first observation report; 04/06/2011

[kitsuna (Adam)]

Hi Everybody (Hi doctor Nick!)

Some of you out there have enjoyed my occasional little (read; rambling) spiels about my astronomical experiences, so I thought I'd do another one.

This one concerns my first observation report. Be warned; its gonna be a long one!

************

On the afternoon of Saturday, 4th of June I packed up my shiny new Megrez 90 along with its second hand (but by no means second rate) ezy touch mount and tripod for the 75km trip out to the ASSA's Stockport Observatory site.

Skippysky had suggested that there might be a gap between two oncoming cloud fronts after dark that might allow for some halfway decent viewing. I was cautiously optimistic; this would be my 4th trip out to Stockport, and if the clouds interfered, it would represent my 4th completely wasted trip.

Worse still, due to fatigue on the way back from the last trip, after travelling through various 100 and 80 km limited zones, I accidentally (JUST) ran a red light in a 60 zone (but wasn't speeding fortunately) and Mr Plod slapped me down for $391. I'd been clouded out, and my pockets emptied on the way home. Talk about adding insult to injury... but I digress.

So as you can imagine, I was nervous given that the weather reports were not encouraging, I'd been caught out 3 times before, and to top it off, I was bringing a new scope. All I needed to do was walk under a few ladders and smash through a hall of mirrors to round out the day and ensure disaster.

I made a brief detour to Parafield Airport Liquor to pick up a few bottles of wine. I owed one of the other ASSA members for sharing their lovely barbecue with me on the previous occasion I'd been there, when I'd foolishly left my munchies at home. 2x Turkey Flat Morverde (sp?), a big bottle of coke and a packet of chips later, and I returned to Main North Road.

Things just seemed to get worse as I made my way down the highway. I peeked through the window of my Beemer and saw a sky the colour of ironclad hulls. The clouds looked thick enough to chew on. As the time and miles ticked by, I found myself on the rural plains of South Australia. I was surprised to see how green it all was. The last time I'd been out, it was all bare dirt. It seems a few weeks of kindly weather and healthy rain can make a huge difference. I also noticed that as I moved further North, the clouds failed to follow. I suddenly found myself under the kind of big empty sky that is an Australian trademark. My spirits rose. Provided this clear sky held out, I could be in for a real treat.

Unfortunately, as I moved further north, I found that I was moving under another batch of clouds. I could not fail to notice that I was leaving miles of empty countryside with perfect views of the sky to drive to an observatory that was under a million tonnes of uncooperative rainwater. However, it seemed that SkippySky had been right. Hopefully the suckerhole would move it's way to Stockport. I kept my fingers crossed.

Tarmac'd though the roads might be, they still weren't kind to my car. I always worry that something is going to shake loose and fall off at 110kph. Luckily my scope was stored on the back seat in it's cushy case. At Hamley Bridge I took another look at the sky; still grim.

I pulled into the Stockport carpark in mid afternoon to find the gates shut... well no senior members of the society would normally be present this early so I can't say I was particularly surprised. However, there was another car in the carpark besides my own. I realised that someone else had been as optimistic as I, because I peeked over the fence to see a gentleman at the controls of a rather fine 12 inch Skywatcher collapsible dob. I squeezed through a gap in the fence and we introduced ourselves. I regret to say that I didn't think to write the man's name down in my journal, and time has swept it from my memory. If you happen to be reading this; please accept my apologies and reply. I'll be happy to amend my entry here.

I opened the gate, and made my way further up to another one of the viewing pad's at a higher elevation. Clouds still darkened the majority of the sky, but twilight had not yet started. There was still plenty of time to improve. So with that in mind, I set the Megrez 90 on it's mount, and prepared my other goods and chattels. A cheap 8 dollar collapsible chair from BigW, and a relatively expensive camping table which can be disassembled and put into a bag similar to those nylon ones used for collapsible camping chairs. In a few minutes, I was all ready to go.

I had prepared a selection of Bambury 600 objects which should have been visible with my scope, provided that the sky cooperated. Again; it seemed I'd done everything in my power to ensure that the trip would be clouded out. I'm nothing if not consistent.

