Messier objects vs NGC's

[AstroAdam]

People worry too much about lists.  

The universe is out there screaming to be looked at.  Whether humans have ordered it into an arbitrary list or two is completely and utterly irrelevant.  Just marvel in what's up there!  

[Perseus_m45]

Just start your own list ! 

                                   mike h

[Moonshane]

I see the lists really as just a way of naming things so that others can see them too. it would get rather tiresome rather quickly if we all talked simply in terms of RA and Dec to describe items.

[scarp15]

Lists serve only to provide structure to an activity. In truth I do not actually know how many messier's and extended NGC objects I have encountered, although I do retain a diary account if I ever wish to find out. I just go out to enjoy the occasion, (structuring the session around) rediscovering some and hopefully discovering something new. Venturing to a dark site is but an occasional treat after all.

Approx 30 new NGC objects acey, presumably within the vicinity of Ursa Major, quite a fete. Though there have been some clear skies up in Northumberland I believe since the weekend.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

M45 is the only one not in the NGC lists. Scorning the Messier list means avoiding some of the best sights up there. I can never resist having a look at M42/43, M27, or M57. Of course, some non-Messier NGCs are actually really great, and as bright as the better Messiers (NGC 2903 in Leo is a prime example). That did not make it into the Caldwell list either, but at least it is in the Herschel 400.

As you can guess from my signature, I like using lists of things to hunt for, as it gives structure to my hobby. I now use the Revised Shapley-Ames Catalogue a lot for my galaxy hunts (420, give or take a few), and the 100 Brightest Planetary list as well. It is not so much a case of competitively trying to complete a list as fast as possible, but much more a case of forcing myself to look at new objects. After getting my C8 (18 years or more ago), I tended to look at planets (I assumed that I would be limited to that by living in the suburbs), and the brighter Messiers, which I quite enjoyed seeing over and over again. I kept no log for a long time, and the hobby almost petered out. Some years back, I started observing in earnest again, and started doing some planetary imaging. After joining SGL, I started logging things properly, and using 15x70 bins from France on holidays started logging all Messier objects I could find. I had a head start in that my old (school-day) logs contained 2 dozen or so), but I noticed I was exploring the sky in a much more concerted way, and started finding objects that had escaped me for years (spotting the North America Nebula from France in 2010 was one of those WOW moments, finally spotted the darned thing after 32 years in t he hobby). As the Messier got filled, I started eyeing other lists, again to add structure to observing nights.

You might say I have two modes of observing, which I switch between as the mood takes me:

• Hunting mode, which typically requires some preparation in terms of new targets to track down, although I sometimes check out arbitrary object near previously selected ones, on the off chance that they are within range of my scope, and
• Browsing mode, which means I just trundle across the sky, picking out old favourites

Starting out with the Messier is good. Some of the objects are really easy, others much harder, but none beyond the range of a modest amateur scope from a dark site. The Caldwell list could readily be tackled at the same time. It also contains a mix of fairly easy and much harder ones. These list are very good to build up your observing skills. Once you feel comfortable hunting down the fainter ones on these lists, by all means move to the fainter NGC and IC lists.

If you want to, of course. Nothing is obligatory in this hobby

[Astro Imp]

Michael you've summed it up perfectly, astro observing isn't/shouldn't be a competitive hobby, it's meant to be enjoyable.

If you come in from an evening observing and think that was good fun does it matter what anyone else thinks? I don't think so.