How to get started with deep sky observing/imaging?

[Ahgii]

I am a new astronomer and i really want to know how to start observing "deep sky" with my telescope, and what kind of equipment do i need. First of all is a 5 inch aperture telescope enough for at least basic observing? Is it possible to observe from a city? And is a 5 inch aperture telescope enough for deep sky? Are O3, or other filters really neccesary? I am totally inexperienced on this topic. Oh, and i have a few questions about the forum as well and i felt they didnt deserve a post of their own so i put them here. How to get higher reputation and rank? Thanks you for the help and Clear skies!

[celestron8g8]

Hi Ahgii , welcome to the forum . First off yes a 5" scope is plenty for just observing but if you want to go really deep or for really dim objects , the bigger the scope the better . The bigger the scope the more light can be absorbed which makes very dim objects more easy to see and in most cases makes your object your looking at more larger depending how your setup is . To just get started  you really don't even need a scope , you can do so with binoculars if you want . The night sky is a joy to look at and the darker the skies the better . If you live inside a city you will get LP (light pollution) which if viewing only wont be as distracting as it would be to be taking pictures . LP can ruin pictures . But if you have not done so you might find you a book on astronomy and the night life so you can learn all constellations and where they are located in the sky during the season you are observing . There is a book called Night Watch by Terence Dickinson that is a fantastic book and has all the info you need in one book about the night sky :  http://www.skynews.ca/shop/nightwatch/

There are a lot of other great books also but this one is my favorite . But to get started you might see if there is a local astronomy club close enough to you that you could make a visit and see how the members do things . Lots' of info on the internet and there is tons of help here on this forum .

Do you already have a scope with mount or are you looking to buy one ? You being in Romania I have no idea what and if anyone there is interested in astronomy or the night skies so all I can do is just offer help .  One thing I can tell you is becareful how you budget your money cause this hobby can be very addictive and very expensive if your not careful to watch your pocket book and not go over a budget you can handle comfortably .

[Ahgii]

Thanks. I have the telescope for a bit over a month now but im just getting started understanding things. There is a local astronomy club in my area, i will probably buy an LP filter, probably in a few weeks because i already bought tons of stuff. After i get all the things neccesary to get all out of my telescope i will probably stop buying new stuff over and over again. Clear skies!

[swamp thing]

Hi

Cant offer any help on imaging as I don't do it.

Visually. The key aspect to successful deep sky observing is the contrast you can get between object and sky. Simply put, the darker the sky you observe from the more you will see. Nothing else has so much effect on your viewing.
A 5" scope is ample aperture for successful viewing of a huge number of DSO's, just remember its the sky that is the most important factor and never forget this. Get the sky good and dark and any scope starts to really stretch it's legs.

As the sky you observe from is so important I would strongly urge you to seek this out before even thinking about filters etc. There is much to see before worrying about filtering for nebulae. 

Forum ranks are just a bit of fun and do not reflect experience as an observer. They are based on post counts. Reputation is based on how many likes your posts collect from other forum users. IOW when I like your post, your reputation improves  

[davehawkins]

I'd just like to add that before you buy a light pollution filter check what sort of LP you have. The filters are designed to block the yellow sodium Street lights If you have mostly white light then they won't help.

[popeye85]

As others have said Dark skies are the key but with a 5" scope it will be portable to carry about and find a 'special spot!'. Also please remember that most dark skies object are just fuzzy blobs and nothing like what you will see in photos.

[newbie alert]

What scope is it you have as I'm sure a few others will have the same setup and therefore give you some guidance,as others have said don't just buy a l.p. filter...as filters work by letting certain wavelengths throu and blocking others..

[ronin]

Leave the imaging out of it all for a few months. Just get out and have a look at what there is. After a while it will become apparent what you are interested in or not interested in.

To work out what to look for then a few options:

Stellarium: open it, press f4, set DSO magnitude to say 6 and apply. What is left are the brighter maybe easier ones. The "maybe" is owing to haw magnitude is measured.

Search "list of messier objects", go to the Wiki entry. Good table of the Messier objects. Sort by type or magnitude or whatever seems useful.

Get a book that you can use easily.

Ranks etc are for fun, don't bother too much. High post count means you spend too much time on here. Can be weather dependant.