Intermittant gaps in the clouds allowed me to get a brief glimpse at what a dark sky actually looks like as early as 6pm in the evening. At this time I was just fooling around with my new scope. I hadn't had it long enough to be familiar with it's operations. I should also point out that this is my first refractor, and coming from a 10 inch dob makes things interesting. This basically meant that I found myself whizzing about trying to catch the gaps in the clouds before they closed up again. A celestial game of peek-a-boo, and I was losing. Badly.

that said, I did manage to find and split Rigel Kent with my 5mm Vixen Lanthanum (111x). I was mighty pleased with myself at the time. It also gave me an opportunity to test the optics of my new scope (and new eyepiece for that matter; I had bought it specifically for this scope). The stars came into focus quite well, but something did seem a bit odd about them. I attributed this to turbulent and inconsistent seeing due to the weather, and the scope not being properly acclimatised to the ambient temperature.

I was also lucky enough to catch a brief view of the eta carina nebula in my 24mm Televue Panoptic (23x, and with a TFOV of 2.8 degrees). This was the first time I'd seen this nebula under proper dark skies. My suburban fortress unfortunately has always put Eta C in a rather unfavorable position. Out here, despite some turbulent seeing, I did have time to pick out some minor details, before the clouds closed in again.

Defeated, I capped my scope to ward off the dew, and wandered around the site after finishing off my bag of chips. Several other hopefuls had since arrived (again; all effectively nameless to me due to the dark, and my own bad habit of forgetting names. My apologies to you all). I had a hunt around to find the ASSA member who'd been kind enough to share some dinner with me so I might have presented that bottle of Red, but it seems he'd decided not to come that night. Thus I went home with both bottles of wine; deciding to bring them back at another time. Frankly, at the time, I didn't blame him for not turning up. It seemed that tonight would be another washout. I have to admit that I'd been relieved to see anything at all. But all it did was whet my appetite. I wanted more. MORE!

The cold quickly descended. I knew what to expect, and had prepared accordingly. I had my thickest socks on, long sleeve shirt, thick hand knitted jumper (courtesy of my girlfriend) and trusty brown leather jacket and beanie. I also had my thermal lined leather gloves, which were adequate to the task. I helped some of the other ASSA members bring out the tables and chairs from the store room for the inevitable barbecue. I personally had nothing to fry up, but I knew others did and loaned by back to the task. I had my beanie drawn down over my right eye to preserve my night vision; another optimistic idea on my behalf.

Afterwards, at around 7pm, I headed back to the parking lot to have a smoke; as much to kill time as myself. Humming to myself as I leaned against my car, I stared up. It was with embarrassing sloth that I realised that I could see stars. A lot of them in fact. Actually, friggin thousands of them...

I nearly dropped my Dunhill. I opened my car and grabbed my Tasco 8x56 binocs and started scanning.

I swept through the arms of the milky way galaxy (only now realising that it could basically be seen from horizon to horizon). I noted that I could clearly see the coal sack for the first time, before I realised that I should be looking through my scope, not gawping in the parking lot. I butted my smoke and raced back in to my Megrez. I uncapped and started on my BAM 600 list.

I started with NGC 4945 - The Tweezers galaxy. With patience, I found the appropriate star field in my 24mm Pan and then switched to my 14mm Televue Radian (40x). With averted vision, I could quite easily hold the nebulous smudge with the correct orientation exactly where it was according to my Pocket Sky Atlas. I ticked it off my BAM 600 list with a sense of elation. My first BAM Galaxy! In a 90mm refractor no less!

as an aside; I rather like this particular field guide. the pages are quite robust and dew resistant. The spiral bound layout allows you to ensure you can flip and keep the right page open. It is more than detailed enough for my lowly Megrez, and even my 10 inch dob. The size is also just right. The pages are big enough to show a reasonable swathe of sky, but small enough to be easily managed with one hand while at the eyepiece.

