serious need of help

[mario chiera]

Hi All,
i am new to this and need some help to get me going.I have a SKYWATCHER PRO 6 inch mak on a HEQ mount with synscan go to.Also a MEAD 390 90mm
refractor on equitorial mount.I live in PERTH W.A. and I would like to know if the above scopes I can see some galaxys and which one.Also where do I start as far as targets go.i would like some input please.
i forgot to mention I have a good range of eyepieces etc.
guys seriously i find it difficult to start a viewing session because I dont know what to aim for.I would like to do astrophotography but feel I should learn to use the scopes first.Is the MAK good for viewing galaxys?
please help it will be appreciated.


Regards
Mario

[ving (David)]

sure it will, you will need to get to some pretty dark skies so head well away from any light pollution.
that said, dont expect them to look like the pictures you see on the web or in books. you are more than likely goning to see a faint grey smudge with a slightly brighter core. the bigger the aperture the more you will see so use the 6" for galaxies


but get yourself to dark skies!!!

[stephenmcnelley]

Hi Mario, a logical starting point for galaxies in the early evening would be Andromeda M31, and M33 the Pinwheel galaxy nearby in Triangulum, Sculptor's galaxy NGC253 the silver dollar is a beauty and these three are the biggest brightest galaxies about this time of year before midnight.
Being so they should give you an indication of what your 6" Mak. is capable of visually at least and with or without light pollution.

Do you have a hand held planisphere to help you find the galaxies?
The astro magazines have a starmap to help us find these three galaxies and most include them.
Various Sites like skymap and celestia might be a help for printoff charts.

I dont have links at hand right now as i use skymap pro 10 software but maybe other members can provide a planetarium link and better star map weblinks. ?

[astro_nutt]

Hi Mario....
If you have a Planisphere and a copy of "astronomy 2006" then here's a some for you to find.
M31, the great Andromeda Galaxy, facing North about 20 degrees above the horizon...R.A. 00 42.7 DEC +41 16.
NGC 253, an edge-on spiral Galaxy in Sculptor...R.A. 00 47.6 DEC -25 17.
Good luck!!

[stephenmcnelley]

Mario here are a couple of astro freeware links courtesy of earlier threads-

http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/

http://www.stellaris-software.com/

Using the search function on the toolbar above can solve most of our questions...

The eq mount is a great help in finding an objects declination and right ascension providing you have it well aligned to true north/south. On my dob i use an inclinometer mounted on the tube reading off 90 degrees to the zenith, and RA is much trickier without Argo Navis and the like.

Hope it all works out mate and have fun

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

I'd recommend planisphere, Ellyard and Tirion's Southern Sky Guide (<$25 from Bintel and other astro shops) and a red torch (preferably LED, and with head band, kmart energizer ~$30). I would not recommend Astronomy 2006 or 2007 as a sole guide. Too much dry data IMO to begin with and it's not geared towards deep sky. It's more of a detailed solar system guide.

You won't see too many galaxies with either scope if you live in or near the city. (though you can probably just glimpse a few with the 6".) You really have got to get away from light pollution for that. I'd say start with the brighter objects. Ellyard's guide will indeed "guide" you through them, and it has charts for the entire southern sky and includes plenty of objects including a few challenging ones.

[Lee]

All the above advice is great - but I'd suggest though to start off with some brighter deep sky objects first.... globular clusters, brighter nebulae, open clusters etc (if you haven't already) mainly to get the hang of star hopping - most galaxies are REALLY dim visually (even the "bright" ones) and you can be staring straight at them and not see them - at least if you are confident at hopping, you'll know exactly where you are looking....
Starry Night Pro is great planetarium software to help you too.

[merlin8r]

To give you an idea of what you can expect to see, my first "real" scope was a 5" Mak. In my light polluted back yard I could (just) detect the Sombrero Galaxy in Virgo, about Mag 9. Just don't expect too much detail.

Clear skies,
Shane

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

two Saturdays ago I observed at least 4 galaxies with my 20 x 80 binos-but from a dark site

the Magellanic Clouds are the best galaxies to observe anyway;the others were M31 and M33

I have observed M83, Centaurus A, M104, NGC 253 with my 20 x80s. (I have observed M104 and Centaurus A from my backyard in light polluted Sydney )

skilled binocular observers have reported very many galaxies are observable with binos.

anything I can do with my hand held binos you can do heaps better with your telescope..but its always easier to find stuff from a dark site and also the viewing is far more satisfying

[mario chiera]

thankyou all.Iill try out the advice you all have given me.Iwill let you know how i get on.Where i live in perth there is a lot of light pollution but I ill give it a go.hey Melin I noticed you now have a 10" meade.can you or anyone give me your view on the difference between the 5' an10".I am thinking of getting a larger scope.What size and brand to you recommend.


regards
Mario

[merlin8r]

Hi Mario,
I work in an astro shop, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. The general rule of thumb is 8" and up of aperture is getting serious for deep sky. From the Lostock site back in January (I had an 8" LX90 then) I went galaxy hopping in Leo and Virgo, and saw everything the scope said it was pointing at.
5" vs 10"?? Well, the 10 gives you 4 times the light gathering power (not exactly, but again a good rule of thumb).
Brands, of course I am going to say Meade, but I freely admit I am very biased, coz thats what we mainly sell.
An 8" LX90 is powerful yet still very portable. The 10" is still portable, but not as stable. The 10" LX200R is as big as you would want to go. Above that, you would probably need 2 people to carry it.

Clear skies,
Shane

[mario chiera]

Hi merlin,
Thanks for your advice.Is it ok to let me know which astro shop you are at.
i may be chasing bits and pieces.


regards
mario

[merlin8r]

The answer's in the title

[ving (David)]

astro shop?

[merlin8r]

Ok fine.... Astro Optical Supplies!!

[rapidfire]

How good is Starry Night ? It looks kinda pricey, but it also looks rather professional. I've been using Stellarium. I like it but I havent had anything to cross reference it with...and its hard to go past freeware.

sorry to hijack the thread....well ok no I'm not....:-)

RapidFire

[merlin8r]

I have Starry Night Pro ver 5. It is an excellent program. I can't comment on ver 6..... We have sent them many emails trying to order it, but they never respond!!

Clear skies,
Shane

[Lee]

I like Starry Night - does everything I want it to do - find objects, zoom, print charts (very customisable) at any scale - good to match finder and EP views, it can control scopes too (haven't used this). Very slick interface, and mac compatible (important to me!).....