The Wild Duck Open Cluster

8/22/09
9:05pm to 10:24pm cst
partly cloudy to clear
mid 50s
Whitewater, WI

I viewed M26, an open cluster in Delphinus. At magnitude 9.5, it was not very exciting from my dark vantage point. M11 was the center piece of the night: at 250 million years old, M11 (also known as the Wild Duck Cluster) has about 3000 stars and is considered a open cluster. With a 25mm eyepiece, this deep sky object was impressive. M25 was another nice looking open cluster. Tough to miss at 4.90 magnitude, M25 has approx. 600 stars. M14 is a dim Globular in Ophiuchus, resolved in a 10mm eyepiece. M9 was another dim Globular resolved best in a 25mm eyepiece, located in Ophiuchus. M107 was difficult to view at 10 magnitude. Another Globular in Ophiuchus, it was dim though discernable using a 10mm eyepiece. M10 was a nice, though modest Globular in Ophiuchus. At magnitude 7.50, it was easy to view the dense core using a 10mm eyepiece. M16 is known as the Eagle Nebula. At 6.0 magnitude, it was easy to find, but difficult to draw: dusty, dim and hard to discern the actual shape. Best seen using a 10mm eyepiece. M17 was another dim, dusty looking Nebula that was easily found at 7.0 magnitude but difficult to draw. Finally, I viewed M18, a open cluster in Sagittarius. Worth noting you could see the dim "Milkyway" tonight.