Crab nebula??

[rory]

interesting thread guys. i thought i just about saw this two nights ago, but i ended up not adding it to my "messier's seen" list, due to being so unsure if i actually saw anything at all.

but reading this thread,makes me think i probably did.

90mm refractor at x31, in moderate town l/p. i could (with perifial vision) see a very slightly different shade of grey on a grey background. but couldnt manage any shape.

shall try again next available clear night.

[RikM]

a very slightly different shade of grey on a grey background.

Sounds about right.

[Peter Drew]

And to think that this was the first on Messiers list, you wonder why he carried on! bet he was glad to bag M42 and the like.

[cs1cjc]

I would endorse the requirement for transparent dark skies. I have struggled with it here in Derbyshire with my 200mm newt, but under a good clear sky with no moon in rural France, it was clearly visible in my 70mm refractor, somewhat mottled and with a surprisingly sharp edge.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I was sure i had imaged it once, but so many people told me that my image was a very very blurred/distorted image of Mars or a star that they couldnt all be wrong.

[andrew63]

This is a fair guide what you are looking at - but note location is in the Negev Desert!

From a reasonable site, imagine turning the contrast down a bit so the image is more diffuse against the sky.

http://www.deepskywatch.com/images/sketches/M1-Crab-Nebula-Sketch.jpg

andrew

[Quatermass]

This was my first shot of it too give you an idea of what you see its was still worth finding though.

[rory]

hey quatermass, thanks for the image. can see a crab resemblance in that.

im pretty sure i had it now, but will confirm on next clear night. might even drive out into the countryside a little (might help)

[Quatermass]

I would like to see it in a big dob scope. Finding new things in the sky is allways a thrill.

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[assasincz]

I have successfully observed M1 through my 4.5" newtonian. It was obvious and rather bright, even in a fairly light polluted part of the sky that it was at the night.

The shape became prominently aparent after a bit of careful observation, but it was there - sketch I have made proved it.

However, I have to point out, that starhopping to it from theta Tau was rather confusing.

Couple of times, I have ended up on the wrong place and thought that M1 would be too dim for me to see. Only after triple-checking the relative positions of the stars I starhopped through did I found that I was hopping in a wrong direction. There are a couple of square shaped patterns similar in shape, but not in size, that got me confused enough. However, after I have finally found the M1, it was impossible to miss it afterwards and I was rather chuffed that it was within my scope's reach

[rory]

I would like to see it in a big dob scope. Finding new things in the sky is allways a thrill.

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yes indeedy. thats why im suffering with apeture fever. i plan on getting an 200p skyliner( just as soon as i can talk the good lady round).... by then i'll probably want a 10"

got to say though ive not seen an image that resembled a crab until that one of yours,

[rory]

okay, my son and myself have hunted m1 down again just now,after letting our eyes adapt for around 30 minutes, i can most certainly see it ,but really very difficult. averted vision only ,and even so it so faint its almost not there. i know im in the right spot . i studied star patterns on stellarium and atlas before hand ,and double checked. not something i think ill revisit to often if im honest. although no doubt ill give it a go once the apeture grows.

[JonnyP]

okay, my son and myself have hunted m1 down again just now,after letting our eyes adapt for around 30 minutes, i can most certainly see it ,but really very difficult. averted vision only ,and even so it so faint its almost not there. i know im in the right spot . i studied star patterns on stellarium and atlas before hand ,and double checked. not something i think ill revisit to often if im honest. although no doubt ill give it a go once the apeture grows.

I managed to find M1 last night - pretty quickly as it turned out - but your description is almost spot on, Rory.

So faint it looked like grease on the EP or a suggestion of wispy cloud. No hint of looking like a crab!

[John]

I observed the Crab last night with my 120ED refractor. I'd describe it as an ill-defined potato shape with ragged edges and brighter areas towards the central portions. Easy to overlook until you have found it, when it stands out reasonably well. Adding a bit more magnification to darken the background sky helps as does a UHC or O-III filter though I did not use a filter last night.

[Macavity]

I now REALLY want to have another "go at it", next clear night. I seemed to be getting hints of "structure" with VIDEO astronomy. But one always has to be wary of over-processing, introducing artifacts, not really there...

I had previously looked (rarely / never seen?) it as an object, devoid of interest, but now...

[andrew63]

I had a quick peep last night with my 4" refractor - very insignificant smudge about the size of a small finger nail - nothing much especially having just looked at the 3 glorious messier clusters in auriga!

andrew

[acey]

All DSOs are best seen at a dark site but my first view of the Crab was with an 8" dob in my light-polluted back garden, limiting mag 4.5. Small, dim smudge.

It gets its name from Lord Rosse whose published drawing (made with the 72" Leviathan) resembled the body of a spider crab. He later disowned the drawing as being unrepresentative of the nebula's true appearance. Even at a dark site there's very little structure to be seen.

[Quatermass]

I'm not sure there's anything that looks like a crab in it but it was fun finding it and getting a shot of it. All those things out there are like chocolates in a choc box you never quite now what flavour your going to get do you? This one was like a hard toffee compared to the horse head nebula.