orions_boot

Thanks for corroborating the objects I have seen. CZ21 isn't in my sky atlas or on Stellarium. I have tried to look on the internet but there isn't much data. It was right at the limit of my vision, considerably fainter than M38. What I saw was a pretty decent circle of brighter stars and some faint fuzz which is not too far away from this https://webda.physics.muni.cz/cgi-bin/ocl_page.cgi?dirname=cz21

Put in a 2hour session tonight hoping to straddle midnight when apparently it should be darker due to no street lamps (didn't seem to change). Unfortunately in the distance there is some kind of industrial area working in to the night and lower half of the sky looks like the sun is still setting. Used a 10" bresser dob and Hyperion zoom mk 4, supplemented with Oiii filter. This is the first time I have only used the zoom EP as usually would use a 35mm to help find things. All I can see is my method of finding objects must be improving as I was certain every time I got a hit and it didn't take me all that long either. Sometimes I can't work out if I have seen something or not but tonight it was easy to say yes. And I even discovered some things not in my book. I have tried Auriga with binoculars in the past but had no luck with anything. Lined up on the mag 2.6 at the bottom left of Auriga and headed right about 8deg and down a bit. M37 - Appeared to me as vast number of mostly blue stars dotted with yellow ones. The central yellow star was clearly visible. I tried a bit of zooming out but all it seemed to do was darken everything. I then basically went up about the same distance as I went along. M36 - Pinwheel shape was obvious made up of mostly blue stars. It gave me thoughts of a star fish. NGC1907 - not in my book but found it before M38. This was similar to a square of many faint stars. M38 - Pi shape not obvious to me. It reminded me of a silhouette of a flower About 1deg to the right I I found a very faint object that looked like it could have been a globular cluster when zoomed in. There is nothing there according to the catalogues. I then stuck the Oiii filter in and obviously stopped at M42. I can see the central concentration of the nebula with 'lobes' extending outwards along the side closest to the trapezium. The northern 'lobe' seems to extend about 1deg away from the trapezium compared to the southern 'lobe' which doesn't go as far. Then hopped over to Gemini with the filter still in. NGC 2392 stood out from the background but couldn't gain much from zooming in. Ultimately it was a ghostly orb pale blue in colour through the filter. I then headed for NGC 2261 using a star hop from Alhena to a 3.4 mag below it, hit the Christmas tree and panned a bit down and right. The nebula again was quite small but stood out initially as a smokey patch as they always do. On closer inspection it looked like a comet. On the north a more rounded shape and the south to a diffused triangle.

Thanks for all the input. So certainly I haven't seen the galaxy. However what ever it is I am looking at is interesting in its self due to the shape, colours and placements of stars. I will keep looking at it anyway.

Thanks for this as it triggered me to work out how to do the same and I have attached a picture exactly of what I am seeing. Just some kind of asterism then unhelpfully in exactly the same place? 😆

I may have misled you. It wasn't distinct as in no nebulosity. I was looking at stars only. Based on what you have all said I am even more confused. I have looked at some photos on here such as: Look in the image off centre left and downwards and there is a pattern of stars in a Y shape. That looks like what I have seen. It is also confusing if I am looking at a ring of stars and then some stars following paths of arms but the consensus is I can only see stars in the Milky Way. I am definitely looking at the right area (it is not Andromeda) based on star maps and repeated viewings with both telescope and binocular (a faint ring of stars only). So if it is not M33 could anyone suggest what it could be that is in that area with a Y shape of stars surrounded by a ring of other stars and some arm shaped groups of stars coming out of it 🥵

I have recently started using my telescope and believe a couple of times I have seen Triangulum Galaxy. However I am now doubting my self because the sketches I find are not commensurate with what I have seen. However I think it highly unlikely I am looking at anything which would have this structure. Using a 2" 35mm EP on 10" dob the galaxy fills the view. I cannot see any nebulosity but I have light pollution even late at night i.e. now. Bearing in mind I am describing this from a newtonian view it is not the right way around. The very centre is dark expect for a number of bright stars making a Y shape. This is surrounded by a large circle of many stars. From the north (bottom) extends a long arm of stars and at the tip a nebulous region of fainter stars. There is a more fragmented arm shape to the east (left side) with one or two red/orange stars. Around the top of the circle (south) is one star which is particularly bright. If I zoom in to the centre there is still no obvious central bright area, just the Y shape. Does this sound about right?

That is my concern for you - spending twice to get to what you want. I think you can summarise the options as follows: 1) find something quite quickly and find multiple things in a short time, and see them to some extent 2) find a few things a bit slower but seem them in higher detail. I know I can only speak for my self but it is not as difficult as it may seem to find things. Sky at Night Magazine have a 'deep sky tour' every month with a blown up star chart and all sorts of details. That is one example of an easy to use set of directions.

