|
Hi Jason,
The 25mm should be quite usable and should get you a nice view of most nebulae and clusters out there. You might even want to go a bit longer (I also pretty much exclusively use a 32mm eyepiece in my 8").
Don't forget that going deeper will make things fainter but bigger. Going the opposite will make things brighter but smaller.
You seem to live in Melbourne, which I'm guessing is ruining at least some of your viewing pleasure by its lightpollution. I've found a cheap LP filter made a fair difference looking at nebulae from Melbourne.
If you're pretty sure you've seen everything there is to see of the Orion Neb, then move on to to Eta Carina (you'll find her eventually, even under heavy light polluted skies). A moonless night definitely helps, but it's not a must.
Also, don't forget some of the star clusters that are easy to spot. I never thought they were that interesting until I had a good long stare and kept discerning more and more stars. And each cluster is different with its own characteristics.
The tarantula neb is a bit harder to spot, but still very much doable.
Of course, if you want to give yourself a break, go to a dark sky site and you'll be be amazed with what you can see.
Hope this info from a fellow 8" owning Melburnian helps!
|