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The Abell Planetaries |
Already in the year 1966
Geoge Abell arranged a list of 86 planetary nebulas, which he had discoverd on
the photographic plates of the large 48" Schmidt Telescope on Mount Palomar. Two
of these planetary nebulas are registered in the well-known NGC catalogue (Abell
50 = NGC 6742, Abell 75 = 7076) and two in the IC catalogue (Abell 37 = IC 972,
Abell 81 = IC 1454). Four of these objects were not confirmed as PN (Abell 11,
32, 76, 85) and three were not taken up in the SEC (Abell 9, 17, 64). A
very informative and complete
compilation of all Abells
which shows several observations with different apertures, you can find on the
page of Stathis Kafalis.
The Abell PN applies as notorious, but very interesting deep-sky-objects. That's
because of the visuell challenge to detect as many as possible faint surface
brightness Abell planetaries. Apart from patience and observation experience, most Abells need very good
sky conditions. The use of [OIII] filter is also important than dark skies.
Inspired by Stathis
Kafalis and Martin
Schoenball, I would like to present my observations of these interesting PN. The observations were accomplished to the largest part with a 16"
Dobson (others with apertures from 2" to 24") under good to very good sky conditions.
| Object (DSS) | Aperture, Magnification, Filter, Faintest Star - Description |
Abell 1![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 51-129x, [OIII], fst 7m0 not visible 27",
172x, [OIII], fst 6m5+ |
Abell 2![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 300x, [OIII], fst 7m0 bright, circular, can hold PN with direct vision, faint star at the SW edge, fainter to the middle
27", 419x, o.F. + [OIII], fst 7m+ |
Abell 3![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 7m0 only with [OIII], round disc, double star at the edge of the PN, sharply defined
16", 180x, [OIII], fst 7m+ |
Abell 4![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
5" Bino, 98x, [OIII], fst 6m5+ surprisingly easy with that aperture, round laminar spot, can hold it with averted vision 16", 257x, [OIII], fst
6m4
27", 419x, without filter, fst
7m+ |
Abell 5![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 100x, [OIII], fst 7m0 hardly noticable PN, after 30 minutes of observing I notice a faint hint of light, NE of the 14,1mag CS, not round, unsure observation
27", 113x-172x, UHC, [OIII], fst
6m5+ |
Abell 6![]() DSS 10' x 10' |
14", 80x, [OIII], fst 7m0 faint, perfectly circular disc, sharply defined, can not hold steadily with averted vision, sure observation, disturbing star group SE
27", 172x, [OIII], fst 6m5+ |
Abell 7![]() DSS 30' x 30' |
16", 51x, [OIII], fst 7m1 only with max. AP and [OIII], large, round PN, faint but can hold PN with averted vision, some faint structure, fainter to its middle, dark wedge from the west, PGC 16611 easy to detect, 10' NW of the PN, elongated 1:2 |
Abell 8![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 7m2 only with [OIII], very faint, round disk, double star NW |
Abell 9![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
14", 200x, [OIII], fst 7m5 also under perfect skies not observable, difficult star field with many dangerous faint stars, other observer and I only suspect faint glow, but could not hold or confirm the glow
16", 225-360x, [OIII], fst
6,5
16", 51x-225x, fst
7m2
27", 293x, [OIII], fst 7m+ |
Abell 10![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 360x, UHC, fst 7m2 bright, also without filter, round disc, [OIII] shows no big improvement, best view with high power and UHC, faint structure, can not hold the structure
4", 63x, [OIII], fst 6m5+ |
Abell 11![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x-225x, fst 6m5 reflection nebula?, not visible
27", 419x, without filter, fst
7m+ |
Abell 12![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
4", 154x, [OIII], fst 7m+ with higher magnification the small round disk is easily visible and can seperate easily from the glow of mu Ori, no ring structure visible
4,5", 110x, [OIII], fst
6,4 16", 230x, [OIII], fst
6m6 16", 450x, [OIII], fst 6m8 |
Abell 13![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 6m8 NW-part of the PN popping out in and out of view, can not hold it with averted vision, unsure observation
20", 62x - 121x, [OIII], fst
6m5+ |
Abell 14![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 225x, [OIII], fst 6m5 close star group of faint stars at the position of the PN, with [OIII] faint glow, difficult to decide, but I think the glow shows the stars and not the PN |
Abell 15![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 225x, [OIII], fst 6m5 with [OIII] and higher power very faint nebula, can not hold it with averted vision, I'm sure that the glow shows the PN, no CS visible |
