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"Observing Faint Planetaries In The Fornax Dwarf" - Baron Beavis von Buttköpf

Deep Sky observers seeking a challenge can do worse than to cruise the fainter Planetary Nebulae of the Fornax Dwarf Galaxy.

Baron Beavis von Buttköpf from Schloss Ratzharz has made extensive observations from his private observatory at Schloss Nilskor in the crystal clear air of the high Bavarian Alps using a variety of instruments and has kindly sent a selection of his observing notes, which are reproduced here with his kind permission:

Tron 96: Faint green rosette outgassing by a suspected black hole, about 3 arcsec in diameter - easy in the 40" Schiefspiegger but a challenge in the 32" Wurlitzer - usually at mag 23, but flares occasionally to mag 17.

Holmes 14: Legendary object - rarely visible owing to death of parent star, last seen dimly over 10 years ago.

Murrell 27: Clear, but dim smoke ring - 2 arcsec in diameter and steady at mag 18. Down a bit and left a bit from the foreground 16th mag red giant. Best seen with averted imagination. Can be seen in 36" but only by the discoverer.

ASV 99: Highly active object, spread over a broad area, and best seen in a rich field 60".

AAT 1: The Baron has searched in vain for this highly condensed object. Suspect it may be a flyspeck on a Schmidt plate.