First light..unimpressed! Sort of :(

[SlipperySquid]

Well I say unimpressed......I was just about to go to bed last night as I had a 4.30am start for work in the morning. I peered through the bedroom window and noticed the skies where clearish...so I thought buggerit! got dressed again and hit the garden.

I knew I didnt have much time as I needed sleep etc but I really wanted to see something with my scope apart from the moon!.

So located Orion which was east of my location but not in the best area as it was hitting light pollution pretty bad. But onward and upward! used my spotter and found the sword of orion (which was not visible to the naked eye due to afformentioned light pollution!) and then popped in a 25mm plossl (30x) (6" relector f/5 ) I was chuffed to bits that I could see the nebula and my son joined me as well. Increasing magnification didn't improve the view though I understand there's so many factors that give poor viewing. But I suppose I expected a bit more from the scope but never mind (12" dob here I come).

After a speel looking around orion it was onto the pleiades (seven siters) as it was another quickly identifiable object.Again ..in the 25mm eyepiece there was to much magnification to fit the full constellation into the apature and they just looked like all the other stars next to them (I know astro photography picks up the details the eye's miss but the stars) Think I was expecting stars with brightness like the thunderbolts of the gods themselves!!!

I know my EP'S leave a lot to be desired and I've a lot to learn about the night sky itself etc...and I HAVE to get to a dark observing area to get the best out of everything as Astro_Baby has already pointed out to me..patience..patience...patience Easier said then done

Has it put me off....nooooooooooooooo...I can't wait to get back out there and have another go. I really need to get to a club or something though as I feel a bit lost at the moment in my back garden I think I'll just take one constellation at a time and work it out from there!

Also...none of you warned me about EQ MOUNTS!!! It's like playing the game TWISTER standing up!!! You get into some right positions!

Well writing this has made see what a spoilt child I sound like but I was expecting slightly more from my scope than what I got but it's early days yet and I have looked at two objects LOL .If I can see a siral galaxy i'll be happy please tell me I'll be able to see a spiral galaxy ...and it will loook spiralish....

Thanks for reading!

[pvaz]

Light pollution really ruins the Orion nebula. On an good night some of the nebula structure and green hue becomes apparent.

As to the Pleiads I see them as a turn down object in a scope. I personally enjoy them more through binos.

Try finding some nice open clusters in cassiopeia and auriga. They look good under light pollution.

And yes, a visit to a local astronomy club is a great way to have fun and learn.

[MartinB]

Good suggestions Paulo, especially the double cluster. Apart from M42 deep sky observing isn't about spectacular sights. Most of the objects you will see are faint smudges, in fact it is quite a challenge to find them most of the time, that is part of the fun. With practice and patience you will start to notice more.

The best hope of observing anything approaching a spiral is probably M51, but don't hold your breath. You need a fair bit of aperture and a dark sky to make out anything other than a fuzzy disc but it's nice to be able to make out the discs close together. Another one to find is M81 and 82 together in the same field of view. You can normally make out a little detail in the core of M82.

It's a matter of readjusting expectations. We have a culture of quick thrills and short attention spans. This is the antithesis of star gazing. The more you observe the more you will see!

[Astro_Baby]

EQ mounts can be a bit weird. You have to twist the scope round in its rings when the EP gets to a strange position.

The Pleiades can be a fabulous target if your away from light pollution with a faint blue/green misty appearance. Same for the Orion nebula.

There are plenty of other things to look atbut remember you need to 'see' and that means having your eyes dark adapted for at least 20 minutes and learning to observe. Telescope views are often all that immediate and you have to lear to be still and just watch.

[Javier]

Take it easy, you can spend a lifetime of great observation with your 6" scope. Just take it to a dark site. If you can´t, choose nights without moon and point to zenith. With the same scope, I can reach faints targets like M27, NGC253, saturn nebula, in really bad light polluted skies. Orion looks amazing in dark sites, as well as M22, M8, and southern targets like Omega Centauri, Centauro A, 47 Tucanae, Tarantula...

But, I must say that 8" make a difference in obseration, if you are not intersted in AP just go for a nice dob. Not to talk a 12" dob, I spent lasta summer in a class 1 sky with a 12" dob, it was a wounderful experience.

Just be patient and have a lot of fun.

[pvaz]

Oh I forgot. At 4:30am you have Mars pretty high in the south and Saturn low in the east.

