Objects beyond our galaxy?

[FLO]

I hadn't really appreciated until recently that pretty much all the visible stars are within our galaxy. This has started me wondering which objects from outside our galaxy make good targets. Are there any that are big/bright enough to be visible thru your average (say 4-8") telescope? (Excluding other galaxies).

Thanks

[GazOC]

Would you count globular clusters?

[John]

Would you count globular clusters?

I thought globular clusters are found in a kind of halo around the edges of our galaxy ?.

I suppose pulsars would count as they are outside our galaxy - can any of those be seen with amature scopes ?.

John

[GazOC]

Would you count globular clusters?

I thought globular clusters are found in a kind of halo around the edges of our galaxy ?.

Yep, thats why I asked the question.

[John]

It's probably at globular clusters that the toll booths are situated for those arriving at and leaving the galaxy - they put the tolls up a couple of million years ago and nobody visits our galaxy any more ....

John

[Astroman]

Pretty much the only things that can be seen outside our galaxy are other galaxies andtheir features, but you usually need a big scope to see the other features. For instance, you can see globular clusters in M31, M33 M101 and a few of the closer ones, but the scope you need will be >16". From dark skies, there are HII regions, similar to the Tarantula Nebula or the Orion complex in M33, but once again, you need a large scope.

Here's a couple of questions for you-1) Have you run out of targets in our own galaxy? and 2) What's wrong with external galaxies?

[FLO]

I first thought of globulars but was told that they are still considered within our galaxy(?) (Apparantly they orbit our galaxy like bees around a hive).

Astroman,

Thanks for your response

1) Absolutely not

2) Whilst there is nothing 'wrong' with viewing galaxies, I was wondering whether there wasn't something more singular and solitary.

My interest in astronomy is less to do with science and more to do with gazing in wonder at the sheer splendour and scale of it all

[John]

My interest in astronomy is less to do with science and more to do with gazing in wonder at the sheer splendour and scale of it all

I'm with you there Steve - that's exactly why I have been into astronomy for the past 30+ years .... :p

John

[Astroman]

I first thought of globulars but was told that they are still considered within our galaxy(?) (Apparantly they orbit our galaxy like bees around a hive).

Astroman,

Thanks for your response

1) Absolutely not

2) Whilst there is nothing 'wrong' with viewing galaxies, I was wondering whether there wasn't something more singular and solitary.

My interest in astronomy is less to do with science and more to do with gazing in wonder at the sheer splendour and scale of it all

Globulars are good targets, IMO. When people ask me what's the difference between them and open clusters, I tell them it's basically mass, age and distance. Then, I tell them that open clusters orbit the center of the MW along with the disk, just as the Sun does while globulars orbit more or less like comets around our Sun. They can approach the center from any angle and have any distance from the center. There are a lot of subtle differences in globulars, such as is the core compact, condensed or loose and diffuse. (I smell a tutorial coming on....) Anyway, open clusters we see are relative close, due to galactic extinction-read lots of dust, and since globulars orbit more or less perpendicular to the disk, and their masses are higher, they can be seen above and below our disk and be tens of thousands of ly away. Cool stuff.

In response to my Q-1, I thought not. There are roughly 7500 objects in the NGC, with another 5000 in the Ic alone, then you get to the Herschel list, sorry, listS, the PGC of galaxies, the UGC, the PK, (Perek-Kohoutek) catalog of planetary nebulae, Collinder open clusters, ad infinitum. Lots of these are pretty much invisible in smaller scopes, but Collinders and some PK's are worth a look, which addresses Q2, in a round about way.

Your closing sentence is splendid! There's simply so much to see. Even with a smallish scope, the more you look, the more you see. You should spend some time actually observing each object, rather than seeing it and checking it off the list. It's as much training the eye as it is testing the scope.

I've gone on long enough. Keep up your enthusiasm, teach yourself to observe, and you'll be rewarded. 8)

[Andrew*]

a lovely post AM. Very inspiring. I need to see some more Globulars. So far I've only seen two globulars (and by accident too!), two galaxies (including our own!) and a handful of opens, so I've got many many many more to test, as you say, my eyes and my scope on.

Andrew

[richard42]

i love globbies! but what must it be like to live on a planet with a star in a globular cluster?

and is our star part of any cluster?

[barkis]

i love globbies! but what must it be like to live on a planet with a star in a globular cluster?

and is our star part of any cluster?

Might be a pain for astronomers. Too many suns in the sky.

[barkis]

Take a trip through the Scutum star clouds, and dwell on the Wild Duck for a while.

There is enough in our galaxy to keep generations of astronomers gasping.I did say gawping, at first, but I changed it to gasping, It still does not look right .

I reckon you all know what I'm trying to say.

Barkis.

[lunator]

i love globbies! but what must it be like to live on a planet with a star in a globular cluster?

and is our star part of any cluster?

Richard it used to be but as the Sun is 4500 thousand million years old and goes round the milky way about every 225 million years the other stars in the cluster have drifted away and left the Sun pretty much on it own.

We are passing through the remains of another cluster. We call it the Ursa Major moving group it is named that way as five of the ploughs stars share the same proper motion and the group is name after them, but in fact there are stars all aorund the Sun that share this motion and it appears that the Sun is passing through this group.

Cheers

Ian

[Kain]

I believe you can see some of the globs around M31 with some of the larger amature scopes. I have been told I can see one or 2 with my 10" at high power and good seeing, but I haven't tried tbh.

Kain

[SteelRat]

Globs are great - saw M13 (back again already) yesterday morning... beautiful 8) Saw M5 and M92 too but 13's m'fave. Really enjoy staring at Aurigas OC's too.

[Astroman]

I believe you can see some of the globs around M31 with some of the larger amature scopes. I have been told I can see one or 2 with my 10" at high power and good seeing, but I haven't tried tbh.

Kain

I've seen 2 M31 globs in a 10" Loury-Houghton scope from a dark site in AZ. G1 and G3 were pretty easy, but the sky has to be dark and extremely steady. But hey, thanks for the idea to try them in my new 10" F/7!