Crab nebula

[MrTreyLynch]

What should M1 look like through an Orion 10 inch reflector with a 10mm eyepiece? Good dark skies here btw but it seems like the fuzziest fuzz ball in the cosmos! So dim lol

[TRNunes]

Great question! But, just so you know (and so you don't get discouraged), I have yet to even SEE it through my 'scope (fuzzy or not), and am awaiting an opportunity to visit a dark sky site to do so. Keep the faith, and clear (and dark) skies!

[MrTreyLynch]

Really!? That stinks I hate the USA but I just keep my eyes facing up. Probably the only thing we have going for us lol

[Mr Q]

I have seen the Crab in fairly dark skies with a 4" newt and years later with a 10" newt and with the 10", it looks rather small, fairly bright and with just a hint of structure details with medium power. It does need fairly dark sky to observe (limiting mag. near the zenith of at least 4th mag.) and being only one LP field from a bright star, its easy to find,

though many observers in the U.K. have trouble finding and observing it, here in the U.S. it seems a lot easier to observe for some reason.

[Saleratus]

The crab nebula is not a dramatic object visually unless you have a monster scope. It's basically a dim fuzzball.

You would think that Messier might have chosen something more dramatic to be M1.

[glowjet]

I have just recently read a revue of the new Konus Digimax 130, which included a sighting of the illusive Crab at some 300X, I have seen it described as something like a smudgy Grey thumb print

[todd8137]

it is dim but takes power rather well any LP will kill it

[glowjet]

The crab nebula is not a dramatic object visually unless you have a monster scope. It's basically a dim fuzzball.

You would think that Messier might have chosen something more dramatic to be M1.

Strangely enough this same subject cropped up in some other threads a few days ago, it would seem by all accounts that Messier may have had a different view of the Crab than we do now, as it is thought that it was many time brighter, some 200 years ago, than it is at present

[Paulb3098]

Managed to see it in February this year for the first time, using my 10" SW, best view was with a 16mm EP and LP filter. Made the note "Large fuzzy patch" but hey it's still the M1