Abell 16![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 6m7 not visible
16", 100x, [OIII], fst 6,9 |
Abell 18![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 6m7 PN more simply than I expected, can hold the PN with averted vision, round disc without structure |
Abell 19![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 6m4 remarkably CS without filter, 2-3 very faint stars around CS, with [OIII] a faint halo around CS, can hold halo with averted vision |
Abell 20![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 6m7 1' north of a small triangle, faint without filter, with [OIII] faint, round disc, structureless |
Abell 21![]() DSS 20' x 20' |
3", 14x, [OIII], fst 7m2 nebula also visible with 3" and [OIII] under perfect sky conditions, can hold PN with averted vision, round, structureless 4,5", 31x, [OIII], fst
6m4 16", 100x, [OIII], fst
6m4 |
Abell 22![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
20", 155x, [OIII], fst 6m5 faint 3:2 SW-NE elongated disk SW a 13 mag star, difficult to see, can hold it with averted vision, faint knots at the SW and NW end sketch |
Abell 23![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 100x-129x, [OIII], fst 6m5+ PN because low declination (-35° DEC) only 5 minutes of observing window, during short time not visible
12", 94x, [OIII], fst 7m+
(Namibia) 17", 140x, [OIII], fst 7m+
(Namibia) |
Abell 24![]() DSS 10' x 10' |
20", 66x, [OIII], fst 6m5 very faint round disk, hardly noticable only with max. AP, not sharply defined, structureless |
Abell 25![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 6m5 very faint PN, SE part popping out in and out of view, can not hold PN with averted vision |
Abell 26![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 100x-129x, [OIII], fst 6m5+ PN because low declination (-33° DEC) only a few minutes of observing window, during short time not visible
12", 150x, [OIII], fst 7m+
(Namibia) |
Abell 27![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 100x-129x, [OIII], fst 6m5+ PN because low declination (-32° DEC) only a few minutes of observing window, during short time only a very faint hint of light, could not hold it, uncertain observation
12", 63x, [OIII], fst 7m+
(Namibia) |
Abell 28![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 51x, [OIII], fst 6m5 not visible
27", 113x-172x, [OIII],
fst 6m5+ |
Abell 29![]() DSS 10' x 10' |
16", 69x, [OIII], fst 6m8 very difficult PN, observation together with another observer, can not hold PN with averted vision, round without defined edges, only with max. AP and [OIII], observed disk is only the SW part of the ring structured PN sketch |
Abell 30![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 51x, [OIII], fst 6m5 faint PN, can hold it with averted vision, best with max. AP, not sharply defined sketch 27", 172x, [OIII], fst
6m5+, Seeing IV |
Abell 31![]() DSS 30' x 30' |
16", 51x, [OIII], fst 6m5 moderately bright PN with max. AP and [OIII], around 10 mag star, some structures, brightest part W and SW of the star, diffus end, NE second part, smaller sketch |
Abell 33![]() DSS 10' x 10' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 6m4 also noticable without filter, with [OIII] and 129x a large, round glow, can hold it with direct vision, no structure within the glow, sharply defined sketch |
Abell 34![]() DSS 10' x 10' |
16", 51x, [OIII], fst 6m4 very faint round glow with max. AP, not sharply defined, can not detect the ring structure
16", 75x - 180x, [OIII], fst
6m5+ |
Abell 35![]() DSS 10' x 10' |
16", 51x-100x, [OIII], fst 6m4 faint, large PN around 9,5mag CS LW Hyd, visually much smaller than photographically, at the south edge brighter 1:2 E-W elongated part sketch |
Abell 36![]() DSS 10' x 10' |
16", 51x-100x, [OIII], fst 6m4 easy Abell PN, can hold it with direct vision, with max. AP 2:3 N-S elongated disk around 11,8mag CS, with AP 4mm southern part much brighter
16", 75x, [OIII], fst 6m5+ |
Abell 37 - IC 972![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 6m4 small planetary, best with 129x (AP 3mm), can hold it with averted vision, structureless, no CS
20", 450x, UHC, fst 7m+ |
Abell 38![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 100x, [OIII], fst 7m5 extremly faint PN, the faint, round glow sits directly south on a 11mag star, difficult to estimate the size and structure, the two 14mag neighbour stars are visible trough the [OIII] sketch |
Abell 39![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
4", 31x, [OIII], fst 6m2 extreme PN with 4" , PN is popping in and out of view at the right position with 3,5mm AP and [OIII], can not hold it with averted vision, no CS without filter, structureless round glow
16", 129x, [OIII]
20", 121x, [OIII], fst 6m3 |
Abell 40![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", [OIII], fst 6m4 not visible 12",
