lasts nights view with dob 8'

[david's dob]

Hello Guys

went to a dark sky area, just outside andover.

first view was andromeda, so that i could adjust my view finder, Andromeda was outstanding.

after that i went the plough or the big dipper, unfortunately could not find the galaxy just under the plough or the whirlpool galaxy.

i then tried to look for m81 and well i was not dissapointed 10mins trying to find it and it was worth the wait

then upto vega and followed down and across, and saw the ring nebula, outstanding i put my 10mm peice on and you could see the colour. red and blue slightly.

what an acheivement, i know that dob's aren't that good for imaging, but ill definately give it a go.

thanks

David

[mdstuart]

A great report, glad you were able to see some of the great objects up at the moment. I must say that I have never seen colour in the ring nebula so it must have been an awesome evening..

So next time try NGC 7331 the milky way twin 40 million light years away. It is easiyl bright enough for your dob and is one of the best non (M) galaxies up at the moment.

Mark

[david's dob]

I was in a really dark spot

it was kind of brownish, with slight red and blue.

i did try and find constallation herculies, for the GOB Cluster.

so many stars up there i got lost

Supposed to be clear tonite aswell, so i definately give your one a go. i will try and take some photos using my 8mega pixel phone. not expecting good results though.

Dave

[dweller25]

I also have an 8" dob - views of Jupiter are superb.

[mike.brightmore]

Hello David and keep up the good work. To find the Hercules globular cluster (M 13) draw a line from Vega to the bright, slightly reddish star Arcturus - now over towards the west. If you watch it get dark the first four stars to come out are the three in the Summer Triangle (Vega, Deneb and Altair) almost overhead and Arcturus to the west. About a third of the way along the line from Vega to Arcturus is an asterism (pattern of stars) known as the keystone in Hercules. Two thirds the way along this line is a semi circle (like a tiara) of stars known as Corona Borealis. Any way the keystone is a mishapen square (see diagram below) and M 13 is about two thirds the way up the western side. You'll get a great view of it through your Dob and it will take quite a bit of magnification. There are quite a few other bright globs around at the moment as well.

540px-Hercules_constellation_map.bmp