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(IAAC) Obj: M51, NGC 5195 - Inst: TV-102 (102mm f/8.6 APO refractor)

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Observation Poster: Ron B[ee] <ronby@cox.net>

Observer: Ron B[ee]
Your skills: Intermediate (some years)
Date/time of observation: 03/09/02 12:15am PST
Location of site: 117h 9m W (Lat 32h 43m N, Elev 2000 ft.)
Site classification: Exurban
Sky darkness: 5.6 - 5.9 <Limiting magnitude>
Seeing: 7 (some stars twinkling) <1-10 Seeing Scale (10 best)>
Moon presence: None - moon not in sky
Instrument: TV-102 (102mm f/8.6 APO refractor)
Magnification: 44x, 73x, 110x, 176x, 220x
Filter(s): 
Object(s): M51, NGC 5195
Category: External galaxy.
Class: 
Constellation: CVn
Data: mag 8.4/9.6  size 11.1' x 6.9'/ 4.5' x 3.5'
Position: RA :  DEC :
Description:
Tonight, under a fairly good sky with some light pollution from the west and 
the south, the TV-102 Light Cup got sucked into the Whirlpool Galaxy at 
midnight. LM=5.6 (5.9 at times with star SAO 63217). I've taken a quick look at 
M51 last year and earlier this year.  Easily located tonight, I spent quality 
45 minutes looking at it near the zenith!

At 44x (20mm TV Plossl), both looked like two big nebulous blob with a brighter 
nonstellar core. M51 clearly looked larger than its neighbor NGC 5195. At this 
low power, I could see why Messier didn't include NGC 5195; they could have 
been mistaken as a single very large comet ;-). A new revelation is shown at 
73x (12mm TV Radian) with a *very* non-stellar core now seen in both galaxies. 
Suddenly, I was almost stomped out of my chair; an elephant head with two eyes 
and a trunk with two nostrils was staring back at me! M51, NGC 5195 formed the 
eyes and two very close stars mag 11 GSC 3463:58 and mag 11.5 GSC 3463:348 form 
the two nostrils at the end of the trunk. At this point, the darn, blindingly 
bright mag 7.1 SAO 44642 was ruining my night vision and I had to move it out 
of the FOV. What's this; there is a hint of spirals with averted vision due to 
its uneven brightness in the nebulosity. Also, both galaxies looked like it's 
merged together through a faint but continuous nebulosity extending from M51. 
Grainy texture can be detected in the nebulosity. Both galaxies have a very 
good size nebulosity surrounding them. 110x (8mm Radian) confirmed the grainy 
texture and a more definite glimpse of the spirals with averted vision. One 
star popped inside the nebulosity of M51 at 176x (5mm Radian) but it blinked in 
and out. The non-stellar core of M51 itself now begin to show grainy texture as 
well. The star within the nebulosity inside M51 is easier to see at 220x (4mm 
Radian). Core of M51 is now very large and quite grainy, perhaps the size of 
Mars at this magnification a month or so prior to opposition. From the core, 
the grainy and uneven nebulosity dims gradually as it extends outward.

Here are two sketches I found on the web. 
http://hem.passagen.se/oeriksson/www/astronomy/reports/1999-12-02.htm#m97 
(revere it to a black background, note the aperture used to make this sketch)
http://www.jwebdale.btinternet.co.uk/m51.htm
What I saw lies inbetween this two sketches. Alas, I could not say with 100% certainty that I could see the bridge at any magnification.


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