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scans
member
Reged: 08/17/08
Posts: 28
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Hi Everybody,
I have NightWatch which is really helpful in making things not overwhelming. I'd like to look at the Big Dipper and Orion but apparently Orion isn't visible now. It looks like the Big Dipper will be along the horizon tonight, according to Wunderground's chart. Will I be able to see that and use it as a guidepost to other things in the sky? Further, if anybody has any suggestions like, "Look at xxxx or yyyy" just so I have something specific to look at tonight I would really appreciate it. If not, no big deal, I'll just keep wandering outside and looking up! BTW, right now I'm using my Canon 10x30 IS binoculars and I live in the Chicago area. Thanks!
Chris
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E_Look
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/06/08
Posts: 587
Loc: near New York
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I know Jupiter is going to be up... and right after sundown and following right after the sun is Saturn, Venus, and Mercury, I believe. It is often said that summer stars aren't as spectacular as winter stars here in the northern hemisphere, and Orion is, for us, generall a winter constellation.
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Ed
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walt r
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/13/07
Posts: 2420
Loc: Doylestown, PA
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Cassiopeia will be in the NE after dark. There are some nice binocular object in that vicinity. Most won't be more than fuzzy patches but I still like then in binos.
Scan around then try to ID them with NightWatch.
Good luck and have fun.
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Walt
Obsession 18" f/4.45 #1370 AN/SC
MK67 Deluxe 6" f/12 Mak-Cass, Super Polaris GEM, JMI MicroMax DSC
DIY 60mm f/6 Achromat
Cookbook 245 CCD
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Sirquack
super member
Reged: 05/03/08
Posts: 141
Loc: Iowa
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Hercules cluster is always a nice view right overhead this time of year. 
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CPC 1100 XLT
8" DIY DOB
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2061
Loc: Central Coast, California
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If you can get a view of the horizon to the west-southwest, you may be able to spot Venus, Mercury, and Mars just after the sun sets. The sky may still be somewhat bright but use Venus (the brightest of the three as a guide). Mercury will be a fainter point to the left in the same field of view with Venus. Mars will be to the upper left of Mercury, maybe 1-2 fields of view higher.
If you look straight up, you'll see three bright stars in a large triangle (the summer triangle of Deneb, Vega, and Altair). Scanning in that area should give you some nice rich star fields. If your chart has it, look for the Coat Hanger cluster (also called Brocchi's Cluster). That should be visible in your binocs. It looks like a short straight bar-type hanger with a curved hook coming right out of the center of the bar.
With IS binocs, you should be able to see Jupiter's four Galilean moons.
If you can view to the south, Scorpius and Sagittarius will be visible but low on your horizon. Scanning that area should reveal some nice rich Milky Way patches and open clusters (although if you're looking over the heart of the city you'll loose a lot of them in the sky glow that low).
Hope this helps and clear skies.
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Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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Bob Griffiths
Post Laureate
Reged: 10/10/05
Posts: 4195
Loc: Frederick Maryland
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Chris:
right now go to www.tonightssky.com enter you location
and tell it that you willbe observing tonight fro 9 Pm to 1 AM...
NOW go down towards the bottom of the page and check the box for Naked eye OR the box for Binoculars....
Now go over to the right and check open clusters, or whatever you want to look at...
The program will bring up a list of what you will be able to see TONIGHT....
Hook up your printer and just print the darn thing out...
Hope this helps you...
Bob G.
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CPC1100
Nexstar 8i + GPS & Rays Brackets
Denk S1 power switch
Orion 100 mm Refractor
Meade LXD 55 ...AR-5 127 mm Refractor
Exploradome Observatory S.I.E. (Smiling Irish Eyes)
39*21'03" N
77*28'12" W
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scans
member
Reged: 08/17/08
Posts: 28
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thank you everybody! i now have some specifics to look at! i'm geeked! thanks again.
chris
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turndalightsoff
super member
Reged: 06/24/08
Posts: 172
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From 10:00 to 2:00, some good objects would be m13 (Great Hercules Cluster), m27 (dumbell nebula), M57 (The ring nebula), m11 (Wild Duck cluster), the double double in lyra, and alberio. From 2:00 to 4:00, you can see m13 (andromeda galaxy), m33 (pinwheel galaxy), the double cluster in perseus, a bunch of other clusters in the cassiopeia and perseus area, & of course The Great Pleiades cluster. Also don't forget Jupiter! 
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The names M, Mr. M
Proud Owner of a 6 Inch Hardin Deep Space Hunter Dobsonian Telescope
32mm, 25mm, 9mm, 7.5mm, 4mm plossls
Meade 4000 series 2X Barlow
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Protheus
Vaguely offended
Reged: 09/01/07
Posts: 4658
Loc: Illinois, US
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Hey Chris,
I'm a little late here, but I've always liked the Sky and Telescope "This Week's Sky At a Glance"...
Chris
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"To tread the sharp edge of a sword;
to run on smooth-frozen ice,
one needs no footsteps to follow..."
"Well, people sometimes ask me 'how did you get involved in astronomy?' I said 'I got born, what's your problem?'" -- John Dobson
"In discussing the large-scale structure of the cosmos, astronomers sometimes say that space is curved, or that the universe is finite but unbounded. Whatever are they talking about?" -- Carl Sagan
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fishmagnet
sage
Reged: 12/11/07
Posts: 268
Loc: Satellite Beach Fla
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Download Stellarium, it's free and it's great for beginners.
www.stellarium.org/ - 12k
*****John 
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Vixen ED 103S refractor
Celestron C8 SCT
Takahashi EM 11 Temma II Jr
Astro-Tech AT66ED
SBIG ST-10E CFW-8
Meade DSI Pro II monochrome CCD
Atik filter wheel
JMI Robofocus
Philips PCVC 740K ToUcam
Registax 4.0
Photoshop CS3
MaxIm DL4
The Sky 6
Astro-Lab Roxy
Member Brevard Astronomical Society
"Starin' at the stars in a distant galaxy; wonderin' if there's someone out there starin' back at me!"
Fountains of Wayne
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scans
member
Reged: 08/17/08
Posts: 28
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Man! Even better! More great tips. Thank you all.
So, in case anybody checks back on this, I just came inside. I took my binoculars to the park. Way too many cars around and just too dang bright. I see what everybody means about this light pollution business. I identified the summer triangle and this really bright star basically due south. Came home, did a little research and, hmmm, that might be Jupiter. So I got out my new telescope (intimidating!) and set it up in the front yard. Fiddle, fiddle, fiddle, and boom! Jupiter! Right in my front yard, right through the streetlight and everything! First time I've ever seen a planet. Cool. I'm not worthy. Man, I gotta get out of this city...
Thanks everybody, I'm going to check out all the places you told me to look.
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tk89123
super member
Reged: 03/13/07
Posts: 134
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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Orion is actually visible now in the morning a little before daylight. If you can get just a few miles out of town, the light pollution should be much better and let you see lots more. The planets and a few of the deep sky objects are just fine for viewing from town like M42 (The Orion Nebula) and M45 (The Pleiades), both currently morning objects. But be warned, the more of these things you see, the more you'll want to see and it will consume you! Wait a second, it's already started to consume you, just like it has me!
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"My God, it's full of stars!"
Tom Kilgore
Las Vegas, NV
Meade 8" SCT 2080B
Orion 102mm Apex Mak
Meade 114mm F8 Newtonian
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