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Old 19-09-2009, 11:25 PM
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erick (Eric)
Starcatcher

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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Gerringong
Posts: 8,548
Hi Cristiano and Welcome!

Yes, when the Moon returns to the sky you will enjoy looking at it. Don't wait until it is the full Moon, but watch it as the sunlight/shadow line (the "terminator") creeps across its surface, moving slowly further each night. At the terminator, the craters and mountains are lit at an oblique angle, so you can see them better.

Certainly look at Jupiter. It is high and bright in the evening sky now. You should be able to make out two dark bands across its gaseous surface. Its four moons will change position every night. Last night (Friday), they were all on one side. You may even see the black dot of the shadow of a moon on the surface, as the moon moves between the Sun and Jupiter. Over a few hours you will see the shadow move and the moons change their positions.

When Saturn comes out from behind the Sun, it will be seen in the morning sky. Unfortunately its rings are edge-on to us at the moment, so you'll have to wait for a year or so to really start to see them again.

There are lots of clusters of stars that you can spend a long time examining with your telescope. The Jewel Box cluster (NGC 4755) to the south may be a little low this time of year. In the morning hours, the Pleiades (M45), will be a good site.

Searching out double stars (particularly different coloured stars) can be done. For your scope's resolving power, they will need to be fairly well separated. Look for Albireo (beta Cygni) in the northern sky. Try looking at Rigel kent (alpha Centauri) to the south.

All these can be seen with your telescope, even in fairly bright skies.

You might try for some globular clusters, but most will be difficult. See if you can find the globular cluster 47 Tuc (NGC 104) to the South, towards midnight when it is up higher.

Galaxies and Nebula will probably be very difficult unless you took your scope to a dark sky site. Look for all the Star Camps and the various gatherings on New Moon weekends. If you can attend one of these with your telescope, you will get a lot of help and will see many more things.

Let us know what you see.
Eric
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