Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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Anyone have any luck seeing Pleiades?
They should be visible tonight 11pm PDT
azi 85 (is that just left of east) and about 35 deg above horizon
I'll try to see them but low horizon is obscured
Might have to get on the roof...LOL
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Resurrected CJZ 10 X 50 Dekarem...DOB: 1939 LOL
Edited by Shadow (10/18/06 04:35 PM)
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Mark9473
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/21/05
Posts: 2781
Loc: 51°N 4°E
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I see the Pleiades all the time. Do you mean to say there's an event going on involving them?
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Mark
Leica 8x20; Vixen 8x42; Swift 8.5x44, 10x50 and 20x80; TS 7x50; Orion 15x63
WO Megrez II 80 FD + Baader 90° T2 Amici
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10443
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Shadow ,
Not knowing your location makes it more difficult to visualise your predicament .
Of course , I COULD check at which location on earth M45 will appear to be 35 degrees above horizon at 11pm PDT but I'm not even sure what PDT stands for !
It would be easier if you just stated your location :-)
From MY location ( almost 53 degrees NORTH ) the cluster is currently considerably higher than 35 degrees at 11pm local time , and on any clear night in autumn and winter is a very easy naked eye target ( better with averted vision for my eyes ) .
What a difference AGE of the observer makes though !
Even when it appears as a misty blob to MY eyes , my 20 year old son can look STRAIGHT at the Pleiades cluster and count the visible stars !
I was out at 5am this morning , and it was located beautifully high in the west , with Orion majestically dominating the southern sky below and to the left of it .
That is one of my favourite NAKED eye celestial sights , as it reminds me of my childhood , looking up on clear nights around Christmas time , from my south east facing bedroom window , when I OUGHT to have been sleeping !
Although I regularly use 7x and 10x binoculars , and have a couple of small scopes I can use from 20x to 100x magnification with , I actually prefer looking at the Pleiades through my 15 x 70 binoculars , as the 4 degrees True Field of View just seems to frame it more aesthetically than anything wider or narrower , whilst on clear , dark nights , the 15x magnification brings out enough stars to make it breathtaking beautiful .
Are you using your WELL - OILED Zeiss 10 x 50s for this then ?
Regards and clear skies ,
Kenny
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If everyone is thinking the same thing , no-one is thinking - General George S.Patton
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
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Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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Yep,
that's them
my well oiled dinosaur Zeiss 10 X 50's
Last night my arms and fingers hurt as it;s just so hard to focus I get a real workout...LOL
The seller is going to give me a partial refund
We were trying to agree on price
I said ino
they are worth onky at most $65 to $75 in there condition and I was being very kind.
I like 10 X 50's though
balance is good and things are so close
but these I;ll set to infinity and leave as it;s too much work to focus them for close objects and the left eye doesn;t focus the same as the right so something is off w that too...LOL
Still they are usable and saw and eagle yesterday
My eyes are so bad I couldn;t see it wo the scope
so it was amazing what I could see with them
like a whole new world flying around me I couldn;t see..
I'm in Los angeles CA
The PDT is Pacific Daylight time
Comes from my friend in Nasa
I guess to them there is a difference bet PDT & PST
No, event that I know
except
I'm new and never saw them before...so was just wondering
if you could see them well w bino's
Will check them out tonight but hoping I have enough low horizon to see them
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Resurrected CJZ 10 X 50 Dekarem...DOB: 1939 LOL
Edited by Shadow (10/18/06 04:33 PM)
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Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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Now my well oiled zeiss focus much better
can use one finger
LOL
What a joy
and I got the right diopter to move
so she's all set to go for her second night
I will set her eyes to the sky
and she will show me such pretty lights!
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Resurrected CJZ 10 X 50 Dekarem...DOB: 1939 LOL
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stevecoe
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2148
Loc: Arizona, USA
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The Pleiades will be up very nicely by 11 PM, about 45 degrees above your eastern horizon in California. Break out those binoculars.
Clear Skies;
Steve Coe
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150mm 6" f/8 Celestron Refractor on Sirius Mount
80mmED 3" f/7.5 Orion Refractor
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
New Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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James Trapp
super member
Reged: 07/21/06
Posts: 156
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
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PDT = Pacific Daylight Time
PST = Pacific Standard Time
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Celestron 102mm WV f/5 w/ upgraded finder, regular and unremarkable SD, and Paragon HD-F2
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edwincjones
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 4557
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They should be a naked eye object unless you have very bad light polution-in my mag 4+ skies I can see 6 stars with straining. This is by far my favorite binocular object, the one I always show at public star parties when possible.
In early AM they are high south skies.
edj
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n w arkansas
Binocular, Solar, General Amateur Astronomy
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Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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Think I saw them southeast at about 35 to 40deg
They were the only observable object that was cloudy and hazy so I figured that was them. All other stars are sort of pinpoints but this was a foggy cluster.
