Orion

[Anthony1979]

Ive just tried to view the orion nebula but seriously cant make it out.... Where am i going wrong 

[James_K]

What equipment are you using?

[Anthony1979]

Im only using a 70mm refractor 

[Sunshine]

In a 70mm refractor M42 will look like a small grey smudge, it looks like a bigger grey smudge in my 6 inch scope, and an even bigger smudge in my 10 inch. This is what i would see more or less in my 10 inch scope.

A 70mm scope will not reveal a whole lot in deep sky objects, they are very faint and require a big eye (telescope diameter) to catch as much light as possible.

 

[Anthony1979]

What eye piece would be best

[Sunshine]

10 minutes ago, Anthony1979 said:

What eye piece would be best

What is the focal length of your scope? i included a link to another important thread for those new to the hobby, it puts things into perspective and helps in the future if you plan on another larger scope.

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/196278-what-can-i-expect-to-see/

[Anthony1979]

900mm

[mark81]

Try using he lower power eyepiece you have.  Maybe a 25mm?  The nebula looks great with a pair of 10x50s so you should be able to pick it up with a 70mm

[Anthony1979]

900mm

[Anthony1979]

Great info that link thanks