My Observing Log: July/August 2005

1:00 a.m. 11 August 2005 PDT (2005–08–11–0800 UT)

I looked tonight at Mars, at CM around 0. Saw Hellas clearly, and the polar cap was small but bright and sharp. Some signs of Sinus Meridiani. Maria Acidalium and Erythraeum were rising on the following limb. There were no noticeable clouds along either limb.

1:00 a.m. 28 August 2005 PDT (2005–08–28–0800 UT)

I looked at M11 first, with my new 24 mm Panoptic. Splendid and powdery, with a very evident square shape with the eighth-magnitude star near but just away from the brightest corner. It doesn't really look like a flock of wild ducks, more like a Chinese fan, with the hinge just out of place (that eighth-magnitude star).

M27 was surprisingly easy to see given the bright third-quarter Moon. The inner apple-core was easily discerned, though the outer football shape was seen only with filter and even then with difficulty.

M57 was not distinct at all—possibly the victim of large-scale seeing? It was a definite challenge to identify in field at 52x, which is probably the problem that a lot of beginning observers have with this object.

Copyright (c) 2005 Brian Tung