Top 10 Targets to Observe for a Beginner

[RJC]

Hi All,

So my first telescope is arriving on Tuesday.
After a last minute pivot due to finding a second hand telescope with some extras at a really good price, I am now getting the SW StarTravel 120.
I figure that it will be good to get me started and allow me to have a go at most things to see what I enjoy most before maybe investing in something better down the line.

With this in mind, I wonder if anyone could help with a top 10 list of things that I should start with when it comes to observing. As a beginner, some of the easier things to locate would be great as I will have a fully manual set up, I.e. no goto equipment.
I'm thinking moon, brighter planets, globular star clusters, galaxies, nebulae etc.

Thanks in advance!

[andy fearn]

Hi RJC and welcome. have you got skysafari or stellarium, they will be a great help in deciding and finding objects. Orion is a good area to start and easy to find.

[Voxish]

It kind of depends what time of year you’re observing, the top 10 varies during the year. Your scope and interests also come into play. However the following are easy to find and worth the time and effort to observe.

The Moon

Saturn 

Jupiter

Bodes and Cigar galaxies 

Andromeda 

The Double Cluster

Ring Nebular

Dumbell Nebular

Orion Nebular

Alberio

Have fun.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 7 by Voxish

[Voxish]

Oh and if you have not already done so you should grab a copy of Turn Left at Orion

[Bugdozer]

In the summer, I would add in M13, a globular cluster in Hercules, which is very easy to find manually. 

[RJC]

This is great, thanks so much!

I’ll try to pick up a copy of Turn Left at Orion too as this has been recommended to me previously.

can’t wait to get started!

Edited January 7 by RJC

[bosun21]

You may want to get a barlow lens for the planets as they are small in the eyepiece of short focal length scopes.

[Tiny Clanger]

This week 🙂 ? Excluding anything very high in the sky, which may be awkward in a 'scope with a 45 deg. diagonal ...

Prioritise catching at least a brief sight (before it is lost to us for a while ) of Saturn as soon as you can find it as the Sun sets.

Then Jupiter is easy to find , highest in the south around 7pm

Then the Pleiades.

By now Orion will be getting to a decent altitude, so M42 is a must.

Ditto half an hour or so later, M44, the Beehive cluster .

5 down, go indoors and defrost for a bit .

Back outside around midnight to 1 am, Orion is sinking in the SW, M44 is now high in the S and may be a more rewarding view, and the constellation Leo is rising in the east,

have a try for the Leo triplet of galaxies M65, M66, and the one I can't see from my garden 😞

Then in the east there's M3, a globular cluster.

Turn around to the NW, and find Cassiopeia which easily leads you to C13 the Dragonfly/Owl/ET cluster

and finish on the nearby double cluster, C14.

 

 

 

[Space Hopper]

M11 (Flying duck) & M37 are another two to add to the list of showpiece objects. See if you can spot the orange  / red star in the centre of the M37 cluster ?

It will be a few months possibly before you can track down M11, but it will be worth the wait.

[RJC]

Thanks all!

I have plenty to go at here

I have just, 2 minutes ago, received my Barlow lens so hopefully I can put it to good use when the rest of my kit arrives.

I have a nice and relatively dark South facing garden so I have been observing some of these planets and constellations over the past couple of weeks through my binoculars so I’m excited to get in a little closer!

the weather is looking pretty good for the next week or so in the SW where I’m based, so fingers crossed I can get out there as soon as everything arrives.

[Voxish]

Yeah lots of other great suggestions all of which I ummmed and Arrrrhed about and that’s without thinking about Mars and Venus. The ice giants and Mercury are a little more challenging to locate and patience is definitely required here, especially as they, like the majority of classic targets are not circumpolar 

[SwiMatt]

Hey RJC, welcome!

Your choice will also depend on the sky conditions in your area, in particular when it comes to light pollution. If you're in an area with heavy light pollution, targets like M81 and M82 (Bode's and Cigar galaxy), M27 (Dumbbell nebula) or the Leo Triplet might not be so easy.

Most of the suggestions you got are great, but there are other beautiful things that don't often come up in the top 10s Open clusters that are easy enough IMO are M29 and M39 in Cygnus, and M103 in Cassiopeia. Also M35 in Gemini, M36, M37 and M38 in Auriga are among the most beautiful. Globular clusters are always fun to check out, I prefer M15 in Pegasus to M13, but they never disappoint. In this season there aren't many up in the Northern sky unless you want to wake up very early.

This is my two cents, I have only a few months under my belt but I wanted to provide a counter to the most famous objects, since I find those often underwhelming in light polluted skies.

[maw lod qan]

I like how Voxish started with the Moon.

