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Get away from the ordinary


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Hi ive noticed  that there is a lot of repeatable observing. now i don't think there is anything wrong with that, but it can get stale. so i have decided to try and develop a thread for observers to  post there most recent exciting new DSO's and Tip's.

We all have our easy go-to objects for a glance but sometimes we find our self's  going over and over the same objects even if the conditions are not the best we think "no chance of seeing anything new" but, your wrong there are many observable galaxy's OR GLOBS even in sub par conditions and under moonlight.

Although i don't have a scope anymore i still enjoy reading the reports, im mad on galaxy's and globs i find them the best bang for buck even in a 8" dob. 

If your planning on going out and you know the sky is going to be clear and you have time before hand "PLAN"  

pick and area of sky to focus on and objects you want to find. make a list of objects and MAG, screen shot it on your phone or however you want. this will make you spend more time at the eyepiece rather than searching through a atlas wondering what to look for next. try and stick to one area of the sky scanning around looking for objects causes frustration and disappointment when you can not find what you want.

If you go out on a spare of the moment and just have a atlas in hand and your looking at the "usual suspects" have a look and see if there are any NGC globs or Galaxy's near by they will be easier to pick up as you are use to looking in that area and recognize star fields.

my local dark spot is on the edge of Liverpool/ Cheshire. the milky way just visible on the zenith. NGC4449 i found this while testing out a new scope under near a full moon  and has become a favorite of mine because it has very bright details. 

We all remember that first time we found something new and the feeling it gave us, wouldn't it be nice to get that nearly every time you went out observing? 1 new object per observation will keep the flame burning so to speak. 

I remember being at Elan with swamp thing and we tried ages for G1 in Andromeda but the excitement of finding it kept us going, its really tough to find. still yet to see it. 

I have found a really good selection of downloadable PDF charts which can be found here some of them are for bigger scopes but still interesting. 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nvdoycgs27vbae6/AABe0v8UAqbgbjnVBOfP8Dn0a?dl=0

source :http://www.faintfuzzies.com/DownloadableObservingGuides2.html

so please share your tips and information on new DSO'S here.

DANSKI :D

 

 

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http://www.cxielo.ch/gallery/f/ngc5746..for starters blade and pearl  NGC 5746 ....Hidden treasures by O'meara. When i started out planets and the moon meant everything for me i never thought i'd be clever/good enough to discover stuff beyond the messier list, NGC's would be impossible to spot/bag...how wrong i was, with half decent skies and a little patience the rewards are immense...we all are guilty of looking at m51 again and again...challenge yourself...you might just surprise yourself...

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15 minutes ago, Lorne said:

Haven't had a repetition problem recently as my sessions are that far apart due to the clouds the sky is completely different each time!!!

weather sucks ATM but using that 20mm ES100 makes it worth it. was my fave EP. 

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Great post Dan, and whilst I completely agree with your sentiment, I was actually thinking how great it was to see plenty of observing reports up on the forum, and with quite a few varied targets amongst them.

I'm sure Elan is fabulous, but for many it is not practical so we are stuck with the skies we've got. Having said that, the other night I got M106 and NGCs 3077, 4449 and 4478, all first time objects for me. Not exotic perhaps but not the norm for me. Getting at least some of Markarian's chain from home was also very rewarding.

NGC5053 was the one which evaded me and I will try for it again under better skies.

When are you getting another scope then?

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6 minutes ago, Stu said:

Great post Dan, and whilst I completely agree with your sentiment, I was actually thinking how great it was to see plenty of observing reports up on the forum, and with quite a few varied targets amongst them.

I'm sure Elan is fabulous, but for many it is not practical so we are stuck with the skies we've got. Having said that, the other night I got M106 and NGCs 3077, 4449 and 4478, all first time objects for me. Not exotic perhaps but not the norm for me. Getting at least some of Markarian's chain from home was also very rewarding.

NGC5053 was the one which evaded me and I will try for it again under better skies.

When are you getting another scope then?

and given your location stu these are good objects to find. 

its not about getting to the darkest sky's its about getting that buzz of finding another galaxy or glob that you have never seen before. its meant for the back yard observers.  yes the mob are lucky to travel to the darkest of skies and experience sights that can be only dreamed of.  my point is that most of my galaxy work was done on the edge of liverpool in and orange area on LP map with a 10-12-14-16 inch scope and have seen over 500 galaxys .  way short of MD  but its mainly aimed at noobs getting the BUZZ of learning to find new stuff rather than going to the same DSO every session.

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The only other thing I would add to this is that there are many and varied ways that people enjoy the hobby, and not having 500 objects 'bagged' is not a sign of failure.

I've been at this game over 16 years, still haven't seen all the Messier objects and am quite happy with that, I'll get there one day. I enjoy solar, lunar and planetary observing, and can spend 3 or 4 hours just looking at Jupiter  or the sun, both of which I find enthralling.

I enjoy galaxies and faint stuff as part of a mix, that's how I keep things interesting.

Plenty of room for different approaches, but seeking out new objects is one way, I agree.

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I try and observe something new every session, according to the conditions. If I don't go out without an observing list.  Then it's back to the same old. I have a file with some 200 lists, including failures. It took me ages to get NGC 2419 in Lynx , but when you read of its details, little wonder.

What is amazing is to see the old faint favourites from dark skies. How galaxies open up with structure, how globulars sparkle like diamonds and how much I look forward to the next visit.

Its also amazing to share the views at star parties and show others such hidden gems such as "Hagrid's Dragon " , the "37" cluster and "Caroline's Rose".

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Each observation though is worthwhile and lingering over the great ones is better than flicking through the masses. I distilled masses of binaries to get a list of the memorable ones, hopefully this has opened up some avenues and lit some fires. It was great at SGL 12 to show folk how Tegmine split apart at 1.1" as magnification was cranked up. A small observing list helped to explore the best around.

We just don't get much opportunity to observe here, due mainly to our weather. Best to make the most of the time and plan in advance. It gives some interest on those rainy or moonlit nights anticipating the views,

clear skies !

Nick.

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Good topic for a thread Dan :icon_biggrin:

I think it's fair to say that my observing aspirations changed a lot when I got my copy of the Sky & Telescope Pocket Sky Atlas and started to keep a record of what I'd observed.

My observed DSO list grew massively in just a few sessions despite my initial reservations about the suitability of my back yard for such observing activity. By picking a well placed patch of sky and using the Sky Atlas as a guide I've had sessions where I've picked out 10, 20 or even 50+ objects new to me.

Once I've observed them I usually do a bit of research and often find some fascinating background information to what might, superficially, seem a faint and rather unimpressive object. With the added "spice" of some knowledge a re-visit becomes obligatory and the object takes on a whole new appeal :icon_biggrin:

Sometimes I'm just a lazy observer doing the "tourist trail" of the old favourites but it's also nice to put an explorers hat on and to push deeper into the sky :icon_biggrin:

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It's quite interesting to plan to get away from the ordinary, many just stick to Messiers.

Start with some data,

http://users.compaqnet.be/doublestars/image.jpegimage.jpeg

distill this down to individual constellations, then make an observing list,

image.jpegimage.jpeg

Finally make sure that you share these goodies . Information is of no use to anyone unless it's shared,

clear skies !

Nick.

 

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I've recently been thinking about moving stars and how quickly they move, a while ago I took an image of 61 Cygni and wondered it I took another image the movement would show.

There are others apparently such as Barnards Star in Ophiuchus and Van Maanens Star in Pisces and no doubt more, no idea how quickly they move, is there a publication that lists such things ?

Make an interesting project to compare year on year and not too time consuming.

Dave

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