M38 pinwheel galaxy

[Jemmo]

So finally had a clear night got he scope out the 10" dob. I wanted to try see a galaxy as I never have before. I managed to view the centauri cluster which was great. I try for ages to find M38 which is close by but no luck. Is it because the moon is too close at the moment or have I just missed it?

[barx1963]

Firstly M38 is not a galaxy, it is an open cluster in Auriga, so I assume it is M83 you are looking for?
M83 is probably going to be heading low in the west now, so is not as easy to see. In smaller scopes you need quite dark skies to pick up much more than the central core. Best nearby galaxy to Omega Centauri (which I assume is what you mean by centauri cluster?) is NGC 5128 also known as Centaurus A. Even in an 8", it is often possible to see the dark lane and halo.

Cheers

Malcolm

[Somnium]

if you are wanting to see a galaxy in a telescope, this time of the year you are best to try for NGC 253, it is a nice big and bright galaxy (relatively). a good first galactic target

[strongmanmike]

Also try NGC 55 and a bit later NGC 1365, these are both bright and relatively easy to find (without GOTO) in a 10" dob :)

Mike

[gary]

And NGC 300 in Sculptor, which I only was looking at an hour ago,
is another good one to shoot for.

[Jemmo]

Thanks for help guys I rig my I need to get my arse into gear and print off some settings circles. I have a digital angle meter but can't find my horizontal spots