Help to start observing

[Oat]

Hi Folks

I have a skywatcher 200dob and need to start using it (properly). I have read several books, and have a copy of turn left at orion. The issue I have is that reading a book in the dark isn't easy and i'm finding it very difficult to find my way around the sky and find any interesting sites - i know only a few constellations. I have a red torch and planisphere but it amazing how even the slightest light ruins your night vision.

So how can i begin to enjoy the view my 200dob is no doubt easy to reach?

I am in North Oxfordshire so thought about joining the local astro club (CNAAG), but i'm not really one to attend club meetings and talks, more i'm looking or a little guidance etc with my scope. So how am i best to proceed?

I live in a pretty good dark sky area, no street lights, just a few neighbours, great views from my garden except, lesser so in the east.

My current successful targets have been Jupiter and Saturn. And with the naked eye i really enjoyed the Perseids shower in the summer.

Thanks in advance

Tim

[Moonshane]

a dim monotone (i.e. not white) torch is more important than the colour. I prefer green as it makes maps easier to read to my eyes. three other things transformed my observing enjoyment and succes

a right angle correct image finder

a red dot finder /telrad

observing seat

[stargazerslivingroom]

I know what you mean by attending meetings and talks...The hands on approach is preferable for me. However I believe CNAAG often meet at the Rollrights...A fantastic dark sky site. If you live that close I recommend you go along. I am sure they will be able to get you going.

HTH

Steve

[dick_dangerous]

However I believe CNAAG often meet at the Rollrights...A fantastic dark sky site.

I'm so sorry - I'm having visions of pagan rituals and telescopes - sacrifising stuff to appease the god of clear skies...

The usefulness of a pair of binoculars cannot be understated - even a small pair will get you some good views of the bright objects. You can get used to the FoV around them before you have a go in a telescope. Get to know the lie of the land, or rather sky, with your planisphere and your eyes, pick out the bright stars, recognise the patterns etc.

For some quick wins (i.e. easy targets) look for:

M42 - the Orion Nebula

M31 - the Andromeda Galaxy

The Perseus Double cluster

M45 - The Pleiades

All of these are visible with the naked eye from a reasonably dark site - I can glimpse them here in London. All of them are quite large objects though so use your lowest power eyepiece to get as much in the field as possible. A good wide angle makes it dead easy to locate stuff.

Enjoy!

DD

[Schorhr]

Hello,

I am sure you will meet a few people , and even if you don't join, you'll probably meet people who go stargazing outside of the club meetings

Anyway, the Orion nebula is hard to miss, even without maps... Start with the simple things, then hχ, Andromeda, perhaps ring nebula if it's dark early, ... Just don't try to see all Objects in one night.

I know it can be frustrating with maps in the dark, I find it helpful to make a list or remember a few objects at home instead of trying to figure out what to observe in the middle of the night.

Also Stellarium can be helpful to practice and locate objects before heading out into the darkness.

Especially galaxies reveal more detail the longer you observe, so sometimes just two or three targets in one evening/night are sufficient. Of course a wide angle eyepiece helps locating and browsing the sky as well.

What I also find important is binoculars. 6x40, 10x50, 8x60... something cheap from Lidl or the discount binoculars from Bresser even. Of course a better pair of bins does not hurt, but anything over 10x is hard to hold free handed.

Locating things like M13 or Andromeda for example is easier in binoculars, especially if you have a telescope with high focal length and no ultra wide angle eyepiece.

Then you can simply try locating the Andromeda galaxy with the binoculars, so you know the region in what you'll need to point. A bit more intuitive then judging the distances on maps.

If you still can't locate a object after having found it in binoculars, slowly tilt to the left or right until you reach a brighter star you can use as guide for star hopping your way to the target in the telescope.

If I sometimes get frustrated when I can't locate an object I tried to find, I just take a deep breath, smile, rotate the telscope in a random direction and browse over the sky slowly :-)

Even that can be amazing on a clear night, and it would not be the first time I have found a random star cluster or interesting pattern that's not even documented.

My first object before owning maps I found this way was the coat hanger, and shortly after M44.

Good luck, have fun...!

[Oat]

a dim monotone (i.e. not white) torch is more important than the colour. I prefer green as it makes maps easier to read to my eyes. three other things transformed my observing enjoyment and succes

a right angle correct image finder

a red dot finder /telrad

observing seat

Thanks. Yes i probably could do with a stool or small seat. I already fitted a red dot finder and removed the finder scope that the scope came with.

I know what you mean by attending meetings and talks...The hands on approach is preferable for me. However I believe CNAAG often meet at the Rollrights...A fantastic dark sky site. If you live that close I recommend you go along. I am sure they will be able to get you going.

HTH

Steve

I may drop CNAAG an email and see what the response is. The rollrights are only 12 miles from me. Think i'll leave the meetings and talks to alcoholics....

I'm so sorry - I'm having visions of pagan rituals and telescopes - sacrifising stuff to appease the god of clear skies...

The usefulness of a pair of binoculars cannot be understated - even a small pair will get you some good views of the bright objects. You can get used to the FoV around them before you have a go in a telescope. Get to know the lie of the land, or rather sky, with your planisphere and your eyes, pick out the bright stars, recognise the patterns etc.

For some quick wins (i.e. easy targets) look for:

M42 - the Orion Nebula

M31 - the Andromeda Galaxy

The Perseus Double cluster

M45 - The Pleiades

All of these are visible with the naked eye from a reasonably dark site - I can glimpse them here in London. All of them are quite large objects though so use your lowest power eyepiece to get as much in the field as possible. A good wide angle makes it dead easy to locate stuff.

Enjoy!

DD

I have some 10-22 x 50 Nikons which are good, and a smaller pair of 10x25 nikons (less aperture but far easier to hold!). For the dob i have standard 10 and 25 eyepieces -  i will try on the objects you mention at the next opportunity.

[Paulhenry85]

The right angled finder scope and a low magnification eyepiece transformed my telescope. I found it a nightmare before to track down DSO's well worth the investment and it should get you on your way.

[Astro Imp]

Stellarium has already been mention, I find it a great help to see the relationship between one constellation and another and to see how far from a bright star the object of choice is. You can learn a lot sat at the screen when the weather is poor. FYI this is it:- http://www.stellarium.org/

The suggestion of a pair of bins is a great idea. The start of all my recent observing sessions have been with the bins and a quick look at M31, this gives a good idea what the sky is like. If I can only see a very faint smudge then looking for most DSOs is going to be a waste of time but the nights when a bright core is easily visable make it worth looking. 

As was said previously don't try and see everything at once, have a look at what is available on a particular night, make a note of three or four easy targets and be happy if you find some of these. As you progress you will gradually improve your skills, astronomy is not an instant gratification hobby but one that needs learning.

Good luck.

[houston]

Cant beat learning your way around the constellations but for the hard to find stuff setting circles work well with your dob.

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