Easiest galaxy to view ? - Page 3

mental4astro (Alexander) · #41 28-03-2010, 10:42 PM

Binoculars, folks! Binoculars!

They are so overlooked!

I live in deepest, darkest (lightest sky) Sydney, and I've used my 10X50's to see the Sombrero and M83 from my back yard.

I use my binos all the time at home. Impossible to find anything by star hoping otherwise. I can see Omega Centauri naked eye from home, but not 47 Tuc.

Even 25mm binos will show most stars on a basic star chart, if this is your form of object hunting. They always show correct image orientation, so no mental gymnastics at the finder.

The chart posted by erick is the way I find the Sombrero! Funny thing is it is always easy to find it in the binos, but can be a bugger through a scope. Depends on the prevailing seeing conditions too. Last month, and with three different scopes (13.1" f/4.5, 10" f/5 and 8" f/4) the binos killed all three scopes in ease of seeing it (poor seeing too). The 8" showed it the easiest of the three scopes.

erick (Eric) · #42 29-03-2010, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevnool

Your pic Eric also shows the asterisms jaws (the two bright stars) correct me if i,m wrong please and Stargate (the 3+1 representing the triangle).
Just a bit of trivia.
Cheers Kev.

Stepping back from M104 (Sombrero Galaxy) which is on the right of my diagram:- First stop "Jaws", second stop "Stargate", third stop - my personal asterism - the "arrowhead"

- then back to two bright stars of Corvus.

WadeH (Wade) · #43 29-03-2010, 09:43 PM

First lesson, galaxies visully look nothing like what you expect!! Those faint smudges Stu are probably your first time galaxies.

Essentials are dark skies, patience, a Telrad is fantastic used with good star charts and an eyepiece between 13mm and 25mm. Dont fall into the trap of thinking you need lots of magnification in fact the opposite is often the case. I have the same size scope as yourself and most of my galaxies are seen using this range.

Keep at it.

ManOnTheMoon (Matt) · #44 07-04-2010, 02:59 PM

Dont worry stu I havent seen any galaxies with my new 8" Skywatcher DOB yet either! I couldnt even find omega centurus last night and I seen it heaps of other nights but not last night! I wanted to see the galaxy thats nearby and I got frustrated and left it and watched saturn instead. Saturns moons are now on the right side and I think Titan is slightly higher and further out than the rest? It looks very clear and the rings are sharp but sideon in my 15mm ep with a 2x barlow

Liz · #45 07-04-2010, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ManOnTheMoon

Dont worry stu I havent seen any galaxies with my new 8" Skywatcher DOB yet either! I couldnt even find omega centurus last night and I seen it heaps of other nights but not last night! I wanted to see the galaxy thats nearby and I got frustrated and left it and watched saturn instead. Saturns moons are now on the right side and I think Titan is slightly higher and further out than the rest? It looks very clear and the rings are sharp but sideon in my 15mm ep with a 2x barlow

Good on you MAtt!! Saturn is a wonderful target, apart from being easy to find, it is a delight. Mars is also easy, but can be a disappointment for some, which minimal detail seen, but hey, its Mars!!
Shame about Omega Centauri - try again tonight. There will be atime soon, that you will find it easy each time, so dont worry.
Have you seen the Orion Nebula - stunning!!! The 'blur' in the sword of Orion. After you find it, chnage your EP for a closer view.

astroron (Ron) · #46 07-04-2010, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ManOnTheMoon

Dont worry stu I havent seen any galaxies with my new 8" Skywatcher DOB yet either! I couldnt even find omega centurus last night and I seen it heaps of other nights but not last night! I wanted to see the galaxy thats nearby and I got frustrated and left it and watched saturn instead. Saturns moons are now on the right side and I think Titan is slightly higher and further out than the rest? It looks very clear and the rings are sharp but sideon in my 15mm ep with a 2x barlow

Hay Matt, come and join us on Saturday at Cambroon and we will show how to find lots of stuff, in your telescope and Naked eye
We would like you to join us .

See the Cambroon sticky or go to the Cambroon website for directions.
http://cambroon.gtbastrowise.com.au/
Cheers

stattonb (Statton) · #47 18-04-2010, 10:17 PM

m31 is the easiest in my opinion.

mithrandir (Andrew) · #48 19-04-2010, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stattonb

m31 is the easiest in my opinion.

M31 never gets more than 15 deg altitude here, so it is hardly ever above the treeline. As they are the neighbour's trees I can't even prune them.

Being 5 deg further north you'll have a better view.

Suzy · #49 21-06-2011, 11:44 PM

I'm bumping this thread up because it is filled with so much helpful information regarding finding galaxies & esp. M104 (The Sombrero galaxy), than lay buried and forgotten.

I think this thread will help lots of people.

Stu Ward · #50 22-06-2011, 07:01 AM

Hey Suzy.
Bringing this one back from the dead has made me realise how far I have come, but still humbled when i think how far i have to go in this hobby !

Stu

SkyViking (Rolf) · #51 22-06-2011, 11:55 AM

Something that helps enormously is to make sure your finder scope is precisely aligned with the centre of your main scope's field of view. Then you can star hop with the finder and point it exactly at the spot where your target should be according to the star map, and once you switch to the main scope at least you'll know you're looking at the exact spot where that elusive smudge of light should be

Depending on the construction of your finder scope and holder it may easily come out of alignment, especially if you transport the scope around, so it's something to watch out for.

alistairsam · #52 22-06-2011, 12:40 PM

Hi,

what would the difference be visually when using the same eyepiece, say 25mm between an F4 scope and an F6 scope?

would the object be slightly bigger in an F6, but will there be a difference in brightness in an F4 as its a faster scope?
do faster scopes gather more light? i don't really understand how it makes such a difference in astrophotography as it reduces required exposure time dramatically.

pgc hunter · #53 22-06-2011, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alistairsam

Hi,

what would the difference be visually when using the same eyepiece, say 25mm between an F4 scope and an F6 scope?

would the object be slightly bigger in an F6, but will there be a difference in brightness in an F4 as its a faster scope?
do faster scopes gather more light? i don't really understand how it makes such a difference in astrophotography as it reduces required exposure time dramatically.

Assuming the same aperture and eyepiece, you'll get a lower magnification and wider field of view with the F/4. If it's a newt, you'll also be seeing coma at the edges of the FOV that won't be even remotely as obvious in the F/6. Faster scopes don't gather more light than slower ones, that is entirely a function of the aperture.

astro_nutt · #54 23-06-2011, 09:08 AM

I agree with you Suzy..the more the merrier, so I'll add my piece!!
My first "big" scope was an 8" dob. It gave me views of the heavens that left me in awe for many years. But the best thing is does was to teach me how to use it!! I learned very quickly that it needs a careful pre-check before you start viewing. Nothing serious, but, a few simple checks does make a diffrence.
Check your finderscope. Are the lenses clean and the finder adjusted so that the stars look like dots? (or close enough to it!)
Collimation. And I mean the Focuser to the OTA. If you place a laser collimator in the focuser and the beam shifts on the primary mirror when you adjust the focuser in or out, it means the focuser is not squared with the OTA and the image will shift slightly.
As you pan the sky, stop and close your eye for about 10-15 seconds, then you might get a glimpse of a faint whisp before your eye adjust to the skyglow.
I hope this helps.
Cheers!