Abell PN's

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)	Sketch	Aperture, Magnification, Filter, Faintest Star - Description
Abell 1 DSS 5' x 5'	16" ; 51-129x; [OIII]; fst 7m0 not visible
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 its middle
Abell 3 DSS 5' x 5'	Zeichnung (Klick für Vergrößerung)	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+ faint PN; not visible without filter; near 13mag DS; W of the DS faint, round nebula; 1' diameter; structureless; can hold PN with averted vision
Abell 4 DSS 5' x 5'	16" ; 257x; [OIII]; fst 6m4 [OIII] shows no big improvement, small, round disc, cannot see the faint edge-on galaxy PGC 10427 (16,59 bmag), PGC 2816330 is visible as a faint glow 5" Bino ; 98x ; [OIII] ; fst 6m5+ surprisingly easy with that aperture; round laminar spot; can hold it with averted vision
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
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
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'	16" ; 225-360x; [OIII]; fst 6,5 now with [OIII] from Lumicon and Astronomic, again nothing to see 16" ; 51x-225x; fst 7m2 at the north edge of M 38, not visible without filter 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
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+ not visible without filter; with [OIII] and 44x small spot of light; with 63x more easy and laminar; can hold PN with averted vision; 2' SW very faint star
Abell 11 DSS 5' x 5'	16" ; 129x-225x; fst 6m5 reflection nebula?, not visible
Abell 12 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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 amazingly easy with [OIII] and higher power, round, structureless 16" ; 230x; [OIII]; fst 6m6 positioned in the direct neighbourhood of the 4mag star mu Ori, only with [OIII], round disc, difficult ring structure 16" ; 450x; [OIII]; fst 6m8 min. UHC filter, better view with [OIII], sharply defined, SW part little brighter
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+ very difficult observation; nothing to see with lower magnification; with 121x and [OIII] a saw very faint nebula the position of the brighter NW part; without filter there are a few 15mag stars exactly at this position; with filter I'm not sure whether stars or nebula
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'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	16" ; 129x; [OIII]; fst 6m7 not visible 16" ; 100x; [OIII]; fst 6,9 with [OIII] round disc, 3' glow with sharp edges, best AP around 4mm, difficult PN, pops in and out of view with averted vision
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'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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 SW-NE elongated disc with [OIII] and 14x, faint crescent shape with 31x 16" ; 100x; [OIII]; fst 6m4 famous Medusanebula, large, crescent-shaped nebula, shape open to the W, brighter condensations SW and NE, many structures, difficult to hold, best view with AP 4mm and [OIII]-filter, faint view without filter
Abell 22 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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
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) no sure observation; difficult star field arround; negative observation 17" ; 140x; [OIII]; fst 7m+ (Namibia) now with 17" apperture; now the faint star can also be seen through the filter; NO an faint, 1' round glow; can hold it with averted vision
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) small and round; difficult, also with averted vision; no structure
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) no exact map to search PN (only Uranometria); at the exaxt position a very faint glow; can not hold it; the reinforcement shows, that I was at the right position
Abell 28 DSS 5' x 5'	16" ; 51x; [OIII]; fst 6m5 not visible
Abell 29 DSS 10' x 10'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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
Abell 30 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	16" ; 51x; [OIII]; fst 6m5 faint PN, can hold it with averted vision, best with max. AP, not sharply defined
Abell 31 DSS 30' x 30'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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
Abell 33 DSS 10' x 10'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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
Abell 34 DSS 10' x 10'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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+ best with higher AP; at 75x 2:3 N-S elongated; W side better defined; no ring structure; without filter and with higher magnification faint galaxy PGC 3081651 at the W edge; very faint, can not hold it steadily
Abell 35 DSS 10' x 10'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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
Abell 36 DSS 10' x 10'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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+ easy; can already see the PN without filter; 2:3 E-W elongated PN; disk is shifted to the S side; flatly N side; S of the CS faint dark hole; brightest part at the W side; very faint outer parts at the NW
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
Abell 38 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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]
Abell 39 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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] large, round disc with [OIII], can hold PN with averted vision 20" ; 121x; [OIII]; fst 6m3 faint glow without filter and max. AP; with 4mm AP round, bright disk, darker to its middle, CS without filter
Abell 40 DSS 5' x 5'	16" ; [OIII]; fst 6m4 not visible 12" ; 150x; [OIII]; fst 7m+ (Namibia) can hold PN with averted vision; round and laminar; faint star in the neighbourhood (without filter)
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
