Leo Galaxies M95,M96 & NGC3384 star hopper chart

[DonRemus]

Used Stellarium angle tool (help file here) to create a star hopping chart for my newtonian scope.

I intend to try this next clear night, if this helps anyone with a newtonian find these DSO's :-)

Start at Regulus using low power ep

Gary

[David Smith]

Interesting, I have just been out looking at the exact same group. I started with Rho Leonis as it is visible to the naked eye in my area so I can point the RDF at it. From there I found 53 Leonis using my widefield 32mm plossl. Then I switched to my 11mm WA and located M96 and then M95.

Good hunting.

[gravityguy]

The way I have found them is to find Chertan and get it into the very left hand edge of my view. I then bring the scope directly down (slowly) and it appears on the right edge of my view. I have found it every time using this method.

[Stargazer_00]

this is how i find it. I go from the star highlighted in this screenshot, dunno the name (i worked this one out from star atlas which has no names)

along the red line to the 3 circled stars. from the upper and left most (and also brightest) go straight up th dark blue line to an equally bright star. now just beyond half way up the dark blue line to the right is one and about the distance you have left to go up the dark blue line perpendicular out to the right until you form a triangle with the star at the end of the line, gets the second messier.

for the NGC i just plonk the finder at south west of the star at the top of the dark blue line, assuming its the centre point of the compass. probably sounds confusing but its really simple when you have it in your head, as long as you can visualise lines between stars, star hopping is quit straight forward

[DonRemus]

Interesting, I have just been out looking at the exact same group. I started with Rho Leonis as it is visible to the naked eye in my area so I can point the RDF at it. From there I found 53 Leonis using my widefield 32mm plossl. Then I switched to my 11mm WA and located M96 and then M95.

Good hunting.

Closest naked eye stars in my LP area are Chertan and Regulus :-(