Starting out with a Skywatcher 150p dobsonian - part 1

[macdee]

I got this scope last August for my birthday and wanted to tell you about my experiences with it and what I have been able to see. I live in a large town in Bedfordshire, UK and therefore my skies are light polluted. My back garden shows half of the sky facing North, but I can see objects high in the sky over the top of my roof in a southerly direction. I also have a large tree that blocks the NNE section of the sky, but I can work around that. My garden is fairly dark if my neighbours don't use their proximity lights

The 150p comes with two eyepieces a 25mm and 10mm, both have proved useful and whilst not of the greatest quality they start you off well.

Once I got the scope I had to decide what I wanted to see, early on I was just using Stellarium and looking at what was around in the sky and then seeing if I could find those objects and that was fun for a while, but I soon wanted a more methodical approach to observing, so I looked around for lists of deep sky objects and found the list of Messier objects and then another characterised as the Herschel 400 from here.

I took that info and made a spreadsheet. I then started to prepare for observing sessions ahead of time, making small diagrams of the approximate location of the object to observe with the stars I might be able to see as signposts.

In my spreadsheet I recorded what I have upcoming to observe, what I have observed and some notes on the date, time and conditions.

So in my first month of observing I was able to see:

09/08

M31  Andromeda galaxy large smudge
Mizar and Alcor  in Ursa Major easy split
NGC884 Cassiopiea    Double cluster – fantastic!
NGC869 Cassiopiea    Double cluster – fantastic!

11/08
M13 Hercules    Globular cluster Round smudge

12/08
M57   the ring nebula in Lyra  Could just about make out the hole in ring nebula with averted vision

26/08
HIP107259  Carbon star Garnet star in cepheus

27/08
M81 + M82   Galaxy  Saw M81 + M82 in same field of view in Ursa Major
M52  Cassiopiea   Open cluster (seems feinter than stated mag) very pleased after yesterday's frustration, needed laptop outside to do it.
HIP48635  Binary  27/08/13   A+B both mag 10.45 so I can see to this level of star mag!

[Floater]

Same scope but a few months behind you and way behind you in seeing experience.

Looking forward to following your trail ... Please keep posting.

Clear skies!

Gordon

[Sandraj]

Again, same scope, looks like you have found some great stuff, I haven't had mine that long and only had a handful of viewing opportunities, Jupiter, Saturn, Orion Nebula, 7 sisters, Mars (blurry) Betelgeuse and Rigal. But very happy with what I have seen so far.

[dick_dangerous]

I love my 150P. Even in the depths of Zone 6 where the sky is rarely darker than a midnight blue, it can pick up all sorts of goodies. Even with the very sparse viewing opportunities in the two months Ive had it I've managed to see the GRS, shadow transit and some belt detail on Jupiter, a fleeting glimpse of the Martian icecaps, more detail on the Orion Nebula than I've seen even from a dark site, a supernova, a bunch of faint galaxies, the Eskimo nebula... it goes on and on...

Looking forward to finding out what else you've been able to see with it!

DD

[floppygoose]

Great to see you are finding opportunities to use your scope, and catching some good targets.

Good luck and keep us posted

Phil

[ronin]

This sounds far too much like a large amount of planning and thinking has gone into it all.

The usual amount of planning appears to be a number very close to and indistinguishable from zero.

Some actually manage to approach zero from the negative side.

If you want another list try the Cauldwell Objects.

They were intended to "mirror" the Messier list but these were pick for viewing interest, Messier listed his as things that were not comets and so are to his vision of things not interested in looking at. Makes you wonder what he would have made of a modern 8" scope.

If you do not have one, pick up or borrow a reasonable 8mm eyepiece, should do well in the 150P Dobsonian.

Which town in Bedfordshire?

[macdee]

Same scope but a few months behind you and way behind you in seeing experience.

Looking forward to following your trail ... Please keep posting.

That's cool, I figured I'd try and post where I've got to with my list until I'm up to date. One of the things I was most concerned about when I was thinking about buying a telescope was: what will I be able to see, will there be enough to keep me going out. I wanted to share that for others trying to decide whether or not to buy a scope or not, hopefully it will.

[macdee]

Again, same scope, looks like you have found some great stuff, I haven't had mine that long and only had a handful of viewing opportunities, Jupiter, Saturn, Orion Nebula, 7 sisters, Mars (blurry) Betelgeuse and Rigal. But very happy with what I have seen so far.

That sounds like a good list, I am still waiting to see Saturn and Mars, hoping for Mars this month.

