Thread: Looking for M83
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Old 09-02-2008, 07:02 PM
ausastronomer (John Bambury)
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Shoalhaven Heads, NSW
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SkySearcher View Post
Hi Scooter

It took me several nights of hunting with my 12" to find this one as well. Which puzzled me initially as it is supposed to be fairly easy. However, It wasn't till I ventured out to a darker site that it suddenly popped out of the sky in my field. I realized that I was looking in the right place the whole time but just couldn't see it.

My advice, drive to a darker site, use the eyepieces you have been and you will have no probs.
Therein are the answers to you problems.

I cannot stress enough, how important dark skies are to observing dim low surface brightness targets. Turning the lights out inside the house doesn't make a suburban or urban location "DARK". It is also worth pointing out that non astronomers and new astronomers have a different perception of "DARK" skies to hardened astronomers. To some 5 mile out of the city is dark. Not so.

Cheers,
John B
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