Jonathan's progress on the Astronomical League's Globular Custer Program


First program observation on 01/29/2024 completed last program observation on 06/21/2025

Links I found useful as I worked on the program

Astronomical League's page for the Globular Cluster Program
Astronomical League YouTube video on the Globular Cluster Program
Globular Clusters that defined the class (click on the image to get full size pic of object)
Messier Globular Clusters (click on the image to get full size pic of object)

Shapley-Sawyer Concentration Class Descriptions


Class Description
I High concentration of stars towards the center (M75)
II Dense central concentration of core stars (M80)
III Strong inner concentration of core stars (M54)
IV Intermediately rich concentration of core stars (M15)
V Intermediate concentration of core stars (M13)
VI Intermediately mild concentration of core stars (M3)
VII Intermediately loose concentration of core stars (M22)
VIII Rather loose concentration of core stars (M14)
IX Loose concentration of core stars (M12)
X Very loose concentration of core stars (M68)
XI Almost no concentration of core stars (M55)
XII No concentration of core stars (Palomar 12)


Summary in Astronomical League Program Order

Completed 50 observations one of which was a challenge object

0030_20250518_0837_Summary.jpg


Recorded Observations in the order that they were made


Transparency is the truncated magnitude of the dimmest star I can see.
Seeing is rated from 1 to 5 with 1 being perfect.
I rarely attempt making observations unless conditions are pretty good. So there is not much variation in reported conditions.

Telescope used - Celestron 8" Nexstar Evolution


Eye Pieces used

Explore Scientific 24mm for 85x, Delos 14mm for 145x, Delos 10mm for 200x, Delos 8mm for 256x

 

AL#49 (M79) NGC1904

0050_20240201_1437_AL49 NGC1904 M79.jpg

AL#67 M3 (NGC5272)

0060_20240428_1043_AL 67 M3 NGC5272.jpg


Challenge Object - AL#59 NGC 4147

Includes a sketch of the star field where the cluster is located and another sketch showing the cluster in the eyepiece.

0070_20240504_1150_AL59 NGC4147.jpg

This is a challenge object where the AL program guide says magnitude 9.9, SkySafari says magnitude 10.3 and Wikipedia says magnitude 10.7.

At 85x I can barely see the cluster as a dim fuzzy patch and made a sketch showing the cluster in its star field. At 145x and the view was pretty much the same with no new detail noted. At 203x the fuzzy patch seemed to be elongated and I made a detailed sketch. There was some brightness near the bottom (South West) of the cluster - which seemed to come and go due to seeing. Overall, the cluster was fairly nebulous almost like an elliptical galaxy - I could not resolve any individual stars. The brightness I observed seemed to be about a third of the width of the fuzzy patch. Based on the comparison pictures of the program guide and descriptions I thought it matched "Class IV - Intermediately rich concentration of core stars" and I estimated this to be a class IV cluster since the brightness appeared to be pretty concentrated.

 

Starfield sketch at 85x (using my 24mm ES68 eyepiece) showing where the cluster is located

0080_20240504_1123_AL59 NGC4147 85x Sketch.jpg

Cluster detail sketch at 203x (using my Delos 10mm eyepiece)

0090_20240504_1124_AL59 NGC4147 203x Sketch.jpg

AL#64 M53 (NGC5024)

0100_20240727_0808_AL64_M53_NGC5024.jpg

AL#77 NGC5904 M5

0110_20240902_1207_AL 77 M5.jpg

AL#92 M13 (NGC6205)

0120_20240608_1437_AL 92 M13.jpg

AL#106 M92 (NGC 6341)

0140_20240515_1445_AL 106 M92 NGC6341.jpg

Observed from Chippokes State Park during the Back Bay Amateur Astronomer's Spring East Coast Star Party.
M92 although smaller than M13 it is pretty close in apperance to M13 so I spent some time going back and forth between the two. At 85x the cluster is located in a very nice field of stars and is quite beautiful with many stars resolved. I can resolve stars across the face of the cluster except at the very center. Appears uniformly round, no noticable dark lanes.
At 203x it is still beautiful although tonight I am not getting that 3D sensation I sometimes get from it and M13.