I am not a bresser sales person but I can say yes you are right. In the few nights I have used (total about 3-4 hrs) I clocked up 7 Messier objects and 2 NGC objects some of which I spent a long time looking at switching eye pieces and filters. It is really easy to move the scope around and follow the object. Do you want a goto for efficiency or because you think it would be difficult to find things? But someone else is right you do need to spend extra almost straight off the bat on at least one more eye piece for zoomed views. Desirables but not needed include a new finder scope and a quickfinder. One option is if you are going to buy a scope with cheaper eye pieces included, buy the slightly better scope and spend £20-£30 on the eye piece you would have got with the cheaper scope. Then you have a better scope but it will be limited by the eye piece. Unfortunately its like everything where I think you get what you pay for. You can buy cheaper in the short term and upgrade but then it costs more in the end.

I have just got my first scope after 20 years when I used a plastic something from Argos when I was a kid. I looked at goto and none goto. The goto stuff is expensive and seem to be paying for the electronics and losing out on the optics unless you spend £1000+. Part of the interest for me and could also be for you, is planning/studying/executing an observation. Researching maps and how to navigate to the object you want. I think I would lose half my fun if I dialled in to a computer and then just had a look but it is probably more efficient. I don't know half as much as most people here know and cannot compare equipment. I can only recommend the scope I have bought https://www.bresseruk.com/bresser-messier-10-dobsonian-telescope.html at around £535 it is almost in your budget but only comes with 1x 25mm eye piece. Based on my research cheaper scopes come with more stuff which is often rubbish anyway. It seems to pay to spend all of the money on the scope and buy the stuff you want after. Scope plus base is 36kg. Took me 1 hour to put together and 10 minutes to setup the finder and check collimation. The tube very easily lifts off so you can move both parts separate. Like I say I don't know about any other scopes but that same day I was looking at Saturn and the rings (separated from the planet) and then polar ice cap on Mars. Given how small and far away these things but how clearly I could see them suggests the equipment is pretty good.

Second this and recommend it for the person who is disappointed. Lyra is a good one to plan your own trip around and was my first proper planned trip the other night. It is easier if you have a printed chart I think otherwise you could probably plot it out on a piece of paper as it is so small and easy. https://theskylive.com/sky/constellations/lyra-constellation I will gift you my plan: Epsilon Lyrae and try split each double again or not, up to you. Go to Vega then track down to Beta Lyrae and check you're there by seeing it is another double. Scan left along a straight line and you will see the smudge of M57 (ring neb). Zoom in as much as you can. Then continue left and down towards the bottom star of Cygnus - Albireo. ON the way you should find another faint smudge M56 (glob cluster). Bobs your uncle. It is quite easy to identify exactly what you have seen because there is nothing else there to confuse things with. Assuming you are still working out what to do and how to move things that it is about an hours work in my experience. Another one with loads of stuff possibly a step up from Lyra in difficult is https://theskylive.com/sky/constellations/cassiopeia-constellation I had a go but struggled because there is so much stuff I can't tell whats what except for NGC 457.

Looked exactly E.T. ! I can't wait to look again. Thanks for all input including this which summarises it all. ON reflection it was heavily light polluted and thinking back a week when it was dark I didn't see this shadow. Thanks for commenting on my report. I don't have much else to contribute to this community as I don't know enough but at the least I can submit reports, and it helps me log what I have seen and complete my research

Last week I received the 10" Bresser dob and since then I have basically been messing around with it when the sky was clear. Trying to learn how the view matched the finders, which way to move what and by how much. The last few nights I had a good look at Mars and Saturn as reported elsewhere. Not that it fits in with this report but I have seen the southern polar cap on Mars at x360 mag and Saturn clearly separated from its rings. Last night I devised a plan for tonight around Lyra given that it is quite small and in a good position for me in a dark patch and not directly above me. I started at Epsilon Lyrae however I didn't split them again, I was mainly orientating my self form Vega. This was split in 10x50s already and at 35mm in the scope I didn't get much from it. I then tracked down to Beta Lyrae and found that double to check I was on track as this was barely naked eye visible. From there I scanned across with the 35mm Aero and found a faint smudge of M57. After trying multiple times to change EP without moving the scope I got the zoom in. Despite the masses of light pollution and reflecting from lower clouds I found clearly make out the ring as a grey circle and dark centre. Zooming in didn't doo much except make it more blurred. I tried an oiii filter and possibly the contrast increased but didn't make the difference it does to M42. I then went for M56 switching to the 35mm. Sure enough I found it again incredibly faint more like looking at Andromeda core through binoculars. I then tried to switch for the zoom and the scope moved 2mm too far and I never found it again. I had a look around Cygnus for M29. Book says it is 'a few bright stars in a rich field'. I was sure I had seen it but having looked at some sketches the shape is a bit different. I then moved to Cassiopeia as this was now darker and and in a better position. Overall I struggled given how close some of the things are to each other. NGC 663 I am happy with. Two 'clouds' of stars separated by space albeit fairly faint there was certainly 30-40 stars visible. NGC654 not convinced I found it. M103 I saw as a bright red star and blue stars in a line and didn't realise that was it until I looked at some pictures later. I will be revisiting that with a zoom as it fairly bright for me. NGC457 was excellent even the wife was impressed and most of the time she can't even see what I am looking at. Two big bright eyes and very obvious arms and legs. Can't count how many stars. If anyone has read as far as this and is still learning like me then the learning is 1) start wide 2) find a way to change EP without the scope moving 3) I don't know what I am looking at so when planning a session have a look at some sketches first 4) for some reason I can see the secondary mirror shadows in the 35mm EP so have contacted supplier for advice 5) quick finder outer ring view is almost the same as the 35mm field of view.

