celestron 76eq what can i see?

[the big o]

Hi,

I recently recieved a celestron 76mm reflector as a birthday present and although i've had some amazing views of the moon, what other celestial objects can i view, have had a disappointing night or 2 trying to view galaxies from a farmers field in Bala and my language can't be repeated in polite society when i viewed from my flat balcony and town lights ruined any views. Does anyone have any tips to improve my luck?

Si

[Ccolvin968]

You should be able to get some decent views of some of the brighter globular star clusters and open clusters.

Galaxies are extremely difficult in some situations to see.

Even in my 127mm scope they appear as "faint fuzzies."

Focus on some of the brighter star clusters and learn your way around the sky to make it easier to find objects.

[NGC 1502]

What can you see with a 76mm reflector ?

The answer is :-     A lot 

But you need to know that no telescope gives views like you see in many books and magazines etc, and keep the magnification down as well, maybe up to 100x or 120x max.

Apart from the moon, Jupiter Saturn Venus are all good.  Lots of double stars, clusters and the brighter galaxies can be seen with a bit of effort, and it's well worth getting away from town to a country location, best when the moon is not up for that.

The popular book "Turn Left at Orion" is full of hints and tips to get you going.

Good Luck !  Ed.

[Ccolvin968]

You will be hard pressed to run out of targets for a scope of that size.

I also should have added to look at the lesser known catalogues for objects.

I was stuck on the Messier catalogue for the longest time. Check out the NGC, the Caldwell, and some of the lesser known ones.

You will love this hobby. Try not to get frustrated. That defeats the purpose of this hobby!! :-)