I moved on to NGC 4976. I found this one in my 14mm Radian. I wondered why it was so hard to find when it is so close to NGC 4945. I checked my BAM list details and discovered why. It's only Mag 10.2 (the Megrez manufacturer page lists the limiting magnitude as 11.5, and I'm a novice galaxy observer). So I was quite pleased when I realised I'd found it. I could only spot it with the magic of averted vision, and I had to pull a few of the tricks recommended by Jay Reynolds Freeman (super dark adaption, careful breathing, jiggling the scope etc) to do it, but I got there. I would say it was only glimpsed, but I repeated the action, and got the same results. Furthermore, a check of the atlas confirmed the orientation and placement. I ticked it off my list with a sense of pride. Who said galaxy hunting was hard?

After this, I wandered over to the ASSA's 15 inch dob. Another member was giving a tour of the sky to another novice, and I took this opportunity to have a look; if only as a sanity check against what I was seeing in my Megrez.

I saw M83 and the Leo Triplet. I found the view of 2 of the 3 Leo triplet galaxies in the same eyepiece rather humbling. The thought of two significant galaxies, each containing billions of stars all contained as a pair of elliptical smudges in one lowly eyepiece... This is what astronomy is about!

******

[kitsuna (Adam)]

The above is more or less an extrapolation of the hasty notes I took on the night of the 4th. What follows is (more or less verbatim) my thoughts and notes that I recorded about the experience on the 5th;


After the night has ended I've had a chance to sleep on the events that occurred and write my thoughts without rushing, and in comfort.

With respect to the scope itself; I find it an amazing performer. The views are so crisp and clear with no coma. The wide field views, particularly with the 24mm Pan, are stunning. I Have no doubt that this will be my primary scope from now on. Not least because it is a wonderful grab and go setup, but the mount is also an excellent paring with it. So easy to maneuver and hold in position. I also suspect I'm a refractor convert, which is a problem if I want to do galaxy hunting! Such a dilemma. Perhaps an SCT or Maksutov which is a hybrid between newtonian aperture, refractor crispness (well... kinda) and refractor compactness is the way to go...

With respect to the evening itself;

Such a rollercoaster. Firs the glum resignation to the thought of a 4th clouded out viewing night, followed by the teasing of clouds moving in and out. Then finally the skies open and it seems as if the stars have descended directly upon us, allowing us to bask in their glow. The span of the Milky way galaxy from horizon to horizon; stunning. Then the cold and misery and ultimate victory of dew over astronomer.

Surely this hobby is one of frustration and meteorological whimsy, punctuated by brief moments humbling bliss. Truly; I wouldn't have it any other way.

With respect to what was seen;

The notes on the objects found speak for themselves, but are somewhat abbreviated due to the cold, dew and the desire to look through the eyepiece rather than take notes. But it should be noted that there were some other joys and tribulations....

First, I finally understand why binoculars are so useful. Under dark skies, they really show a lot. In fact, I first saw the coal sack properly from the parking lot through the Tasco 8x56 binos before I ever saw it in a scope. omega centauri was easy to find in the binos; a circle smudge. Like a pile of raw sugar. I also saw Omega Centauri in the Megrez with the 24mm Pan. I have to say it reminded me more of the view in the binos rather than the view in my dobsonian. Some edge stars were resolved in moments of good seeing though, unlike in the binocs. Perhaps I'll have to look at it with greater magnification to see if it resolves better.

additional notes on objects found:

Eta Carina - Poor eta c! It really didn't get the attention that it deserved. I ditched it in favour of galaxy hunting. I really do believe I'll have to spend more time looking at it properly and noting its features. It seems odd to rave about galaxies on the edge of what vision and scope can do, and ignore the beautiful bright objects. Human nature at work? When I start sketching, I think Eta C will have to be high on my list.

Coal Sack - An odd object which really marks how black some things in the sky are. Pleasing in its own way, and it really does make me wonder what else is out there, but hidden by black masses such as this.

NGC 4945 - I'm finding myself fascinated with galaxies. I also seem to like making it hard for myself by using a scope and aperture not especially suited to the task. That said, I found 2 galaxies in the Megrez. that's twice what I have found in the dob. I chalk that up to dark skies and the ease of use of the Megrez. With respect to NGC 4945, or the "Tweezers Galaxy" as it is known, I have to say it was quite pleasing. A nice eliptical smudge in averted vision. Obviously no details were visible at this aperture and my experience level, but I do expect that to change with practice (and a more appropriate scope). The V mag is a tricky thing to judge. My list marks it as 8.9, but wikipedia puts it at 9.3. Not an insignificant difference with this aperture.

