Observer: Mark G.Birkmann
Your skills: Intermediate (some years)
Date/time of observation: 9-04-2000, 6:50 UT (1:50 CDT)
Location of site: New Haven, Missouri (Lat ~38, Elev ~700 feet)
Site classification: Rural
Sky darkness: 4 <1-10 Scale (10 best)>
Seeing: 4, sometimes 6 <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Moon presence: None - moon not in sky
Instrument: 40" f/5 dob
Magnification: 143x, 408x, 858x
Filter(s): orion ultrablock
Category: Planetary nebula.
Class: 3
Constellation: Cygnus
Data: mag 13.3(p) mag of central star 13.2 size 86"
Position: RA 21h:00m 32.8s DEC +54:32' 36"
Description:
This planetary was bright and easy to find at low power
due to its size. No color was seen at any power. The central
star was seen at all powers. The view was best at moderate to high
power, 858x was no better or worse than 408x . The orion ultrablock
gave a slight improvement in contrast but did not reveal any additional
detail. The borders of this nebula were diffuse and smooth with the
exception of the inside edge on the east side and the outside edge on the
northwest and southwest sides. At these three points there was a
decrease in brightness and the edge of the nebula was slightly concave.
The north side of the nebula contained a bright hour glass shaped knot
of nebulosity. The southern end of the nebula was a little brighter
than the rest of the nebula and a small area around a faint star on the
west side of the nebula was also somewhat brighter. No nebulosity
was seen in the gap to the southeast of the central star. The bright
star to the southeast was a distinct yellow. The faint star which
appears to be embedded in the west side of the nebula was not quite as
bright as depicted here. It was about equal in brightness to the
three stars which lie to the east, northeast, and northwest of the nebula.
In this drawing north is up and to the left.