Hi Garry,
As others have said, nebulae & galaxies are for new moon period (that's when there is no moon in our skies). To give you an idea, the magnitude of the full moon is -12. Being that bright, it will wash out much of the nebulae and galaxies in our sky- the Eta Carina nebula for example sits at magnitude +6.21. (negative is brighter, plus is dimmer) so as you can see, the full moon practically over powers it. I hope I'm making some sense here, if not, perhaps someone else can pop in and explain it better.
When the moon is out, that's a good time to do double star observing, splitting double stars, observing planets & open star clusters (not globulars really- best done with no moon).
This is also a good time to learn your bright stars and constellations. Do your homework of where it is in the sky to track down your target list of objects in readiness for new moon period. You will need to look up, work out the constellation, work out the star it sits next to, then work out how many degrees away from that bright star it sits and work out the starfield i.e. asterisms to plot you to your target. Computer software will better help you here, as in Stellarium or Starry Nights etc. Make the most use of those moon filled nights- I assure you it'll be worth it as you won't be wasting precious new moon time sorting thru all this stuff.
One of the good things about printing off a map is that you can make lots of notes and draw lots of arrows on them of where to hop to, best times to view etc.
On a moonless night, let your eyes dark adapt for at least 10 mins. Walk out armed with your planisphere or a printed map of the Carina constellation and a red light torch. The constellation resembles a triangle of sort- the nebula sits at the pointy end this triangle. Look for Theta Carinae which is a fairly bright star (it's part of the IC2602 Southern Pleiades cluster), very close by will sit the Eta Carina nebula. Don't look straight at it (theta) once you've spotted it- in other words your looking straight ahead but looking using the corner of your eye- you should be able to pick up the hazy patch naked eye. This is called averted vision- our eyes are more sensitive to the dark using using the rods (as opposed to cones) which are placed in our peripheral vision.
If a street light is next to you, move away from it, if you your external house lights are on, turn them off, if your curtains are open, close them; do whatever measures it takes to limit bright light inhibiting your viewing be it naked eye or through a telescope. A dark cloth over your head and eyepiece can also help tremendously (some us have no control over the neighbours lights
).
Oh, and observe planets (if possible) after deep sky objects (you don't want to ruin your dark adaption as they're are so bright).
In a short amount of time, and with a few observing sessions under your belt- I am confident that hazy patches in the sky will become very apparent to you through your naked eye alone. Aside from the hazy patch in Carina, there's another one under Scopius' stinger which should make itself apparent (M6 & M7).
Take small steps- you are only just starting out, so be patient, you'll learn and get better as you go- trust me.
Don't get disheartened yet- expect to stumble esp. at this stage. Know this- I'm the worst person ever to be in charge of a map- don't give me a road map
, but with determination and passion and most of all patience, I was able to find objects- if I can do it anyone can.
Looking at the sky and working out what's what will be key time spent BEFORE looking through that eyepiece.
Remember too, that the sky conditions will greatly effect how you see that object. Some nights it will be magnificient, and other nights it can be terrible. Depending on how much moisture is in the air, cloud, turbulence etc play a huge role. This is why regular visits back to the same object help- each night can bring upon us some new detail and delight (or not!). The more you observe those faint fuzzies through your telescope, the better you will also get out at picking out detail- dark lanes etc become more apparent (again, depending on the condition of the night). It'll happen naturally- as long as you "observe" rather than just "see". Meaning, study the object. A UHC filter will greatly help nebula viewing by the way where light pollution poses a problem.
Getting your target highest in the sky away from the soup of the atmosphere will help too. This is where your computer programme will come in handy- work out when the object is going to be around 40 degrees plus above the horizon.
Your list of targets for that night should be listed in order of time & height- so you get the best chances of observing them.
I did a post a while back which I think may benefit you- please refer to posts #13, #14 & #15
here.
I too have a 10" dob, so trust me, you won't have a problem- you'll see a ton of good stuff through it from even a light polluted suburban backyard!
Meanwhile, just have some fun and cruising by aiming your scope between Crux and Carina, you should bump into plenty of beautiful star clusters as they're so plentiful within that area.
P.S.
If some of the things I've suggested seem quite obvious, I do apologise, as I don't know you're level of knowledge yet, so I just threw it all out there.
