Poll: favourite DSO

[Gem]

Hi all... never tried a poll before so I hope this works!! :)

What is your personal favourite DSO to observe??

[Alchemy]

Not really an observer as such, but on those odd occasions when I have, omega centauri would have to take the prize, it's one object that actually looks better through your own eyes.

[Paddy]

Impossible question!

[pgc hunter]

For sheer interest value alone, I might have to go with the LMC. A land of superlatives both visually and in terms of the objects it harbors.

But, to be honest I agree with Paddy. The choice is too hard. However, the answer to the question may be somewhat easier if we lived in the northern hemisphere :P

[leon]

One choice is just not enough, so for starters i would choose Omegas C

Leon

[Saturnine]

Guess I'll throw my pick in for scrutiny, gone for the LMC, though it's probably not one object really. A dwarf disrupted galaxy that's a fantastic wide field subject for big binoculars and then up the aperture and zoom in on 2070 and all the other knots of clusters and nebulae. enough for a lifetime of observing.

Jeff

[astroron]

I don't know hy you picked M51,,as most observers down under have not even seen it :shrug:

[ausastronomer]

I did the ETA Carina thing. I just love the whole ETA Carina complex. ETA Carina (the supernova I will see :lol:); The homunculus which has changed noticeably over the past few years; wonderful nebulosity; Wolf Rayet stars and bubbles; open clusters; many different coloured stars in the vicinity. A wonderful target. Then again all the targets listed have plenty of appeal as "eye candy".

Ron, Having been fortunate enough to see M51 in Larry Mitchell's 36" scope in Texas, I can assure it is something pretty special. I almost fell off the ladder from 15 feet in the air when I first saw it. 36 big inches does help too :)

Cheers,
John B

[OICURMT]

The supernova remnant, M1 (Crab Nebula)... I saw it for the first time when I was 14 years old through my Criterion RV-6 in 1976.

Observing it's faint glow was a thrill as the 2nd DSO I cast my eyes on (M42 was the first) and remains my second favorite.

OIC!

[astroron]

Ron, Having been fortunate enough to see M51 in Larry Mitchell's 36" scope in Texas, I can assure it is something pretty special. I almost fell off the ladder from 15 feet in the air when I first saw it. 36 big inches does help too http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/../vbiis/images/smilies/happy19.gif
I understand John,but I was being a bit pedantic in thinking of this as an Aussie poll and possibly most of the observers on this site have never seen it:sadeyes:
Its good in a 16"but would looooove to see it in a 36":eyepop:
Cheers :thumbsup:

[LightningNZ]

I had to choose 47 Tuc. I love the shape and punch it gives even in 10x50s, but the best ever I've seen it was in Dave Moorhouse's 16" Retina Wrecker binos. It was like being suspended in space above a great spherical metropolis of stars. Really quite incredible, and not a sight I'll forget.

Tempting to also pic Eta Carina of course. It's complex, beautiful, bold yet with many subtleties. The first time I ever saw the homunculus in (very rare) perfect seeing is another memory I won't forget. I was running the 16" Ruth Crisp classical Cassegrain at Carter Observatory for the public and I stopped talking mid-stream I was so gobsmacked! Details in the polar lobes were visible, as were the equatorial jets, just like the Hubble image! Couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Cheers,
Cam

[Gem]

In the interest of being fair to non-Southern observers... maybe not the best choice but you can always pick "other". :)

[Ric]

It's very hard to make just one choice.

I'll have to go with "other planetary nebula" as there are so many out there with weird and wonderful shapes to them.

[mental4astro]

I'm gonna cheat!!! :evil: :evil:

For me it's M7 because with it you get 7 for the price of 1. Within its border there also lie a globular cluster, 2 open clusters and 3 planetary nebulae.

When M7 is up I often use it to gauge the quality of seeing. If I can see the faint GC things are good.

M7 is quite an amazing cluster. It gives so much at every level of aperture, from naked eye, binos, to small & large scopes. Plenty, plenty, plenty.

Tomorrow, however, another DSO WILL be my favourite...:D

[The_bluester]

Almost impossible question to answer. M42 is certainly the wow object I show others when it is up, but 47 Tuc is pretty flash too.

I need to develop a bit more of an observing list though. I have tended to concentrate on the more spectacular sights (No reason why not I suppose, it is good in that it gives you really absorbing obs time every time you get the scope out! I will look for faint fuzzies later)

[mozzie]

m42 for me but wow!!! what a list to try and pick from there all great sights!!!

[SkySearcher]

I would have to say M42 as there is just so much to look at. But Omega C is pretty special.
Although I haven't yet seen all the items on the list.:ashamed:

[ballaratdragons]

As much as they are all great sights to see, I had to choose 'Other Galaxy' as it is the only title that comes close to my favourite sight: Abell 539

I have never seen this object visually with an Eyepiece, but it looks great seeing it 'Live' with my Mallincam.

