What next?

[Raph-in-the-sky]

Hey Guys,

I just started to seriously hunting DSOs about a couple of weeks ago (when I got my new 10'' Dob) and so far I managed to find the followings:

-Dumbell Nebula

-RIng Nebula

-Andromeda and M110

-M13 GLob cluster

-M15 GLob cluster

-NGC 457 ET open cluster

-Doubles stars: Albireo, the one in delphinus, double double in lyra

I found all those DSOs amazing and I wonder what should be next on my list of targets. I'm looking for anything visualy pleasing under my light polluted skies (Bortle 5 I guess)

Cheers,

Raph

 

[Rob Sellent]

This was quite an amusing thread from last night, Raph. Hopefully there are one or two objects you haven't seen yet to keep you happy .

Good luck with the hunting 😀

[Ben the Ignorant]

I always view M15 and M2 one after the other, M2 is nearly its twin, and very simple to find. It's a dozen degrees south of M15, or another way to find it is to climb five degrees north of the bright naked-eye star Beta Aquarii. M2 shows itself in a 10x50 binoc from a city so you should see it in your finder.

NGC 7662 in Andromeda is small but exceedingly bright as planetaries go, very low power might disguise it as a star blurred by turbulence but 60x or more reveals what it really is.

Gamma Andromedae is Albireo's little sister, and later in the night, Castor is a spectacular double that doesn't even require star-hopping. Same for Mizar in Ursa Major. Gamma Arietis is another quickly found and rewarding double that doesn't even require high power.

However the list of things to see would be long so you should get a star map like Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas. For 20€ it contains everything a largish binoc or largish beginner scope can show.

[Mike_S]

You’re in the same boat as me finding new stuff. I’m going to try for Neptune tonight and double stars I think. Haven’t even seen Albriero yet. What about Veil nebula? 

[Kn4fty]

Just start working as much of the Messier catalog as possible. You likely wont see all of them from your location, but you'll still see a good number of them. Those you can't see will give you an excuse for a trip to a dark site! 😁

Rob

[John]

Tis the season of the Veil Nebula

Grab a UHC or O-III filter and your very lowest power eyepiece and find the star 52 Cygni to pick up the Western Veil Nebula running like a pale river right beside it. The more obvious Eastern Veil Nebula is 3 degrees to the East. 

One of THE very best summer deep sky objects IMHO

 

[Nyctimene]

I'd suggest, if you get a free view of the southern horizon, to visit the splendid objects of the Milky Way- M8, the Lagoon nebula, M20, the Trifid; M 17 (Omega-or Swan Nebula), M24; M 16; the glorious globular cluster M 22 and, to the north, M 11, the Wild Duck cluster and many more smaller objects.For some of them, a UHC or O III filter will give the best views.

Good luck with hunting them down!

Stephan

[Raph-in-the-sky]

2 hours ago, Ben the Ignorant said:

Howewer the list of things to see would be long so you should get a star map like Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas. For 20€ it contains everything a largish binoc or largish beginner scope can show.

Already ordered. It should be on its way (with turn left at Orion). But there is so much content in those I wanted to have a more limited selection to begin with.

[Raph-in-the-sky]

2 hours ago, Mike_S said:

You’re in the same boat as me finding new stuff. I’m going to try for Neptune tonight and double stars I think. Haven’t even seen Albriero yet. What about Veil nebula? 

Neptune is on my list. Albireo is gorgeous and easy to find. I think that my sky has to much light pollution for the Veil (I tried to no avail)

[Mike_S]

1 minute ago, Raph-in-the-sky said:

Neptune is on my list. Albireo is gorgeous and easy to find. I think that my sky has to much light pollution for the Veil (I tried to no avail)

Did you try with a UHC or O-III filter?

[Raph-in-the-sky]

7 minutes ago, John said:

Tis the season of the Veil Nebula

Grab a UHC or O-III filter and your very lowest power eyepiece and find the star 52 Cygni to pick up the Western Veil Nebula running like a pale river right beside it. The more obvious Eastern Veil Nebula is 3 degrees to the East. 

One of THE very best summer deep sky objects IMHO

 

I have an OIII and UHC FIlter but didn't manage to see it. What would be the most light polluted sky under which I could still see it, on a clear night with my 10' Dob. I reckon I observe under Bortle 5 (although I can go to a Bortle 4 site)

[Raph-in-the-sky]

2 minutes ago, Mike_S said:

Did you try with a UHC or O-III filter?

