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Grasslands Observatory : Interesting Objects with Common Names (A-M)


All images are oriented with the North at the top and the West to the right.
Object Other Name(s) Type of Object Thumbnail Image Comments
Antares & environs    

 

These image shows Antares, Milky Way nebulosity, and the globular clusters NGC6144 (above center) and M4 (near the right edge).
Antennae; Ringtail Galaxy; Caldwell60-61 NGC4038+4039 Interacting Galaxies ngc4038(Arp244).TIF (2737739 bytes)
AP7 image



Dream Machine image

 
Baade's Window NGC6522 & NGC6528 Globular Clusters near the center of the Milky Way Walter Baade was unable to observe the Galactic center itself due to obscuring dust, but he found regions of less obscuration close to the heart of the Milky Way, including “Baade’s window,” which is centered around NGC 6528 (left) and NGC 6522 (right) in Sagittarius. The bright star off the frame south of NGG6528 is Gamma Sgr (10 Sgr) magnitude 3.63.
Barnard's Galaxy; Caldwell57 NGC6822 Small, Irregular Galaxy  
Blinking Planetary NGC6826; Caldwell15 Planetary Nebula  
Bok Globule B335 B335 Dark Nebula  
Bubble Nebula; Caldwell11 NGC7635 Nebula bubble.jpg (60974 bytes)
HPC-1 Image



Dream Machine image

Meade LX55 image

 
Bug Nebula NGC6302; Caldwell69 Planetary Nebula  
Butterfly Nebula See Gamma Cygnus below      
Canopus & the Winter Milky Way     Sixty-second exposure with Nikon D100 digital camera set at ISO 1600 using an 8 mm f/3.5 lens.
Cat' s Eye Nebula; Caldwell6 NGC6543; Caldwell6 Planetary Nebula NGC6543 is the tiny planetary nebula to the right of center. Next to it is the irregular galaxy IC4677. On the left edge of the image is NGC6552.
 
Cave Nebula; Caldwell9 Sh2-155 Bright Nebula  
Center of the Milky Way    

 

 

This Takahashi Epsilon 180 f/2.8 image with a Canon 20da camera is aimed at the center of the Milky Way.

The image has been labeled to show some of the open clusters and regions of nebulosity near the center of the Milky.  The actual center is hidden from optical view by gas and dust.

Clown Nebula Sh2-112 Bright Nebula  
Cocoon Nebula; Caldwell19 IC5146 Star Cluster with associated nebulosity  
Coma Cluster Abell1656; NGC4889, NGC4884; UGC8110 Galaxy Cluster  
Comet Giacobini-Zinner on 17 November 1998 at 03:00 hrs UT 21P/Giacobini-Zinner Periodic Comet CometGiacobiniZ.jpg (21285 bytes)  
Comet Hale-Bopp C/1995 O1 Hale Bopp Long Period Comet HaleBopp.jpg (33810 bytes) Image obtained 13 October 1996 with HPC-1 camera.
Comet Hale-Bopp C/1995 O1 Hale Bopp Long Period Comet HaleBoppNucleus.jpg (19561 bytes) The nucleus of the comet is well seen with this image obtained in April 1997.
Comet Holmes 17/P Periodic Comet in outburst Dream Machine image, 24-inch telescope on November 18, 2007
Comet Holmes 17/P Periodic Comet in outburst Takahashi Epsilon 180 image with Canon 20da camera.  Sixty-sec exposure on November 18, 2007
Comet Holmes 17/P Periodic Comet in outburst

Takahashi Epsilon 180 image with Canon 20da camera.  Three 10-min exposures combined

Comet Holmes near the California Nebula (NGC1499) on March 6, 2008.

 

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Comet Hyakutake 25 March 1996 C/1996 B2   CometHyak.jpg (76669 bytes) Ax6 CCD camera using a 105mm Nikon lens.
Exp = 20 sec.
at Grasslands Observatory
by: M. Newberry and J. McGaha
Comet Ikeya-Zhang on 2 March 2002 C/2002 C1   20-second exposure with Finger Lakes Instrumentation Dream Machine CCD camera.
Comet Ikeya-Zhang on 13 March 2002 at 2:00 hrs UT C/2002 C1   This image is a composite of short (30-60 sec) exposures through red (R), green (V), blue (B), and clear (CL) filters added together.
Comet Linear C/2002 T7  
Comet Linear 2002 T7, 12 June 2004
This image is a composite of short (30-60 sec) exposures through red (R), green (V), blue (B), and clear (CL) filters added together.
Comet Machholtz C/2004 Q2  
Comet Machholz 12 December 2004 at prime focus of the 24-inch telescope.


