Magnitude

[Rottweiler]

This has probably been asked before. What magnitudes can you guys see on a good moonless night? I have ran several online calculations and always come up short. i consider myself lucky to see magnitude 10 in this red zone i call home. The internet tells me I can expect mag12, I can barely see the pleiades with the naked eye here!

[scotttumsh01]

If you can hardly see the Pleiades with the naked eye on a moonless night suggests to me you have high light pollution does it not?

[ollypenrice]

This is in the 300P in your signature?

The first thng to do is estimate naked eye limiting magnitude. Check the star charts for what is on or around the zenith. I live at a site as good as any in mainland europe with a zenith almost at the limit of what is possible anywhere in the world. Some young and talented observers have hit magnitude 7 naked eye here. Alas, I am a long way off that around Mag 6.

At a dark site you should easily reach mag 15 with your 300mm scope but your estimate of naked eye limiting magnitude will probably tell you not to expect that in the UK. Good quick tests of a site in the UK are, can you see the main outline of Ursa Minor? can you follow the line of stars from Alcor-Mizar to M101? For me, in Derbyshire, the answer was usually No and No!!

Olly