Observing yesterday night and this morning

[Dave1]

So when ever I have been able to get outside looking at the night sky I have been. I read somewhere some advice, can't remember where! That when your new to astronomy just get out and observe that is the most important aspect! 

So I have been doing just that, I've been swapping between my Evostar 120mm and Towa 339 80mm, I've been using a different telescope each observation night. Each time I go out I get blown away be what I see. With the Towa I use 1.25" eye pieces of which I only have two a Skywatcher 20mm and 10mm. With the Evostar I used the Baader Zoom eyepiece! so convenient. 

I have been starting my observing sessions by looking at the moon. There is so much to see, and each time I look at the moon see more and more details. Going to look up a moon map to start learning the sections of the moon. I enjoy trying to spot how small a craters I can see. Some of my favorite craters to view for general enjoyment is Tycho, Aristillus, Plato, Copernicus. I enjoy looking at the lines around Copernicus.

 I have been looking at some favorite stars of mine, Vega and Polaris. To my surprise last night with my 80mm I saw Polaris AB I was very surprised and could not believe it with an 80mm F15 tele..I kept checking and checking again!  I was that taken with seeing both Polaris and Polaris AB, that I did my first astronomy sketch! Always look at Vega, just find it interesting! Its my star of choice for checking my collimation too!

This week I've also looked at Capella in the Auriga constellation. I've looked at Hercules and Cassiopeia constillations. Late last night I looked at the Pleiades, Hyades, and Orion.

I've been trying to find galaxies, granted with the moon up, this in not easy, especially in an 80mm OTA. I found m31 with my Binos, M31 is the only galaxy I can find easily. But there is a tree in my way stopping me from using my telescope. I tried to find M42, and M78 with my telescope last night to no success, unless I couldn't see them because of the moon? 

 

Any tips for find galaxies greatly appreciated! 

 

Dave

[estwing]

this is very good...http://www.shopatsky.com/pocket-sky-atlas

[swamp thing]

22 minutes ago, Dave1 said:

 

Any tips for find galaxies greatly appreciated! 

 

Dave

Hi Dave

Take your biggest scope to the darkest possible place you can get to at a time around the new moon is about all there is to it. 99% of galaxies respond to dark skies (good contrast) and big image scale (aperture). 

Have fun out there  

[Stu]

Sounds like very sensible advice Dave, just get out there and observe!

For galaxies, perhaps give M81 and M82 a try, they are probably some of the easiest to spot, and will be quite doable once the moon goes away a bit.

For stars too, have you looked for a few doubles? Polaris is nice with its tiny secondary, but how about Alberio in Cygnus? Lovely one. While you are there have a look for M27 and the Coathanger (Brocchi's cluster) which will need a very wide view.

Have fun!  

[Dave1]

34 minutes ago, estwing said:

this is very good...http://www.shopatsky.com/pocket-sky-atlas

Hello thanks for the recommendation, I have plenty of apps on my phone which I use, but I have been thinking to get a sky map.. For easy of use, and doesn't drain my phone battery!

[Dave1]

37 minutes ago, swamp thing said:

Hi Dave

Take your biggest scope to the darkest possible place you can get to at a time around the new moon is about all there is to it. 99% of galaxies respond to dark skies (good contrast) and big image scale (aperture). 

Have fun out there  

Hello thanks for the suggestion, I live in quite a dark location, so all is not to bad from here, but there are dark places just down the road, less than 5 minutes, just the security factor..I worry about being by myself. 

I do belong to an Astro group that uses a dark site in the New Forest, I will be going out there some point with others, just haven't had the chance. Was hardly any point last night, the moon was very bright.

[Knighty2112]

I guess the biggest tip I can give you for hunting down galaxies or any other kind of DSO is persevere. There have been times looking for some galaxies that it took me over 40 minutes to an hour or more till I had located them in the eyepiece, and some nights I never located them at all. With a manual mount this can take time to do, so be patient and don't give up. M81 & M82 should be quite easy to see, but do take a little while to hunt down, especially the first few times. Actually, I can locate them much easier with my pair of 15x70 binoculars than I can with my telescope mount, although that might change now as I've bought a Skywatcher Discovery AZ Goto mount off a member on here yesterday, so gonna cheat to hunt things down now! Hehe!  

[Dave1]

47 minutes ago, Stu said:

Sounds like very sensible advice Dave, just get out there and observe!

