Observer: Mark Birkmann
Your skills: Intermediate (some years)
Date/time of observation: 2-7-00, 8:45 UT (2:45 am CST)
Location of site: New Haven, Missouri (Lat ~38, Elev ~700 feet)
Site classification: Rural
Sky darkness: 5 <1-10 Scale (10 best)>
Seeing: 6 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Moon presence: None
Instrument: 40" f/5 dob
Magnification: 144x, 288x
Category: External galaxy.
Class: SAB(s)b
Constellation: Leo
Data: mag 9.7 size 9.1' x 4.1'
Position: RA 11h:20m 15s DEC +12:59' 29"
Description:
The elongated central region of m66 was bright with a
brighter non-stellar core. The core seemed to be slightly off center
(east?) in the bright central region. To the southeast were three
bright patches separated from each other by distinct dark lanes.
Another bright patch was seen just to the northeast. Just to the
north was another bright patch that contained a nearly stellar condensation.
Hazy areas were seen extending off to the northeast and southwest with
the extension to the southwest being the brighter of the two. The
third star down from the top, just inside the edge of the galaxy, was very
faint and seen only in moments of good seeing. I'm not positive about
the directions used here, I did not check them at the time of the observation,
I later got them off of a photo taken at the Anglo-Australian Observatory.