3C 273 With A 4" Telescope, 2005/05/08 UT

[Dave Mitsky]

One of my goals while observing at Cherry Springs State Park last week was to log 3C 273 with my 101mm f/5.4 Tele Vue refractor. On Sunday morning I was able to accomplish this feat. It took a bit of doing but I was able to catch occasional glimpses of the brightest quasar at 44x (12.4mm Meade Super Ploessl).

For more on 3C 273 see http://www.astrosurf.com/jwisn/3c273.htm and http://www.acad.carleton.edu/curricular/PH...Clark/3c273.htm (http://www.acad.carleton.edu/curricular/PHYS/Faculty/MClark/3c273.htm)

Dave Mitsky

[antoniseb]

That's really cool. Was this by eye, or were you seeing it on a CCD camera?
A friend of mine was doubting I'd be able to see it with his 10" Maksutov. I am not much of an observer, but I'd really like to see this object.

[Dave Mitsky]

antoniseb,

It was a visual observation. One of Phil Harrington's spring observing challenges on the Astronomy Magazine forums was logging this quasar with a 4" telescope. I had tried before from a good "local" (only an 80 minute drive) dark site but was unsuccessful. CSSP is one of the darkest observing sites east of the Mississippi and is well worth the 3.5 hour drive. On the best of nights, the visual limiting magnitude is 7.0 or better.

Here are two other sites with useful charts/information on 3C 273:

http://www.faster.co.nz/~rasnz/Stars/Virgo.htm

http://www.lsw.uni-heidelberg.de/projects/...s/1226+023.html (http://www.lsw.uni-heidelberg.de/projects/extragalactic/charts/1226+023.html)

Dave Mitsky

[antoniseb]

Originally posted by Dave Mitsky@May 10 2005, 08:54 PM
Here are two other sites with useful charts/information on 3C 273
Thanks Dave,

I have a few friends with slightly larger instruments 10" to 14", and I'm now going to give it a try. This next month is good, since Leo is well placed in the early evening.