M42-Shocked

[jetstream]

I don't really know what to say here.I got off work a bit early @ 5am and ran home to set up under a no Milky Way,clear sky.Kind of dark but not really.So my new 10'" Dob was set up,fan on & The 17mm inserted.I put the Rigels dot on the Orion nebula and took a peek through the Ethos.....I never realized how big & bright this object could be,with structure and depth showing in the cloud.I am shocked and in awe right now.I can't believe that this aperture increase provides such a stunning difference-M42 actually appeared "3-D",huge and wide-I'm waiting for clear skies to get to my dark(est) site,I think I am going to be pretty surprised all over again.I got a hint of a faint star on the bottom right of the "Trap" & am gonna see what this is with Starry Night.This scope,eventhough picked by design for DSO is showing me its capabilty in other areas too.... :grin:!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

M42 can be mind-blowing in my humble 8", especially under really dark skies. It is an object I always revisit, and never fails to impress

[Reeny]

Roll on the winter nights.

I don't mind staying up until 2 or 3am when the conditions allow good viewing.

M42 has been viewed briefly in the binoculars - but never with a scope.

Another one for the "jobs-to-do" list.

[arrayschism]

I saw M42 for the first time in a 12" dob - only ever seen it in bins before now - I know what you mean... It's quite a sight.

Likewise, I cannot wait for winter nights, with Orion at its full height.

[cotterless45]

Very beautiful nebula, try it with a UHC filter, really filamentatious !

Nick.

[John]

It's a stunning object in a low power eyepiece and a medium aperture scope - the nebulosity seems to sprawl all over the place 

E & F Trapezium should be a piece of cake with your scope. I've seen them once or twice with my 4" frac, and often with my 4.7" frac. They need some magnification and an eyepiece that minimises glare such as an ortho helps too.

[faulksy]

nice report Jetstream, I feel your excitement, we have nothing but cloud and rain here lately. things should change soon, fingers crossed. sounds like you are having a great time with your new baby, happy for you

[Reeny]

Very beautiful nebula, try it with a UHC filter, really filamentatious !

Nick.

Please bear with me here. Newbie question.

I desperately want to see nebulas - but imagined that I would need to wait for the upgrade to an 8" dob.

So I have some questions about filters I need to see nebulas, plus the full glow of the andromeda and triangulum galaxies.

Maybe it is never going to happen with a 3" scope - I don't know.

Is it worth buying an HTC filter for the 700x76mm reflector now (i.e. - will the filter work OK until I get the big-scope)

Or should I wait for the 8" light bucket before spending money on a 32mm UHC.

Or should I wait for the 8" light bucket, then consider the OIII filter.

The back garden is sheilded from the street lights - but the viewable sky is not.

At the moment I am missing a lot of the finer detail.

But I don't want to spend £40 on the wrong filter, if it's the scope I need first.

[Reeny]

For HTC - read UHC

A typo mistake, and no edit facility for me yet.

My head is spinning.

I already have a moon filter - which I must have had fitted when I saw the dark red rings of Jupiter.

Now I find out that there are:

- Light pollution filters

- H-Beta filters

- OIII blocker filters (for 8" plus)

- UHC ultra high contrast filters

Which one would be best on a 3" now, and an 8" later.

[Stu]

I would probably save your cash for the moment. Best way to see them is to get to a dark site. Galaxies don't benefit from filters; for Andromeda and Triangulum, getting under a dark sky makes a huge difference. Because they are large, often they are better seen in binoculars or a low power scope.

Something like a UHC-S (which has a wider bandpass than a UHC or OIII) may be worth trying in a 76mm scope on brighter nebulae such as M42, although you still need good dark adaptation to bring the best of it out. Ultimately though, a bigger scope will get you brighter views....

Stu

[laowho]

Reeny,

Sorry...dunno how to insert links here yet, especially on a tablet, but Google "David KniselyKnisely nebula filters" and find his 100+ object nebula filter comparo. It's a great piece of work. His recommendations, there and elsewhere, is to get the UHC if you're only gonna have one. Then add the OIII (depending on your object preferences, of course--you may opt for the OIII first if you like planetary nebulae most, for instance). Also, note that these work best at between 3x-9x per inch of aperture (low powers). If your 8" scope will have 2" focuser/EP, then you'll wanna get a 2" filter.

Cheers

[laowho]

P.s.

Just saw the article I referenced linked in the deep sky forum under the thread "Question M43?" David Knisely's compare is at the prairie astronomy group linked there.

[jetstream]

One of my best purchases is GASOLINE or whatever fuel you need...The gas gets me to places where my 3.5 inch would show a very extensive M42.In my telescopes on some nebula-m42-I use no filter most times and the views are great.....from dark skies.Drive to a dark place(if you are not in one already) and see what she will do!Also I have found that my 10" sees more through light skies than my 3.5"-so much for the idea that a small scope is less affected by the atmospheric issues,light pollution and what not.As a matter of fact I just got called to work in morning OT and that money is going to more gas. (and maybe the rest on another eyepiece,lol!)

[jetstream]

Reeny,

Sorry...dunno how to insert links here yet, especially on a tablet, but Google "David KniselyKnisely nebula filters" and find his 100+ object nebula filter comparo. It's a great piece of work. His recommendations, there and elsewhere, is to get the UHC if you're only gonna have one. Then add the OIII (depending on your object preferences, of course--you may opt for the OIII first if you like planetary nebulae most, for instance). Also, note that these work best at between 3x-9x per inch of aperture (low powers). If your 8" scope will have 2" focuser/EP, then you'll wanna get a 2" filter.

Cheers

Thanks for the link,it is very good.