Off to the right down at about 4 pclock from her was another med mag star
Mt eyes are getting really bad so I can really only see the brightest stars and also my eyes are just not trained.
It seems after looking for a while all of a sudden the stars come out
I guess my eyes get accustomed to the dark.
Not sure what I saw last night just pointed that my zeiss
happily after 3 days we triumphed and she is now fully operable...That was a real joy in itself to be holding these binos that I brought back to life and they were showing me all these sweet lghts in the sky.
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Resurrected CJZ 10 X 50 Dekarem...DOB: 1939 LOL
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Sidewinder
member
Reged: 09/15/06
Posts: 595
Loc: Erbendorf / Munich, Bavaria, G...
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The Plejads are a wonderful object for binoculars of all sizes, in my opinion.
The great thing is that you have a bigger field of view than with the telescope, thus you can enjoy the Plejads in all their majesty.
I'd reckon, if you really see them through your binos, you'd realize it, they are a fantastic sight, bright and shiny diamonds on black satin!
One of my favourite objects for the binoculars.
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"You can hide 'neath the covers / And study your pain / Make crosses from your lovers / Throw roses in the rain" - Bruce Springsteen
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Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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Not sure what I saw but it was big and cloud fuzz like.
Much bigger than a star..figured it was the pleiades
Ooh well..I know where it is I'll check it out again tonight.
What else would be that big and cloudy?
I never saw anything like it
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Resurrected CJZ 10 X 50 Dekarem...DOB: 1939 LOL
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pcad
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/17/05
Posts: 1533
Loc: Connecticut
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Shadow,
The Orion nebula is big and fuzzy and not too far away from the Pleiades. The Pleiades are perhaps a little fuzzy to the naked eye, but with binos or scopes it's clearly an open cluster of stars. In fact, when magnified, it looks like a miniature version of the big dipper. There is a faint type of nebula associated with the Pleiades but it's very hard to see.
The Orion nebula is the brightest nebula or "cloud" in the sky. It's painfully cloudlike surrounding the stars in that area. It's also part of Orion which is the easiest, brightest constelation in the northern sky. Looks like a huge hourglass. Can't miss it.
Any starmap will show these objects, even the simplified ones. Once you find Orion, you can use various pairs of it's stars to point to many other parts of the sky. It becomes a signpost for finding other sky objects including the Pleiades.
Peter
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Peter
Telescopes 25 - 318 mm
Binoculars 15 - 88 mm
Microscope 50x - 1000x
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Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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Wow, a nebula
Tha is interesting.
Dave told me the blue star I saw the other night was probab;y Rigel of Orion
but I usually know Orion as it has the red giant
Betteguese in it
I looked for Bet last night and couldn;t find it.
The cloud was the only thing SE I could fins at approx 40 deg
but there are trees obscuring part of that horizon.
The nebula was right above a pine tree
Sort of eery glow in it haze
Wow
Thanks
thought maybe it was old oily non coated zeiss
playing tricks with my eyes
LOL
Thanks!!!
This is fun!
Been so long since I looked up to the heavens..
Hey, have a great night!
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Resurrected CJZ 10 X 50 Dekarem...DOB: 1939 LOL
Edited by Shadow (10/19/06 11:40 PM)
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Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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This was south east not north
I just joined Heavens Above
They chart your location and offer maps of your sky
Still I have to learn how to read the coordinates.
It's free...and a really good site for all interested to see what's in there sky
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Resurrected CJZ 10 X 50 Dekarem...DOB: 1939 LOL
Edited by Shadow (10/19/06 11:35 PM)
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ronharper
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/14/06
Posts: 1034
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Shadow,
Doesn't sound like you've found the Pleiades yet. Keep trying, believe me they are worth some effort. Even if the sky is very bright, you should be able to see them, and if in fact you have spotted the Orion nebula, there is hope for sure, because it is more difficult.
The Pleiades are a large (rather, look large because they are relatively close to us in space) cluster of bright stars. Stars are formed in clusters, from dense clouds of hydrogen gas. The clusters are eventually torn apart by outside gravitational forces. These stars are still hanging together: young, hot, and blue. They will fill about half the field of view of your old Zeiss. 6 or 7 of them are quite bright, and form the shape of a short handled dipper, and more can surely be seen even from LA. Please tell us how many more when you find them.
They will be about 45degrees off the horizon, in the east, about 11 or 12 o'clock.
Good hunting!
Ron
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Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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Wow a newer star cluster
didn;t know that.
Stars must have some mass to be blue
even youth does not make for blue
Anyway they are very hot and usually only larger massive stars will burn blue well that was my ancient astronomy knowlege of 25 years ago.The nebula was between trees
I spoted it from the balcony
couldn;t see it looking out both east windows with trees
So trees are problem and I have the best viweing from the balcony as its dark and shielded from lights...
