Top 10 Widefield Vistas

N1 (Mirko) · #1 04-03-2014, 10:39 AM

Hi all, after a 3-hour break in the weather and some great observing with the 60mm on Sunday morning, I've been thinking about what the most visually and/or conceptually rewarding target regions for a small widefield scope might be. By conceptual I mean a view that really comes to life with the background info such as the Andromeda Galaxy, an exotic object such as the Ring Nebula or a sense of achievement after finding it, such as the Veil. Not sure if there are related posts on here (a search did not turn up anything specifically wide-field). I'd be interested in your thoughts - what parts of the sky do you consider most pleasing in a small scope or even binoculars, irrespective of season or hemisphere? That could be one object or several in the same field of view. Some may require UHC or OIII help. My personal list of favourites is this:

1. NGC 3372 Carina Nebula with NGC 3532 the Football Cluster (This view is epic. I would drive an hour to the observing site just for this.)

2. M57 Ring Nebula with Beta or Gamma Lyrae or both (The nebula's soft glow and shape exquisitly contrasting with the nearby stars)

3. M8 Lagoon Nebula with M20 Trifid Nebula (The view speaks for itself)

4. M31 Andromeda Galaxy with M32 Companion (A look in the mirror?)

5. NGC 6960 with 6992 Veil Nebula (That's what I expect to see after a huge explosion in space)

6. NGC 884 with 869 The Double Cluster (Spacewalking)

7. NGC 2070 Tarantula Nebula with Large Magellanic Cloud (Lots of fuzziness)

8. NGC 5139 Omega Centauri (Galaxy core remnant sounds very plausible)

9. M42 Orion Nebula and surroundings (Hints of colour?)

10. M45 Pleiades, especially with a Solar System object in it (Sheer beauty)

There are many more, but I find myself drawn to these most often, location permitting.

Other favourites include the Dumbbell Nebula, Albireo, Scorpius' mid section and tail, the North America Nebula etc. Others, such as Centaurus A, I have not yet tried.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

astro744 · #2 06-03-2014, 06:45 PM

See the article called "The Joy of Low-Power Viewing" by Al Nagler that originally appeared in Amateur Telescope Making Journal. http://www.televue.com/engine/TV3b_p...4#.Uxgk7FVWHs0

I also like the M24/M17 region as well as sweeping the sky from Crux to Scorpius.

Paddy (Patrick) · #3 06-03-2014, 08:04 PM

Great list Mirko - definitley the areas in Carina and around the LMC are among my favourites. NGC 6231 area in Scorpius is another great widefield spot.

mental4astro (Alexander) · #4 06-03-2014, 08:59 PM

Mirko, I saw this thread when you posted it a few days ago. I've been meaning to contribute to it since then.

Rich, wide field observing has been a new joy to me that I've rediscovered in the last two years. I have three scopes specifically for this purpose, my 11X70 binos, a 4" f/5 achro refractor, and my 8" f/4 dobbie. Each instrument gives me a TFOV of 4.5deg, 5deg, and 3deg, respectively.

I've got scopes that go upto 17.5". But with the larger the aperture and longer the focal length, the 'big picture' is lost. The big picture for me with the surrounding environment to the DSO in question. How many of us are aware of the intricate filigree of dark nebulosity that surrounds Omega Centauri? Or of the lacework of mottled Milky Way and dark nebulae around M7? Or of the beautiful collection of clusters, bright and dark nebulae and background MW glow of the Table of Scorpio? The true massive expanse of Eta Carina can only be really appreciated by dropping aperture and focal length to maximise TFOV.

What is also surprising when using large binos is viewing areas well away from the band of the MW. In using both eyes, the aggregate image brightness is significantly increased. And an amazing amount of detail can be pulled out of area rich in galaxies as the background sky is not devoid of variation in brightness - something totally missed in photos.

For me it is interesting that I've been increasing my aperture size over the years, only to drop aperture and magnification to a bare minimum to maximise true field of view. Today I enjoy both micro and macro viewing,

It's also doubled the sketching possibilities I have from the same lot of sky,

.

Mental.

Wavytone · #5 06-03-2014, 11:34 PM

Absolutely agree, rich field viewing was the reason I bought my 4" refractor also. It's perhaps not quite optimum for this at f/7 (a 15cm f/5 is supposed to be the optimal RFT) but it does well enough.

Mirko you're just scratching the list of pretty things... I just wish the danged weather would fix itself.

