[N1 (Mirko)]

Hi all, after a 3-hour break in the weather and some great observing with the 60mm on Sunday morning, I've been thinking about what the most visually and/or conceptually rewarding target regions for a small widefield scope might be. By conceptual I mean a view that really comes to life with the background info such as the Andromeda Galaxy, an exotic object such as the Ring Nebula or a sense of achievement after finding it, such as the Veil. Not sure if there are related posts on here (a search did not turn up anything specifically wide-field). I'd be interested in your thoughts - what parts of the sky do you consider most pleasing in a small scope or even binoculars, irrespective of season or hemisphere? That could be one object or several in the same field of view. Some may require UHC or OIII help. My personal list of favourites is this:

1. NGC 3372 Carina Nebula with NGC 3532 the Football Cluster (This view is epic. I would drive an hour to the observing site just for this.)

2. M57 Ring Nebula with Beta or Gamma Lyrae or both (The nebula's soft glow and shape exquisitly contrasting with the nearby stars)

3. M8 Lagoon Nebula with M20 Trifid Nebula (The view speaks for itself)

4. M31 Andromeda Galaxy with M32 Companion (A look in the mirror?)

5. NGC 6960 with 6992 Veil Nebula (That's what I expect to see after a huge explosion in space)

6. NGC 884 with 869 The Double Cluster (Spacewalking)

7. NGC 2070 Tarantula Nebula with Large Magellanic Cloud (Lots of fuzziness)

8. NGC 5139 Omega Centauri (Galaxy core remnant sounds very plausible)

9. M42 Orion Nebula and surroundings (Hints of colour?)

10. M45 Pleiades, especially with a Solar System object in it (Sheer beauty)

There are many more, but I find myself drawn to these most often, location permitting.

Other favourites include the Dumbbell Nebula, Albireo, Scorpius' mid section and tail, the North America Nebula etc. Others, such as Centaurus A, I have not yet tried.

Looking forward to your thoughts.