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Hi Chris,
Great to hear you found some PN's. They are one of my favourite target types because they can be so different. Some like the Helix (NGC 7293) are huge and have a low surface brightness, while others at lower powers appear stellar. If you want to chase PN's a UHC type filter helps enormously, under less than pristine skies, particularly with low surface brightness ones like the Helix. On those that are smaller in apparent size, as others have mentioned, you "blink them". In addition, it always helps to increase the magnification on smaller planetary nebula. As you increase the magnification the PN's explode while the stars remain stellar. Some planetary nebula appear quite featureless at low and medium power yet at high power provide an amazing amount of detail. The Ghost of Jupiter (NGC 3242) for example at 400X plus in an 8" or larger scope begins to reveal all the intricate layers and gas shells visible in photograps and is one of the most stunning targets in the sky. At low power, while it has shape, it is essentially a featureless blob.
The Spiral Planetary (NGC 5189) in Musca, is an absolute cracker. In March this year we spent quite a bit of time on this target with the 30" SDM and a 12.5mm Docter eyepiece, whilst hosting some overseas observers at Coonabarabran. One of the Koreans who was a very experienced observer commented it was the single nicest view he had ever had of a planetary nebula. To be honest I would almost have to agree with him.
Cheers,
John B
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