Unable to find anything

[johntrob]

Astro luke, try solar viewing as well. It is easier to find a star of "that" magintude. Of course, my first shot at it looked like I was chasing a crippled duck around the pond.

[AstroLuke]

But then i need a filter as well yes?

[pvaz]

Exactly what made you think that you could take a dob out for the first time and point at anything and have it in the field of view?

Expect a 2-3 month lerning curve.

It's normal.

Bet no one told you that.

Hum... I got andromeda galaxy, M13 and M27 on my 1st night out. The beggining is a bit hard, it takes patience but 2-3 months I had about half the Messiers and 50 or so Herschell's 400 objects checked.

1st of all be prepared.

1) Align you finder scope.

2) If you can, buy a telrad finder and mount it side by side with the optical finder. (The Telrad is the most essential addon I ever bought)

3) Print some charts and get a red light torch (this are the ones I used to complete the Messier list in under a year. I was a complete noob when I started, the only constellation I could identify was Ursa Major.)

4) Install stellarium. Learn to identify the major constellations (turn labels/lines off to practice).

When Outside:

1) identify a major constellation and get the chart containing it.

2) star hop naked eye to the closest visible star, take your time this is probably the most important step.

3) Use the telrad finder to get that star in the FoV

4) Adjust the scope to the right place, 1st by matching the 3 telrad circles to the close by visible stars (check the 25mm EP to see if you got it already). 2nd If the object isn't in the FoV just by using the telrad, sweep around gently with the 25mm EP or using the optical finder. You can also use a star atlas to get the non visible stars around the target. This stars will show in the optical finder so you can use the star patterns to pinpoint the object with accuracy instead of sweeping around.

You can do well without the telrad but the initial alignment is much harder and it should take you considerably longer as you'll have to sweep larger areas.

[cotterless45]

200p is a superb bit of kit. You'll need to get your eye in and get used to finding fuzzy bits that aren't stars.Try aveted vision\moving the fov around to see if your fuzz is there. You'll find seeing conditions vary a lot.

Ditch the finder and get a Telrad and print of some charts, simples!

MSAS: Messier Finder Charts

Here's a few considered viewable from light polluted skies;

M81,M82,M3,M64,M53,M51,M94.