Finally Veil Nebula!

[Rhushikesh-Canisminor]

Finally managed to observe the Veil nebula on last Saturday!

I remember spending too many hours searching for it during my observations.

The milky way band in the morning came up really nice ,almost a continuous band from scorpious to Cassiopeia (managed to see that too!).

Thinking about giving veil a last try, we pointed our skywatcher 8 inch dobsonian scope with 32mm plossl eyepiece and lumicon UHC filter and BAM! It was right there, bright enough to show it for first timers too! Looked like an arc or smoke chain coming out of matchstick.

All The reports say that Veil nebula is an easy object, but I have had hard time seeing it all this time, while easily observing Flame nebula and Horsehead nebula through smaller telescopes.

Maybe it's the real dark skies...or just some plain luck!

Clear skies!

 

[Demonperformer]

Congratulations.

Luck does have a major impact on objects like this. But, as the saying goes: the harder you work the luckier you become! Now that you have seen it once, you will find it easy (easier!) to find next time.

 

[Littleguy80]

Congratulations! It really is all about dark skies. I first saw the Veil in May last year but faintly from home. Then through June and most of July I couldn’t see it. As the sky darkened in late July and August it became more and more visible. I went to a dark site in September and it was really bright there. Same scope, same eyepiece and same filter used every time. The only difference was the darkness of the sky each time. 

The North American Nebula is a good follow up to the Veil!

[John]

Nice report - congratulations !

I'm fortunate in having "discovered" observing the Veil Nebula some years ago with small aperture scopes and an O-III filter. The latter was the key ingredient rendering what was practically invisible in the 80mm and 100mm refractors clearly visible and rather lovely. The smallest aperture that I've seen a portion of the Veil Nebula with is a 15x70 binocular with no filters on an exceptionally transparent night a few Summers back and it was the brightest part, the Eastern Veil that I managed to glimpse as a faint arc of pale light right overhead.

If you can get a 3-4 degree true field plus an O-III filter you can see the E & W portions in the same view and with a bit of practice some of the central parts such as Pickerings Wisp.

Wonderful and complex target

[alan potts]

Congratulations, it is a lovely sight, in all of my scopes, though I have never managed to see it without a filter, knowingly anyway. It is a stunning target in my largest scope and something I always have a look at when the moon is away somewhere else.

Alan

[Eastman]

Congrats must have been a great moment to see it for the first time!

I soon have a few filters (borrow) from a friend and will have a go on those great nebulae.

Hope they help I havend been succesfull so far.

[Stu]

Great result! It’s always good to finally spot something after trying for some time.

I seem to remember being inspired by some of John’s reports quite a few years ago and effectively copied his refractor setup to get around 3.7 degrees field of view. As a result I have had some wonderful views of the whole complex at once.

The Veil is a fantastic object, and looks amazing at a range of magnifications. In a big dob you can’t fit the whole thing in but the detail seen under good conditions is incredible.

[jetstream]

Congrats!

[Hayduke27]

Way to go!  I found the veil for my first time last winter, and it blew my socks off.  Such a lovely sight!!