150x, [OIII], fst 7m+ (Namibia) |
Abell 41![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 225x, UHC, fst 6m4 faint Abell despite bright POSS-images (blue and red), could not see the PN without filter, best view with 225x and UHC, small, round, not sharply defined, structureless, could hold PN with averted vision sketch |
Abell 42![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
20", [OIII], fst 6m3 not visible 16",
100x, [OIII], fst 7m5 |
Abell 43![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
20", 155x, [OIII], fst 6m3 with [OIII] and 155x round glow, can hold it with averted vision, some difficult structure, could not hold it, 3 stars within the PN without filter sketch |
Abell 44![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 225x, [OIII], fst 6m5 best view with 225x + [OIII], can hold PN with averted vision, round glow without sharp edges, faint 12,5mag star at the SE edge sketch |
Abell 45![]() DSS 10' x 10' |
16", 51x, [OIII], fst 6m5 extreme PN, 3' NW of 12,5mag GSC 56983731 3' x 2' E-W elongated glow, can not hold it with averted vision, unsure observation |
Abell 46![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
20", 206x, [OIII], fst 6m6 faint glow around CS even without filter, with [OIII] and 206x the PN is round with diffus border, 1,5' large around CS, can hold PN with averted vision |
Abell 47![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 7m2 extreme object, very hard to detect, popping in and out of view on the right position, round, diffus spot of light, can not hold it with averted vision |
Abell 48![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 7m+ difficult PN, can not hold PN with averted vision, round with diffus edges
16", 150x, [OIII], fst 7m+ |
Abell 49![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 225x, [OIII], fst 7m3 very faint PN, small spot of light without structure, can not hold it with averted vision sketch |
Abell 50 - NGC 6742![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 51x-450x, [OIII], fst 6m4 bright, also visible without filter, round, sharply defined, structureless
4",
55x, UHC, fst 6m5+ |
Abell 51![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 7m3 large , round disc, sharply defined, can hold PN with direct vision, no ring or other structure sketch |
Abell 52![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 225x, [OIII], fst 6m7 extremly faint PN, can not hold it with averted vision, after intensiv observation with 225x and [OIII] the PN is popping in and out of view
27",
172x, [OIII], fst 7m0+ |
Abell 53![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
14", 200x, [OIII], fst 7m3 faint, round disc, can not hold it with averted vision, typical Abell |
Abell 54![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", [OIII], fst 7m+ (21,50) not visible
27", 172x, [OIII], fst 7m+ |
Abell 55![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 180x, [OIII], fst 7m+ (21,50) easy Abell PN, very faint glow even without filter, with [OIII] PN can hold with direct vision, with AP of 2mm PN the PN is round with structureless disc sketch |
Abell 56![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 7m+ (21,50) extreme PN, together with another observer I see a large, extremly faint nebula, can not hold the exact position and size
27", 122x, [OIII],
fst 6m5+ |
Abell 57![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 225x, [OIII], fst 6m8 round, can hold PN with averted vision, diffus, brighter to its middle, like a faint GC sketch |
Abell 58![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", [OIII], fst 7m+ (21,50) not visible
27", 172x, [OIII],
fst 6m5+ |
Abell 59![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 225x, [OIII], fst 6m7 very faint PN, disturbing 6m5 star 3' NE, can hold PN with averted vison for 2-3 seconds, best view with 225x, [OIII] and the star outside the field, I saw the PN as a round glow with little brighter central part? |
Abell 60![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 7m0 medium sized Abell PN, round, only with [OIII], can hold PN with averted vision, PN is mottled, fore ground stars? |
Abell 61![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 75x, [OIII], fst 6m5+ rich star field, best view with 75x (AP 5,3mm) and [OIII], easy to hold with averted vision, no sign without filter, circular with better defined W side sketch
20", 62-155x, [OIII], fst
6m5
27", 113x, [OIII], fst 7m0+ |
Abell 62![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 100x, [OIII], fst 7m3 best view with 4mm AP, faint glow around star group, 2:3 E-W elongated, S is brighter and better defined, faint but can hold it with averted vision |
Abell 63![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 180x, [OIII], fst 7m+ (21,50) typical Abell PN, with [OIII] small, round disk, faint star on the W border of the PN which is visible through the [OIII] sketch |
