First view of Orion Nebula and Trapezium

[andyb505]

Apologies to all you seasoned observers out there but this beginner is a little bit excited from last nights session.

Managed an hour in the garden last night and managed to get my first sight of the Orion Nebula, and even managed to see the Trapezium. I am blown away with what I am able to see with my simple little telescope. In addition I cannot praise the book Turn Left at Orion enough. It provides brilliant insight and is great for planning observing sessions.

Now can I get a nebula filter to make observing even more fun!

 

[furrysocks2]

I share your excitement! 

I've only had a couple of decent looks at it so far, but I reckon the more you become familiar with it and the longer you look at it, the more you can eek out of the eyepiece.

I've had my best views so far at 90x-odd with a cheap 1.25" UHC filter.

[Alan White]

Andy,

Share your enthusiasm as folks here will understand that enthusiasm and share it with you 
I too watched the M42 and M43 last night from my light poluted garden and smiled at the view.

My Baader Moon and Skyglow Neodymium filter enhanced it for a more pleasant view.   
https://www.firstlightoptics.com/light-pollution-reduction/baader-neodymium-filter.html 
I use this quite a bit, it does darken the view a bit, but enhances things at the same time.

Alan

[Knighty2112]

M42 is always a joy to see, especially when conditions are good. With a good filter even on a poor nights seeing I can tease out  much more detail and contrast than with no filter fitted to my scopes. The trapezium is a great sight to behold, especially when the seeing is steady at high magnification to try to see the two tighter companion stars. 

 

[Ger]

Andy

Well done on picking out m42, this is usually my port of call when I use my telescope and I'm also a newbie. I also picked up Turn Left At Orion from library I quickly realised that I needed my own copy so I ordered one and I was like at child Christmas when it arrived today.. it's a great book, enjoy

[laudropb]

No need to apologise Andy. We all started out as beginners and we fully understand your excitement. Well done.

[Peco4321]

+1 for not apologising. I love 'hunting' new objects and the elation is magnified by a factor linked to how hard an object is to find. Maybe some numbers boffin on here could come up with an equation ?  

Last night was the Eskimo Nebula which I'd been hunting for a few sessions now, so like you, I was stood in the cold, on my own, in the garden at night, with a big smile on my face. 

As a newbie as well, M42 is up there as one of the best. Well done. 

[andyb505]

Thanks for the positive comments folks, appreciated.

Any advice on filters for viewing nebuli? I have read that UHC is possibly better than OIII filters for scopes with less than 150mm aperture. Does it really make a difference which one you use?

Any advice for specific filters for my Heritage 130p (that would still be worth having if I upgrade to a bigger/better DOB)? Willing to pay between £40-£100.

 

[laudropb]

The Olll is a narrow band filter. It cuts out more of the light if you like. It may darken your image too much. The UHC lets more light through, but will still darken the background light and will give you more contrast. I have used the Skywatcher filter and it works fine. At £40 from FLO it is good value for money. Once you have gained more experience you can decide if you need to upgrade.

[furrysocks2]

I found this an interesting read:

http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org/useful-filters-for-viewing-deep-sky-objects/

[Daz69]

T'was my first (and only so far) nebula. Not had many nights out with my scope so far due to weather etc. I think so far, my best viewing has been the Pleiades. It looks like a scattering of ice blue diamonds on a black table cloth, breath taking IMO.

Another gob smacker was the Garnet Star. You think Betelgeuse is red? Wait until you see this beauty! 

[Astro Imp]

Well done on seeing one of the wonders of the winter sky, apologies are not necessary, if you can't get enthused seeing this you might as well stay in and watch the soaps.

As you say the Trapezium is a fine sight.

I'm pleased you enjoy Turn Left @ Orion, next time have a look at Sigma Orionis another fine multiple star system.

Keep enjoying your observing and sharing with us here, we are all enthusiasts.

[Knighty2112]

I have this filter which works very well on M42 especially, along with other nebula too.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/uhc-oiii-visual-filters/explore-scientific-uhc-nebula-filter-1-25-2-inch.html

A little more expensive (by £6) than the Skywatcher UHC filter, so not sure how it compares as I don't own one of the Skywatcher UHC filters, but you get a great box to store it in! Hehe!  

[jjosefsen]

On 02/14/2017 at 16:49, Daz69 said:

T'was my first (and only so far) nebula. Not had many nights out with my scope so far due to weather etc. I think so far, my best viewing has been the Pleiades. It looks like a scattering of ice blue diamonds on a black table cloth, breath taking IMO.

Another gob smacker was the Garnet Star. You think Betelgeuse is red? Wait until you see this beauty! 

Heh I had the same feeling when I saw the Garnet Star.

[cloudsweeper]

On 14/02/2017 at 10:33, andyb505 said:

Apologies to all you seasoned observers out there but this beginner is a little bit excited from last nights session.

