Andrew Cooper
May 25, 2022    Waikoloa, HI (map)
20cm f/6 Newtonian, Cave Astrola @ 76x
Seeing: 6 Transparency: 7 Moon: 0%

Large, bright and obvious, round, 10' diameter, a very bright stellar core at the center, no spiral structure visible in the 8"

Andrew Cooper
Jul 12, 2021    Waikoloa, HI (map)
20cm f/6 Newtonian, Cave Astrola @ 76x
Seeing: 6 Transparency: 6 Moon: 0%

Big! Bright! A great example of a face-on spiral, 12' in diameter, round, brightens rapidly to the center with a 2' bright core centered on a stellar point, no structure discernable in the disk, several stars 10-12th magnitude embedded in the southern margin

Andrew Cooper
Jun 11, 2010    Hale Pohaku, HI (map)
46cm f/4.5 Newtonian, Deep Violet @ 262x
Seeing: 8 Transparency: 7.5 Moon: 0%

Beautiful! large, bright, distinct spiral structure, a sharply brighter core, two spiral arms radiating outwards, some mottling in the arms, 10' across

Andrew Cooper
Apr 30, 2006    TIMPA, Avra Valley, AZ (map)
46cm f/4.5 Deep Violet

Large! an extended faint halo around a bright central condensation with a stellar nucleus, faint suggestions of spiral arms and mottling in the halo.

Andrew Cooper
Jun 12, 1999    Pinal Peak, AZ (map)
20cm f/10 SCT

Pretty big, reasonably bright, obvious core at the center of the fuzzy

Charles Messier
Feb 17, 1781    

Nebula without star, near the head of Centaurus: it appears as a faint & even glow, but it is difficult to see in the telescope, as the least light to illuminate the micrometer wires makes it disappear. One is only able with the greatest concentration to see it at all: it forms a triangle with two stars estimated of sixth & seventh magnitude: determined from the stars i, k and h in the head of Centaurus: M. de la Caille has already determined this nebula. See the end of this Catalogue.

― Connaissance des Temps, 1781

Drawings, descriptions, and CCD photos are copyright Andrew Cooper unless otherwise noted, no usage without permission.

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