First Deep Sky

[Uncle Joe]

I finally managed to get out of the city on a relatively clear night with just a little moon and got some pretty cool looks at The Orion Nebula.....very exciting for a newbie with modest gear.

I would like to try a galaxy next....can anyone recommend one that would be easy to find and give me a good view through my 130mm reflector?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Joe

[murphcc1]

Andromeda would be overhead about now.......

[Bigzmey]

Congrats Joe! Orion Nebula is a great target to start your observing journey.

+1 for Andromeda Galaxy (M31). Bright, large, easy to find and should stand to the moon light well.

[messier 111]

plus 2 for m31 .

[Uncle Joe]

Andromeda it is then! I hope I can actually see some detail.......

[Refractordude]

I finally managed to get out of the city on a relatively clear night with just a little moon and got some pretty cool looks at The Orion Nebula.....very exciting for a newbie with modest gear.

I would like to try a galaxy next....can anyone recommend one that would be easy to find and give me a good view through my 130mm reflector?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Joe

Hello Sir:

Download Stellarium. Left click the image.

[Juno16]

Hi Joe,

While you are there, and after you observe M31, try to catch its nearby neighbors, M32 and M110.
They both should be visible as bright blobs.
If you use a sky app, and depending on your magnification, both M32 and M110 can seem much farther away from the core of M31 than you might expect. If you use goto, it should put you right on them.

Happy observing!

[kt4hx]

Presently the moon will restrict how much of M31 you will see, but its bright core should still punch through. Regarding M32 and M110, M32 is easier to see because it is a small round diffuse glow. M110 is an oval similar in shape to M31, but vastly smaller. Though M32 and M110 have similar visual magnitudes, their respective surface brightness are quite different. Thus, M110 will be more difficult to discern. For example, in our typically suburban backyard, M32 is always seen through a telescope, but M110 is sometimes not because its lower surface brightness is more susceptible to poorer sky quality.

I am uncertain how you are locating your objects, but the below chart is a good way to find M31 using Cassiopeia. If you have an app you use or an object finder system on your scope, then the chart can be ignored.

Regarding visual magnitude and surface brightness and what they mean, I suggest you read my article "Why Can't I See That Galaxy?", which is linked below. It should explain the concept and why both are important, but why magnitude alone is not indicative of how easy it is to see a galaxy. Good luck and enjoy the learning process. Remember, the more we learn the more fun we have, and the more fun we have the more we learn.

https://theskysearchers.com/app.php/art ... laxy%CA%94

[ewomack]

For another newbie, do you mind sharing what modest gear you're using? I'm always looking for ideas and/or inspiration.

[Uncle Joe]

For another newbie, do you mind sharing what modest gear you're using? I'm always looking for ideas and/or inspiration.

Hi ewomack....I am using a 5 in (130mm) Meade Starnavigator Reflector. It is a GOTO scope...but because of light pollution...terrain...trees and COVID...I have not been really able to run through the alignment process. I am so near NYC that the light pollution is awful.

I recently joined The Westchester Amateur Astronomers and although they are not able to have star parties right now, membership has afforded me access to a great spot in Pound Ridge to view from. That is how I was able to view M42 on Monday evening....with the help of the only other fellow who braved the cold that night.

I look forward to using more of my scopes capabilities from now on and I already am hoping to upgrade to an 8 in scope...but please don't tell my wife.

If you have an opportunity to join a club I highly recommend it....it has been very beneficial to me already.

Good luck!

Joe

[pakarinen]

Agree that M110 is a lot tougher than M32. Stellarium also has a Web page app at stellarium.org if you prefer that to downloading an app. Saguaro Astronomy Club has a number of observing target lists online.

[patrickdives]

Andromeda is a great target. Last night, I enjoyed M-81 (Bode's Galaxy) and M-82 (Cigar Galaxy). It's cool to see both at the same time in the eyepiece. You may want to give them a shot?

[konza]

Joe, I remember the first time i found Andromeda. With a pair of 8x10 binoculars years ago. Sheer AMAZEMENT.; Face it, You're hooked now !
"Keep looking up"

[Baurice]

Definitely, M31 and M81. M33 is tough, as it is spread out over a large area. M82 is near M81 but is smaller and fainter. After that, M101 and M51 look nice on a clear, moonless night. After that, it's a case of seeing faint blobs where the galaxies are supposed to me.

[John Baars]

No Galaxies, but much more impressing once through the alignment procedure:
Open clusters M35, M44, NGC 884 & 869, M45. Very nice low power clusters

[pakarinen]

Still gotta love "TLAO".

https://www.cambridge.org/turnleft/seas ... r-december
https://www.cambridge.org/turnleft/seas ... uary-march

[yobbo89]

i was going to say orion nebula, even though you can see it in high lp , it would make a great target to view and compair again at a dark site .

[Uncle Joe]

Still gotta love "TLAO".

https://www.cambridge.org/turnleft/seas ... r-december
https://www.cambridge.org/turnleft/seas ... uary-march

Being new to astronomy I didn't know what TLAO meant.....I GOOGLED it. Ordered a copy and can't wait till it arrives. Thanks bro.

[Bigzmey]

I recently joined The Westchester Amateur Astronomers and although they are not able to have star parties right now, membership has afforded me access to a great spot in Pound Ridge to view from. That is how I was able to view M42 on Monday evening....with the help of the only other fellow who braved the cold that night.

I look forward to using more of my scopes capabilities from now on and I already am hoping to upgrade to an 8 in scope...but please don't tell my wife.

If you have an opportunity to join a club I highly recommend it....it has been very beneficial to me already.

Good luck!

Joe

This is a great move! Gaining access to a safe dark site through joining the local club gave tremendous boost to my observing. With your 130mm telescope and a bit of experience hundreds of targets will be within your reach. Enjoy your scope for now, learn the ropes, develop your observing style. It will make selecting the next scope much easier. You may decide to go 10" or 12" instead of 8".

[pakarinen]

I’d suggest asking some members about dark site etiquette. There might be things like not using your car’s interior lights and such that might not be explicitly written out in your club’s handbook or whatever.

It might also be a good idea to check the place out in daylight. One of my club’s sites has some hazards like a drainage ditch that I’d hate to discover by accident at night.