I just discovered a galaxy. Where do I get my award?

[the lemming]

Tonight has been my second outing with my sexy new Herritage 130p telescope. Earlier I played with it on some yorkshire hill top after freezing my proverbials off while my mates were climbing above Todmorden. But as always the viewing was better in my Lancashire back garden with more light pollution than you can shake a stick at.

Jupiter was super dooper and obviously the show stopper that it should be. But the highlight of my evening was spotting Andromeda from my garden. This was no small feat considering that I was surrounded by inconsiderate kitchen lights flooding my garden from all angles.

I learnt a valuable lesson, which was how was the 2x Barlow wasn't the way to go when going in blind with bright lights all around. I have wanted to see this for years and even though I saw a faint smudge from an artists 2B pencil, I discovered a galaxy.

Yay for me.

So, boys and girls, what should I pick for my next target?

Please make it achievable from a garden with limited sight of the skys and shed loads of light from neighbour's houses.

[gkec]

Tonight has been my second outing with my sexy new Herritage 130p telescope. Earlier I played with it on some yorkshire hill top after freezing my proverbials off while my mates were climbing above Todmorden. But as always the viewing was better in my Lancashire back garden with more light pollution than you can shake a stick at.

Jupiter was super dooper and obviously the show stopper that it should be. But the highlight of my evening was spotting Andromeda from my garden. This was no small feat considering that I was surrounded by inconsiderate kitchen lights flooding my garden from all angles.

I learnt a valuable lesson, which was how was the 2x Barlow wasn't the way to go when going in blind with bright lights all around. I have wanted to see this for years and even though I saw a faint smudge from an artists 2B pencil, I discovered a galaxy.

Yay for me.

So, boys and girls, what should I pick for my next target?

Please make it achievable from a garden with limited sight of the skys and shed loads of light from neighbour's houses.

M42 in Orion is an obvious choice and easier than M32.

[Lee M]

You have my sympathies. I'm in a similar position. I was wondering last night whether I should try to put up some screens 'windbreak' style just to get rid of the dazzle and allow my eyes to acclimatize a bit more.

[Dude_with_the_tube]

gratz on your achievement mate.i agree with gcek,go for Orion Nebula next.Should be easy to get from your back garden and will give you stunning views.

Clear skies!

[Double Kick Drum]

Congratulations on bagging your first galaxy.

The next obvious target is M42 / M43, the great nebula in Orion.

I would also go back to M31 in Andromeda. It has two companion galaxies, one of which (M32) is bright and small.

Another great target is the open cluster M35 in Gemini. It is one of the finest in the winter sky and has a smaller, feinter open cluster nearby (namely NGC 2158).

Two more galaxies to try for later in the evening are M81 and M82 in the same field of view in Ursa Major. These may appear quite feint, given you LP problem.

Happy hunting!

[rory]

congrats. the targets suggested above by double kick drum are ideal follow ups.

clear skies.

[allcart]

You have my sympathies. I'm in a similar position. I was wondering last night whether I should try to put up some screens 'windbreak' style just to get rid of the dazzle and allow my eyes to acclimatize a bit more.

Thats what I do to shut out the light form my garden. I made three 7' x 3' screens from plumbers pipe and covered them with black cloth. I joined them together with some wall fittings that hold the central heating pipes to the wall so that they can fold away when not in use. Its looks very much like an old fashioned hospital screen that goes aroung the beds.

Its light and very effective.

[stevetynant]

Well done and congratulations what a buzz it is for the first time- with loads more to come. Nothing more to add to the above for the time being I think DKD has probably nailed it.

[OneEyedSam]

Try for m81 and m82 a close pair of galaxies not far from the plough.

[Astro Imp]

Well done, a great start to your journey in this hobby.

Have you looked at M45 in your scope? Another show stopper that is easy to find and looks good under less than perfect conditions.

[coulthamst]

If you haven't already done so, buy a copy of "Turn Left at Orion" (the most recent edition). Its available cheaply on Amazon, and is the most frequently recommended guide to what objects can be found in the night sky, and, more importantly, how to find them.

[mdstuart]

Also try castor the bright star at high power. It's a lovely close double star..it's the top star of two bright ones to the left of Orion.

mark s

[northwalesparry]

well done ,im having trouble finding andromeda but saw orion nebula last night for the first time amazing

[saturn4me]

Well done!

Keep looking up and exploring!

[Obi Wan Ken00bi]

well done ,im having trouble finding andromeda but saw orion nebula last night for the first time amazing

Hehe same here:) was amazing. As mentioned before, also take a look at m45, with a low magnification its sublime!

[nicks90]

yep m45 is absolutely gorgeous and by far the easiest thing to see up there, and you can literally spend hours teasing out additional stars from that cluster. In my newt, x30mag gets the whole thing in the FOV and it is amazing!

Castor is a good one to try and split, as are several other doubles - plus light pollution isnt such an issue for splitting doubles - but it is for seeing fuzzies!