NGC 4976 - This was a toughie. I could only hold it briefly as a brightened disk, slightly fatter than NGC 4945 rarely. I am confident I saw it though. Thank Jay Reynolds Freeman for all his tricks in seeing these faint fuzzies. I'm pleased with seeing it at all, rather than it's aesthetic qualities. This is because at mag 10.2 (or 11.0 according to the wiki), it represents a genuine achievement for someone like me; bugger all experience at finding faint fuzzies and using an aperture with a limiting magnitude of 11.5. An achievement to be proud of, for sure.

Alpha Centauri - split at 111x in the Vixen 5mm. The first double I've split with the Megrez and it was done easily. A wiki check suggested A & B MAY have been as close as 1.6 arc seconds apart, and if true, represents a genuine achievement for the Megrez as this is quite close to the theoretical limit for 90mm aperture, and it clearly showed it to my novice eye. Precise, clear pinpoints of light with an obvious black gap between the two. wonderful.

It wasn't alll easy sailing and flawless victories for the Megrez though. I blatantly failed to find UY Centauri; the carbon star. I also failed to find M83. Most annoyingly, I failed to find Centaurus A. Something that should have been relatively easy given that I found it before in a much harder to manage instrument in lousy suburban skies. Undoubtedly, the lion's share of the blame is mine. It is abundantly clear that I need to spend more time with the binos, just learning constellations. It is pointless to have such a wonderful scope and not be able to use even 1/10th of its potential due to my own inadequacies. I will remedy this... It must be said though that many objects were near zenith; not an ideal situation for any scope.

I really should say more about M83 and Leo's triplet. However, the fact is I was shown these in the society's 15 inch dob, and I didn't find them personally. I was lead like a bloody tourist. So while they were undoubtedly beautiful and showed much detail, the experience soured. A pity, given that M65 and M66, 2 massive eliptical galaxies were in the same FOV. I won't count them in my personal tally until I find them for myself, preferably in one of my own scopes.

Upon reflection, I have mixed feelings about last night. I feel disappointed in some ways, which smacks of pride. I found 3 objets from my BAM 600 list, and saw 2 new galaxies in my own scope, and 3 in another. I should be pleased. But I can't forget that I failed to find 5 objects (I previously forgot to mention failing to find NGC 5102 and Epsilon Bootes), and only saw 3 out of a possible 84 objects on my list for May/June. I have to remind myself that I am still very new at this, and I have years to get better. I'm tempted by Argo Navis and GOTO, but I don't want to feel as if I did that because star hopping was too hard. I won't go down that path until I've earned the luxury by finding these things by myself.

I now remember that I also saw Saturn last night in my 3mm WO ep (186x). I mention it only because I did it, not because it was any good. The eyepiece was dewed, and the seeing lousy. I'll have to test the vixen and WO eps under better conditions to measure their true worth. Perhaps as the moon rises? I also found that the Megrez has... interesting optics. I didn't see any CA under normal conditions... however, towards the end of the evening, while looking at beta centauri, it wouldn't focus. Beta centauri would look like a mercedes benz 3 pointed star with purple edges. I think I was looking through the Vixen at the time. I suspect it was just pinched optics or dew from the cold because beta centauri looked fine before, but I'll want to test it under better circumstances. I'm curious as to how much colour it throws. I didn't see any purple at any other time, not even with Saturn using the vixen or WO eps

*****
a note outside of my journal; I've since found that the Megrez seems to have an optical aberration which is what caused the bizzare occurance on the 4th. My notes don't really do it justice how awful it was. It's currently back with the dealer at the moment. A fix might be possible, but it seems likely that it'll have to go back to WO for a swap. anyway, back to the journal notes

*****

I also learned heaps from the experience. Mainly that I need some sort of anti-dew system. I'm thinking a hair dryer to start with, as well as some towels to keep my seat and table equipment dry. Soggy maps and logs suck. I'm tempted to get a dedicated system (especially for the EPs) as nothing cuts a night short like dew. That's what killed it last night.

