The Caldwell Objects

magnitude suns. A dense kite-shaped clustering
of roughly 14th-magnitude stars can be seen in
the southern arm just beyond the 1.5'-diameter
core (which has a very starlike center). The "kite"
is cleanly separated from the core by a dark lane
running roughly east-west. A few foreground
stars, 10th magnitude and fainter, occupy the 11'diameter
cluster's outskirts.
From Columbus, Texas, Barbara Wilson saw
NGC 5286 as a "[b] right, high surface brightness
cluster" through her 20-inch f/4 reflector; she
found it" [c] ondensed and large with a bright
center" and "fuzzy" at its low declination. "Must
be nice from a southern location," she concluded.
Moving ¾° to the east-northeast of NGC
5286 we find the magnitude-11.2 planetary
nebula NGC 5307. It spans a mere 13" and
appears starlike, so high magnification and
averted vision (or an Oxygen III filter) are
338
84
needed to see its uniformly bright elliptical disk.
For big-telescope owners, the nebula's central star
shines at magnitude 14.6.
One more ancillary note. While observing
this cluster and dodging clouds one night, I noticed
a peculiar phenomenon. When the clouds
rolled over me at Kilauea's 4,200-foot-high summit,
I could feel the temperature and humidity
rise. I also noticed the crickets and cicadas, who
had been chirping beforehand, bring their
cacophonous chorus to a halt. When the wind
blew the temperature dropped and the insects
resumed their singing. Actually, this phenomenon
has been known for ages; in fact, a table
correlating insect song and temperature has appeared
in the Old Farmer's Almanac. My point?
Though our eyes may be glued to our telescopes,
we can keep our other senses open for equally
fascinating natural occurrences right here on
Earth. Observing is a fully sensual experience.
Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects