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Hi folks..

Can anyone suggest some good / easy messier objects to look for?

I've found m42 & m43 but struggle to find anything else when I go hunting

I decide on 1 to look at, work out how I can hop around to it but in reality I struggle. I look at the sky, locate a start point but when I look through the finders cope, suddenly 1 star becomes 10s of stars.

Getting frustrated

Thanks

Sean

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I think you should just plan your session. Know what you can see from your location and plan your viewing accordingly. Bearing in mind the moon is very bright and the moment so will wash out a few things. It might be best to try some globular clusters Cassiopia m103 and 52 and m36,37, 38 in Auriga. The moon is rising later now, so late evening viewing towards the end of the week should be much better for some DSO's, especially in my case

Some good charts can be found here if you have a telrad

http://umich.edu/~lowbrows/guide/findercharts/

Clear Skies and no LP  :laugh:

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Try a night with no scope or A pair of binoculars max. Get on a chair with a star map or fone app and just find your way around constellations and bright stars. Then you will be able to start navigating by them.

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I decide on 1 to look at, work out how I can hop around to it but in reality I struggle. I look at the sky, locate a start point but when I look through the finders cope, suddenly 1 star becomes 10s of stars.

Getting frustrated

Thanks

Sean

I guess this is when a Telrad is handy - I've never used one, I'm awaiting delivery from FLO, but my understanding is that as it does not magnify at all you can locate objects using the unaided eye without seeing all those extra stars.

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I couldn't get used to the Finderscope, but when I started using my Telrad, the heavens opened up for me. I still use my FS on main stars in the constellations and I use my Telrad in conjunction with it. Having a Telrad also makes aligning the FS easy. I just make sure it's in bullseye, check that its centered in my scope with my 6mm ep, then make the FS adjustments.

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I guess this is when a Telrad is handy - I've never used one, I'm awaiting delivery from FLO, but my understanding is that as it does not magnify at all you can locate objects using the unaided eye without seeing all those extra stars.

Interesting!!! Not heard of those, will check them out. Thanks

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I found the finderscope a bit of struggle when I started a couple of years ago. 

What really helped me was getting Stellarium (free to download if you don't already have it)  set up to show the finderscope view.  It's a bit concealed - you need the oculars plug in and then to configure the finderscope as a separate telescope but once it's done it shows the view pretty accurately and allows star hopping via the stars that are actually visible.  At the beginning I took the laptop into the garden (does nothing for your night vision) and start hopped using it and the finder. 

Another trick is to use the pocket sky atlas with a small piece of card with a circle the size of your finder's field of view cut out of it.  This works better if you have the Right ANgled Correct Image (RACI) finder.

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I recommend using some cheap-ish binoculars to help you find the 'easier' Messiers, makes locating them with the scope a lot easier.

Also, do most people find their way around by star hopping through the eyepiece, or the finder? My finder has annoying crosshairs in it and I can never see what I'm doing, I like finding an 'area' with my telrad then just star hopping through the 30mm eyepiece. 

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My recommendations are 13, 5 nice globular clusters.

M65 and 66 are nice Galaxies in Leo so nicely positioned now. M81 and 82 are always worth a go at in Ursa Major. M51 is also worth a pop at the moment.

There's some great targets in other catalogues too, the Caldwell catalogue assembled by the great Patrick Moore is well worth seeking out (and have the advantage of being put in a logical order too).

Happy viewing

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A subjective list that depends on your gear and what sort of objects tickle your fancy but i'd suggest (at this time of the year)  M13, M27, M57, M81, M82, M87.    Later, in Autumn, M31 and M33.

Bag all of those and work one some of thew others.  Don't expect masses of detail and colour.

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M44 is still easily seen in the evening sky. Its a lose galactic cluster visible to the naked eye and can be found by following the curve of the sickle of Leo. It needs low power wide field to see it at its best. Binoculars are good for this one.

Around midnight, M13 is well placed in Hercules. Easily seen at low power but high power reveals it to be a spectacular globular cluster. The more you study it the more you'll see.

Then there's M57, the ring nebula, in Lyra. Again easily found at low power and looks like a tiny smoke ring. High power shows it to be an elliptical planetary nebula with a definite hole in the centre. The hole is covered by a thin veil of nebulosity while the ring itself displays differences in brightness over its surface.

Close by the ring nebula using low power, look for the double double, a beautiful binary star system. Higher powers split the stars easily. There is also a redish star between the two and slightly to one side that is related to the system.

Just a short distance away is the binary star Albireo, a fabulous double having colourful components.

Mike :-)

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I found the finderscope a bit of struggle when I started a couple of years ago. 

What really helped me was getting Stellarium (free to download if you don't already have it)  set up to show the finderscope view.  It's a bit concealed - you need the oculars plug in and then to configure the finderscope

In the new version (0.13.3) it is no longer concealed, or a plug in. It is top right of the screen all the time, and is blumming marvellous!

I hadn't thought of putting in a finderscope as a telescope - thank you, that's brilliant!

Richard

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