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figgylion
16-04-2009, 10:30 PM
Well what a great night.
Pulled the scope out for what seemed the first time ages, what a treat I got.
My first ever views of another galaxy :eyepop:
I've looked for them before but never got any results but that has all changed tonight. After a bit of research (and some tips from this very forum) I decided to look for the Leo Triplet and maybe have a go at the Sombrero as well.
Stellarium gave me an idea of where to look and find them I did, sort of. M65 and M66 i could see, faint smudges basically but they were there. I couldn't find the last member of the trio unfortunately.
I decided to give M104 a shot, I suprised myself by star hopping to it fairly quickly, saw a smudge in the finderscope then had another WOW! moment when I looked in the EP. An incredible sight, much better than the Leo pair I'd seen earlier, going to be going back to this one a lot!
Finished of the night with a quick look at Eta Carinae, The Jewel Box, Alpha Centauri(I have to split that baby every time :) )
and ended with my favourite- Omega Centauri
Had an awesome night, off to bed now, got to get up early to watch City get beat in the Football(or an early morning viewing session if we're really crap)
Cheers
Steve

Screwdriverone
16-04-2009, 10:34 PM
Hi Steve,

Hmmm, I seem to remember those recommended galaxies in a forum thread not too long ago! :lol:

Its a great choice to try the triplet and M104, they are sooo easy to find once you get the hang of them.

Great to see you dust off the SW dob and have a blast, thanks for the report!

Cheers

Chris

ngcles
16-04-2009, 10:44 PM
Hi Steve,

Congratulations on your first galaxies and you chose good targets for first up.

Galaxies are very much an acquired taste and if you keep at it, it won't be long before you return to the Leo trio (having seen many others in the interim) and you will be amazed at how good they are.

Glad that you shared your impressions with us.:thumbsup:


Best,

Les D