[Dean]

Well, Last night I spotted my first galaxy... M104 - Sombrero Galaxy. Apparently this is 30 million light years away??

I couldnt find M83 so tried to have a go at M104 which is apparently harder to find?

Anyway with my 10" Dob and Telrad, and a SkyMaps chart I star jumped from the southern cross and got within the general vacinty by crossing a couple star lines between Corvus, Saturn and some other stars around Spica... With a little maneouvring around looking through the 32mm eyepiece, I spotted a faint fuzzy that looked sifferent from the surrounding spherical balls of light... AHA this has to be it! I quickly moved to a 15mm plossl and then down to a 6mm plossl. I wasn't getting a lot of detail and seeing conditions weren't really the best (I wish the neighbour would buy some curtains or blinds one of these days (get streaming light direct out his windows!).

Anyway with the 6mm I was fairly sure what I was looking at was M104. I was in the area it should be according to the charts and it did have that football type of glow with a more prominant band through the middle. I couldnt really get much detail but again, i was using Celestron plossl which probably isnt the best...

Do you think a better 6mm or 5mm eyepiece might help resolve more detail?

Anyway I was happy I found M104 which I hear is one of the harder ones to find or see? What other galaxies might be easier to find or see in July 2010? Especially any face-on ones that are closer which may not be as far as 30 million light years away? As mentioned I tried for M83 but couldnt locate it... It is supposed to be in an "attractive star field" according to the chart, but I'm not sure if I was close to the area or not. I though i was but I couldnt spot it.