Galaxies using 130p scope ?

[Moonshane]

totally agree with Martin. get to the limits of what your current scope will show and enjoy it! more aperture can come later and everything looks fresh again. there's no doubt in my mind that visual astronomy is benefitted by more aperture (as long as it's not so large that you cannot be bothered to drag it out).

[Charlie_132]

i really enjoy looking at planets, just annoying that there comes a time of year where theres hardly anything up there, seems to me that may time seems to be the best time of year

my ideal scope would be the same size as my 130p scope on a spinny top sort of thing, and very easy to store, just 200p or 250p would be ideal ... seems i cant buy one of them without a computerised finder attached to it though

[Moonshane]

buy used. you'll save lots and be able to get what you want if patient.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I would suggest a little time with your 130mm to understand what you prefer looking at. If you find that galaxies are a bit dull and you like planets, you may find you want a different scope altogether. Planets need more magnification, clusters and galaxies need light gathering aperture.

That said, dobsonians give the best light gathering bang for your buck.

Personally speaking as a galaxy junkie, my next move will be a 250mm dob!

With my 130P (Heritage) i personally have had very nice views of galaxies,planets,clusters and Nebs. Its an all rounder scope.

Different scopes do different things. My 90mm (f11) refractor gives me the best views of planets. My 70mm refractor gives me the best widefield views. My 130P Heritage gives really nice views of most things i search for (in my mind). My 200mm SCT blows the rest of my scopes out of the water.

[Charlie_132]

is there any decent second hand astronomy websites ?

im in no rush to buy a new scope, im quite happy with my 130p and still have a lot left to see with it

[LukeSkywatcher]

i really enjoy looking at planets, just annoying that there comes a time of year where theres hardly anything up there,

As i say....................."planets come and go but DSO's last forever".

Planets are great and exciting, but there is so much more out there to see.

[Moonshane]

is there any decent second hand astronomy websites ?

im in no rush to buy a new scope, im quite happy with my 130p and still have a lot left to see with it

here's one http://stargazerslounge.com/classifieds/

also http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php

[Double Kick Drum]

As i say....................."planets come and go but DSO's last forever".

Planets are great and exciting, but there is so much more out there to see.

Totally agree.

Open clusters to some look like nothing more than more densely packed areas of stars but in truth, those stars were born from the same nebula (some of which can still be seen) and can look truly stunning.

Galaxies to some are just fuzzy blobs but they are unimaginably massive and far away and what is more..... there are millions upon millions of them and I have seen just 120.

I could say the same for planetary nebulae and globular clusters, not to mention supernova remnants, quasars (billions of light years away) .....etc etc better stop now.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I personally love observing open cluster,globular clusters,nebs and galaxies. Planets really are the objects that i spend the least time observing.

[Charlie_132]

im going to have a long stargazing session tonight, ive got my atro webcam set up aswel so i might give imaging a 30min go just looking at jupiter

that will be later in the night though, my first aim is to find a few galaxies

[Aenima]

you might see this sort of thing if you are well dark adapted. the core will be less bright. note that there's M31 (main galaxy) and M32 (the faint fuzz above right) and noticing this sort of thing is what galaxy observing is about. it's rarely a jawdropping experience like some targets but challenging and exciting when you think about the implications of what you are seeing.

Hello Charlie123,

+1 to the glob. clusters.

In the picture above, that little fuzzy patch mentioned that is just visible above and to the right of the main galaxy core is pretty much the view I see in my 130p - but when looking at the actual main galaxy - this is with a x2 barlowed 10mm EP, and with moderate light pollution. It is this kind of image to look for when galaxy hunting through your 130p, though looking for DSO's isn't a waste of time, the ones to look out for are the globular clusters - M13 in hercules, M92 just above hercules, M45 pleiades, 'Double cluster' between cassiopeia and perseus (look below cassiopeia, Just visible to naked eye as two faint dots) as these are brighter than most galaxies and more clearer in the EP as to what they are.

Best of luck,

Aenima

[JamesNNicholson]

Found this thread very usefull

Thanks

[ismangil]

I'm leaning to loving globular clusters and double stars a bit more than galaxies.

Don't get me wrong galaxies are great too, especially if you have mdstuart giving you a personal tour!

On mobile (excuse the strange predictive words...)