Remember as the terminator moves across the face of the Moon, the view changes every day and sometimes minute by minute as you watch!

It is an incredible target!

[Nikolai De Silva]

15 hours ago, Voxish said:

Have fun.

Is 'Have fun' a new object?😂😂

[fifeskies]

Microsoft Word - Top10_NightSky_Objects.doc (rochesterskies.org)

Handy beginers guide of top 10 easy objects to look at.

Edited January 8 by fifeskies

[Steve Ward]

And don't forget that when you have cloud riddled nights , but clear blue days , the simple addition of a Baader AstroSolar Safety filter will give you wonderful views of the most dynamic object in the sky ... our own nearest star ... 

[Louis D]

To add to the excellent suggestions already:

The phases of Venus over time

The double-double in Lyra (i.e., Epsilon Lyrae)

Trying to pick out Mercury near the horizon naked eye is always rewarding

Collinder 70 (Orion's Belt) in binoculars

The star cluster rich area near the Double Cluster and Perseus (sorry, don't exactly know the name, but it is beautiful to scan around)

The summer Milky Way from Sagittarius to at least Cygnus.  It's loaded with bright nebula and star clusters.  Again, scanning along it is rewarding.

Galilean moon transits/occultations of/by Jupiter and their shadows on Jupiter are fun to watch in real time

With a fast achromatic refractor such as yours, you may need to sometimes add some filtration to see fine planetary detail through the violet/red fringing.

[seven_legs]

I had the SW StarTravel 120, its a great scope for widefield and nebula objects.  The Double Cluster is a wonderful sight

[kev100]

Only 10? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/the-wow-list-50-stunning-deep-space-objects-for-amateur-stargazers-book-by-kevin-quinn-alan-beech.html

[AstroMuni]

On 07/01/2024 at 14:16, RJC said:

Thanks all!

I have plenty to go at here

I have just, 2 minutes ago, received my Barlow lens so hopefully I can put it to good use when the rest of my kit arrives.

I have a nice and relatively dark South facing garden so I have been observing some of these planets and constellations over the past couple of weeks through my binoculars so I’m excited to get in a little closer!

the weather is looking pretty good for the next week or so in the SW where I’m based, so fingers crossed I can get out there as soon as everything arrives.

Also take a look at the archives from this publication by @BinocularSky - it gives you a month by month list of objects to view https://binocularsky.com/newsletter_archive.php

[RJC]

@seven_legs

Good to know, which eyepieces did you have the most success with for your ST120?
I'm doing some research now but having a hard time deciding. Especially as I've had so many different recommendations!
Thanks

[seven_legs]

i was using a televue nagler 31mm type 5, which i had to sell during covid, but is one eyepiece i plan to get again in the future.

Also i dont know if you are using the orginal 45º Erect Image Diagonal that comes with the scope new, if so i would replace that with a proper one. i think i brought the Sky-Watcher 2" Di-Electric Star Diagonal. 

[Sticky-boy]

What a very helpful response from the community  with some great ideas which I have taken notes from, thank you. I am a newbie to this fantastic hobby and enjoy it  immensely. 

I have the same scope as RJC and also on a non goto mount,the Az 3 which I will hopefully upgrade soon. I have made a few purchases along with a couple of Christmas presents and these have been eyepieces and a new dielectric diagonal.

I have had the pleasure of enjoying the moon, Saturn, Jupiter and it's moons,orion nebula  and the Pleiades as well as a general look around. I also purchased this telescope and tripod second hand and  for my first scope I have throughly enjoyed it. Chromatic aberration is apparent on the bright planet's and the edge of the moon but I knew that this would be visible when I purchased the scope. Enjoy your setup and keep warm. 

[Louis D]

8 hours ago, Sticky-boy said:

Chromatic aberration is apparent on the bright planet's and the edge of the moon but I knew that this would be visible when I purchased the scope.

I've been investigating ways to mitigate this with various filters in several other threads, but the short answer is that a #8 Light Yellow or #11 Yellow/Green filter can help reduce these chromatic aberrations for not a lot of cash outlay for when greater image sharpness is needed.  A #56 Green can go even further to really sharpen up the image on bright objects.

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @RJC and welcome to SGL. 

Don’t go and have a mad spending spree on eyepieces, filters and other accessories until you have used the ‘scope a few times.

Best advice I would say at this time is to set it up during the day light hours and have a play with it, either indoors or outside. That way you will how it works and behaves, know what goes with what and where, etc., as it can be frustrating to do in the dark. 😉

Talking of filters, my top three recommendations are:

• variable polarising 
• Baader Neodymium 
• UHC

...and what @Louis D suggested in his reply.

Edited January 12 by RT65CB-SWL