Exploring the southern urban deep sky

[andyc (Andy)]

Hi everyone,
I'm relatively new to the Southern Hemisphere sky, though have a couple of decades of visual astronomy with an 8" scope in the humid, mostly cloudy, occasionally frosty, northern skies of Scotland behind me. From suburban Edinburgh I enjoyed looking for the visual delights, be they clusters, nebulae or galaxies, and challenging myself on fainter objects (e.g Pluto from Edinburgh, Horsehead from dark sky).

So...

I'm now in suburban Melbourne, under a little more light pollution (LMC very faintly visible to unaided eye only on a good night), and have now acquired an 8" dob from the ASV and ready to go fully exploring the southern sky! Does anyone have some good recommendations, be they the obvious (Carina clusters, LMC), or sights/favourites a little more off the beaten track, that might be good targets for the 8"? I see that there are several observing 'lists' for the southern sky, akin to the Messier list, what are the favourites for deep sky observers down here?


andy

[rmcconachy]

I'd suggest John Bambury's BAM600 list <http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-638-0-0-1-0.html> as a good place to start. Happy exploring the southern skies!

[Joshua Bunn (Joshua)]

Hi Andy,

here are some lists, Here.
and there are 2 attachments

Happy observing

Josh

[Joshua Bunn (Joshua)]

Sorry rmcconachy, we must have been posting at the same time

Josh

[rmcconachy]

Don't apologise Joshua, the more people who post answers the better for everybody!

[andyc (Andy)]

Thanks a lot guys for the info.
andy

... heads off to make some less-thumbed pages of SkyAtlas 2000 a bit more worn

EDIT - had a wee look at some of the lists - there's lots and lots to go at, I like the short Astronomical League list, and then there's a great deal more in John Bambury's list and the 300 interesting extended objects list. More than enough to be going on with. Cheers!

[mishku]

Andy!! Were you in the Nov intake of ASV's NAG??

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

G'day Andy and welcome to Australia.

I didn't even hear a Scottish accent when reading your posts

[Gem (Grant)]

Try the Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070), Eta Carina, NGC 6397, NGC 6752, NGC 104, NGC 362 and NGC 2808... all good under urban skies with an 8".

[andyc (Andy)]

Originally Posted by mishku

Andy!! Were you in the Nov intake of ASV's NAG??

Not in the NAG, but have just joined the ASV! Didn't join the NAG as I'm not exactly a new astronomer by a fair stretch. It's just all these shiny southern deep sky treasures that are new to me . You guys are greedy keeping all these good ones so far south

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Originally Posted by andyc

Not in the NAG, but have just joined the ASV! Didn't join the NAG as I'm not exactly a new astronomer by a fair stretch. It's just all these shiny southern deep sky treasures that are new to me . You guys are greedy keeping all these good ones so far south

Andy,

feel welcome to also come up here and visit our SVAA clubsite. Nice and dark with a comfy clubhouse

[mishku]

Just wasn't sure if I'd met you already! (obviously, I was in their November intake). You should go visit Ken, they're a lovely bunch up at Snake Valley

Mish

Originally Posted by andyc

Not in the NAG, but have just joined the ASV! Didn't join the NAG as I'm not exactly a new astronomer by a fair stretch. It's just all these shiny southern deep sky treasures that are new to me . You guys are greedy keeping all these good ones so far south

[andyc (Andy)]

I'll bear that in mind Ken, thanks! Always guid tae ken whaur the bonnie sites are . And will look out for your events too.

Some nice views last night on my early morning comet hunt, making me look forward to the next seasons's southern sky