Neptune & Uranus

[Sully]

Hi guys,

Can someone tell me if it will be worth looking for Neptune,Uranus or pluto with my current set up ( see sig) and if so what can I expect to see? Will they look like stars or will I be able to tell the difference?

Cheers

Sully

[LukeSkywatcher]

With 130mm scope i really would not expect to be able to catagorically say if you see them or not. They will only appear as a star with this apeture.

If your scope is Go-To and you have then in FOV they will also only look like stars but you might be better able to pinpoint them somewhere in view.

I'm just guessing.

[Sully]

No, there's no goto involved it would be purely manual. So I guess it's a case of noting surrounding " fixed" stars to identify then

[umadog]

In theory, if you're very eagle-eyed you can bag Pluto under very dark skies with a 6". In practice, though, it will probably be more likely with at least an 8" or a 10". You will need a very good finder chart for Pluto.

Neptune and Uranus are definitely within reach, though. You will need pretty good finder charts. Uranus is about 3.5 arcseconds in size right now so it should appear disk-like in a 6". Neptune may be borderline. The seeing will affect whether or not you clearly see a disk.

[cantab]

For Neptune and Uranus you can say that you've seen them, but not a lot beyond that. They're both early evening objects at the moment. Uranus is I think the easier as it's brighter and right now it's near the Circlet in Pisces. Neptune is fainter, lower to the horizon, and in what seems like the middle of nowhere; my worst LP is to the west so I haven't looked for it.

If you have a pair of decent binoculars, you may find them more easily with those, they should be quite bright enough and the wider FOV will help.

[magic612]

cantab is spot on; I've seen Uranus with binoculars - it's not difficult to spot, at around magnitude 5.8. Good finder charts help - Sky and Telescope always has good ones:

Uranus and Neptune in 2011 - Observing Highlights - SkyandTelescope.com

Neptune is a bit harder, but not too bad either. Both appear pale blue, and Uranus with enough magnification is definitely disk-like and not pinpoint like stars. Neptune, again, is a bit harder in this respect, but at 175x - 225x should be barely disk-like (as I recall). It's easier to spot by carefully comparing it to the stars in the area; look for ones that are of similar brightness (around magnitude 8). Look for patterns in these stars and compare where Neptune should be in relation to them.

A good set of 7x50 binoculars can really help you find the right star field when looking for these as well. Then when you compare the narrower, telescopic field of view, identifying them is easier.

Pluto really does need a lot of aperture, and an excellent set of charts - that's probably beyond the capability of your set up except in perhaps the darkest of dark skies.

Good luck!

[sulaco]

Hi Sully,

You'll be able to see them but they'll not be of much interest, I recently spotted Uranus but it only appears as a tiny disc of a tan colour. I found it using the 2.5x barlow and 11mm Televue plossl.

[swamp thing]

I will not add to the Neptune/Uranus comments.

Pluto at the moment is in the rich star fields of Sagittarius therefore extremely difficult To locate visually in any scope at the present time.

Regards Steve

[John]

Uranus and Neptune are not spectacular visually but that doesn't make them unworthy of hunting down, in my opinion.

Many of the objects that we view (with some obvious exceptions) look far from spectacular to be honest but when you know what you are looking at even a faint smudge or speck of light provides a unique fascination

[Sully]

Thanks do all the advice guys, will definetly search them out, will even have ago at Pluto, well there's got to be a certain amount of optimism with this hobby.

Thanks

Sully

[Double Kick Drum]

I have a similar sized scope and found Uranus for the first time a month or so ago. I used Cartes du Ciel to find it. At brighter than mag. 6 it shouldn't be too troubling.

I think Neptune sets pretty early now as it is in Capricornus. I'll probably wait until next August when it is more favourable to see.

Similar brightness to Neptune at the moment is the Asteroid Eunomia, currently in Perseus. Good maps and patience are required and admittedly it is nothing to look at but if you want a challenge...

[Dob]

Thanks do all the advice guys, will definetly search them out, will even have ago at Pluto, well there's got to be a certain amount of optimism with this hobby.

Thanks

Sully

Its a bit tough to distinguish Pluto from the other stars surrounding it.

But its worth a try anyway.

[John]

I believe the trick with Pluto is to locate the star field that you think it is in and then make a drawing of all the stars you see. Repeat this for a few nights and the movement of Pluto should become apparent.

According to Stellarium, Pluto is magnitude 14.5. The faintest I've been able to go from my back yard is around 13.5 with my 10" newtonian so I think I'll need to find darker skies to have a chance.

[umadog]

Yes, Pluto is in Sagittarius right now and so plenty of stars in the field of view. However, with a good star chart it should be quite feasible. The key is to have a very good star chart. Looking at it across multiple nights is the gold-standard, as John says. Sagittarius is now months away, so plenty of time to prepare

[Admiral Crispy]

Uranus and Neptune should be fine in your scope, both are at fairly bright magnitudes, although both are disappointing. In my Explorer 130p, Uranus was clearly a planet, but its colour was quite washed out at higher magnifications, and Neptune more so, but it never seems to get bigger at any magnification until you hit 300x. But they are good to find to say that you have done them! You will need a finder to help and some charts or program like stellarium to show the field of view.

As for Pluto, it is very unlikely you will find it in your scope unless you are in pristine skies and have very good eyes. In my 10" Dob I have barely reached magniude 14 in my magnitude 4.8ish skies, and that was fairly high up I was looking, and for only an instant in which the sky somehow dimmed and the stars seemed 10x brighter than normal. In my Explorer 130p, I have managed magnitude 12.5. (However, I have only been observing a year, so you may record fainter stars than me, as observational skills and good eye genetics are also vital!) Pluto is around magnitude 14.5 now, and at best next year, 14.1.

[Pug]

Thanks do all the advice guys, will definetly search them out, will even have ago at Pluto, well there's got to be a certain amount of optimism with this hobby.

Thanks

Sully

That's the spirit!

I usually make a list of 4 or 5 new objects to locate per session, if I find 1 of them I'm happy