Winter observing is all about Auriga galaxies, right? Okay, okay, I’ll admit it, Auriga (or-EYE-gah) is far from the premier galaxy constellation. In fact, only two NGC galaxies (2208 & 2303) are found in the constellation, and both are nearly mag 13. Add to that the one IC galaxy (2190), which is nearly mag 14, and you quickly realize you have to go deep to see galaxies in Auriga. Fun fact; only one Northern Constellation (Sagitta) has less NGC galaxies at 0. That said, I am very much on board with the challenge that comes with winter observing in Auriga! As you can see in the graphic above, there are plenty to try for.
eat
A staple in our amateur astro group is Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels. They definitely didn’t last long on our Colorado trip! If you’ve never had them, I can’t recommend them enough. On this particular trip, Dot’s had just put out a new flavor, Cheese Curls. Since I only heard about these the night before I had planned to go out, I had to make a special trip to the local store to pick some up, and sure enough, they had plenty in stock. My expectations were tempered as their last attempt at the non-original flavor didn’t go well IMO with the Southwest flavor. Nevertheless, we gave these a try, and like the Southwest, they were a disappointment. That’s not to say they were terrible by any stretch, but they were more like Godfather III than Godfather II, much less the OG.
drink
The tasting was fantastic on this specific night. First up, we had the Balvenie Sampler, which consists of the Doublewood 12, Caribbean Cask 14, and Doublewood 17 scotches. At my local store, these go for $60, $70, and $150, respectively. Lucky for us, they also sell a very nice sampler that gives you 50ml bottles of each so you can try them. For me, I found lots of similarities between the 12 and 17, as expected, and with the little I had to taste, I didn’t find enough difference to make up the 2.5:1 price. I immediately went and picked up a full bottle of the 12 year and plan to share this with many more. As for the 14 year, we weren’t as impressed, and let’s just say, the 50ml bottle didn’t get finished. But hey, that doesn’t mean don’t give it a try!
While I’m more of a Scotch guy myself, I also tried a bottle a friend brought out, Early Times Bottled in Bond, and I was quite impressed. Being a 100 proof Bourbon, there was some heat, but given the outside temps were in the mid-30s, it went down well! If you haven’t had this and like Bourbon, definitely give it a try!
astronomy
Now for those faint Auriga galaxies. Over two sessions, I logged 9 in total, including 2 of the 3 brighter galaxies listed above. Did I mention that this was winter observing? Temps were in the mid-30s and later in the session, winds most definitely picked up! Here were my observations:
NGC 2208 – Somewhat bright, brighter core that’s nearly stellar at center, clearly elongated E to W, moreso with averted, moderately sized.
PGC 18954 – Extremely faint, averted only but could see it often, small in size, elongated SE to NW, mag 12 star very near the top edge (inverted).
UGC 3871 – Faint, very low surface brightness, moderately sized, round.
This gives you a bit of an idea of what I was looking at for the rest of the objects. Some shape was seen, but these deep galaxies were FAINT! See the rest of my notes, below.
Appendix
PGC 19016 – Faint, held with averted, small, elongated SE to NW.
PGC 20515 – Extremely faint, just caught glimpses during moments of better seeing, very small, round.
UGC 3818 – Faint but held with averted, very elongated SE to NW, small.
UGC 3849 – Faint but held with direct vision, brighter core with hint of a faint star, some halo seen with averted, elongated roughly E to W.
PGC 21003 – Extremely faint, only caught glimpses during moments of better seeing, small, no shape seen, very close to bright mag 12 star.
IC 2190 – Somewhat faint, easily held with direct vision, no core seen, even surface brightness, makes the fourth corner of a square with 3 other stars.
Overall, the experience winter observing in Auriga was a success! Although I didn’t find nearly every galaxy I looked for, I was rewarded with some deep, faint galaxies in a constellation where most don’t look for them! If you have any questions about this report, please contact me!