Yes with the OIII

[Mike_S]

30 minutes ago, Raph-in-the-sky said:

Yes with the OIII

I’m going to try bringing it out tonight for the first time. Have cheap UHC and O-III filters light pollution so not expecting much.  

[markse68]

I couldn't see it the other night with 8.5" despite clearest skies since I bought it but then I only have a sky glow filter and SE London skies are about as bad as they get I think? Maybe with an oiii which I need to get I think...

[Raph-in-the-sky]

4 minutes ago, Mike_S said:

I’m going to try bringing it out tonight for the first time. Have cheap UHC and O-III filters light pollution so not expecting much.  

Good luck!

[John]

1 hour ago, Raph-in-the-sky said:

I have an OIII and UHC FIlter but didn't manage to see it. What would be the most light polluted sky under which I could still see it, on a clear night with my 10' Dob. I reckon I observe under Bortle 5 (although I can go to a Bortle 4 site)

According to the "Clear Outside" site my sky is Bortle 5. I can see down to mag 5.5 stars around the zenith and a good chunk of the Milky Way plus the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye on a good night.

I've spotted the Eastern Veil segment with an aperture as small as 70mm using a UHC filter. Both segments and the triangular wisp between them are visible with 102mm and the O-III filter. With the 12 dob, the 21mm Ethos eyepiece and the O-III filter (a Lumicon) the Eastern Veil looks like this on a decent night

 

 

[markse68]

Haha- just checked on that site and it says Bortle 8 for my site- that's bad isn't it? The other night I could see Vega but couldn't make out the stars of Hercules and no luck finding M13 despite clear dark sky

[Raph-in-the-sky]

2 minutes ago, markse68 said:

Haha- just checked on that site and it says Bortle 8 for my site- that's bad isn't it? The other night I could see Vega but couldn't make out the stars of Hercules and no luck finding M13 despite clear dark sky

That sounds pretty terrible indeed. From my site in can distinguish fainter constellations like the dolphin or the arrow

[Ben the Ignorant]

1 hour ago, Mike_S said:

Have cheap UHC and O-III filters light pollution so not expecting much.

Cheap filters have only a few percent less transmission than expensive ones, they will work well. But focused attention and observing experience have to complete the job, as well as averted vision. Some use a black observing hood (like 19th century photographers), an eye patch or other tricks to better their night vision. Try them and see what works for you.

Also, try seeing the fainter things first on an observing night and the bright easy ones last, so it won't end on a disappointment if you don't succeed at first.

[John]

20 minutes ago, Ben the Ignorant said:

Cheap filters have only a few percent less transmission than expensive ones, they will work well. But focused attention and observing experience have to complete the job, as well as averted vision. Some use a black observing hood (like 19th century photographers), an eye patch or other tricks to better their night vision. Try them and see what works for you.

Also, try seeing the fainter things first on an observing night and the bright easy ones last, so it won't end on a disappointment if you don't succeed at first.

The tips and techniques you mention are well worth trying out

On filters, having owned a few lower cost filters I agree that the % peak transmissions make little difference but the lower cost ones also tend to have over-broad transmission (ie: admit too wide a range of wavelengths) and also lack the sharp transmission cut offs that the better quality filters have and those things do reduce their effectiveness from what I've experienced personally.

The lower cost filters do make some difference though and sometimes that is the difference between seeing something and seeing nothing or very little.

Ending a session with something easiy and rewarding is an excellent plan too

 

 

 

[Ben the Ignorant]

43 minutes ago, John said:

the lower cost ones also tend to have over-broad transmission (ie: admit too wide a range of wavelengths) and also lack the sharp transmission cut offs that the better quality filters

I know and I don't use the cheaper ones for that reason, my broadband filter is an Astronomik and my O-III is a Baader. But I'm a lifelong observer who has developed an acute sense of very small visual differences while Mike_S is a beginner. So I don't want him to give up on his equipment because of preconceived ideas on price.

Whether we want it or not, financially speaking, examining many faint and small things makes us more able to discern imperfections, and whether we like it or not, financially speaking, we feel bound to get the better intruments in time. I am replacing my achromatic binoculars by apo's for that motive. Will cost more, a casual or beginner observer might not see the need, but I do.

[Stub Mandrel]

4 hours ago, John said:

According to the "Clear Outside" site my sky is Bortle 5. I can see down to mag 5.5 stars around the zenith and a good chunk of the Milky Way

Me too... I can see a short section of milky way at the zenith on about 2 days a year. Fortunately tonight seems to be shaping up to be one of those!