Recent observations of the region surrounding the North Galactic Pole (NGP) have revealed a wide range of interesting extra-galactic stellar and non-stellar objects (NSO’s), which have baffled astronomers and scientists around the world.
The observations have been made primarily by ASNSW member, Andrew Murrell, using the effects of extreme gravitational lensing over the northern horizon of Wiruna’s western observing field combined with a touch of averted imagination, using his 20" Dobsonian telescope.
Upon sculling several large glasses of Gin & Tonic to aid his averted imagination, Andrew has stumbled across several dozen objects which, to-date, defy description.
The recently released catalog of these strange objects, known as the Greater Catalog of Lesser Murrell Objects, is listed in order of date of discovery, rather than in order of co-ordinates.
Each entry in the catalog will soon have a detailed description of each object, including size, magnitude and colour, providing of course, that Andrew can find another observer who can actually see these objects to confirm the descriptions.
To date, all of Andrews observing colleagues, including his elusive observing competitor from the USA, Barbara Willseeit, who regularly observes from directly beneath the NGP, have been unable to confirm any of these observations, mainly due to the fact that the observing conditions (being extreme gravitational lensing, intensified averted imagination and the effect of a large quantity of Gin & Tonic has on the exit pupil of the eye) have been impossible to reproduce in any form whatsoever, despite repeated attempts by colleagues also observing from the western observing field at Wiruna.
Sceptics have suggested that perhaps the objects Andrew has catalogued, are possibly objects which are similar to Pulsars, but that the beam of light expelled from the object is polarised in such a way that the beam crosses the Earth’s path precisely over Andrew’s observing pad, and is perhaps only several microns in width. Other theories include the possibilities that Andrew’s eyes may possibly be receptive to certain wavelengths which the human eye is not normally capable of detecting, or that what Andrew is seeing, is something which is not even a part of the electromagnetic spectrum as we know it.
One matter that has been confirmed by both southern and northern amateurs is the amazing similarity of the SGP to the NGP, which suggests that one may be the gravitationally lensed image of the other. The question puzzling scientists and sceptics, is which one is the original, and which one is the lensed image?