@HollyHound have you had much observing time yet? This morning I tried out the sun filter and could see the current major sunspot 2781 using the included plossl. This evening I had mars upto 360x mag making out the ice cap which is simply amazing. This is with the Hyperion zoom and Barlow. I am using the Rigel quick finder which is taking some getting used to how it correlates to the EP view. Managed to find M33 which looked best in the Aero 35mm and didn't gain anything from zooming in. I then spent 30 mins trying to find andromeda before my back gave in. Couldn't even find it with binoculars which is unusual so not sure whats going on.

Had clear sky from 1930hrs onwards albeit a lot of mist lower down and smoke from fireworks. Seeing however had no issues with. Got the magnification around ~360x and could make out the Southern ice cap plus all the darker detail along the equator. I won't give the proper name as despite looking at the map I'm still not sure.

Thanks both, all fixed.

I couldn't believe it having only used binoculars and not touched a telescope for 20 years when I got one for £60 from Argos. The trapezium was crystal clear. Also stuck an oiii filter in and the nebula extended out even further. I am amazed something like that can separate out the trapezium so clearly when you think how far away and bright that core of stars is.

I hope someone can please help identify where I am going wrong. I have the Hyperion zoom and associated Barlow. The zoom EP works. The Barlow works when attached to a plossl. When I put the Barlow on the zoom all I see is black, and eventually moving the scope toward a light source (i.e. a planet) I find a reflection of the secondary mirror and spider veins. I have the 2" focus extender tube installed on the scope and using the zoom in 2" mode with the Barlow screwed in the bottom. I have read the instruction manual but there is no troubleshooting and the picture of the setup looks the same as the manual.

I am using the extension tube and as I say the Barlow works with the plossl so I don't understand it.

Since I got my bresser at the same time as @HollyHound I thought I might as well contribute to the obs reports than start a new one today. Last night I got the whole thing unpacked and setup in the hour. Today I spent some time trying to align the finder scope. It doesn't seem to stay exactly in place and I am sure it has moved since then. Tonight there was a clear hour to use before it got cloudy. I got the setup outside and aimed at Jupiter in 10 minutes. Thanks to where I keep it the tube is already pretty cold. As I was just really mucking around to see how it works I went from one thing to another also because I was so excited. I stuck in a Hyperion Zoom and went hell for leather on Jupiter. At the widest zoom it was a bright disk and faint colour and all the moons visible. As I got down to 8mm I could see colour banding in the brief seconds when the haze would stop. I then whizzed to Saturn with the same setup and immediately got the rings separated from the planet. I actually stayed here for quite a bit and eventually could see different shades of yellow bands. Even the wife was impressed. Mars was a bright red disk with elements of dark shading along the middle. I then stuck the Hyperion Barlow in and this is where the problem started. Through the zoom all I got was blackness and the only light aspect was the reflection of the secondary mirror and veins (?) To check the Barlow worked I stuck it in with the 25mm plossl and went back to Saturn. Very crystal clear image so the whole thing does work. Another 10 minutes staring at Saturn then it clouded over again. I am going out again after midnight and studying Orion. Perhaps someone can advise: When I use the Barlow on the zoom why can I only see what I think is the secondary mirror and nothing else?

Where did you get the castors from and how easy to install? I thought putting a bolt through might interfere with the rotation.

Put it all together and everything is in order. Used a collimation cap to make a tiny adjustment and everything was done within the hour.

All mine has arrived not got it out yet but its here

The box weight is 36kg

This is what I ordered and will wait to see how it is. Thanks for all the replies which were more than I anticipated. The polls are closed the votes are cast and the winner is option 2 being first past the post. My internal storage at the back door is right next to a massive radiator so that could negate some of the benefits mentioned. I will give option 2 a whirl and get the wife to knock up a massive cover I can use. I am quite sure the outhouse is not damp at all. I keep all sorts of electrical etc in there for years without a problem. Air does not feel humid, nothing is damp and there is a draft through the roof pulled from around the door.

I have been told mine should ship today (4th) and still showing as in progress on my account. I am rather impressed on how accurate the shipping forecast was over a 2 month period. I am jealous however you will have yours 1 day early. 😁 @FLO please don't forget me. I take if I have two orders both linked together on the account everything should come at once assuming you have everything? For example there is a second order I made a week after the scope order which has all the lenses I wanted.