So apart from jupiter what can I see or what should I try and look for??

[jjqpr]

OK so I've seen jupiter and the moon, and will continue to look at both as its breathtaking....I've not tried saturn yet as its too early in the AM (!) but I wondered what else I can actually see using a telescope? I know its probably a dumb question but this forum did say "no question too basic"

So i wanted some suggestions and just general advice on what it is possible to see...it seems most stuff you see is AP DSO's which are lovely but I guess you can't see them with the eye? But if say you look an andromeda, can I expect to see any sort of galaxy type shape? WHat else is there out there to see that would be a wow moment through a scope?

I have a skyliner 250px by the way and 5mm baadar, 10mm and 25mm eyepieces...so far I've not used the 25mm at all other than on the moon, as I am not sure what it'd show me as its so wide and not zoomed in so much? Am I missing a trick somewhere? What else would I see with a 25mm as I know a lot of people here say they use theirs a lot?

Thanks for any tips!

[Orange Haze]

Hi there. I've just got the same scope as U, great isn't it.

The choice of targets is mind boggling so I will say just two words.

Orion Nebula!!

Its mesmerizing. No doubt more suggestions will follow.

[jjqpr]

Hi mate, yes I love it, I've always loved space and can't wait to see more stuff...so orion nebula, could you talk me through how best to view this? i.e which of my 3 eyepieces would work best? I always think the more zoomed in the better but I'm guessing thats not the case?!

Another follow on question, the MOOON...I want another baafdar eyepiece (as I can easily attach my DSLR to them now) to get some good closeups of the moon, the 5mm is WAY too close theres no way I could get a stable shot, so what eyepiece would be good for this? I see they do a 13mm one, which sounds like it would be about right, but it gets mixed reviews... any thoughts?

[CJ77]

You should be able to see a huge variety of things through your scope, from open star clusters, to nebulae and galaxies.

A standard recommendation on here is the book Turn Left at Orion, which will give you a good range of targets to spot as well as what you can expect to see, and observing techniques. Also see Qualia's pinned post "What can I expect to see?" http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/196278-what-can-i-expect-to-see/

Basically, Andromeda is that huge that in dark sky conditions it will fill your eyepeice, and you will start to be able to discern structure with practice and time spent at the eyepiece.

For fun observing, you might want to look at some of the sky tours that magazines such as Sky at Night or Astronomy Now publish monthly - these tend to stick to a small area of the sky and guide you around.

With the aperture on your scope, you should be able to see many, many deep sky objects albeit not in the kind of vivid colours that can only be achieved through long exposure photography. However, when you think about what you are actually looking at, and the journey that the photons of light have been on to reach your eye, it is quite breathtaking.....

[jjqpr]

Thanks so much cj77 I had missed that sticky some how! I will have to subscribe to sky at night magazine too I think   So again what eyepiece would I want to use for andromeda, or other galaxies and DSO's?  just so I know what to try out there in the field

[CJ77]

I'd say personally that the lowest magnification (25mm) that you have should do for most of your observing - particularly with something as big as Andromeda, but even for planets or clusters. Once you've found what you're looking for, even if it is just a faint fuzzy, then you can try higher power to see what detail you can tease out. An example I would use is that the other weekend I was looking at M42 (The Orion Nebula) in my lowest power eyepiece (60x), before moving up to 166x to try and get the structure. However, for scanning the sky I would always start on the lowest power.

The big thing to remember with magnification is that the higher the power (smaller the focal length), you go, then more light will be lost, so the image will appear fainter, so it really is a case of trial and error to find what suits you best and what works on that night. Also, atmospheric conditions on a given night will have an impact on the limit of magnification that you can use.

Something else that I've read here is to try and sketch what you see - this will cause you to change the way you observe objects, and you may find that you see more as well. I think it really is about trying different approaches when you are new to the hobby to find what works for you!

Above all, just enjoy what you're doing. It really is magical when you see something for the first time, or split a double star for the first time, or see detail that you hadn't noticed!