I also learned that I need a thermos of something hot. Maybe soup. Astronomy is hungry, cold work. I also need some fingerless gloves. I had to keep taking my gloves off to use the scope or consult my map, which was a pain. lesson learned.

I want to sketch things that I've seen, but I need to make the above improvements first, otherwise I'll just be adding another complication to the situation. I also think I would benefit from filters for various nebulas. I'll have to check it out.

Finally, I'll write it again because it needs repeating - learn the constellations and asterisms. You can't star hop without it. Binos provide good views too!

Overall I think my first proper viewing night at Stockport was a success. I've learnt a great many things that'll mean future viewing nights should go much smoother.

And I just remembered that I should point out that I did basically all my viewing without my finder because I forgot the little allen key needed to align it. In that context, perhaps I did better than I deserved. I'm going to give that finder another chance, but I did notice that it does seem to be tinted, which erases some stars. hmmm... Might have to get the WO 6x30 finder or the 7x50 finder... $185 to $285. Hmm... going to give that RDF another chance. It was my fault I didn't bring the allen key, after all...


*******

and there we are. Whew! that took ages to write. glad it's done! As for the RDF; I've used it as it's meant to be used - correctly aligned and with both eyes open so I can use the magic of binocular vision to see both the star and the red dot, despite the tinting. Works fine.

Anyway It's now well after midnight, and I have an early start. Someday I will learn not to start writing these things so late at night.

Hope you all enjoyed my rambling. I didn't mean for it to turn into a 4000ish word monster and discover the character limits of a post, but there we are.

[Gem (Grant)]

Thanks! Keep it up!

[Paddy (Patrick)]

Well given that you didn't have a finderscope I think you should be well pleased. If you keep working with star hopping you will learn heaps and it will get much easier. It might be worth writing up what you saw through someone else's scope - one great benefit of writing obs is that it sharpens observing capacity regardless of who's scope you're using.

A lovely account of your adventure - and it is stunning to see a few galaxies in one FOV. You will blow your mind if you point your dob at the Virgo cluster (and Fornax in spring)

Looking forward to more reports!

[kitsuna (Adam)]

Looking forward to DOING more reports. Just have to get the weather to cooperate, and to get my scope fixed.

[madbadgalaxyman (Robert)]

Hi there, Kitsuna

I think that the GOTO devices you mention can be an excellent tool for efficient observing, but only when a person has already learned the ropes.

But the fact of the matter is that what distinguishes amateurs is not their level of knowledge about stars and galaxies.....but rather it is their first hand familiarity (and love) of the night sky and what is in it. If you spend your whole life looking through the "narrow porthole" of a telescopic view and dialling up objects, you will never learn the romance and beauty of the sky.....when star hopping, it is the journey there that counts...... the objects we stumble upon when on the way to the target, and the unique feeling we get when we move over the sky with our finders and sighting devices.

And one more comment....we can't star hop if there aren't enough stars on our charts to provide signposts to the target object.....it is important to have a chart with a deep enough magnitude limit......for instance, NGC 5128 is very hard to get to if you have a magn. limit of only 8 to 8.5 on your chart.

cheers,
madbadgalaxyman

I agree that astronomy can be cold hungry work, and the eye and brain often tire during an observing session. One good way to relax is to lie on an air mattress and sweep the sky with binos. When I was in the prime of my life for observing, I would get through two packs of tim tams and two family size chocolate bars, in an observing session, just to keep my energy up.

[kitsuna (Adam)]

Yeah I agree that the atlas needs to be detailed enough to allow you to star hop. Thats why I like the one I've got. Its excellent. The problem is with the meatbag at the eyepiece.

I also agree that star hopping is about the journey as much as the destination. Thats why I'm not going for goto for a while.

[kitsuna (Adam)]

Yeah I agree that the atlas needs to be detailed enough to allow you to star hop. Thats why I like the one I've got. Its excellent. The problem is with the meatbag at the eyepiece.

