Observations - 13/02/23

Hello, one and all.
My sunset time is getting a little later night after night by about 2 minutes. 

On Monday night 13th February 2023 the Sol set at 17.31UT. 

The skies were clear. So I set up my William Optics 158mm f/7 apochromatic refractor in the back garden. The air temperature was 7˚ Celsius, and the wind wasn’t strong at 7 km/h. 

The double star figures are from www.stelledoppie.it  

Having had a quick look at the optical companions of Capella and Aldebaran, I stayed in Taurus.
That was because Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF is in the Bull these nights. 

1. STF 383 is a true binary I have never observed before. It is listed in Robert Burnham’s Celestial Handbook and it is his 2nd entry in Taurus. Indeed it is extremely close to the Aries border. Magnitudes: A = 8.5. B = 9.1. Sep = 5.5”. PA = 121˚. I had no split at 40x. But that changed at 112x. I had the black gap at this magnification. The primary was definitely yellow and has a spectral class of G5. The secondary might have had a slight blue shade to it, but most of the time the star was pure white. 140x and 167x gave good views too. 

2. I headed back to Aldebaran to find our popular comet of the moment. But Comet C/2022 E3 ZTF has faded a lot over these last 2 weeks. According to my Guide 9.1 DVD its magnitude was 6.8. The nucleus was seriously faint. But I could see a decent coma. It’s the 3rd time I have observed this comet. It was not visible at 11x in my William Optics 70mm f/6 refractor. 

3. However what is this I see in the same field of view (fov) of the comet at 40x? It’s the well-known open star cluster NGC 1647.  Inside this cluster is a nice optical double star called AG 311. AG stands for Astronomische Gesellschaft. Magnitudes: A = 8.9. B = 9.3. Sep = 33”. PA = 112˚. Easy split at 40x. NGC 1647 accepts decent magnification. It looked good at 167x. Anyway it’s my first time to observe a comet and an open star cluster in the same fov.  

Clear skies from Aubrey. 

Hi Aubrey,

That must have been a terrific sight in the eyepiece. While the comet is fading fast,  seeing it and that open star cluster in the same FOV might make the cut for your top observations?

You've had a very good start to 2023 alright...congratulations.

Clear skies,

Darren.

Thank you, Darren. 
Well yes. It was quite a momentous occasion to see a comet and an open cluster in the same fov. 
I have to say though it wasn't as spectacular as one might think. 
I could only use my 2" 40x eyepiece to fit both objects in. 
  
For me the lunar occultation of Uranus was far more spectacular to my eyes on New Year's night. 
And of course it was because of you, my friend, both you and I greatly enjoyed observing it over our phones at the same time!   

By the way, I have no idea as to when we are going to have a clear sky again. 
It seems we have nothing but cloudy nights over the next 7 nights. 

Best regards from Aubrey. 

Hello Aubrey,

Apologies for the delay replying to you...the past two weeks were hectic with the move. Thankfully, we're in now, and I managed to set up a nice space to house the scopes...just need some clear skies

That lunar occultation was brilliant alright!

Very best regards,

Darren.