Extreme declination observing

[Love Cowboy]

Hello all. I saw a thread to this effect on CN and I thought maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to put up here also. What is the most southerly deep sky object you've observed from northern latitudes? What is the most northerly deep sky object you've observed from southern latitudes?

For me, I just set a new personal best for most southerly object. I bagged the lovely globular cluster NGC 6397 in Ara around 3 am this morning from Fort Davis; it's quite clear it must be an impressive sight from down south. I doubt I will ever best this without traveling further south.

[wvreeven]

I remember having seen M 7 at about 1.5° above the horizon from the Netherlands many, many years ago. Furthermore Omega Centauri naked eye from 40° north near Madrid in Spain.

[IVAN]

Seeing spiral structure in M 51, 9 degrees above my horizon from roughly 34 degrees south latitude in an 18 inch scope.

[wvreeven]

Seeing spiral structure in M 51, 9 degrees above my horizon from roughly 34 degrees south latitude in an 18 inch scope.

Challenge accepted! I live at 30 degrees south :D

[IVAN]

Challenge accepted! I live at 30 degrees south :D
30 degrees south?. Let us know how it goes.

[wvreeven]

30 degrees south?. Let us know how it goes.

Yes, I live in La Serena, Chile. At culmination M 51 is at 12 degrees over the horizon. I see that M 101 is visible here as well but I am afraid that it will be blocked by mountains.

[morsie]

For me it was seeing Omega Centauri NGC 5139 from West Virginia at latitude 39 degrees north. It was 3 1/2 degrees above the horizon.

[Bertrand Laville]

Centaurus A in a 4.5" scope, from a mountain in Southern Alps at 44.5° lat. The galaxy, only a small weak patch, was at 3.2° high.

[Allan]

Last month M102 was at peak observing from here at 32S. It reached a lofty 2.5 degrees altitude. I’m glad I managed to see it, but I probably won’t make a habit of observing down in the weeds.

[Steve Gottlieb]

The Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070) from the Mauna Kea Visitor Center (9300 ft) through 10x30mm binoculars and in a 19" dobsonian.

From the latitude of Mauna Kea, it culminates at an elevation of just 1.1°, though I'm not sure it was right on the meridian so may have been even lower.

[Howard B]

I'll second that - I was there with Steve!

[obrazell]

I think probably NGC 300 from 51.5N with the telescope looking through the grass :-)

Owen

[Keith Rivich]

Eta Carina from the 10th floor of the San Luis resort hotel. Galveston, Tx. 10x50 binoculars on a very clear and cold night. The nebula was about 1 degree above the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.