[macdee]

I love my 150P. Even in the depths of Zone 6 where the sky is rarely darker than a midnight blue, it can pick up all sorts of goodies. Even with the very sparse viewing opportunities in the two months Ive had it I've managed to see the GRS, shadow transit and some belt detail on Jupiter, a fleeting glimpse of the Martian icecaps, more detail on the Orion Nebula than I've seen even from a dark site, a supernova, a bunch of faint galaxies, the Eskimo nebula... it goes on and on...

Looking forward to finding out what else you've been able to see with it!

DD

Wow that's good with that level of light pollution. I had some fun with Jupiter, but I'd be jumping ahead to go there at the moment.

[macdee]

This sounds far too much like a large amount of planning and thinking has gone into it all.

The usual amount of planning appears to be a number very close to and indistinguishable from zero.

Some actually manage to approach zero from the negative side.

If you want another list try the Cauldwell Objects.

They were intended to "mirror" the Messier list but these were pick for viewing interest, Messier listed his as things that were not comets and so are to his vision of things not interested in looking at. Makes you wonder what he would have made of a modern 8" scope.

If you do not have one, pick up or borrow a reasonable 8mm eyepiece, should do well in the 150P Dobsonian.

Which town in Bedfordshire?

Yes I have a tendency to the meticulous.

I am now off to search for the Cauldwell list

My wife bought me an 8mm plossl for Christmas, got good advice from First Light Optics, probably should have spent a bit more to get better eye relief, but the eyepiece works well for views of Jupiter.

Thanks for the tips, any more would be appreciated.

[Lodestar]

Nice one macdee

A nice example to all to newbies including me. I for one will take a leaf out of your book and try to be more structured in my planning and observing. After all who wants to be out with a nice new scope and quickly run out of things to look at. 

Cloudy nights are for planning then.

[TrixieLoyalist]

Sounds like you had a good time, I wonder if I could see M13 well in my little 4SE scope.

[Blind Pugh]

Looking forwrd to Part 11

[Myopicus]

Yay! Dob Squad Sapper in the ranks!  

You're already blowing us away with your reportage. Keep it up. Truly inspirational.

[Northern Soul man]

Hi Ya Macdee and welcome to the SGL mate - what an absolutely fantastic start you have made and very well thought out and planned.  Nice to see your punching through the light pollution.  The idea of observing over root tops and over trees sounds that it hampers your views of the night sky - but on the contrary - I have exactly the same problem with houses all the way around, but this just blocks the brightest part of the sky and the majority of the light pollution and makes us concentrate on the objects when they are at their highest points - there's objects going down towards my horizon (blocked by houses and garages) that I have never seen, but this doesn't deter me from just enjoying and making the most of the sky that I have, and have been observing for the best part of 30 years and still find the enthusiasm to set up and visit old favourites year after year - I haven't really lost the appetite to observe and in March I was able to probably have the best few nights observing in many many years whilst observing Jupiter near to opposition, the amount of detail and the very steady atmosphere and the vivid colours of the GRS, the bands and festoons and oval were absolutely breathtaking and will stay with me for years to come - probably the last really wow moment for me was the great Shoemaker Levy comet crash, which, visible from MY back garden through MY telescope in MY time, was a very WOW moment.

Thanks for sharing you comments with us and keep us up to date mate.

Regards.

Paul.

[macdee]

Hi Ya Macdee and welcome to the SGL mate - what an absolutely fantastic start you have made and very well thought out and planned.  Nice to see your punching through the light pollution.  The idea of observing over root tops and over trees sounds that it hampers your views of the night sky - but on the contrary - I have exactly the same problem with houses all the way around, but this just blocks the brightest part of the sky and the majority of the light pollution and makes us concentrate on the objects when they are at their highest points - there's objects going down towards my horizon (blocked by houses and garages) that I have never seen, but this doesn't deter me from just enjoying and making the most of the sky that I have, and have been observing for the best part of 30 years and still find the enthusiasm to set up and visit old favourites year after year - I haven't really lost the appetite to observe and in March I was able to probably have the best few nights observing in many many years whilst observing Jupiter near to opposition, the amount of detail and the very steady atmosphere and the vivid colours of the GRS, the bands and festoons and oval were absolutely breathtaking and will stay with me for years to come - probably the last really wow moment for me was the great Shoemaker Levy comet crash, which, visible from MY back garden through MY telescope in MY time, was a very WOW moment.

Thanks for sharing you comments with us and keep us up to date mate.

Regards.

Paul.

Yes I feel I am quite lucky with the darkness in my back garden as it backs onto lots of other gardens, tonight was an exception with lots of neighbour activity causing proximity lights going on and off. Thanks for the encouragement the Shoemaker Levy session sounds amazing.