If the night is steady enough and you have an EP capable of giving you 150x - 200x they are both great sights. But beware they are small even at 200x. On Mars you should be able to see a white polar cap and some dark features on the surface. On Saturn you should be able to see it twice the size of Mars, a line of the rings that unfortunately are edge on to us at the moment, and some faint dark equatorial bands on the surface. Plus a few moons on Saturn (they appear as steady bright dots in a line.)

[vegas]

I will also pimp the double cluster, i realy enjoyed finding this, and only found it because i noticed with averted vision a slight lightening in that area with the naked eye.

I'd also bear in mind that I believe that everything with a 6" will be seen in monochrome, nebulawise. Well without filters anyway. Stars are fine though, as I saw alberio with my 5.1" and could tell with ease the contrast between the blue and orange stars.

I dont know off by hand (im sure someone will) whether filters alone bring out colour or if you need the additional aperture as well, but it's something to consider for the future.

I struggled with the EQ mount, which is partly why I've ordered myself a dob (if it ever comes!!!!) Having said that, if you're wanting to go into astrophotography, I'd continue with the EQ as the more you learn with it, the more proficient you will be with aligning etc when it comes to taking images.

Don't worry Orion is continuing to get higher and higher and you might notice a difference when it does from the LP aspect (also consider a LP filter). Those crystal clear nights of winter will turn up eventually (im crossing everything so they better).

[SlipperySquid]

Thanks all for your comments! It has'nt put me off at all...and the moon is always stunning I'll keep on looking to the skies and as already noted...the fun is in the finding! errrr what is this about Nebula filters???? Colour? yes? I like colour!

[pvaz]

Planets show colour. It's rare to see it in nebula and nearly impossible on galaxies.

M42 is gray with some green hue. My wife says it's clearly green when she looks at it for 15min+, I just see a hint of green.

Also the tiny blue snowball is blue. Alberio is a nice double star with a blue and an orange star. I also see some orange stars in the double cluster but other then those, all I can think of is gray. Anyway I still have lots to see so who knows?

EDIT:

I have an OIII nebula filter. It makes nebula more visible and adds it's own green hue to everything, including stars. I never tried UHC or Hb filters.

[Pollux]

EQ MOUNTS!!! It's like playing the game TWISTER standing up!!! You get into some right positions!

:evil6:superb:evil6:

Thanks for sharing.

You managed to get out, :eek:and you also managed to see 'something'.

The more you do the more you can... keep at it!

...M

[vegas]

Slipperysquid, I'd really recommend loading up stellarium and just picking an area to explore for the night. You can filter in galaxies and nebulas and just pick an easy visible area of the sky.

I've found that half of this hobby is the prep work and by studying up I've got to know that main constellations very easily.

[Chris H]

A dark place to observe from will make much more of a difference than a bigger scope in your light polluted location. I use a 5 inch dob and have seen lots of wonderful things, I especially like to view M31 and clusters in Auriga and Casseopia. Clear skies.

[great_bear]

what is this about Nebula filters???? Colour? yes? I like colour!

Something like an Orion Ultrablock may help you with nebulae (I have an Ultrablock) - but your observing site really needs to be dark enough for your eyes to be dark-adapted for good results with any nebula filter. You will not see anything much in the way of colour when looking at nebulae.

I've found that half of this hobby is the prep work

It took me such a long time to realise this. Simply going out on a night with no plan at all can turn into a bit of a wasted evening. A plan (with "Plan B" targets, just in case!) is the way to go.

A dark place to observe from will make much more of a difference than a bigger scope in your light polluted location. I use a 5 inch dob and have seen lots of wonderful things

Yes, a five-inch scope at a dark sky site shows amazing views if the conditions are good. Throwing more and more money at scopes in a heavily light-polluted area in order to see more nebulae is not a good idea.

[great_bear]

Forgot to say:

- Don't get too down on EQ mounts - after a while they're easy and fun to use.

- Double-stars and small, open clusters are great targets in a washed-out, light-polluted sky.

[Dazraz]

i felt the same as you when i first went out about 3 months ago but i am finding that looking for objects is just as much fun i have 4 under my belt so far and at the moment saturn and mars are next in my book. I did try mars the other night but seeing was not good so i am going to get up early and catch the worm as the saying goes. Stick at it and it will come together.

Regards