Here's a lil challenge for some, a revisit for others, charts included
Should easily be obtainable with an 8" newt from rural skies
sitting at around 12.8(var) magnitude
This object is approx' 1.9 billion lyrs away, although I have seen
later estimates of up to 2.9 billion lyrs away. You can sit and
wonder what was happening on Earth at the time the light thats
hitting your retna started it's journey, molecular life was yet to
begin.
So when someone asks what the most distance thing you have seen
through your scope, you throw the above figures at them
regards,CS
Rob