The Hub in London’s Regent Park is the observing spot for the Baker Street Irregular Astronomers. Tom Kerss
Central London can be a challenging location, but from the Baker Street Irregular Astronomers’ superb vista point at The Hub in Regent’s Park, the group has been extremely successful to date in tracking down some elusive deep-sky objects. Our “Holmes Catalog” to date, although not definitive, shows how much deep-sky astronomy is possible from city centers. As a guide, we have found the requirements to be as follows:
• Excellent-quality telescopes and eyepieces with high image contrast (refractors have proven to be the most powerful tool here)
• The usual “tricks of the trade,” including averted vision and filters to eke out the best views of each target object
• Dark adaption (as best as possible in our location), scope equilibration with the ambient temperature, and user comfort for extended “hunting” time eyepiece
• Holmsian-like doggedness and determination to get a result
| The catalog so far | |||
| Object | Type | Constellation | Magnitude |
| M3 | Globular cluster | Canes Venatici | 6.3 |
| M4 | Globular cluster | Scorpius | 5.4 |
| Butterfly Cluster (M6) | Open cluster | Scorpius | 4.2 |
| Ptolemy’s Cluster (M7) | Open cluster | Scorpius | 3.3 |
| Wild Duck Cluster (M11) | Open cluster | Scutum | 5.8 |
| Hercules Cluster (M13) | Globular cluster | Hercules | 5.8 |
| M15 | Globular cluster | Pegasus | 6.3 |
| M22 | Globular cluster | Sagittarius | 5.2 |
| Dumbbell Nebula (M27) | Planetary nebula | Vulpecula | 7.3 |
| Andromeda Galaxy (M31) | Galaxy | Andromeda | 3.4 |
| M32 | Galaxy | Andromeda | 8.2 |
| M35 | Open cluster | Gemini | 5.1 |
| M36 | Open cluster | Auriga | 6.0 |
| M37 | Open cluster | Auriga | 5.6 |
| Orion Nebula (M42) | Nebula | Orion | 3.7 |
| M43 | Nebula | Orion | 6.8 |
| Beehive Cluster (M44) | Open cluster | Cancer | 3.1 |
| Pleiades (M45) | Open cluster | Taurus | 1.5 |
| Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) | Galaxy | Canes Venatici | 8.4 |
| Ring Nebula (M57) | Planetary nebula | Lyra | 8.8 |
| M65 | Galaxy | Leo | 8.8 |
| M66 | Galaxy | Leo | 9.0 |
| Bode’s Galaxy (M81) | Galaxy | Ursa Major | 6.9 |
| Cigar Galaxy (M82) | Galaxy | Ursa Major | 8.4 |
| Owl Nebula (M97) | Planetary nebula | Ursa Major | 9.6 |
| M101 | Galaxy | Ursa Major | 7.9 |
| Sombrero Galaxy (M104) | Galaxy | Virgo | 8.0 |
| NGC 205 | Galaxy | Andromeda | 8.0 |
| NGC 3628 | Galaxy | Leo | 9.5 |
| Blinking Planetary (NGC 6826) | Planetary nebula | Cygnus | 8.8 |
| Blue Snowball (NGC 7662) | Planetary nebula | Andromeda | 8.3 |
| Witch’s Broom (NGC 6960) | Nebula | Cygnus | — |
| Veil Nebula (NGC 6992/5) | Nebula | Cygnus | — |
| Targets for future meetings | |||
| Crab Nebula (M1) | Supernova remnant | Taurus | 8.0 |
| Lagoon Nebula (M8) | Nebula | Sagittarius | 6.0 |
| Trifid Nebula (M20) | Nebula | Sagittarius | 9.0 |
(London’s very light summer evenings and the low elevation make such targets difficult at best)