As for your AP question, I'm not best placed to answer that, but plenty of others would be able to help, I'm sure.

CJ

[jjqpr]

Thank you again CJ, thats great help, wish I lived somewhere it was always dark now as I can't wait until tonight

[AndyWB]

I find the 5mm quite pushy in the 250px; I'm wondering about acquiring something around the 6-6.5mm for Jupiter. Anyway, other stuff to view. I was out the other night with my 250px in light polluted Reading and the main things I had a look at were:

M42 Orion Nebula - Yes, fantastic in the 250px, and I think low magnification is better. Try the 10 and 5 mm eyepieces to magnify the Trapezium - the group of stars in the middle of it. 4 should be quite easy, but I managed 6, just, with an 8mm EP.

M1 Crab Nebula - Very soft oval fuzzy patch, no detail but fairly obvious in 30mm, even with Reading's LP

M81/82 Bode's galaxy/Cigar galaxy - To be honest, not a great view of this pair, but it was towards the light pollution of town. I'm sure most places would be better.

NGC2392 - Eskimo Nebula - A little planetary nebula, not far from Jupiter really, in Gemini. Pretty obvious at low magnification, and the 10mm would probably be good for it - I used a 12mm for most of my viewing of it. A nice circular nebula around a central star. Couldn't see any structure/detail to it.

Other things that are up and good at the moment:

Open cluster M45 the Pleiades - though to be honest, this is a bit too big for the 250px, even at lowest magnification. Still, it's worth a look, even if it doesn't fit in one field of view.

The Double Cluster in Perseus

Open clusters M36-M38 in Auriga

Open cluster M35 in Gemini

Later in the evening, open clusters  M44 and M67 in Cancer

You might find http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html useful.

[jjqpr]

Wow thanks AndyWB! I kept meaning to by a sky chart/map but thats even better, and thanks for the list of things to look out for, really can't wait to get back out now, lets hope for a clear sky tonight!!!

[Robbo AR]

I've just started observing and I can heartily recommend 'Turn Left at Orion' 

I'ts like it's been written with us newbies in mind, the charts are clear , directions are good and they even show a sketch of what you should be looking for too.

[jjqpr]

Thanks Robbo, I've ordered both books that are commonly mentioned here now!

[itmo]

Basically with your scope you can pick almost any messier list object unless you are in a very light polluted area. Start with bright objects like planetaries, clusters and m42 , then continue to dimmer ones like galaxies and dimmer nebulae. 

[Blazar]

+1 to all mentions of Turn Left. also Stellarium (free software package) will help you...note: not everyone uses these, but I find them helpful. also have a look for some of the great double stars in Orion at the moment and see if you can split them. The triple star Sigma Orionis is great. (just below Alnitak, westernmost (lowest) of Orions belt stars)..that and the fact you get a double star system in the same view (Struve 761). You should be able to discern some colours (something that makes double star hunting fun). there are some great ones to find as well....

Also when looking at M42, try and find the six stars in the Trapezium...I can only see the standard 4, but your dob should be able to do it.

If that seems like fun then head over to the double star section of the forums for more information on these great objects. You don't even need great sky conditions to view them (IE light pollution...not clouds). 

When looking at the Lunar surface try and pick put certain features (some of which can only be seen on certain phases (such as the straight wall), and the Rupes  Altai (think thats it) which are huge shifts in the lunar surface and cast shadows which you can see. its when you realise the scale that it really makes an impression. Think you should be able to find some Lunar maps or resources on line...or go to the Lunar section on the site.

Even not using your scope...just look up in awe.....and have fun. if you don't hit a target the first time..you will eventually as you gain experience.

Regards

[AndyWB]

The triple star Sigma Orionis is great. (just below Alnitak, westernmost (lowest) of Orions belt stars)...

Ooo, yes, good call, it's a nice wee system tucked away there - though through the 250px you should be able to resolve 4 components. There are actually 5 stars, though the AB components are too close to resolve.

Yes, I hunt doubles sometimes when there's too much light pollution (including the moon) for fainter, fuzzier things.