any bright galaxies?

hey guys , just a quick question..
I am still learning my RA/DEC circles and finding it hard to find a decent galaxy to gaze at.
Anyone familiar with a easy to spot galaxy?.....

I am extremely keen on finding one!
Spent 3hrs out tonight
; trying to find something other than orion and Saturn...
no luck..

[Jeff]

Hi Ash, I can sympathise with you brother.

I first looked skywards through telescopes & binocs a few months ago, and have since enjoyed some stunning open clusters (Pleiades, Jewel Box...), a few decent globular clusters (Omega Centurai, NGC 3532), and some atmospheric nebulas (Orion, Eta Carina) .... but finding a GALAXY or two has been giving me grief.

I have a 10" Dob, and some decent eyepieces .... so I think my main challenge is locating and recognising the suckers in light polluted skies.

From what I've read, some of the best to view should be:

=> Large Magellanic Cloud (mag -0.19, size 14deg)

=> Small Magellanic Cloud (mag 2.40, size 7.9deg)

=> Andromeda (mag 2.9, size 4.6deg) Dec=41deg, so winter for this one


Any tips out there from seasoned astro amatures would be great!

Cheers,
Jeff

[citivolus (Ric)]

Ash, Jeff,

I'm not certain what Ash's scope is, so I'll target this towards Jeff's equipment and hopefully some of it will be valid in Ash's case.

Those three objects are really too large to recognise as galaxies through your 10". You would be better off trying to find one that is fairly bright, but only about 1/5 to 1/10 of your field of view. Think about why the globs are easy to find, and you will realise why something a few degrees across doesn't show up in your eyepiece - you can't take in enough of the gradient to realise it is there. I spent years at too high a power trying to spot M31 in my old refractor for exactly this reason. Binoculars and naked eye will work better for those three.

I'd be tempted to suggest something like NGC 253 (currently too near the horizon at sunset) or NGC 5128(Centaurus A) as good candidates for the for anything 6" and up from a city. Centaurus A is not too far from Omega Centauri. M83 may be another good candidate in that same general area. Another suggestion visible right now is NGC 3115, although I have not observed this one myself so can't vouch for how easy it is to find.

My first telescopically observed southern galaxy was Centaurus A, through a 10" SCT. My first telescopically observed northern galaxy was M81, through an 8" SCT in the middle of a city. It was much, much dimmer and smaller than M31, but the size itself is what made it stand out. There are a lot of galaxies within reach of your scope, once you get a feel for what you are looking for.

Regards,
Eric

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

You could try M104 between Virgo and Corvus(oops). Then you have the Leo Triplet of M65, 66 and ngc3628 and also in Leo M95, 96 105 (which are just to the East and North of Saturn atm).

[Zuts]

Originally Posted by Lyinxz

; trying to find something other than orion and Saturn...
no luck..[/SIZE][/I]

Hi,

Not sure about Galaxies from Sydney. If you are getting a bit tired of Saturn and Orion you should be able to see the Tarantula, Eta Carina, Omega Centuari.

Paul

Thanks guys , il try them out!!

I am using a 114mm reflector. and have been scoping with a 18mm eye piece.
so field of view is still good but im afraid my scope might not be big enough to gather the light.

Hopefully the ones you have suggested will give me some hope!

... back to the skies it is

[erick (Eric)]

Yep, at the moment, NGC 5128, M104 and M65/M66 are your best targets. Be patient, use averted vision with eyes as dark adapted as you can, no nearby bright lights and good collimation.

M31 and NGC 253 - later this year.

[Karlsson]

Agree with all of the above.

If you want to improve your chances of seeing one I would suggest to make sure it is astronomically dark (sun 18° below horizon or more), which currently in Sydney means after 20:50 - better still, after 23:00 when many people switch their lights off. It does make a difference!

Whichever one you pick from the suggestions above, you will see more the closer it is to zenith. In a city environment, particularly if close to the sea, anything below say 60° altitude may remain hidden in the haze...

If you have trouble finding Centaurus A (NGC5128), try to locate NGC4945, on 'the other side' (4° SW) of Omega Centauri - this galaxy is often a somewhat easier target than its more famous cousin, AND it has a bonus in the same FoV: NGC4976 (mag. 10) which you might be able to see if the conditions are really good.

good luck!