 

AL#94 M12 (NGC 6218)

0150_20240701_1033_AL 94 M12.jpg

AL#85 M4 (NGC 6121)

0160_20240701_1040_AL 85 M4.jpg

AL#84 M80 (NGC 6093)

0170_20240701_1036_AL 84 M80.jpg

AL#173 M56 (NGC 6779)

0180_20240702_1241_AL 173 M56 NGC6779.jpg

AL#90 M107 (NGC 6171)

0190_20240702_1239_AL 90 M107 NGC6171.jpg

AL#96 M10 (NGC 6254)

0200_20240702_1252_AL 96 M10 NGC6254.jpg

AL#111 M10 (NGC 6356)

0210_20240702_1258_AL 111 NGC6356.jpg

AL#163 M22 (NGC 6656)

0220_20240728_1052_AL163_M22_NGC6656.jpg

AL#99 M62 (NGC 6266)

0230_20240728_1054_AL99_M62_NGC6266.jpg

AL#100 M19 (NGC 6273)

0240_20240728_1053_AL100_M19_NGC6273.jpg

AL#185 M15 (NGC 7078)

0250_20240728_1054_AL185_M15_NGC7078.jpg

AL#186 M2 (NGC 7089)

0260_20240728_1052_AL186_M2_NGC7089.jpg

AL#125 M14 (NGC 6402)

0270_20240825_1038_AL 125_M14_NGC6402.jpg

AL#147 NGC 6544

0280_20240825_1039_AL 147 NGC6544.jpg

AL#108 M9 (NGC 6333)

0290_20240902_1140_AL 108 M9 NGC6333.jpg

AL#158 M28 (NGC 6626)

0300_20240902_1142_AL 158 M28 NGC6626.jpg

AL#157 NGC 6624

0310_20240902_1141_AL 157 NGC6624.jpg

AL#159 M59 (NGC 6637)

0320_20240902_1142_AL 159 M59 NGC6637.jpg

AL#187 M30 (NGC 7099)

0330_20240902_1142_AL 187 M30 NGC7099.jpg

AL#132 NGC 6441

0340_20240903_1037_AL132_NGC6441.jpg

AL#165 M70 (NGC 6681)

0350_20240903_0913_AL165_M70.jpg

AL#167 M54 (NGC 6715)

0360_20240903_0912_AL167_M54.jpg

AL#177 M55 (NGC 6809)

0370_20240903_0912_AL177_M55.jpg

AL#182 NGC 6934

0380_20240903_0911_AL182_NGC6934.jpg

AL#180 M71 (NGC 6838)

0390_20240903_0911_AL180_M71.jpg

AL#181 M75 (NGC 6864)

0400_20240903_0910_AL181_M75.jpg

AL#166 NGC 6712

0410_20240910_0832_AL166_NGC6712.jpg

AL#169 NGC 6723

0420_20241008_1224_AL169_NGC6723.jpg

AL#162 NGC 6652

0430_20241008_1225_AL162_NGC6652.jpg

AL#33 NGC 288

0440_20241008_1223_AL033_NGC288.jpg

AL#155 NGC 6569

0450_20241008_1225_AL155_NGC6569.jpg

AL#183 NGC 6981 (M72)

0460_20250130_0935_AL183_M72_NGC6981.jpg

AL#148 NGC 6541

0470_20241008_1226_AL148_NGC6541.jpg

AL#149 NGC 6553

0480_20241008_1226_AL149_NGC6553.jpg

AL#141 NGC 6522

0490_20241008_1223_AL141_NGC6522.jpg

AL#48 NGC 1851, C73

0500_20250118_1149_AL48_NGC1851.jpg

AL#70 M78 NGC 4590

0510_20250518_0858_AL 70 M68 NGC4590.jpg

AL#74 NGC 5824

0520_20250623_1242_AL74_NGC5824.jpg

AL#81 NGC 5986

0530_20250623_1241_AL81_NGC5986.jpg

AL#101 NGC 6284

0540_20250623_1240_AL101_NGC6284.jpg

AL#103 NGC 6293

0550_20250623_1240_AL03_NGC6293.jpg

AL#104 NGC 6304

0560_20250623_1239_AL104_NGC6304.jpg

AL#105 NGC 6316

0570_20250623_1238_AL105_NGC6316.jpg

This page last updated on 6/24/2025 10:04:55 PM.  If you have comments or suggestions, email me at webmaster@jscheetz.com