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Your object nemesis?


Mike73

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Just back from my local dark site, sky conditions were poor and I have things to do tomorrow so I knocked it on the head early.

One of the objects I tried to view was NGC 6802 which is an open cluster literally right next to the Collinder 399 (The Coathanger), its the second time I've attempted to see it but once again I just couldn't pick it out, it should be a very easy find but for some reason it beat me again!

I'm not too bothered because I know at some point it will be mine.  :evil:

So what has been your trickiest object to find? Has anything really frustrated you to the point of giving up on it??

Just curious. :)

(GOTO'ers move along please nothing to see here.  :grin:  :police: )

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I have always found M33 both tricky to find as well as rather underwhelming when viewed from my back garden in the 10". However, now armed with the new big Dob and a week in Exmoor, I was amazed at how easy it was to pick out and the good views I got. I should have a go with the 10" from a dark site sometime for comparison purposes. Even from by back garden, I'm amazed the difference in viewing conditions make as to whether you can find an object or not. And if you find it, how good it is.

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I'm finding nebulae that respond to H-Beta filters very difficult to see from my garden, where I do 99% of my viewing. I've got a couple of excellent H-Beta filters but so far objects such as the Cocoon Nebula and the Flame and Horse Head Nebulae have eluded me. I realise that they are difficult objects though so I'm not too downhearted :smiley:

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Most objects become my Nemesis under the light pollution - M33 I wouldn't even attempt, or M101, or any other of those large, low surface brightness galaxies. In fact galaxies in general tend to be ones to avoid. I kind of want to have a go at M74, but I already know it'll be pushing it.

A lot of my old foes I have managed to find - M1, M27, M57 - all of them proved too tricky as a teen. Age and experience has led me to find all of them. That and a copy of Turn Left at Orion!

No... my nemesis is a nebula. Ever since I found out that there was a North America Nebula I've wanted to witness it in my telescope and failed. Even when set up outside a Yurt on Exmoor I managed to see a lot of stars, Deneb, and not much else. Bear in mind that on that occasion I saw M110, M72 and M33 for the first time, but NGC7000 fails me to this day.

DD

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There are loads of things I've not yet got around to seeing, but of the things I regularly try to find, M33 is a real pain. Struggled to see anying of it at all during the first year I took up this hobby. Even now I struggle, in part due to the skies I have, but also I'm sure it hides! I've also yet to see the companion to Sirius, something I look for whenever I'm out and Sirius is visible - I know this is tough one, so not downhearted about that yet :).

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The low surface brightness objects do pose somewhat of a challenge. That's one reason I decided to improve my chance by getting a bigger scope. It doesn't do away with the woes of light pollution, but on the times I can get to a really dark sky site, it does indeed do the business.

Another advantage when looking for an object is to have seen it previously. M1 from my back garden is visible, but rather dismissal and underwhelming. Go to a dark sky site and it's a different game altogether. Nebulas are the same too. There are lots on my list that to date I've not seen from home, but it's always worth that look see just in case.

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Lately it has been M74, I believe this is a bit challenging from suburban skies and the way my roof and other surrounding houses and LP are located leaves a specific time window for which it should be best, but the way the skies were last night I believe I can possibly bag it, but it was out of view anyway by that time, but having seen several other objects of similar surface brightness at a similar zenith angle in the sky, I am now reinvigorated it may not be out of the question.  I realised that several times I was looking at the slightly wrong spot, when I looked for it before it was more of an off-chance effort thinking I knew where it was, but I had the slightly wrong location. Now I am prepared as to the exact location.  I will need a helping hand with good skies if I am going to bag it from my suburban yard though, but I think it may be just be doable one day. 

Now it would probably be much easier if I just took a drive out of town and try there next time :smiley:

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M33 was one of the first DSOs I spotted from the patio. I was looking at it again last night with the bins and then the TAL - easy from the back garden. M101 eluded me for ages though, but I managed to see it once back in January.

My current nemesis is M74 - I just can't see the little blighter! I actually got a bit down-hearted last spring with the Virgo galaxies as well - there are just so many of them I could never be sure which ones I'd seen so in the end I gave up. I still haven't fully recovered my enthusiasm for DSOs after that experience!