I also agree that star hopping is about the journey as much as the destination. Thats why I'm not going for goto for a while.

[madbadgalaxyman (Robert)]

When it comes to the Milky Way, I have always found that GOTO devices and star charts are a disappointment for looking at the objects in the Milky Way.....numerous dark nebulae and star clouds simply do not make it into the databases. The Best star chart for the Milky Way is a good image.

A good finder telescope is a must for accurately moving the telescope to the target object....trouble is that many commercial finders have rather narrow fields and they also do strange things to the image orientation. My 12inch Dob has, mounted on it, a TelRad with most of the luminous rings blocked out (less red light, so as to enable background objects to be seen properly), together with one half of a pair of 7x50 binos.....
the optical "sighter" gets me close to the object, and the 50mm finder allows me to get the object so it is in the field of the main instrument.
In fact, if you can get a finder with a correct image orientation and a seven degree (or more) field, it does save a lot of nudging the telescope here and there and hoping that the naked eye "sighter" will get you right onto the object.

Another point is to use a very low power for acquiring the object in the field of the main scope; the wider the telescopic field , the easier it is to get an object in it.
I have always invested in the widest possible angular field (actual field in the sky) eyepiece for use in the telescope....this saves an awful lot of blundering around, with a "narrow porthole" medium power view that seems to move everywhere in the sky except where the object is!!

It sounds like you are being too hard on yourself, kitsuna, as you are finding a lot more objects, and seeing a lot more, than other people of your level of experience!

[kitsuna (Adam)]

on that night where I'd neglected my finder, I was using my 24mm Televue Pan as the lowest power, highest TFOV EP to do my searching. Crude, and not as effective as a dedicated finder, but it did the job, so I can't complain.

I haven't had the chance to properly road test the RDF that I have because the scope is currently with the dealer awaiting testing, and possible replacement. However, when I did get the chance to use the RDF (briefly) it was quite effective. More than enough to be getting on with for a 90mm scope.

No doubt, with practice and proper use of the finder, I'll get plenty more objects under my belt.

[madbadgalaxyman (Robert)]

I find that seven degrees of field is the "magic number" (that is, the optimal value) for a finder telescope (or an even wider field, if you can get one or make one). A seven degree field is twice the area of a 5 degree field, so this makes it much easier to find and recognize the star patterns.

I don't know why so many people put up with narrow field finders, or finders that do not show the field in its true orientation.

I recently obtained a really cheap 80mm F4 objective (320 mm focal length) of mediocre quality and put it in a tube, together with a 26 mm eyepiece of 65 degrees apparent field, which yields a magnification of 12.3x and a sky field of about 5.3 degrees.
This instrument is going to be mounted on the main telescope, and aside from being an effective but modest Rich Field Telescope, it will be useful in more precisely pointing the main telescope....yes, believe it or not, my telescope is going to have two finders, a 50mm and an 80mm !!

[Suzy]

What an enjoyable read that was Adam, thank you!
If you are not a writer, you should be ..

Have you been able to tackle any of the objects in the May/June observing challenge (I see you have viewed one of them- 83)? The challenge focuses on the constellation, Hydra.
Little bit of everything in it- cluster, glob, galaxies and even a reddest known carbon star.
And wow, I would be excited to read a report from you on your obs from it.

Looking forward to more reports from you!

By the way, I think you are a legend for finding all those objects without a finder . And I'm so glad you are learning the sky manually. Robert worded it magnificently.

If you spend your whole life looking through the "narrow porthole" of a telescopic view and dialling up objects, you will never learn the romance and beauty of the sky.....when star hopping, it is the journey there that counts...... the objects we stumble upon when on the way to the target, and the unique feeling we get when we move over the sky with our finders and sighting devices.

.
I think it connects us with the sky better. Aye, so many star fields burned into my head trying to find objects on a star hop. When I have lots of trouble finding something, I do what Robert said, and that's googling an image with the star field around it. Manual star hopping has taught me patience, something I've never had before. Alas, I handle a lot more things in life better now because of it. A renovation at my home that has taken the last 6 months is one of them , finally coming together now though.

