My first Magazine Sky & Telescope - 04.2019 | Page 61

δ
η
η UMa
24 CVn
θ
NGC 3377
NGC 3489
NGC 3338
NGC 3412
NGC 3367
NGC 3384
M105
M96 M95
N
N
p FARAWAY GALAXIES Groups of galaxies, such as this well-known one in Leo, give the author
the impression that they’re fl oating in the galactic cirrus — even as he realizes the former are
much, much farther away.
N
N
ing the galactic cirrus in lieu of star-
hopping. The dwarf galaxy Leo I, north
of the incredibly bright star Regulus
(which needs no star-hopping), is fol-
lowed farther northward by a faint band
of galactic cirrus. The dazzling star, the
amorphous dwarf galaxy, and the cirrus
form a striking threesome not soon to
be forgotten on a cold, clear night.
Particularly impressive are galaxy
groupings with galactic cirrus. A pretty
field is the M95, M96, and M105 group-
ing in Leo accompanied by various
NGC-level galaxies. Above is a multi-
field sketch of the area where I followed
the galactic cirrus, stopping at each new
field to sketch what I observed. I then
drew a large sketch encompassing all
the fields of view. The impression in the
eyepiece is that the galaxies float in the
cirrus, but of course the galaxies are
unimaginably more remote.
Final Thoughts
p THREE DIFFERENT VIEWS OF THE
WHIRLPOOL These sketches highlight a
comparison of M51 in Canes Venatici in order
of increasing aperture (top to bottom): 6-inch,
13.2-inch, and 25-inch. The 6-inch telescope
provides greater detail of the extent of the
galactic cirrus, while the two larger telescopes
yield more detail of the galaxy itself.
Discovering galactic cirrus next to
popular springtime galaxies is a deeply
satisfying personal experience. There’s
no point in shouting — all that does is
disturb the night creatures. To stand
with my feet on our planet Earth peer-
ing into the eyepiece in the cold, clear
nighttime air and seeing a new band of
ghostly cirrus is an emotional experi-
ence that welds me to the inconceivably
vast galaxy that we live in and to the
grander universe writ large. I’ve shown
galactic cirrus to fellow observers at the
Oregon Star Party. When they see the
cirrus, it’s a “There it is!” moment.
Still, it would be helpful to see
digital images of many degrees in size
imaged in visual wavelengths that
reproduce the eyepiece experience.
While visual observers can detect
galactic cirrus in minutes, the same
view takes imagers many hours of
accumulated exposure and processing
time. Conversely, digital images are full
of breathtaking detail that is simply
absent from the eyepiece.
¢ During the day MEL BARTELS man-
ages a software development team.
On moonless clear evenings, he scans
the skies with handcrafted richest-fi eld
telescopes. Visit Mel’s homepage to
read more about his observations and
telescope making: bbastrodesigns.com.
FURTHER READING: See Mel’s sketch-
es of the Draco Dwarf Galaxy and Leo I at
https://is.gd/GDApr2019.
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