M72 & M73: two tiny Messier objects (Nick Large)

Celestial hemisphere: Southern · Constellation: Aquarius (Aqr) · Contains: HD198694 · HD198886 · HD198923 · HD198983 · HD199128 · HD199161 · HD199523 · HD199524 · HD199538 · M 72 · M 73 · NGC 6981

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M72 & M73: two tiny Messier objects

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M72 & M73: two tiny Messier objects

This image wasn't initially planned and it gave me some headache.

As I'm approaching completion of my Messier catalog I decided to image M72 & M73 in a single image. I knew they should fit in my FOV.
After I pointed my scope to the correct location (don't have a go-to mount) I plate-solved my shot with the ASIair. M72 was there but no sign of M73. I moved around a little bit and framed it different a few times... but NO M73 on my plate-solving solutions. I opened Stellarium and it gave me M73 where it was supposed to be.
I looked at my image but couldn't see any "cluster" beside M72.
After wasting 15 min trying to understand why M73 wasn't found in the plate-solving of the ASIair and why I could see only one cluster in my sub, I finally realized that M73 was a tiny 4-star asterism.

I definitively should have been more prepared and clearly identify my targets before imaging them

But, I guess what threw me off was the fact that the ASIair plate-solving does not find/list M73: a technical bug I supposed.

iOptron Skyguider Pro
Texas Astronomy
Astrophotographes (France)
DSLR and mirrorless astrophotography

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Status	Advanced success
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	8190668
PixInsight job	LNUUWBN4Y7VCST3WTNZOT7NAXMO94PLQ
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	TASK_LOG

RA (center)	20h56m11s.77
RA (top/left)	20h56m30s.49
RA (top/right)	21h01m48s.60
RA (bottom/right)	20h55m53s.47
RA (bottom/left)	20h50m33s.97

Dec (center)	-12°34′41″.6
Dec (top/left)	-14°05′05″.1
Dec (top/right)	-11°57′08″.5
Dec (bottom/right)	-11°04′41″.5
Dec (bottom/left)	-13°11′56″.3

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M72 & M73: two tiny Messier objects

M72 & M73: two tiny Messier objects

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M72 & M73: two tiny Messier objects

M72 & M73: two tiny Messier objects

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