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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

[glow=green,2,300]M57 ...No Longer Elusive[/glow]

There are some things in amateur astronomy that one would expect to be behind them, seeing the moons of Jupiter, spitting doubles and checking off easy Messier objects. I have had the hardest time here in the Heart of the City in snagging M57. But last night...15 August 2004, I was successful and can rest.

The following is an account of the search...

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The night looked like a good one, clear and quite transparent. With household chores behind me for the night, and aching a bit, I decided that M57 would be caught this evening. I set up in my little corner of the sky, and started the search.

I used my binoculars to orient myself first and the conditions were good. I first Focused on Vega, moved to the double-double and made the transition to the Lyrae stars. Located the two major stars where M57 hides...and started the pan.

Using a low powered eyepiece, I started from one bright star and made my way to the other. Nothing...damn! Ok...Patience...so I start again. This time more slowly, using averted vision, and I made out some sort of a smudge. I thought perhaps debris of some sort on the eyepiece or on my eye, so I blink to wash and squeegee my eye, and it was still there. So I cable move the tube ever so slightly and the grey smudge stayed in formation with the other stars.

HOORAY!!!! I finally targeted M57! ;D

A ghostly image at best, my modest 4.5" could not make out the finer details, but I could just....just barely make out the central star, or so I think. I tried to kick up the power, but it was not to be. This was the best I am going to get here in the heart of the city.

This is about what I was able to see in the eyepiece.

Smiling, I gazed upon it for some time, before the Earth decided to move the object behind trees and out of my grasp.

I can now check it off, and proceed to other more elusive Messiers with Chicago streetlights focused right into my face.

[ripps1]

Whew! We can all stand down now. One good thing about finding M57 is that it won't ever be as elusive in the future. Like mushroom hunting - you swear there are none to be had until you find the first one - then they all start appearing everywhere.

Another good thing is M57 will continue to be more impressive when viewed with larger aperture (so, you ain't done yet) ;D

I've viewed the ring through various scopes from 4" to 18" aperture and have never convinced myself I saw the central star. It's estimated to be mag 15 and the central glow of the ring reduces its contrast. I thought I located it one night with the 8" but repeated attempts convinced me it was probably "averted imagination". I'm taking the 18" to southern Missouri this fall and hopefully the much darker skies will provide the background to finally nail this beast.

Good work, Joe. Perseverance pays off. -Rip

[timothy]

Hi
This is my first post here on The Chicago Astronomer!
Congrats on getting ringed. I have a 5" newt and found the ring the first time I looked. I guess i have an edge on you , living here in the dark suburbs, plus my observing area is totally hidden from the parking lot lights that I call Serius and Vega. I swear there a mag
-50. Anyway I got my scope this summer and when I decided to look for M57 I thought well I'll give it a try but I did'nt expect anything. When I saw it quite clearly I started jumping around and saying outloud " I found it, I found it " to nobody in particular. The first time I saw the ring was last year at the college observatory in Palatine, It was green!
Have you looked for ngc 457 the alien in cassiopia, It's bound to give you a good laugh, It's quite comical looking

Tim

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Tim,

Welcome and thanks for your first post on the C.A. boards.

Living right in the heart of Chicago, I pretty much gave up trying to spot DSO's with any certainty. With the constant glow of the city, street lamps beaming into my face and tress all around me...I thought it pointless to even try.

Then with stern determination and a clear, deeper than usual Chicago sky...I started the hunt. Like you, I was so excited when I finally targeted it in the eyepiece. I just started grinning and studying it. It still is quite a cool experience for me. Now it's like...M57?...Sure....step this way.

At the last Chicago Astronomer star party, M57 was fantastic in Stargazers 10" dob. No green, but the donut was clearly visible.

Keep the posts coming!

[dewayne]

Congrats on finding M57.
Ripps is right, that once found those objects do not elude again.
M57 is a nice object. I've found it many times. I never get tired of looking at it.
The nice thing about Messiers, and other DSO's, is after awhile your eyes and mind start working together.
You can see something at low power that looks like an out-of-focus star.
Your mind will say ,"Wait a minute there boy. Bump that star up with some power."
And, there you have some DSO in your EP.
That is exactly what happened to me at home, last week, when in LP skies I first found M15.
It was overhead and slightly to the south where I fight LP from downtown.
With my 35MM EP all I saw was an out-of-focus star. When I switched out to my 25MM EP I had a globular in my EP.
I left that 25MM EP in there and soon I had star-hopped to M2.