[kitsuna (Adam)]

Heh. Nice to hear from you Suzy.

Funny you should mention being a writer... I'm not a published one, but I hope that will change someday. I get kept awake at night with plots and twists for at least a 7 book series. Insomnia is an unkind mistress...

anyway back to the Astro;

As for teaching patience; absolutely I agree. I'm definitely more patient and better equipped to deal with frustration thanks to this hobby.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get out there and do the Jun Obs challenge for a few reasons;

1. My scope is in for repairs/replacement

2. Weather

Ah such is life...

I doubt it'll be back in time to go through the June observing challenge, but I look forward to the future ones. I enjoy a good write up as well.

I have to say that for that sort of write up, I take my inspiration from Jay Reynolds Freeman.

http://web.mac.com/Jay_Reynolds_Free...Astronomy.html

I have a lot of respect for his achievements, and his sense of humour. He really does appreciate the idea that astronomy is about the journey as much as the destination. Logging 10000+ DSOs (not including doubles) is also kind of impressive....

[Suzy]

Wow,what a wonderful greeting.

Thanks Adam, lots of good reading in that link, I'm getting through it slowly. I'm now about to read " how to find deep sky objects quickly". Quickly for me would be within 2 sessions (9pm-12am x3hrs x 2x nights= 6hrs) Some of those objects are %$#@! to find . M83 has been my latest nightmare. And I just found out from an image of the star field around it which I googled, I was so close, it wasn't funny. Being up at Zenith doesn't help either . As for Centaurus A, I don't know why, but I always seem to have trouble re-finding it, despite me having the star hop for it. Why can't all galaxies have a row arrows pointing to it, like the very polite M104 that announces "here I am" .

[kitsuna (Adam)]

I've not found M104 yet.

However, I have to say that the last few times I looked for it were less than ideal (Luna was in the way), and since I hadn't seen a galaxy thru a scope before, I wasn't 100% sure what I should be looking for. With the experience I have now, I might have better luck...

if the weather would play nice...

and my scope would be fixed...

[michaellxv (Michael)]

That's a very nice report Adam and I think you are being very hard on yourself. I almost always go out with a list far longer than I could ever expect to see in one night. But it means I am prepared for unforseen circumstances and I can find something.

Every observing session is a learning experience and if you re-read your post you will see that you covered a lot of ground that day.

[kitsuna (Adam)]

I probably am being hard on myself.

Fact is, I'm my own harshest critic.

I find that it just encourages me to do things better in the future.

I suppose I just got irritated that I forgot basics like bringing proper tools to sort out my finder, and having my planisphere and binocs at the ready so I could orient myself better.

I live. I learn.

[Suzy]

Adam, last year sometime I came across a very helpful map (which many of us use) and lots of helpful info for finding M104 and I was scratching my head trying to think where to find it. And voila, I finally found it.
Within this thread is some really helpful information regarding galaxies as well.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...st+galaxy+view

M-104 (The Sombrero Galaxy) is nice and high at the moment. That dust lane.. oh my ... it is striking! Depending on conditions, some nights it will be okay, and some nights it will be WOW When it starts to get lower in the atmosphere it doesn't put on such a good show, much like a faint smudgy thing... nothing like it is up high, esp. with good conditions- even better. It is so easy to find following the map Erik & Sab have supplied on that thread. Erik mentioned that it's further out from Corvus than we think, and so true. Last time I viewed it I made a mental note and from memory, it's about the same distance out as the distance between the line of stars on the delta corvus side that make up half of that box shape constellation. If that makes sense. I hold out my three fingers held out as far from my face as possible with one eye shut to measure where it should be and plonk the scope on it. Usually, sometimes I miss But if you follow that star hop, you won't go wrong!

I can't wait for you to see it!
Let us know when you do, would love to hear your report.

[kitsuna (Adam)]

Heh. thanks for the link suzy. I reckon I've seen that thread before, but I forgot about it.

Weather and scope permitting, when I find that little bugger, I'll get back and write about it. Cross my heart and hope to die.

[Suzy]

I'll hold you to it.