Observation Log - December 12, 2001

Observation Log - December 12, 2001 - Tinton Falls, NJ

Another good night, gaining more experience with the MaxIm CCD software. Found out that the "salt-n-pepper" effect on the new software is due to a change in how they define the automatic stretch ranges. There is an adjustment changable by the user that puts things any way you like. Very comforting!

Configuration on the 12" LX200 tonight was dew shield and heater/Crayford/f3.3/T/MX516 mounted upside down with no filters, using the USB interface. I found that the camera end of the T-adapter was loose, and had been for who know how long. I tightened it up with a tiny screw driver and perhaps saw a little less image degradation around the edges of the field. Definitely easier to mount correctly now. Took flats both early and late and darks at dawn. Temperature was in high 30's, probably. Had a little dew early, but none stuck to the corrector.

A nice session overall. Sure love the new MaxIm/USB interface. Focusing and finding is MUCH improved. The software automatically stretched even the thin tries so you can see if you are on without the old "removed background;non-linear stretch" dance. So I take a test exposure about half as long as before, read it out faster, and get on with the good stuff. Also love the MaxIm setup where you have an exposure preset for the test images, and another preset for taking real images. A good time saver. And using the naming conventions for the FIT files means I don't have to wait for the first real exposure to come up before leaving the equipment for the warmth of the house. It also saves much time during processing, as the photos are grouped by name, and not by time stamp with name separaters. With the reduced readout time, I can also capture vastly more flats and bias frames than before. A very good upgrade indeed!

Tonight's first image is NGC234, a galaxy in Pisces, magnitude 12.5, dimensions 1'.6 x 1'.6, surface brightness is 14.1 mags/sq arcmin. This image was made from 27 one-minute exposures taken between 7:57 and 8:29 pm, the evening of December 11, 2001. The image was rotated 180 degrees to keep north up, then processed with a Digital Development filter (FFT, low-pass, medium), and finished with a contrast stretch. Here is another version of the same image resampled to double the image scale.

Next up is NGC587, a galaxy in Triangulum, magnitude 12.8, dimensions 2'.2 x 0'.8, surface brightness is 14.4 mags/sq arcmin. This image was made from 45 one-minute exposures taken between 8:41 and 10:00 pm, the evening of December 11, 2001. The image was rotated 180 degrees to keep north up, then processed with a Digital Development filter (FFT, low-pass, medium), and finished with a contrast stretch. Here is another version of the same image resampled to double the image scale.

This is NGC661, a galaxy in Triangulum, magnitude 12.2, dimensions 1'.6 x 1'.3, surface brightness is 11.9 mags/sq arcmin. Notice the smaller, fainter galaxy toward the right side of the frame. This image was made from 20 one-minute exposures taken between 10:02 and 10:23 pm, the evening of December 11, 2001. The image was rotated 180 degrees to keep north up, then processed with a Digital Development filter (FFT, low-pass, medium), and finished with a contrast stretch. Here is another version of the same image resampled to double the image scale.

Next is NGC670, a galaxy in Triangulum, magnitude 12.7, dimensions 2'.1 x 0'.9, surface brightness is 14.7 mags/sq arcmin. This image was made from 24 one-minute exposures taken between 10:26 and 10:52 pm, the evening of December 11, 2001. The image was rotated 180 degrees, then processed with a Digital Development filter (FFT, low-pass, medium), and finished with a contrast stretch. Here is another version of the same image resampled to double the image scale.

This is NGC1985, a bright nebula in Auriga, magnitude 12.5, diameter 42". This image was made from 30 one-minute exposures taken between 10:58 and 12:03 am, the morning of December 12, 2001. The image was rotated 180 degrees, then processed with a Digital Development filter (FFT, low-pass, medium), and finished with a contrast stretch. Here is another version resampled to double the image scale.

Next up is NGC1550, a galaxy in Taurus, magnitude 12.0, dimensions 2'.2 x 1'.9, surface brightness is 13.2 mags/sq arcmin. Notice several other fainter galaxies in this field. This image was made from 31 one-minute exposures taken between 12:06 and 12:45 am, the morning of December 12, 2001. The image was rotated 180 degrees, then processed with a Digital Development filter (FFT, low-pass, medium), and finished with a contrast stretch. Here is another version resampled to double the image scale.

The next image is centered around NGC2274, a galaxy in Gemini, magnitude 12.1, dimensions 2'.4 x 2'.4, surface brightness is 15.3 mags/sq arcmin. Above NGC2274 is NGC2275 (mag 13.1, 1'.3 x 0'.9, 14.2 sb). The galaxy at the right edge of the frame is PGC19586 (mag 15.0, 0'.9). This image was made from 27 one-minute exposures taken between 12:51 and 2:00 am, the morning of December 12, 2001. The image was rotated 180 degrees, then processed with a Digital Development filter (FFT, low-pass, medium), and finished with a contrast stretch. Here is another version resampled to double the image scale.

Here is NGC2337, a galaxy in Lynx, magnitude 12.4, dimensions 2'.3 x 1'.7, surface brightness is 14.2 mags/sq arcmin. This image was made from 33 one-minute exposures taken between 2:06 and 2:42 am, the morning of December 12, 2001. The image was rotated 180 degrees, then processed with a Digital Development filter (FFT, low-pass, medium), and finished with a contrast stretch. Here is another version resampled to double the image scale.

This image is NGC2545, a galaxy in Cancer, magnitude 12.4, dimensions 2'.2 x 1'.2, surface brightness is 12.8 mags/sq arcmin. This image was made from 37 one-minute exposures taken between 2:48 and 3:39 am, the morning of December 12, 2001. The image was rotated 180 degrees, then processed with a Digital Development filter (FFT, low-pass, medium), and finished with a contrast stretch. Here is another version resampled to double the image scale.

Next I shot NGC2595, a galaxy in Cancer, magnitude 12.3, dimensions 3'.1 x 2'.7, surface brightness is 14.0 mags/sq arcmin, distance is 180 million light years. This galaxy has an incredibly interesting structure! This image was made from 27 one-minute exposures taken between 3:42 and 4:51 am, the morning of December 12, 2001. The image was rotated 180 degrees, then processed with a Digital Development filter (FFT, low-pass, hard), and finished with a contrast stretch. Here is another version resampled to double the image scale.

My last target for the night was NGC4026, a galaxy in Ursa Major, magnitude 10.8, dimensions 4'.7 x 1'.2, surface brightness is 10.5 mags/sq arcmin, distance is 42 million light years. This image was made from 19 one-minute exposures taken between 4:56 and 5:28 am, the morning of December 12. The image was rotated 180 degrees, then processed with a Digital Development filter (FFT, low-pass, hard), and finished with a contrast stretch. Here is another version resampled to double the image scale.