These are our observations in Boötes

• A new camera: going digital

  Here are my first sketches with my new Starlightxpress Ultrastar digital video camera on 25 February 2018. At the time of writing I'm undecided as to whether it has an advantage over my old analogue Watec camera?

  The images are certainly sharper and cleaner but do I see more and deeper? There is still much to learn about the cameras control, I'am certainly not getting the best out of it at this early stage.

  Arp 49 in Boötes

  

  Located in Boötes, apparently single galaxy visually with interesting faint arms bearing a tiny HSB companion (5665A) visible only in deep images. Magnitude 12.7 and 1.9' x 1.3' in size.

  This is my first Arp sketch made using the Ultra Star digital video camera. 10 second exposure with 505mm mirror.

  NGC 5746 in Virgo

  

  A beautiful edge on in Virgo. Like a 'little Sombrero'. Fantastic dark lane. Magnitude 11.3, 8.0' x 1.3' in size and at a distance of 77 Mly.

  This image was the first sketch that I made with the Starlightxpress Ultrastar digital video camera, 10 second exposure in a poor pre-dawn sky.

  Dale Holt - (7 March 2018).

• Arp 43 and some bonus NGCs in Boötes

  A clear sky drags me from my warm bed and out to the observatory carrying the obligatory cup of tea. I’m moved by the sky that greets me once outside of the back door; despite the fact I’m not dark adapted the sky is still spectacular.

  As I enter the observatory I decide that I shall hunt down an Arp galaxy in Boötes for a sketch and I decide on Arp 43.

  I fiddle with the monitor and camera settings before deciding this is the best view I will get and freezing the frame. It is now 5am and dawn will not be far off, with the frame frozen I can sketch at my leisure with no fear of losing my target. I get the stars draw in ink and add the galaxies, the very faint stars I add last with gentle dabs of a pencil.

  

  I noted on the Carte du Ciel display that close by was another galaxy. Not sure what would show up at 6am, I sent the scope there and was delighted to see a pair of fairly bright galaxies close together.

  I twiddled the knobs, froze the frame and sketched NGC 5859 and NGC 5857, the former showing quite considerable spiral detail and being the larger of two. NGC 5857 however had a noticeably brighter core, a very nice pair of, as I found later, non interacting galaxies.

  

  Dale Holt - (6 February 2017).