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Nightshift
04-11-2005, 01:03 AM
I dragged the new dobbie out last night, it was a near excellent seeing night until the clouds rolled in around 11:30. Until then I spent a lot of time poking around the SMC. Now with my ETX90 short of 47Tuc there isnt a lot to see in this neck of the woods. Now that I can see many clusters and galaxys I have a new dillema, how to tell a faint galaxy from a faint elongated glob. The SMC has several of both close to each other according to my various software pointers but I cant determine which ones I am seeing. Any hints?

P.S. Looking a little closer to Zenith, isnt that sculptor galaxy a hornbag in a 12" aperture. I didnt know these large targets were so pretty.

astroron
04-11-2005, 01:51 AM
There aren't normaly many galaxies where you get globular cluster (yes there area few exceptions), the Magellenic clouds have very few galaxies close by that you would see in your 12"(note I said close by) most of the clusters in the clouds are open clusters but as they are so far away can be mistaken for globulars, except 47Tuc and ngc362 and ngc121 which belong to our galaxy.
As you get more experianced with your 12" dob you will soon make out the difference. astroron :astron: :astron:

RAJAH235
04-11-2005, 05:43 AM
You can always try to buy a 'Herald Bobroff Astro Atlas'. If you can locate one in the US. Google? Might get 1 local?????? :D L.