SCUTUM
by Steve Coe
17.5" f/4.5 unless noted

NGC 6649 Pretty bright, pretty small, somewhat compressed, 25 stars counted at 100X. It was seen in the 50mm finder. The field has several dark lanes in it and there is a lovely orange star on the nothern edge.

NGC 6664 Pretty bright, pretty large, pretty rich, somewhat compressed and has 15 pretty bright stars with a sprinkling of dimmer members at 100X. Just barely seen in finder.

NGC 6682 Pretty small, pretty compressed. 30 pretty faint stars, needs 135X to determine cluster nature, otherwise it is just a bright spot in Scutum Star Cloud.

NGC 6683 Seen in 10 x 50 binoculars as a bright edge to the Scutum Star Cloud. Not much in telescope, does not detach itself well from the star cloud.

NGC 6694 (M 26) Bright, pretty rich, little compressed. Easy in the 8 X 50 finder, the smaller instrument shows why Messier included it. I counted 20 stars in a wishbone shape using the 13" at 100X.
13" f/5.6 Cherry Rd. S=6, T=8 10X50 binox-unmistakeable fuzzy spot, easy with two stars resolved across the face of the cluster.
100X-obvious cluster, bright, pretty large, pretty rich, somewhat compressed, stars 11..., 32 stars counted.
150X-no more stars seen, a few are just averted vision only but 100X showed them all-no faint members. The second brightest star in cluster (seen in finder, even) is a nice yellow-orange star on the eastern side of the cluster.

Buckeye S+T 5/10 6" f/6 14mm--12 stars resolved, pretty bright, pretty large, irregularly round, pretty compressed, not rich. Averted vision fills in the cluster. 8.8mm-there are several nice curved chains of stars, total 17* resolved.

NGC 6704 Pretty bright, round, pretty compressed, 25 stars counted at 135X. The cluster has a fish hook shape and is surrounded by a dark lane that rings the cluster.

NGC 6705 (M 11) Very bright, very compressed, large, very rich at 135X. "V" shape seen in finder. Orange star of 9th mag is easy at all powers. This cluster is sliced into several pieces by curving dark lanes. It is unique and has always been a favorite.

Ultimate Star Party, McDonald Obs. Oct. 95, S=6, T=8, 36" f/5--
M 11 in 36" with 27mm is easily my best view of this object, even though it is only up 25 degrees. 68 stars counted in NW quadrant. Dark lanes wander through this object from edge to edge. Several spots have gatherings of 13th and 14th magnitude stars that are clusters within a cluster, they are lovely and
delicate concentrations of stars within a blazing cluster.

Next night--
M11 36" 16mm background resolved, dark lanes through entire cluster. I am getting tired of trying to make up superlatives about this object. Beautiful little groupings and clusterings within the cluster.

Camp 613 S=8, T=9 13" f/5.6 11X80 finder-very compact, star poor area to the north, compared to rich cluster.
60X-very bright, very large, irregular shape, rich, much compressed, even at this low power M11 is impressive. I counted 32 stars in NE quadrant.
150X-Great view, 51 stars counted in NE quad. about half the field of view is the "flying duck" aspect and it is unmistakeable. Two dark markings are on the east side of the cluster, they are side-by-side dark areas within the cluster.
330X-several little groupings within the cluster are now split, including at the apex of the "flying ducks" is a tiny diamond-shaped grouping of 13th mag stars. The cluster is about 80% of the field of view at this high power.

6" f/6 Dugas S=5 T=6 I keep returning to this unique cluster with every newly purchased scope, eyepiece or whatever and M11 never fails to show off a new aspect. With the new RFT and the 22mm Panoptic, it looks like there is a fireworks explosion on the edge of the rich Scutum Star Cloud. Several dark lanes snake their way among the suns that sparkle around this compact and rich cluster.

Vicksberg Rd. S+T=7 binoculars
8X25--just a detached fuzzy spot, no resolution
10X50--easy to see, brighter middle. About 30% of the time one star will wink on to allow me to say I resolved this cluster.
11X80--3 stars resolved, one is faint, even with very little resolution, this is obviously a compressed cluster of stars.

NGC 6712 Bright, little elongated, very rich, very compressed.
Resolved at 100X, going to 165X brings out a myriad of dimmer members at the edge of resolution. This globular resides in a beautiful, rich Milky Way field that provides a lovely background (foreground?).
Cherry Rd. S=7, T=8 13" f/5.6 11X80-just seen as 5 arcmin fuzzy spot.
100X-pretty bright, large, several stars resolved by mostly a fuzzball with 8 stars resolved, averted vision really makes it grow to about double in size.
150X-14 stars resolved with the last 4 stars extremely faint. Great view of an extremely compressed cluster in very rich milky way field of view.
220X-20 stars counted, last 5 stars difficult with averted vision only. Good view of a globular. Somewhat triangular in shape with direct vision and round with averted vision, bizarre change in shape with different views.

NGC 6712 Eagle Eye 13" S=6 T=7
220X--fine stardust, lots and lots of Faint and vF members. What is bizarre is that this object is round with averted vision and triangular with direct vision. This effect is not obvious, but it is there.

IC 1295 Pretty faint, pretty small, fan-shaped nebula with 2 stars involved at 135X. UHC filter works well with this object, it is somewhat difficult without the filter. Looks somewhat like Hubble's Variable Nebula. This object has been mis-labeled IC 1298 in a variety of sources.

B 112 a dark nebula on the south side of M 11. This trunk of dark nebulosity runs to a dark spot about 10 min across at 60X in a 38mm Erfle eyepiece.

Basil 1 pretty faint, pretty small, not compressed. 12 stars and a hazy backround of dimmer members at 100X. A nice trapezium of stars surrounds the cluster. Near R Scuti.

PK 15- 3.1 Camp 613 S=8, T=10 13" f/5.6 100X-not detected,
220X-extrememly faint, pretty small, not brighter in the middle, difficult even with averted vision, only glimpsed 20% of the time, very low surface brightness.

White Tanks 6/10 S+T 330X--nothing non-stellar at this position

PK 20- 0.1 (Abell 45) Camp 613 same as above 100X+UHC filter extremely faint, pretty large, irregularly round, not brighter middle, averted vision only, tough to see at a great site. Four very faint stars are involved.
White tanks 100X--just detected 220X--faint, pretty small, irregualrly round, averted vision helps a lot, 4 stars involved.

PK 22- 3.1 Camp 613 same as above 220X- very faint, small, round, not brighter middle, difficult, averted vision makes it somewhat fuzzy, but a toughie regardless.

Double Stars

Delta Scuti white and light blue, an easy split at 100X, a pendulum effect is noticed when the scope is lightly bumped.

Struve 2306 copper and cobalt blue, easy split at 100X.

Struve 2325 light yellow and blue, easy at 100X.

Struve 2337 light yellow and grey, easy at 100X.

Struve 2391 white and light blue, easy at 100X, wide pair in the field of Basil 1.

Red Stars

S SCT Very dark orange star in a rich Milky Way field.