Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Skies
Well, I should have read this earlier. Very interesting, indeed (read on from this link to other pages on the site where he discusses what it takes to see it). Stephen Waldee has put a lot of time into investigating this particular object. But I'm still a little puzzled as to why I have had so much trouble seeing it. He says that aperture is no barrier to observing it but clean optics, good sky transparency and the object near the zenith is important. The H-beta filter is useful but not always essential. However I do wonder if some of the ease he reports on is from familiarity of the size and position of the Horsehead.
Perhaps I should have a go with my 8" some day...
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It all comes down to the sky conditions - good seeing and a transparent dark sky are a must. They also tend to be somewhat rare, when you consider that if you work in the city and only have the weekends to get away to a dark sky, and you only get one weekend a month around new moon, and the weather and seeing has to co-operate, the number of ideal observing opportunities gets somewhat limited.