Littleguy80

I always say that I'd rather be outside with a wobbly view of Saturn than inside looking grumpily out the window at clouds Fingers crossed for clear skies tonight

I often feel the same way before a session but it doesn't take long before you're totally lost in the cosmos. Enjoy!

I have the same issue with light pollution in this area but has a great night viewing most of the objects on that list so don't be put off. There are plenty of options for other parts of the sky though If you have an OIII Filter then have a look at the Veil. I'm now finding the sky darker enough to get really good views of this. M31, Andromeda galaxy, is best in winter but I've still really enjoyed it in recent sessions. There's always the classics of M27 (Dumbell nebula) and M57 (Ring nebula). A final shout out for the double cluster which is a personal favourite. Clear skies and have a great night

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Thanks Peter. The hardest part will be deciding what to look at first!

Dave, you're answering questions I haven't got round to asking yet! Most impressive! Do I still have all 3 wishes left or am I down to 2?

I enjoy the different colours in the stars with the Double Cluster. I have a real love of red giants. The colours in stars is something I hadn't anticipated being able to see when I got my telescope

I had the briefest of looks at this last night before cloud stopped play. Will be going back to this too

No apologies needed. I'm yet to see M37 but it's definitely on the list. Agreed. As a beginner using the Turn Left at Orion as a guide on things to see, the diagrams for open clusters don't make them look particularly interesting objects. You really have to go and take a look to appreciate them

Good call, Stu. I did find it a few months back but didn't spend a lot of time observing it. It was more of a test of my OIII filter on that occasion. Will give that a revisit too

Another nice guide. I was looking at the Wild Ducks last night. Very pretty. I can't tell if there's nebulosity in there or there's just that many stars that it has a cloudy like effect. Either way, beautiful to look at. I love the double cluster too. Open clusters isn't something I thought I'd be that interested in but I've really come around to them

Thanks Dave. You really are the man when it comes to great pdf resources. This ls no exception

Thanks Rune. That looks a great guide

Thanks John I've looked at M27 a number of times but have never thought to look for the central star. Similarly have seen the blue snowball but was more caught up in picking up the colour than looking for the central star. The Eskimo Nebula is a new one on me so looking forward to trying that.

I've enjoyed reading reports and discussions on seeing the central star in M57. This is well beyond what my scope is capable of but I would very much like to see some planetaries with visible central stars. Could anyone recommend some good targets for smaller scopes please? My scope is 130mm aperture. I'm happy to go for some challenging targets