M36,37,38

[StephenRh]

Had a good night last night. M42 very clear, Jupiter and moons similarly. But could I find these Messiers? Using equipment as below (plus a Telrad). Any advice? It was clear enough to just make out M42 without any optics, so good visibility.

[Space Hopper]

If you are in a light polluted area (Bortle 7+) like me, they are easily missed.

All 3 are in the lower part of Auriga in a straightish line. M37 is the best of them.

[Stu]

2 hours ago, StephenRh said:

Had a good night last night. M42 very clear, Jupiter and moons similarly. But could I find these Messiers? Using equipment as below (plus a Telrad). Any advice? It was clear enough to just make out M42 without any optics, so good visibility.

They can be tricky I agree. A couple of suggestions. There is a trail of stars which starts between Elnath and Allan. If you follow this up in your finder, or get the scope onto it with a low power eyepiece then you are close to M38.

Alternatively split the gap between Elnath and Theta Auriga in half, and M36 and 37 are above and below that line. Once I’ve found one, I can usual skip across the three others ok.

[scarp15]

You will, you just have to take a bit of time to first visually comprehend the locality in relation to a chart within the Auriga profile. After which guide the Telrad to fix on an approximate location. Then a little bit of nudge and drift is required with a lower power wide angle ep, to begin with. Depending on your sky, if you have a finder scope attached, it ought to show the faint compact fuzz of each or at least a more specific star hop if required. 

[Orange Smartie]

Agree with scarp15 - I struggled with these using red dot finder, but I could see them in my finder.

[Guest]

Maybe i missed it, but i didnt see what kind of scope you are using.  If a dob a setting circle and angle gauge will make finding things a piece of cake. Just grab the alt az coordinates in the app and off you go.  Its like gps for your scope. 

[NGC 1502]

Good advice from scarp15.  I use a low power wide field eyepiece to find objects first. If that eyepiece shows a 1.5 to 2 degree true field then that greatly increases your chances.  Using Telrad, Rigel Quikfinder or RDF, point the scope as best you can then take a look, pan around a bit.  Some use an optical finder as well as RDF.  The optical finder will give several degrees true field. That gives an even better chance of success.

With the Auriga clusters I find them that way. Having found them I increase the power to 100x or so, that darkens the sky background and gives a great view, even from light polluted towns.

Good luck with your next sessions 👍

[StephenRh]

Thanks all. Much appreciated. Half the battle is knowing it is possible!

[Franklin]

Using binoculars to make a reconnaissance search first will help you recognize where your targets are, relative to the brighter stars in the neighbourhood, which I find helps immensely when pointing the scope.

[RobertI]

Some great advice above. Once you’ve found them, you’ll be seeing them all the time. Don’t forget M35 in Gemini. If you extend the line from M38, M37 and M36, you eventually get to M35. If you have good eyes and a reasonably dark sky, you might spot its hazy companion cluster NGC2158.