For galaxies, perhaps give M81 and M82 a try, they are probably some of the easiest to spot, and will be quite doable once the moon goes away a bit.

For stars too, have you looked for a few doubles? Polaris is nice with its tiny secondary, but how about Alberio in Cygnus? Lovely one. While you are there have a look for M27 and the Coathanger (Brocchi's cluster) which will need a very wide view.

Have fun!  

Thanks for the helpful advice there Stu, will give M81 and M82 a try. 

I had given thought to try doubles, just haven't got round to it, I've been mainly looking at constellations I am familiar with, so that I get good at star hopping with Tele's. But I will definitely give what you suggested a try.

Thanks will have fun!

[Astro Imp]

Nice post, you're dead right you won't see anything if you don't get out there and look.

I find the Virtual Moon Atlas very good for finding my way around our neighbour, you can configure it to give the same view as your scope, and it's free.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/virtualmoon/

HTH and good luck

[Dave1]

1 hour ago, Knighty2112 said:

I guess the biggest tip I can give you for hunting down galaxies or any other kind of DSO is persevere. There have been times looking for some galaxies that it took me over 40 minutes to an hour or more till I had located them in the eyepiece, and some nights I never located them at all. With a manual mount this can take time to do, so be patient and don't give up. M81 & M82 should be quite easy to see, but do take a little while to hunt down, especially the first few times. Actually, I can locate them much easier with my pair of 15x70 binoculars than I can with my telescope mount, although that might change now as I've bought a Skywatcher Discovery AZ Goto mount off a member on here yesterday, so gonna cheat to hunt things down now! Hehe!  

Thanks,

Like you I spend considerable time sometimes hunting DSO, but most of the time I don't find them, Try try and try again as they say! I wont give up. I have seen only M31 and M42 in my Astronomy career. 

I'm good at finding objects in the night sky with my Bino's, but I haven't been using them recently, to force me to use the finder scope and telescope. To sharpen my star hopping skills with a tele. I'm a little weird in the sense that I don't count something as seen until I've seen it in the tele.

I have to admit I have been considering getting a goto mount and the one you mention is one of the considerations. In fact I had considered the one you mentioned secondhand on here. I've also consider getting an AZ mount but I'm kinda liking EQ mounts for now, especially the original mount that came with my Towa. My Towa mount has a 360 degree circle marked out on it, if I untighten just one knob, I can rotate the whole mount and tele through a full 360 degrees, which in my books is a big advantage over the EQ3-2 mount.

Dave

[Dave1]

1 hour ago, Astro Imp said:

Nice post, you're dead right you won't see anything if you don't get out there and look.

I find the Virtual Moon Atlas very good for finding my way around our neighbour, you can configure it to give the same view as your scope, and it's free.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/virtualmoon/

HTH and good luck

Thanks Imp, I have downloaded the moon atlas, I will enjoy.

[Paz]

9 hours ago, Dave1 said:

So when ever I have been able to get outside looking at the night sky I have been. I read somewhere some advice, can't remember where! That when your new to astronomy just get out and observe that is the most important aspect! 

This is good advice!

[Stu]

8 hours ago, Dave1 said:

Thanks for the helpful advice there Stu, will give M81 and M82 a try. 

I had given thought to try doubles, just haven't got round to it, I've been mainly looking at constellations I am familiar with, so that I get good at star hopping with Tele's. But I will definitely give what you suggested a try.

Thanks will have fun!

Here are a couple of versions of the star hop I use to find M81/82, works well.

 

[Dave1]

Thank Stu I have looked at the double in Cygnus tonight what a spectacular site. Sketched it!  Went to start hunting down M81 and M82 and then the clouds started to role in,  with the moon as bright as it is, and light pollution seems to be really bad tonight, I think I will have to leave them for another night. The cloud looks like it might be here to stay.

I have to say I seem to be enjoying the use of my Towa 80mm more than my 120mm Evostar. They both have there places though! 

[Roy Challen]

'I have to say I seem to be enjoying the use of my Towa 80mm more than my 120mm Evostar'

These old long focus refractors are excellent on doubles, but they do benefit from a sturdy mount - even your EQ3-2 would show some improvement over the original mount.

[Dave1]

Thanks Roy,  yes I have a short dove tail that came with the telescope, it wont fit on my EQ 3-2 mount, going to have to get a long dove tail to be able to do this. Which I will.