Cats Eye, Central Star in Ring, and Distant Quasar

Observing Report June 13, 2013

15" Obsession
Paracorr
 14mm ES100 140X .72degree=43'
   9mm ES100 217X .46degree=27'
4.7mm ES82  416X .2deg=12'

11pm-1am Back Yard-80degrees no shirt patio fan on
Laptop Stellarium

Targets:
10pm Saturn Moons (4) - Rhea Dione Titan Tethys
Comet Panstarrs - Fading as it exits Solar System

Targets:
Sue French - Sky and Telescope July 2013 article Deep Sky Wonders "Assorted Delights in Draco and Ursa Minor"

• Object         Type                           Mag(v) Size/Sep RA Dec.
• NGC 6543  Planetary nebula         8.1    22″ × 19″ 17h 58.6m +66° 38′
• IC 4677       Part of planetary halo 15     44″ × 23″ 17h 58.3m +66° 38′
• η Dra           Double star                 2.8,   8.2 4.8″    16h 24.0m +61° 31′
• 20 Dra         Double star                 7.1,   7.3 1.2″    16h 56.4m +65° 02′
• Q1634+706 Quasar                        14.4       —        16h 34.5m +70° 32′
• NGC 6217   Galaxy                        11.2 3.0′ × 2.5′ 16h 32.7m +78° 12′

NGC 6543, Caldwell 6, Cat's Eye Nebula -  very bright  , halo and galaxy nearby not seen
eta Dra - 9mm barely showed double, 20 Dra 9mm double not seen
NGC6217 galaxy not very bright
NGC 5985/82/81 easily seen after Joe's outdoor lights went off.
NGC 6503 very bright

Zeta UMi was not easily naked eye visible.  At first it was level in altitude with Comet.

Tried for Quasar with 9mm, could barely see 15 Dra in TelRad.
Could not locate Quasar star field with 9mm.  Switched to 14mm, used Stellarium, found Quasar star field, verified Quasar 1634+706 z=1.334 with Stellarium and memory from June 8!

Used 14mm on NGC 6503 - mag 10.

Looked at two doubles eta and 20 Dra.  Neither seemed split.  Decided to try 4.7mm ES82 eyepiece even though seeing and transparency did not seem that good.  Readjusted TelRad and finder.

With 4.7mm at 416X, easily split eta Dra 2.8-8.2 4.8" double and 20Dra 1.2" 7.1-7.3 doubles.

Decided to look at Antares.  Companion not positively identified.  Could see multiple diffraction rings on defocusing with scintillation.  Seeing was much better and 4.7mm 416X worked very well.

Decided to go for M57, Ring Nebula.  WOW!! was very large and Central Star was visible most of the time.  I think this is the first time I have seen the central star in backyard.  Why did I not use higher mag before??

Went to M13.  Was almost at zenith.  WOW!!  Stars were resolved, was very beautiful.  Found propeller.  Looked in Stellarium to see position of NGC 6207.  It is about 1/2degree towards eta Her (nearest star of keystone) and center of keystone  Galaxy core was very bright and compact, galaxy was large compared with normal view at lower magnification.