Cone Nebula?

[Talitha]

Has anyone ever bagged the Cone Nebula visually? I tried tonight with my largest aperture (8" SCT) but couldn't pull anything in, even with averted imagination.

[Doc]

Hi Carol

I saw it on the 13th Jan 2009.

Take a look here:

http://stargazerslounge.com/showthread.php?t=73620

[Talitha]

Thanks Doc, my goal was to try for a sketch, but TBH I didn't think 8" would be enough.

(Btw, that torch is hereby passed to those of you with more aperture.)

[acey]

I too have looked for it with an 8" from a dark site, Carol, and never managed it. The cluster is easy and pretty, but the problem with the nebula is that it's mostly dark, and what you're looking for is a gap in field stars with some brightness along the edge (bit like Horsehead etc), as well as some nebulosity around the embedded star - the problem there being elimination of scattered light. Like the Horsehead it owes its fame to photographs and a supposed visual resemblance - in this case to the Virgin and Child.

Andrew