Went out late tonight to look at nw sky maybe in hope seeing swan but the lower nw horizon is obscurred by buildings and trees
Arrgh humans
building all over...LOL
Heck, I;ll settle for the Orion Nebula
I knew right away this thing was not ordinary...
Just charted Orion and half of it including the belt is below the horizon
so that explains why I didn;t recognize it.
Still where is the nebula in relation to the constellation.
Anyway I will look for it again tonight
It really was something different
Knew it as soon as I saw it
There waa a what the heck is that!!!!
Love to see something different
Smiles
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Resurrected CJZ 10 X 50 Dekarem...DOB: 1939 LOL
Edited by Shadow (10/20/06 12:56 AM)
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Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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Don't think it the Orion NEb either
Still don;t know what I;m seeing....
Tonight I could see 2 vertically oriented stars in its center and it's not as big as Orion Neb which should if I read right cover half the binoc field.
This was only a few stars wide in the field
definitely bigger but not big enough
So maybe its my bad eyes and the bino or a lil of both
Still we had fun seeing whatever those blinking lights were.
Some are so bright it's awesome...
Clear skies in So Cal tonight
Night
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Resurrected CJZ 10 X 50 Dekarem...DOB: 1939 LOL
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James Trapp
super member
Reged: 07/21/06
Posts: 156
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
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I'm a newbie, but here are some helpful (and free) resources I've come to appreciate in identifying what's what in the night sky:
http://skymaps.com/downloads.html
http://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/
Hope those help.
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Celestron 102mm WV f/5 w/ upgraded finder, regular and unremarkable SD, and Paragon HD-F2
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Sidewinder
member
Reged: 09/15/06
Posts: 595
Loc: Erbendorf / Munich, Bavaria, G...
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@Shadow:
it could as well have been the Orion Nebula, it is pretty sensitive to light pollution, I don't know how bad it is in your area. But if there is enough light, the Orion Nebula shirnks down to nothing more than a blurry spot with some stars in it.
You have to look for the belt stars, well "below" them, there is a line of three other stars, the "sword", the "star" in the middle, that's the Orion Nebula.
The Plejads are no fuzzy cloud, but, as mentioned above, an open cluster of stars, well discernable in the binos.
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"You can hide 'neath the covers / And study your pain / Make crosses from your lovers / Throw roses in the rain" - Bruce Springsteen
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dgs©
Postmaster
Reged: 03/29/04
Posts: 14061
Loc: West Monroe, Louisiana
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The Great Nebula in Orion will look pretty small with 10x50s. Obviously larger than a star, but still small.
To my naked eye, the rising Pleiades resemble a small kite more than a little dipper. Four stars in a diamond, with another star or 2 for a tail dangling below. I have seen it as a nebulous spot only when it was far off in my peripheral vision, while driving on a dark highway.
Your 85°Az and 35°Alt sounds like it is in the right direction though, for 10:30pm or so. 
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- david
8"Ø Newtonian on SVP, Moonlite CR2, Telrad
PST Oberwerk Ultra 15x70 Orion Ultraview 10×50
Hand-me-down Sears Refractor (Discoverer) 60mm×900mm
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world, remains and is immortal." --Albert Pike
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Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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Tried to find Orions belt
couldn;t see it
I may draw this thiing it has me curious.
I thought maybe it was 2 central stars in the pleiades surrounded by gas but the cluster does not look like the pics of pleiades.
these stars surrounding this "nebula"? are sort of paired
2 close togther on each side spread far apart.
not like a random cluster.
It;s just hard for me to take in the whole sky at once
Alot to try to organize in my head.
I think I can see Taurus to the left.
So I have a feeling it might be in Perseus.
There are 3 or so very bright vertically aligned stars
What's wrong is if I chart Orion is very low and the belt is below the horizon.
I copuld maybe see Bet as it's red but how could I see the nebula is its below the belt which is below the horizon.
So I;m thinking maybe I am seeing the Pleiades but they don;t look like pics of pleiades...arrrgh
Whatever they are they are pretty.
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Resurrected CJZ 10 X 50 Dekarem...DOB: 1939 LOL
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Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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Maybe I;m not reading the coordinates right
but it said - so I figured that was below the horizon
This is my sky if it comes out
http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/uncgi/Yoursky?z=1&lat=34.0542&ns=North&lon=118.241&ew=West
It shows Orion visible
It is on its side so that might have confused me esp if parts of it are behind trees...
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Resurrected CJZ 10 X 50 Dekarem...DOB: 1939 LOL
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Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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silly me
Things look so spread out up close
The three vertical stars are orions belt
I can see Bet to the left Rigel way to the right
The nebula is below orions belt but not reslly close
about half bino field to the right and its starting to look like a elliptical solar system seen from the side.
