Where Next???

[CaptPaul]

Hi all

I had a suprising night last night. Since my last post i havent been able to get out and use the advice you all gave me about setting up my red dot finder (rubbish clouds!) untill last night it was clear and just as it was getting dark there was one bright star to the south which i managed to use to set up my red dot find then i was off! it stayed remarkably clear so i got to see the double star in ursa major alcor and mizor (excuse my spelling!) then i also saw a double cluster which was on my planisphere but didnt have a m number it was just below cassopia if that helps. It was brilliant i saw my first proper few things!! loved it. which leads me to the title...where next!?? any ideas? admittedly when looking for the double cluster i stumbled on it rather than went straight to it so easier the better! thanks!!

[Doc]

That bright star in the south might have been Jupiter.

Well done on aligning your red dot, it does make things alot easier. You don't say what scope you have but you could try M31, M27, M52, M2, or M15.

Look here at my list of objects indexed by constellation.

http://stargazerslounge.com/primers-tutorials/81493-object-list-indexed-constellation.html

[Ant]

I don't think that there is a much finer view than the double cluster.

Just so you know, the double cluster doesn't have am M number (NGC 864 and 889 IIRC).

M36, M37 and M38 are nice open clusters in Auriga.

Ant

[TheThing]

Don't forget the moon! Rises later and later as it waning, but always a good target!

[Ant]

Hugh's right.

Last night the moon was up and in the way by 9:30. So by 10 or 10:30 you should be able to have some nice views...

Ant

[CaptPaul]

Hi thanks for the quick replies.

i have a skywatcher 130pm.

The "star" i lined up with did have two very tiny ones next to it!? it did just look like a star though, if i used high magnification do you think i would make more of it out if it was jupiter?

I found the lunar 100 on here but unfortunatley the moon is the wrong side of the house at the mo (might be a stupid question but will it move over? )

Thanks again

[Doc]

Hi thanks for the quick replies.

i have a skywatcher 130pm.

The "star" i lined up with did have two very tiny ones next to it!? it did just look like a star though, if i used high magnification do you think i would make more of it out if it was jupiter?

I found the lunar 100 on here but unfortunatley the moon is the wrong side of the house at the mo (might be a stupid question but will it move over? )

Thanks again

I would say that was Jupiter and two of it's moons you saw. Even with a 25mm eyepiece you would have seen if it was Jupiter. A 10mm would have been able to detect 4 moons and at least 2 bands around the planet.

[pvaz]

Hi thanks for the quick replies.

i have a skywatcher 130pm.

The "star" i lined up with did have two very tiny ones next to it!? it did just look like a star though, if i used high magnification do you think i would make more of it out if it was jupiter?

I found the lunar 100 on here but unfortunatley the moon is the wrong side of the house at the mo (might be a stupid question but will it move over? )

Thanks again

Besides the ones already mentioned M13 (glob cluster) in Hercules is great to see and easy to find.

[CaptPaul]

hmmm ill give it another try when its clear again it just looked like a star. not looking like i can try today though it hirrible outside all cloudy and murky

ill try out some the other suggestions too thanks!

[Doc]

If it was the brightest object looking South then I'm pretty sure it was. It's raining here as well so we will have to wait another day.

[CaptPaul]

yeah! i can hopefully add that to my lil list of what ive seen then.

whats the best way to see it better? (if i can with my scope) so its not just a bright white colour? do you think i could make out some bands even if they blurry?

[Doc]

I don't see why not. Your scope should show the two main belts and it's four moons.

The secret of seeing features on planets is prolonged viewing. Don't just have a quick 2 minute glance. You need to really study it, spend a good 10 minutes if not longer looking at it and within that time the seeing will change and you will get quick glimpses of features that before were not there, then the seeing will change again and you might loose that feature until next time.

[Ant]

The four moons are visible in Bino's - if Jupiter wasn't there they would be naked eye (just).

The moon will always rise in the East. Depending on the phase and the time of year depends on exactly where in the East it rises.

Last night it rose in the NE at around 9:30. By 3 am this morning it was very high in the sky. The moon however changes position / rising and setting times significantly every day.

Ant