Abell 42 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	20" ; [OIII]; fst 6m3 not visible 16" ; 100x; [OIII]; fst 7m5 extremly faint spot of light; only visible with AP 4mm; PN is popping in and out of view with averted vision; round, without any structure; faint stars near the PN on the E and W side could be detect through [OIII]
Abell 43 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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
Abell 44 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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
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'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	16" ; 129x; [OIII]; fst 7m+ (21,55) difficult PN, can not hold PN with averted vision, round with diffus edges 16" ; 150x; [OIII]; fst 7m+ (21,63) also under very good alpine skies difficult PN, can not hold steadily with averted vision, round, small, obersvation together with another observer
Abell 49 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	16" ; 225x; [OIII]; fst 7m3 very faint PN, small spot of light without structure, can not hold it with averted vision
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+ visible even without filter; with 55x small and round; best view with UHC; can hold PN easily with averted vision
Abell 51 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	16" ; 129x; [OIII]; fst 7m3 large , round disc, sharply defined, can hold PN with direct vision, no ring or other structure
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
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
Abell 55 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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
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
Abell 57 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	16" ; 225x; [OIII]; fst 6m8 round, can hold PN with averted vision, diffus, brighter to its middle, like a faint GC
Abell 58 DSS 5' x 5'	16" ; [OIII]; fst 7m+ (21,50) not visible
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'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	20" ; 62-155x; [OIII]; fst 6m5 beautiful PN, not visible without filter, with [OIII] large, round planetary, can hold it with averted vision, perfectly circular, NW-edge a little brighter 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
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'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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]
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 bright, no elongation, faint star near the middle 16" ; 225x; without Filter; fst 7m0 bright, 1:2 elongated, faint star near the middle, not visible with filter
Abell 65 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	16" ; 129x; [OIII]; fst 7m2 brighter PN, oval shaped
Abell 66 DSS 10' x 10'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	16" ; 51x; [OIII]; fst 7m2 faint, only with max. AP and [OIII], large, round, structureless
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'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	16" ; [OIII]; fst 6m2 1° south of M 27, not visible 16" ; 129x; [OIII]; fst 7m0 now successfully with better scaled star plot, with [OIII] small, faint, round, double star in the east
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
Abell 70 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	16" ; 360x; fst 7m0 with [OIII] faint ring structure, very faint without filter, elongated spot in the ring 20" ; fst 7m2 with [OIII] beautiful ring structure, 1:3 elongated galaxy easy to detect without filter 24" ; fst 7m0 galaxie easy to detect, elongated 1:3 - 1:4, easy ring structure with [OIII], no CS
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 now successfully, PN hard to detect even with 20", faint, round disc between many faint stars of the Milky Way
Abell 72 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	16" ; 129x; [OIII]; fst 6m3 PN faint also without filter, 8 mag star in the west, with [OIII] large, round, structureless
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'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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)
Abell 75 - NGC 7076 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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 4" ; fst 6m5+ not visible
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'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	16" ; 225x; [OIII]; fst 7m1 only with [OIII], large, round disc, somewhat mottled (Ring?), bright CS 16" ; 180x; [OIII]; fst 6m+ brighter PN with [OIII], 1:2 E-W elongated, somewhat brighter at the N and NE, bright CS, no ring structure
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+ not visible
Abell 80 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	16" ; 51x; [OIII]; fst 7m2 not visible 16"; 100x; [OIII]; fst 7m2 faint PN very hard to detect, only with AP 4mm and [OIII], medium sized, round disc, can not hold PN with averted vision
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 PN with faint ring structure, thick ring 4" ; 55x; UHC; fst 6m5+ visible even without filter; with 55x small and round; UHC filter with hardly improvements; best view without filter
Abell 82 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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
Abell 83 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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+ typical PN; not visible without filter; with [OIII] faint, round light 1,5' SW of a trapezoid of 15mag stars; 1' diameter; can hold PN with averted vision
Abell 84 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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
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
Abell 86 DSS 5' x 5'	Sketch (klick for enlargement)	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

© 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)

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