Another sketch from the night of February 22, 2020, a little while after sketching M81 and M82, I swung my telescope towards Monoceros for a target I have never imaged or viewed visually before. I had just read an article in Sky and Telescope about NGC2261 and how much it changes, so I had the urge to have a look at it for myself.
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| NGC2261 The Hubble Variable Nebula in Monoceros |
This nebula was actually quite bright in the eyepiece considering the magnification I was using, but also with that amount of magnifications there weren't a lot of stars. Now, this is called a variable nebula, but you won't be able to see it changing while looking at it. I have read people saying they have noticed a difference within 24 hours, but the biggest differences can be spotted in the span of a couple days. I will be giving more attention to this nebula next time it comes around.
If you'd like to see where this object is located in the sky along with a time lapse of this sketch check out the video below.
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