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September observation targets


DarkLane

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Hi, brand new at all of this and working out a list of the targets I´d like to see in September (Sun begins to recede here then.) I´m grabbing a number items that I´ve read are easier to tackle at first. 
I´m popping this here mostly so I don´t forget but any comments are welcome...

 

Moon - Apollo 11 sites 
Saturn – Planet
Mizar & Alcor – Multiple Star System
Albireo – Beautiful Double Star
Andromeda Galaxy, M31 – Spiral Galaxy
Hercules Cluster, M13 – Globular Cluster
Double Cluster, NGC 869 & NGC 884 – Close Open Clusters
Dumbbell Nebula, M 27 – Planetary Nebula
Seven Sisters - Pleiades - Open Cluster

Edited by DarkLane
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You are going to have a great time if the weather is kind to you. Our moon is especially relevant right now and a magnificent object to study. If you get successive nights compare the features from the previous night, the changes on the terminator are astonishing.

Saturn is my favourite. You don’t say what equipment you are using but I couldn’t believe how bright the planet and rings are. I hope you have good seeing as I managed to see the Cassini division at the fourth time of trying in one week and it made it all worth while.

You should be really happy with the clusters, they are not hard to find, but careful with planetary nebulas, they tend to be small and easy to miss.

Happy hunting

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Thanks @Marvin Jenkins I'm looking forward to this viewing in just over a month now. I'm using a small Newtonian, a Celestron Powerseeker 114EQ, and I'm aware of its shortcomings but as a beginner scope I think it gave me the best bang for the buck. I'm lucky to have nearly perfect dark skies to travel to for my viewing so I'm hoping that helps a bit. The Dumbbell planetary nebula is the "difficult" target on my list but what's a list without a challenge, eh?

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Hi DarkLane,

I suggest you sign up for the free monthly newsletter from  http://binocularsky.com/

The monthly target lists are great for small scopes as well as binos.

Having the priceless advantage of dark skies you will be able to see lots of DSO's even with a modest scope. Of course most will be "dim fuzzies". Most of the dimmer objects will not show up in your finder, so you will have to locate the "invisible" target by comparing the star pattern in the finder to a chart or an app like Skysafari. The target should then be visible in a low power eyepiece, (apart from M31, it will always look smaller & dimmer than you expect). Then experiment with magnification to get the best view. 

M57  Ring Nebula, M27 Dumbbell , & M81 Bode's Galaxy are good fuzzies to start with. All are fairly bright. I have seen all 3 with a 76mm scope from Bortle 8 light pollution so you should have no problem.

Enjoy!

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I am using a 130mm Orion, so only a little larger in aperture. Your biggest advantage is your access to your dark sky site. I can’t tell you how much of a difference it makes.

I don’t completely subscribe to bigger kit means you see more every time, but in the future, if you can upgrade your mount then do. My package came with an eq2, after one year I upgraded to a sw eq5 and the difference was incredible.

It was so much more solid and precise I started seeing dso’s that disappeared in the eq2 wobble. It took another seven months to save for the syn scan kit but that has taken it to whole new level, being able to track an object has been a revelation.

I still use the 130 on it so don’t worry about putting a small scope on a larger mount, it should be that way round.

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Thanks! thats great advice. Signed up for the monthly newsletter, should be a good edition to my library. I can already tell that my mount will be a weak spot, it bounces around pretty good so it´s now on my shopping list for upgrades once I figure out the basics.

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Hi there,

can’t tell you how much I envy your dark sky opportunities.  You may find this site helps:  https://telescopius.com

You can input the objects you are interested in, the times you want to observe and it will show you the best objects for your locality and email you before each new moon to remind you.

Enjoy your scope and dark skies.

John

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