Guess my imagination is kicking in...LOL
Found Orion just didn;t expect it on its side
Now I can look at the charts and try to learn how to translate them
Could it be omicron Orionis there is a patch of stars in the center of the lower section of Orion
Maybe its that?
Cool
Least I found Orion again...
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Resurrected CJZ 10 X 50 Dekarem...DOB: 1939 LOL
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Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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http://www.astropix.com/HTML/B_WINTER/M42.HTM
Well if you flip it 90 deg clockwise
This pic of the ON has the 2 stars I see at either end of the nebula. Somewhere between them in the cluster I see 2 vertically oriented stars very close together.
I don;t see all that beautiful purple gas
too bad but I can see the outer stars and the middle with a hazy patch...
This pic explains the two close stars on either end I see...
orion nebula
So it is the Orion Nebula...wow
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Resurrected CJZ 10 X 50 Dekarem...DOB: 1939 LOL
Edited by Shadow (10/21/06 04:05 AM)
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10443
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Shadow ,
Your sheer enthusiasm for your presumably NEWLY discovered hobby shines through your troubled posts like those dazzling arrays shown in those superb images you are linking us to !
One of the most sobering , and most important lessons to be learned about visual astronomy through binoculars , is that what you are likely to ACTUALLY SEE through humble binoculars will NEVER even approach the wondrous , technicolour images we so often see posted to web sites such as this , and in astronomy related books and magazines .
You may well benefit from obtaining a book which contains LIFELIKE images of what can TYPICALLY be seen through binoculars .
I will leave suggestions of such to other members better equipped to do so !
Regards and clear skies ,
Kenny
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If everyone is thinking the same thing , no-one is thinking - General George S.Patton
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
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Sidewinder
member
Reged: 09/15/06
Posts: 595
Loc: Erbendorf / Munich, Bavaria, G...
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Hello Shadow,
as Kenny already said, you seem to be very enthusiastic, as comes through in your posts. Still I'd advise you to take some time, do one step after the other, you don't have to see and learn everything all at once.
It's great you've finally found out, what you are seeing, now you know Orion, the next step would be to learn other constellations, as they will help you to locate and observe objects.
Still, as mentioned above, you should get all those glossy and polished images out of your head, they are the product of usually long time exposure over minutes or even hours.
The eye cannot collect and conserve the light like this, the visual impression you'll get through binoculars or a telescope is a completely different one.
There is a great book here in Germany, which is called "Deep Sky Reiseführer" (Deep Sky Traveller's Guide), which pays attention to this fact and shows images and drawings of the objects, just as you would see them through small or medium sized instruments. Thus you know, what to expect and don't get disappointed.
See it from another perspective, the light you see from the Great Orion Nebula has been on its way for 1800 years, just to be seen by you through your binoculars.
If you want to have an impression of what the objects really look like through binos and telescopes, I'd advise you to visit the sketching forums, you'll find plenty of drawings that show exactly, what the people saw through the telescope, when they observed the object.
Sebastian
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"You can hide 'neath the covers / And study your pain / Make crosses from your lovers / Throw roses in the rain" - Bruce Springsteen
Edited by Sidewinder (10/21/06 08:25 AM)
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starramus
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 1124
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You might pick up a planisphere from a local bookseller. This will elucidate the changing patterns of stars and orient you to their position in the sky. If you have not encountered one you set them to your local time. It will also offer you the chance to learn the general shapes of the constellations. A very large one is offered at the Barnes And Noble chain with David Levy's name attached. I think this will solve much of your problem.
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Whovian
journeyman
Reged: 10/21/06
Posts: 7
Loc: Watsonville, CA
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Pleiades provided my first "WOW" astronomy moment a few nights ago. I've had my nose burried in Terenece Dickinson's "Nightwatch" for a few weeks now, and on the first clear night Pleiades was right there where it's supposed to be! It's visible to the naked eye even in my urban back yard. The view with my 10x50 Orion's was fantastic. I've also been able to spot the Orion Nebula with the naked eye, and even managed to track down the Andromeda Galaxy using Cassiopeia as a "pointer". Score one for homework 
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NexStar SE6
Orion 10x50 Binoculars
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10443
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Welcome Wovian !
It seems you are going about your new hobby with a good plan !
May I be the first here to wish you many YEARS of pleasure in this pastime !
Regards , Kenny
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If everyone is thinking the same thing , no-one is thinking - General George S.Patton
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
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Shadow
member
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 77
Loc: Southern California
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Yea, I overslept
Had some nice dreams
Thanks guys for the shot of encouragement.
I have Orion now as a good frame of reference now so I will be able to build on that.
Wish I could see the nebula better
maybe see even more haze but I know even with big 6 or 8 in scopes you don;t get to see all that glory
Best we can do is see bigger lights.
We had a dome in college
My friend took me up once as part of an astronumy class
he was the TA an |
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