Two Deep Sky Targets

 On 28 November, I viewed the Double Cluster in Perseus for the first time. The following night, I was able to find the globular cluster Messier 15 in Pegasus.

I live on the southside of a city of 1.8 millions. So the northern sky is usually washed out with light. For example, as easy as it is to find Polaris, the other stars in Ursa Minor are not visible. I have readily found the double star eta Cassiopeiai with several small telescopes, and I have viewed the Andromeda Galaxay often. So, I measured out some distances and spent about 45 minutes seeking the double cluster catalogued as Caldwell 14. (It is not a Messier object.) Interestingly, it was noted as a permanent patch of light by Hipparchus circa 130 BCE. Guidebooks call it a naked eye target, but I have never seen it from here. 

The telescope was an Explore Scientific achromatic 102-mm refractor. The oculars were Celestron 32-mm Ploessl alone and with 2X Barlow and a Celestron 17-mm Ploessl for comparison, and then a 14-mm Meade 5000 with an 82-degree field-of-view. Both clusters fit within the 17-mm FOV of 1.34 degrees. 

The next night, I made a concerted effort to locate M-15. It took about 45 minutes and much referencing of star charts, but when it came into view, it was immediately perceivable. 

I had tried to mark it by its altitude compared to Altair but looking about halfway between Jupiter and Deneb in Cygnus worked better.

The best view was with the Meade 5000. I used a 7-mm Nagler Type 1 82-degree though at a modest 94X magnification the view was too close to appreciate and the wider view presented both better context and better contrast.

Also, the skies those two nights were exceptionally clear following some rain and I was able to see the double star gamma Capricorni also called Deneb Algiedi, Tail of the Goat, and I verified it in the telescope.

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