Not afraid...maybe a little uneasy about trying to track this thing down.
OK...I'll admit it I AM _AFRAID_of it!
Rod Mollise
Observing Reports
By Alan Goldstein
Einstein's Cross. 100X, 375X, 500X. This is a famous gravitational lensing galaxy (CGCG 378-15)/QSO (G2237+0305) combination in Pegasus. At low power the galaxy appears as a
diminutive oval patch of about 14th magnitude, with an irregular illumination. At high power it seemed to pulsate as four "brighter" patches within an overall oval shape. It reminded me of
a cluster of four gray helium ballons floating through the field, with only one of the four being easy to see at any given moment. Very peculiar!--Alan Goldstein/Observed by Alan Goldstein
and Gregg Eubanks, using Greg's 30 inch, f/5 Obsession.
By Barbara Wilson
In my own observations I have glimpsed the A component in my 20" from Mt Locke in Nov 1991 (McDonald Observatory parking lot elevation 6000'+), as clearly separate from the nucleus
of the lensing galaxy . The appearance at all times of component A was of a stellar object with no angular size. Component B was seen with less difficulty that night but again it always
appeared stellar and separate. I have not seen all four components at the same time, but have glimpsed them each separately in a 36" with Component D as a very tentative observation after
studying the position of each separate component carefully. So I concluded that I have never seen Einstein's "Cross" itself, because to actually see the "Cross", one would have to see all
four images simultaneously. Component C was seen from Nebraska at the NSP in July 1995 with Tom Miller's 30" on an exceptional night along with separate observations of A and B. Again no
simultaneous observations were made except once I might have glimpsed a "flash" from both A and C at the same time in Larry's 24" back in 1991 at the Ultimate Star Party, but it was
tentative.--Barbara Wilson