Also, moving away from DSOs - Uranus has been in roughly the same position for years but I still can't tell wether I've seen it or not...

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(GOTO'ers move along please nothing to see here.  :grin:  :police: )

LOL. Bodes always gets me in a pickle sometimes taking 10min to find! i use to be pretty handy with the telrad on the 16" LB but since im just back into visual my telradding skills have slipped away.but the one that has evaded me is the glob in LYNX NGC2419 i was trying for 20mins the other night and NADA ! ive lost count how many times ive tried to get this

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Biggest frustration for me was years ago at my clubs dark site. One of our members had his 20" Dob aimed at the Horsehead Neb in Orion, using the proper filter. He called over "got the Horsehead ! "  Two of us trotted over for a view. The second viewer spotted it after a description of exactly where to look.  I was next up, and despite multiple tries, I was unsuccessful.

GUTTED was an understatement..........

Regards, Ed.

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Most of the difficult objects  are very low down about -30 degrees Dec. However, there are a few objects that I have not been able to see in the Herschel 400 list. NGC  6118 has been a problem for several years. The other problem galaxy was NGC 3912 in Leo but thanks to Luke and Sarah with their 16" Dob at SGL8 I was able to see it.

In Steve O'Meare's Hidden Treasurers book I cannot detect the Nebula NGC 2163 in Monoceros - maybe this winter!!!

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Lots of things I can't see from home on the outskirts of London. With a 10 inch reflector M51 is totally invisible, I know I was in the right place as I photographed it! Likewise the Leo Triplet of galaxies. I have managed to see the Blue Snowball Nebula, and M81 and M82 galaxies, for example. But most galaxies are problematical. That is why I started imaging, at least I can see the objects in photos I have taken!

David

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Lots of nebulas, Rosette, Hubble's variable, North American and many others. I can never see M78, but most recently I've been trying to see the Inter Galactic Wanderer. I was hopeful last night as I could see NGC 1501 which had been proving illusive, but alas I still couldn't see NGC 2419 .

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Uranus for me also. Not sure if I have seen it and just mistaken it for another star. Can't imagine it would look too big even in my 8mm EP. I'm pretty sure I've been looking in the right area. I've not even tried for Mars yet. Finally beat my arch enemy (M1) a few weeks ago though, so pretty pleased there.

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Uranus for me also. Not sure if I have seen it and just mistaken it for another star. Can't imagine it would look too big even in my 8mm EP. I'm pretty sure I've been looking in the right area. I've not even tried for Mars yet. Finally beat my arch enemy (M1) a few weeks ago though, so pretty pleased there.

Once you have seen it you'll know, it is easily seen as a disc with a blueish tint, not at all star like at high mag. In the finder also the neigbouring stars make it quite a distinctive pattern and it is not hugely tricky to hop to but need to really plan the hop. It has been a while now  since I last gave it a go, but it is well worth it. With high mag and that pitch dark background and subtle colour tone you can really appreciate it as a planet at around 200 times, your 8mm should be enough to see that I think. I was really taken aback when I saw it first time, for something so small seemingly there seemed to be so much to take in. :smiley:  

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The Crab for me - whilst it's easy enough to find, I've never been able to tease any detail out of it, and it's just a bit too small. Shame, cos it's a great object!

It's a bit better with a uhc filter, still faint but more obvious, but I suppose it's amazing we can see it at all as it's the remains of an explosion 1000 years ago.

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It's a bit better with a uhc filter, still faint but more obvious, 

From mid Wales I doubt a UHC will make any difference tbh, the darker the skies the less need there is for filters.

Completely agree though its a cracking objects, just drives you mad when you are trying to spot any detail. :)

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It's a bit better with a uhc filter, still faint but more obvious, but I suppose it's amazing we can see it at all as it's the remains of an explosion 1000 years ago.

The intergalactic rice grain I call it, but then my 'scope is small and my skies are far from dark. Being able to see it at all is a miracle...

DD

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