Jupiter & NGC 6235 -- Globular Cluster in Ophiuchus
Jupiter & Globular Cluster
This morning Jupiter with its four Galilean moons was just north of the Globular Cluster
NGC 6235. The Great Red Spot (GRS) on Jupiter was close to slipping to the other
side of Jupiter when I made the drawing. It is a good year for seeing the GRS. Some
years it is dim and off colored, but this year it is joy to observe. This morning the GRS
was not difficult in my 1960s vintage 2.4-inch (60mm) f/15 achromatic refractor that I
have attached to the 155mm f/7 apo refractor (the telescope that I used for the drawing).
Globular Cluster NGC 6235 is a difficult object from my suburban backyard on the best
of nights. This morning, with its proximity to bright Jupiter, it was extra hard to see.
Although, it was located within the same field-of-view as Jupiter in my 4.5mm eyepiece,
it remained invisible until I moved Jupiter out of the field-of-view. Only then was the
globular’s faint ghostly core visible in the telescope. The finished drawing is accurate in
showing the positions of the globular and Jupiter but is really a composite of two draft
drawings done at the telescope, one of bright Jupiter and one with the dim NGC 6235
(with Jupiter outside of the eyepiece).
NGC 6235. The Great Red Spot (GRS) on Jupiter was close to slipping to the other
side of Jupiter when I made the drawing. It is a good year for seeing the GRS. Some
years it is dim and off colored, but this year it is joy to observe. This morning the GRS
was not difficult in my 1960s vintage 2.4-inch (60mm) f/15 achromatic refractor that I
have attached to the 155mm f/7 apo refractor (the telescope that I used for the drawing).
Globular Cluster NGC 6235 is a difficult object from my suburban backyard on the best
of nights. This morning, with its proximity to bright Jupiter, it was extra hard to see.
Although, it was located within the same field-of-view as Jupiter in my 4.5mm eyepiece,
it remained invisible until I moved Jupiter out of the field-of-view. Only then was the
globular’s faint ghostly core visible in the telescope. The finished drawing is accurate in
showing the positions of the globular and Jupiter but is really a composite of two draft
drawings done at the telescope, one of bright Jupiter and one with the dim NGC 6235
(with Jupiter outside of the eyepiece).