Abell 539 is a Galaxy Cluster in Orion containing 50 Galaxies all beyond Mag 14.
The part that takes my breath away is that it is like looking at the Ultra Deep Sky South image taken by Hubble and yet I can see it 'Live' on my Computer monitor!
I have shown this object 'live' on my broadcast a few times and the viewers all go 'wow, look at them all' :lol:

Here is an excellent photo of part of Abell 539 taken by Rolf Wahl Olsen, so you can see why I love this object (Galaxy cluster) so much:

[astrospotter]

Agree with Paddy 100%. And I quote: Impossible question!

[glenc]

The LMC is like all the Messier objects in one place. It is the 2nd brightest galaxy (after the MW) and includes the Tarantula nebula.

[GrampianStars]

For Me:-
Centaurus A (NGC 5128) galaxy is the King :thumbsup:
http://www.weirdwarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Centaurus-A-From-the-European-Observatory.jpg

[Gem]

Interestingly, it seems "nebula" are the most popular class of object... :)

[clive milne]

I think the Milky Way (naked eye) should get an honourable mention, but for me... eta carina through 20" binoculars & UHC filters...

Just wow...

[Ed D]

It was a tough, nearly impossible choice. Omega Centauri is my favorite, with Eta Carina and M42 Nebulae very close behind. Not from 'Down Under', I live near the tip of the Florida peninsula. This gives me a very good view of a lot of the southern sky, which is my real observing preference.

Ed D

[ausastronomer]

Hi Ed,

It says a lot for these targets if you rate them so highly from your Northern Hemisphere location, which I am assuming to be around 24/25 degrees North, which still only puts Omega centauri at about 20 degrees above the horizon at best.

I have observed Omega Centauri and many other Southern targets from both hemsipheres. At the 2007 Texas Star Party held at Fort Davis Texas (30 deg north) I observed Omega Centauri through Larry Mitchells' 36" scope with a number of other people including my Aussie travelling companions and several Texan's who had observed with us in Australia on several occasions. One of the Texans (Van Robinson) who has made 6 or 7 trips to Australia to observe with us at Coonabarabran asked me what I thought of the view of Omega Centauri in Larry's 36" scope. I commented to him that I felt the view was the equivalent of what you see in a 20" scope from Coonabarabran. Van agreed with me 100%. Notwithstanding that it was a very very nice view, it is noticeably improved as it nears the zenith.

If you enjoy these targets you really owe yourself an eye candy treat and head to the Southern Hemisphere at least once in your life to get the best of these targets.

Cheers,
John B

[Jen]

:eyepop: oh yep this is way to hard to choose :screwy: and being that i am a female i keep changing my mind before i have finished typing up this post :rolleyes: :lol::lol:

But if i dont think about it too hard The Great Orion Nebula always pops in my head first as i have many special memories of viewing this masterpiece :D

Ok so M42 it is, no..... wait i love Eta Carinia the best umm no Omega Cent and 47Tuc the Tarantula i cant forget that even though im terrified of spiders but this one is so pretty ;) oh wait the Jewel Box is so pretty but im fascinated by the Ghost of Jupiter thats amazing to look at :P but no wait the Leo Trio is cool as you get three galaxies in the eyepiece oh and there is Centaurus A :) wow the prettiest hamburger i have ever seen :lol: Oh and the cats paw i love the cats paw (here kitty kitty) not to mention the other cool animals up there the chicken, the swan the prawn etc not that i can see these animals in any of these nebs :) but they are all just the coolest either way you look at them :)
Oh bugger it sometimes i just aim my scope anywhere in Virgo and i get my rocks off everytime :rofl::rofl:

Yes my name is Jen and i think im an astroholic :help:

[FJA]

As a northerner, I've chosen M42. I know it's the most popular DSO, especially for those of us up in the Northern Hemisphere, but I love going back to it two or three times each northern Winter when I feel like an 'eye candy break' from seeing faint DSOs.

When I am far enough south to see them, my favourites are NGC 104, Omega Centauri and the Magellanic Clouds. In fact, I was in Texas last week, 20° further south than my home location at 50° North, and I got to look at Omega Cen with a 48" scope - I used my left, non-observing eye! Needless to say the view was sensational. :eyepop:

[floyd_2]

It has to be the Eta Carina complex for me. I've been looking at it for almost 20 years now and never tire of it. I've seen it through all manner of scopes and eyepieces and it just has so much to offer. The Tarantula gets an honourable mention from me as well! Let's face it, the whole list gets an honourable mention - there are so many great things to see up there that I intend to spend another 20 years peeping at them whenever I get a chance (thinking of sneaking out tonight when the kids are asleep!).

Dean

[Astroman]

M104 I love it. Sombrero Galaxy, Was my first galaxy I saw through a 4" newt. Open star Cluster I love M7. Globular Cluster would have to be M22. Nebula, who can't resist the Tarantula Neb.

[Colin_Fraser]

Had to pick M42. I find it hypnotic.

[Mariner]

My sentiments exactly. I feel the same every time I do - amazing.

[Ted Manuel]

Definitely M42 for me!
The view of the trapezium is just unforgetable and the image is bright enough unlike many DSO.

[Gem]

I must say I am a little surprised that the Tarantula Nebula and the LMC aren't more popular...

Personally, I prefer several globs over Omega Centauri. Variation in structure makes for a more visually pleasing glob to me. :)