Abell 64![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
10", without Filter, fst 7m1 faint, round mark, can hold it with averted vision, no reaction to filters 14",
without Filter, fst 7m1 16", 225x, without Filter, fst 7m0 |
Abell 65![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 7m2 brighter PN, oval shaped sketch |
Abell 66![]() DSS 10' x 10' |
16", 51x, [OIII], fst 7m2 faint, only with max. AP and [OIII], large, round, structureless sketch |
Abell 67![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 7m2 only with [OIII], medium sized round disc, easy to hold with averted vision, structureless |
Abell 68![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", [OIII], fst 6m2 1° south of M 27, not visible 16", 129x, [OIII], fst 7m0 |
Abell 69![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 225x, [OIII], fst 7m2 extreme PN, very small, very faint, star chain in the east, hardly noticable, can hold PN with high power for seconds
27", 293x, [OIII], fst
7m0+ |
Abell 70![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 360x, fst 7m0 with [OIII] faint ring structure, very faint without filter, elongated spot in the ring sketch 20", fst 7m2 24", fst
7m0
27", 172x, fst 7m+ |
Abell 71![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 51x, [OIII], fst 6m8 confound by a faint star group 10' north, accurate star plot very important 20", 155x, [OIII], fst
6m5 |
Abell 72![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 6m3 PN faint also without filter, 8 mag star in the west, with [OIII] large, round, structureless sketch
27", 244x, [OIII], fst 7m0+ |
Abell 73![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 7m0 very faint PN, only with [OIII] and AP 3mm, can hold it with averted vision |
Abell 74![]() DSS 30' x 30' |
16", 51x, [OIII], fst 7m2 very faint and large PN, only with [OIII] and max. AP (7mm), round, 3 stars + faint galaxy PGC 66471 (15 bmag) are superimposed on the large disc (without filter) sketch |
Abell 75 - NGC 7076![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 330x, [OIII], fst 7m0 faint, small, oval shaped PN, only with [OIII], a little bit brighter at the NE, dark wedge from the west, 2 stars are superimposed sketch
4", fst 6m5+ |
Abell 76![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
No PN - Ringgalaxy PGC 85185 14", 200x, fst 7m+ small, exactly round, without any structure, no reaction with filter, very similar to a PN |
Abell 77![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 6m8 faint, round disc around the CS without filter, with [OIII] faint, round disc without structure |
Abell 78![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 225x, [OIII], fst 7m1 only with [OIII], large, round disc, somewhat mottled (Ring?), bright CS
16", 180x, [OIII], fst
6m+ |
Abell 79![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 225x, [OIII], fst 7m1 bright, also visible without filter, 1:2 elongated disc with [OIII], faint star at the south edge
4", 44x-88x, [OIII], fst 6m5+ |
Abell 80![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 51x, [OIII], fst 7m2 not visible 16", 100x, [OIII], fst 7m2
27",
172x, [OIII], fst 7m0+ |
Abell 81 - IC 1454![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 51x-450x, [OIII], fst 6m5 bright, also visible without filter, round, circular disc, sharply defined, faint double star at the NE 16", 250x, [OIII], fst
6m8
4",
55x, UHC, fst 6m5+ |
Abell 82![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 150x, [OIII], fst 7m0 small planetary with structure, best view with AP 2,7mm (150x) and [OIII], a little bit brighter at the NW, 4 stars are superimposed on the disc sketch |
Abell 83![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 7m0 only with [OIII], can hold PN with averted vision, trapezoid of stars at the east
16", 180x, [OIII], fst 7m+ |
Abell 84![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 6m8 very faint without filter, better view with [OIII], dark lane dividing PN from the north to the south, eastern part a little bit brighter, 11mag star at the eastern edge sketch |
Abell 85![]() DSS 45' x 45' |
No PN - Supernova Remnant CTB 1 16", 110x, [OIII], fst 7m+ no sign of SNR, difficult star field with star chains
27", 113x-172x, [OIII], fst 7m+ |
Abell 86![]() DSS 5' x 5' |
16", 129x, [OIII], fst 7m2 very hard to detect, only with [OIII] and AP 3mm, can not hold PN with averted vision, visible only 20% of the time sketch
20", 128x, [OIII], fst 6m5+
27", 172x, [OIII], fst 7m0+ |
© DSS Bilder: Space Telescope Science Institute (California Institute of Technology, National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Sloan Foundation, the Samuel Oschin Foundation, Eastman Kodak Corporation)