2012 12 12 – NGC 6765 / PK 62+9.1 | PCW Memorial Observatory

2012 12 12 – NGC 6765 / PK 62+9.1

Planetary nebula type 5 in Lyra, 19h 11m 06.4s, +30º 32’43ʺ, 38 ʺ angular size, 12 visual magnitude. Discovered by Albert Marth in 1864.

There are a few nice planetary nebulae in the constellation Lyra – one in particular that comes to mind is M57, the famous Ring Nebula. NGC 6765 is an irregular planetary nebula found near globular cluster M56 just under half way between Sulafat and Alberio. It took a bit of effort for me to find it, but once the nearby star patterns were spotted, NGC 6765 became evident. Look for M56 and then make your way back to Sulafat in Lyra. You’ll find this object about 14 arcminutes SE of a triangular star pattern and 22 arcminutes north of magnitude 6.9 multiple star HIP94104. It’s in the center of three stars that form a triangle, two at 11 magnitude to the NE and SE with the third at magnitude 9.7 to the west.

NGC 6765 at 120x

It appeared as a very faint, small, elongated smudge. A UHC filter would have been very useful, but I had to make due with an OIII. It did enhance the nebulosity and the best magnification seemed to be between 120-225x with a smaller FOV. I could detect it with the 13mm, but it became enhanced with the Hyperion, especially at 225x.

There is a 10th magnitude central star. Visually, the northern edge of the nebula appeared almost stellar with 2-3 brightened areas with a faint halo around its entirety, fainter to the east and southeast.

Eyepiece sketch on white photocopy paper with black super-fine felt tipped pen for and #2 pencil, blending stump for the nebulosity. Template is available at https://pcwobservatory.com/2012/11/09/general-observing-form/.

Related links:
NGC/IC Project – NGC 6765