Comet Machholz near the Pleiades 7 January 2005. Ten minute exposure with Canon 10D digital camera and 20 mm f/2 lens, ISO 1600. By James McGaha
The prime focus image is a composite of short (30-90 sec) exposures through red (R), green (V), and blue (B) filters added together.
Comet Shoemaker Levy 9     SL9.jpg (50526 bytes) Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, May 5, 1994. Image taken by James McGaha with HPC-1 CCD Camera at the Grasslands Observatory.
The original digital image was lost. The present image was obtained by scanning a slide of the original CCD image.
Cone Nebula NGC2264 Dark Nebula cone.jpg (66276 bytes)
HPC-1 Image
conebw.jpg (31514 bytes)
HPC-1 Image

Dream Machine Image
Note the red streak on the top color image. A satellite went through the field during the R exposure. The Black and White Image was taken with a 5 minute exposure.
Crescent Nebula; Caldwell27 NGC6888 Bright Nebula  
Double Cluster NGC869/884; Caldwell14 Open Clusters
Takahashi Epsilon 130 image with Nikon D100 digital camera. Two minute exposure.
 

Takahashi Epsilon 160 image with Canon 20da.







Montage of the Double Cluster with the 24-inch f/5 telescope.


134mm f/2.8 telephoto lens. Two minute exposure. Nikon D100 camera, ISO 1600.

 

300 mm f/2.8 Canon 20da image.

Eskimo Nebula NGC2392; Caldwell39 Planetary Nebula  
Flame Nebula NGC2024 Nebula FlameColor.jpg (54797 bytes)
Dream Machine Image
This image consists of six 60sec Red (R) exposures, six 60sec Green (V) exposures, and nine 60sec Blue (B) exposures added together. The bright star overwhelming the right side of the image is Alnitak (Zeta Orionis; magnitude 1.74).
Flaming Star Nebula IC405; Caldwell 31 Bright Nebula
Dream Machine image


Meade LDX55 image with ISO 400 color negative film. Thirty minute exposure.

 

Takahashi Epsilon 180 image

In the Dream Machine image the bright star at the lower edge of the nebulosity is SAO 57816 at magnitude ~ 5.6.

 

 

The LXD55 image is a 30-minute exposure on Kodak Royal Gold ASA 400 film.

 

 

The Takahashi image consists of three 15-min exposures combined.

 

This image shows the field of IC405 with objects and stars labeled.

Gamma Ray Burster 030329 GRB 030329 ??? Composite of 60-second exposures through R, V, B, and open filters.
Gamma Cygnus Region The region around Gamma Cygnus is at the heart of the Cygnus Milky Way with a complex mixture of emission nebulae, stars, and dust clouds IC1318; Sharpless 2-108 (Sh2-108)

Canon 20da digital camera images with a 300 mm Canon telephoto lens.

IC1318 is the large complex HII (hydrogen alpha) region around Gamma Cygnus (Sadr). It is sometimes known as the Butterfly Nebula. The second image is centered South of Sadr and also shows the Crescent Nebula NGC6888.

Gamma Cygnus Region     Takahashi Epsilon 160 image with Canon 20da camera.
Gamma Cygnus Region   IC1318; Sharpless 2-108 (Sh2-108) IC1318 is the large complex HII (hydrogen alpha) region around Gamma Cygnus (Sadr). It is sometimes known as the Butterfly Nebula. The image is centered Southwest of Sadr and also shows the Crescent Nebula NGC6888.
Ghost of Jupiter Nebula NGC3242; Caldwell59 Planetary Nebula  
Gum 5 Sharpless 2-301 Nebula. This is a small portion of a much larger nebular complex. Gum.jpg (57711 bytes)  
Hyades Mel 25; Caldwell41 Open Cluster
Nikon D100 image



Canon 20da image

The Nikon image is a 60-second exposure at ISO 1600 with a 135 mm f/3.5 lens.
The Canon 20da image is a three minute exposure at ISO 800 with a 200 mm f/4.5 lens.
Helix Nebula; Caldwell63 NGC7293 Planetary Nebula Helix.jpg (27034 bytes)
AP7 image



Dream Machine image

Meade LX55 image

 
Hercules Galaxy Cluster Abell2151 Galaxy Cluster hercules.jpg (66913 bytes)
AP7 image



Dream Machine image

The spiral galaxy in the center of the image is NGC6045. The elliptical galaxy just below it is NGC6047.
Horsehead Nebula IC434 Nebula HorseheadColor.jpg (64297 bytes)
Dream Machine Image
This image consists of six 60sec Red (R) exposures, six 60sec Green (V) exposures, and nine 60sec Blue (B) exposures added together.
Horsehead Nebula IC434 Nebula Canon 20da image on Takahashi 180 Epsilon telescope.
Hubble's Variable Nebula; Caldwell46 NGC2261 Nebula hubble.jpg (36350 bytes)
AP7 image

Dream Machine image
 
Hyades Mel 25 Large, nearby Open Cluster This image is a 60-second exposure with a Nikon D100 camera at ISO 1600 and a 135mm f/3.5 lens.
Markarian Galaxy Chain M84 and M86 A curving "chain" of galaxies closely grouped. They may have no physical connection with each other.

 

The more prominent galaxies are labeled in this image

Markarian's Chain is in the central region of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster centered around M84 and M86. Only a portion of the chain is shown here on this Meade 8-in f/4 LXD55 image with a Canon 20da camera. 
The Milky Way    

Both the Winter and the Summer Milky Way are gorgeous at the Grasslands Observatory on clear nights.  These 60 second exposures with the Canon 20da digital camera and a 15 mm lens show varying aspects of the Milky Way and the observatory.
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