AG Hybrid (Adrian) · #6 07-03-2014, 03:48 PM

I certainly enjoy RF viewing with my AR102. Outstanding views at a dark sky site. Still enjoyable in the city.

Steffen · #7 07-03-2014, 05:14 PM

I'm more of a narrow-field guy, but predominantly poor to mediocre seeing around my place during most parts of the year mandates a good portion of low-magnification viewing as "plan B"

Cheers
Steffen.

N1 (Mirko) · #8 11-03-2014, 06:00 PM

Thanks for your comments. Astro, the Al Nagler article says it all doesnt it. Yes the Saggitarius starfield is another beauty.

I have taken note of all suggested regions & will take a closer look as soon as conditions permit.

Mental, are you happy with the achro? Sounds like a really good tool as long as there arent any really bright objects in the FOV?

Steffen, I was quite surprised at the contrasty image the small frac can show from light-polluted city spots at higher magnification, presumably because it darkens the sky background due to the small aperture, which actually increases contrast. Also the UHC filter is worth its weight in gold. Over in Europe, I could see the Veil from a suburban area after a search just to see if it's possible. The view wasn't overly spectacular but hey.

Greenswale (Wren) · #9 12-03-2014, 04:27 PM

Great thread.

I just melt around Carina......

el_draco (Rom) · #10 12-03-2014, 07:46 PM

Where is 47 Tuc?

Gorgeous globular and easily in the same league as Omega IMO and I'd chuck in the Jewel box and for a super wide field, the entire Crux area.

Forget it... I couldn't compile a list of 10, list of 100 maybe.

Rom

N1 (Mirko) · #11 13-03-2014, 07:58 AM

Well, my alarm went off at 2.45am NZDT this morning for the privilege of some unmooned viewing, since Luna was setting as I was setting up

.

Rom, I agree about the Crux area. Spent quite some time there today, and at 5-7mm exit pupil (32 and 40mm, respectively), the Coal Sack actually showed some structure in it. Most exquisit when viewed together with the adjoining patch of Milky Way and the Jewel Box near its rim

. Although for the jewels to really shine, they want power, and the 60mm is insufficient. So it's the context here that makes it special. 47 Tuc is certainly a great target, but its alluring core demands more mag and therefore aperture than the little Tak can summon. Omega Cen doesn't give me that feeling, it just looks great at any aperture.

Also observed Centaurus A and the Sombrero Galaxy for the first time

, although I can't be sure if I actually saw the brim or just knew where it had to be, because the orientation of the Galaxy was obvious.

. Cen A required some stabbing around the Zenith, surprisingly awkward with the Manfrotto 410 junior head.

The whole show was concluded by a sunrise in H Alpha over the hills of the Otago Peninsula. Proms and filaments passing by trees and some tall structure. How bloody incredible.

Edit: does unmagnified Venus interfere with night vision? It certainly seemed that way this morning .

mental4astro (Alexander) · #12 13-03-2014, 08:29 AM

Lovely write up, Mirko.

And YES! How can I forget the area round Crux and the Coal Sack! In an RFT, this area is magic! The edge and guts of the Coal Sack is striking, and when the field of view is coupled with the Jewel Box and Mimosa (beta cruxis), WOW! Beautiful.

Gem (Grant) · #13 14-03-2014, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mental4astro

I've got scopes that go upto 17.5". But with the larger the aperture and longer the focal length, the 'big picture' is lost. The big picture for me with the surrounding environment to the DSO in question. How many of us are aware of the intricate filigree of dark nebulosity that surrounds Omega Centauri? Or of the lacework of mottled Milky Way and dark nebulae around M7? Or of the beautiful collection of clusters, bright and dark nebulae and background MW glow of the Table of Scorpio? The true massive expanse of Eta Carina can only be really appreciated by dropping aperture and focal length to maximise TFOV.

I agree. To try to partially solve the problem I got myself a TV 55mm Plossl. While it makes the detail of the other EPs, it does the job of giving a big picture view of the area. In addition, since I don't use argo n. it helps me to find smaller objects.

N1 (Mirko) · #14 14-03-2014, 08:31 AM

Yeah those TV Plössls are pretty darn good and excellent value. My longest focal length is the 40mm in 1.25" and I love it depite the narrow AFOV. I have a few shorter FL Naglers, but my favourite on the Tak for wide field has to be the 24 Pan. It's the sweet spot between TFOV, AFOV, eye relief, exit pupil and power.