HI all,
i was just putting together a list of targets for the new moon and I wondered if others were doing the same and if there were any that I had forgotten about. Im going to focus on the virgo cluster because I havent really observed this yet so M104, M100, M49 and M58. Also, going to try for the horsehead. I only have a OIII which Im told will be of no use to me so Im not too confident with that. I will be at a dark site though. there is a couple of planetary nebulas which have eluded me so far, blue planetary, ghost of jupiter, eskimo. I am also observing with a couple of first timers so the usual suspects will also be observed. Anything else interesting that others have on their list?
NGC 3132 (Eight Burst Planetary) looks very good in O-III.
The Blue Planetary is small and often missed as it is in a rich star field but is worth the hunt.
Ghost of Jupiter is nice and big and looks totally different with O-III as do most planetary nebulae. It's close to the apex of a long baseline isosceles triangle halfway along the snake in Hydra.
NGC 4945 is a big galaxy not too hard to find in Centaurus near Zeta Centauri. Look for a much fainter galaxy inside the same triangle that NGC 4945 is located.
NGC 4103 is a small open cluster that looks like an arrow and kind of points to the Jewel Box which is another 'must see'. It's on the opposite side of Crux as the Coalsack.
Eta Carina is a must with low power and O-III filter.
Markarian's Chain of galaxies in Virgo. Member galaxies include M84 (NGC 4374), M86 (NGC 4406), NGC 4477, NGC 4473, NGC 4461, NGC 4458, NGC 4438 and NGC 4435. This is a really nice field of galaxies under dark skies.
Forget about the Horsehead with O-III as this filter transmits close to nothing in the H-Beta band.
These are just a few off the top of my head. No doubt others will chime in with more.
Thanks astro,
many that I hadnt considered. Eighth burst i will try for sure. Good luck with the snr mirko. Hey astro, what do you think my chances are for the horsehead with no filter?
What telescope are you using and will you be at a dark site?
The Horsehead nebula is a very difficult object but can be seen under ideal conditions which includes a very dark and transparent sky and the object up high.
Large aperture is what is needed but as little a 6" under ideal conditions is not impossible. Young eyes too help.
I have a Very dark site, Very good eyesight, a 12" dob and top shelf eyepieces. but no filter unfortunately. Last time I was at this site, I could easily see the flame nebula with no filter.
You have a good chance then provided the sky is clear (transparent). Note the Flame nebula is relatively easy compared to the Horsehead.
Use low power at first and keep looking for a while and get any bright stars out of the field. Try increasing the power slowly if you have no luck.
And if still nothing then try another night as the sky may not be as transparent as you may have thought on the night.
One trick you may try is to centre the position where the Horsehead should be and then bump the telescope ever so slightly. I'm not sure why but the object seems to lag in movement or at least that's how my brain sees it, and it becomes easier to detect. This technique works for me on galaxies too, (the ones on the limit of detection).
In any case you've got nothing to lose so give it a go.
