own chart on your favorite planetarium program and
print it out. But computers don't do nearly as good a job as human
beings at making everything tidy and readable.
I like to walk into the cluster east to west, starting at Rho
Virginis. But the western half may be reached more easily off
Denebola. Once you get the hang of it, the Virgo Cluster's actually
pretty easy to navigate -- under dark skies, anyway. You don't so much
star-hop as galaxy-hop, since there are always multiple galaxies in
any wide-field eyepiece.
> I know now is a good time for these Messiers, how long do I have?
> I think most of the summer right?
Absolutely not! This lunation is your last good chance. You can still
catch the Virgo Cluster in June, but it's already well down toward the
horizon by the time the sky is fully dark. After June, it's gone.
- Tony Flanders
|
| | |
Date: 08 May 2007 14:15:07
From: Esmail Bonakdarian
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
tony_flanders@yahoo.com wrote:
>
>> I know now is a good time for these Messiers, how long do I have?
>> I think most of the summer right?
>
> Absolutely not! This lunation is your last good chance. You can still
> catch the Virgo Cluster in June, but it's already well down toward the
> horizon by the time the sky is fully dark. After June, it's gone.
Hi Tony,
thanks, this timing information is good to have, I'll definitely will make
a push now as soon as I can rather than wait.
Esmail
|
| |
Date: 08 May 2007 04:13:06
From: Ben
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
On May 8, 5:47 am, Esmail Bonakdarian <ebonak_XXX_@_hotmail.com >
wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> after not being able to observe at all last year, I am ready to
> finish up my Messier list and get some star time in! I want to
> be ready in case I can get under the stars in the near future.
>
> Almost all that are left are in the Virgo Cluster. Is there a good
> guide for tackling these? Any suggestions on how to navigate this
> area which I understand is rich in all sorts of galaxies, but
> poor in stars to guide?
>
> I know now is a good time for these Messiers, how long do I have?
> I think most of the summer right? with this being the ideal time?
>
> Thanks,
> Esmail
The difficulty depends on your mount. For an equatorial mount
it's not particularly difficult to navigate the Virgo galaxies. For
a Dobsonian it's more problematic.
Whatever your OTA sits on it would be a good idea to find
someone with a `Uranometria' or `Millenium Star Atlas' and
xerox the plates for the objects in question. Study them
thoroughly
For an EQ you just roll off Denebola about 25 minutes E and
that will take you to M98. Then just go across the cluster to
the East making the necessary declination adjustments.
The galaxies are so bright you can count off degrees at the
EP rather than fool with the setting circles.
For a Dob mount it's a good idea to practice finding
6 Virginis and starhop from there. (9 Vir is also good)
The problem child is M85 which is somewhat detached
from the rest of the cluster.
Anyway, consult some good charts.
Regards,
Ben
|
| | |
Date: 08 May 2007 11:23:22
From: Esmail Bonakdarian
Subject: Re: tackling the Virgo Cluster
|
Ben wrote:
>
> For a Dob mount it's a good idea to practice finding
> 6 Virginis and starhop from there. (9 Vir is also good)
> The problem child is M85 which is somewhat detached
> from the rest of the cluster.
>
> Anyway, consult some good charts.
Didn't think to mention my equipment, 8inch Dob .. thanks
for suggesting a starting point. I do plan on studying some
star charts carefully.
I do actually enjoy the "hunt" of finding the objects manually
at least half as much as viewing them. Just wondering if there
was a good guide on-line for this particular group.
I've come across some references to a May 94 S&T issue, I'll have
to see if our local library keeps them this long.
Cheers,
Esmail
|
|