 

No problem, Andy.  Even seasoned observers get a kick out of re-visiting and enjoying old favourites; the fascination doesn't fade!

Doug.

[davyludo]

I'm also a beginner and that's the first (and only) Nebula that I've seen. When I started, Orion was the only constellation that I really knew. One night I was just out casually looking around that area of sky with my scope and though 'what's that smudge? Must be something on my mirror or eyepiece'. Then proceeded to get stupidly excited when I realised that I had come across my first nebula...especially because I thought you needed a larger scope to be able to see anything like that. I think I double checked about 5 times to make sure I wasn't just making it up in my head! 

I love how finding something like that turns me back into a child.

[cloudsweeper]

3 hours ago, davyludo said:

I'm also a beginner and that's the first (and only) Nebula that I've seen. When I started, Orion was the only constellation that I really knew. One night I was just out casually looking around that area of sky with my scope and though 'what's that smudge? Must be something on my mirror or eyepiece'. Then proceeded to get stupidly excited when I realised that I had come across my first nebula...especially because I thought you needed a larger scope to be able to see anything like that. I think I double checked about 5 times to make sure I wasn't just making it up in my head! 

I love how finding something like that turns me back into a child.

Large, faint nebulae can be difficult, so take a look at The Pleaides (M45) - the main stars Alcyone, Merope, Maia, and Electra will have a "glow" around them which is not scatter due to the optics, but is actually nebulosity.  Very nice!

Doug.

[davyludo]

18 minutes ago, cloudsweeper said:

Large, faint nebulae can be difficult, so take a look at The Pleaides (M45) - the main stars Alcyone, Merope, Maia, and Electra will have a "glow" around them which is not scatter due to the optics, but is actually nebulosity.  Very nice!

Well I feel a bit silly now....I've looked at M45 a few times but didn't realise there was nebulosity there. Thought it was just a cluster of stars. Oh well, gives me an excuse to revisit it  

[cloudsweeper]

44 minutes ago, davyludo said:

Well I feel a bit silly now....I've looked at M45 a few times but didn't realise there was nebulosity there. Thought it was just a cluster of stars. Oh well, gives me an excuse to revisit it  

Re-visiting is something we all do a lot of!

A good, economical guide to many attractions up there is Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas.  Quality item, with great presentation.  And although a lot of objects are out of reach without a big aperture or dark skies, there is still plenty to enjoy!

Doug.

[BeerMe]

+1 for Orion still being a first visit on any observing nights.  It's just stunning, and kinda ghostly seeing it suspended in the blackness of space.

The Pleiades is another must visit as people have already said.  My most recent addition is the double cluster in Perseus, which can be seen with the naked eye in moderately dark skies.  In my 25mm EP in the same scope as the OP, it looked just amazing and was framed perfectly in the FOV.  This is probably now my favourite deep sky target.

There's a fantastic thread on Reddit where a seasoned amateur astronomer has compiled a good list of targets for this time of year, I'll try to link it or c+p it for us noobs :-)

[cloudsweeper]

4 minutes ago, BeerMe said:

+1 for Orion still being a first visit on any observing nights.  It's just stunning, and kinda ghostly seeing it suspended in the blackness of space.

The Pleiades is another must visit as people have already said.  My most recent addition is the double cluster in Perseus, which can be seen with the naked eye in moderately dark skies.  In my 25mm EP in the same scope as the OP, it looked just amazing and was framed perfectly in the FOV.  This is probably now my favourite deep sky target.

There's a fantastic thread on Reddit where a seasoned amateur astronomer has compiled a good list of targets for this time of year, I'll try to link it or c+p it for us noobs :-)

I'll second that.  Absolutely hypnotic!

Doug.

[BeerMe]

Here we are :-)

Check the comments, someone has posted links to each target with details from Wiki.  Something for us to work through.

[RichM63]

Congratulations, a First View is always worthy of note.

(but it can also lead down a very slippery financial slope  )

[kilix]

9 hours ago, davyludo said:

I'm also a beginner and that's the first (and only) Nebula that I've seen. When I started, Orion was the only constellation that I really knew. One night I was just out casually looking around that area of sky with my scope and though 'what's that smudge? Must be something on my mirror or eyepiece'. Then proceeded to get stupidly excited when I realised that I had come across my first nebula...especially because I thought you needed a larger scope to be able to see anything like that. I think I double checked about 5 times to make sure I wasn't just making it up in my head! 

I love how finding something like that turns me back into a child.

I remember when I first "discovered" M36, M37 and M38 with binoculars. I didn't have a telescope then and I didn't know what am I looking at. I felt like a 6yrs old.

[niallk]

Great stuff! I had to check that it wasn't my breath fogging the EP when I first saw it Spot on - Turn Left is just a great guide for visual observers.  It really is amazing what you can see with your own eyes.