skyward_eyes
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/12/06
Posts: 2101
Loc: Arizona
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Id like to hear what people like about deep sky observing. Do you enjoy hunting down those faint litte objects that are not much more then a fuzz? Or do you enjoy hunting for the details in objects? Or both!?
I personally enjoy looking at familir targest but using larger scopes to bring out certain details. My main interest sense getting my 16" is high power planetary nebula observing, I enjoy trying to see the small details and structures that sit inside the little nebulas. My favorite is the Blue Snow Ball (NGC 7662), I find with my 6mm Radian and a O-III and I see the small inner ring inside the nebula.
Another is the Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2392) and seeing the small bubble or face of the Eskimo itself.
Thats what I enjoy how about you!?
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GlennLeDrew
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 06/18/08
Posts: 1269
Loc: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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I enjoy teasing out the larger scale structures of the milky way. Dark nebulae in particular fascinate me, in no small part because they cover such a huge fraction of the band of the milky way. For these endeavors a humble binocular works well. Moreover, a not inconsiderable fraction of emission and reflection nebulae are accessible in small instruments, not to mention scores of easily resolvable open clusters.
In addition to detecting the objects of my affection, I get even more out of my observing by contemplating their interrelationships and locations within the 3-D Galaxy.
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Home-made 11X50 right angle bino, 8.1 deg. FOV
Modified 26X100 bino, 3.5 deg. FOV
Home-made Mk II RA bino, using interchangeable objectives and eyepieces
My Gallery
Mediocre minds discuss people. Good minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas.
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cuir
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/03/07
Posts: 1132
Loc: Up north.
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I love to tackle fine detail out of globs and planetary nebulae. While I observe and concentrate for my eyes to pick up as much detail as possible, I can spend quite a while on a single target and in some cases, like Orion, Veil, M13, Sombrero, the whole night. I usually drop in "single DSO target for the night" mode while listening to Jarre, Vangelis and Vivaldi.
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Seb
Eyepiece spreadsheet v6.8
Choosing the right eyepiece
Main scope: 150mm Maksutov
Scnd scope: 200mm Schmidt-Cassegrain
Favorite ep: 24 Panoptic and 11m T6 Nagler
Pref'ed filters: Lumicon 0III and UHC
Mounts: EQ6-Pro and Skyview AZ
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rocco13
Got Milk?
Reged: 07/29/06
Posts: 2648
Loc: Phoenix, Arizona
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Galaxy hunting. Seeing a small smudge, and knowing those photons have just finished a multi-million year journey as they land on your retina. I admit I quickly get bored looking at something with no hint of detail, but just detecting it and moving on to the next faint fuzzy is enough for me.
I also love globulars, especially the fainter ones like NGC 5466 and 5053. I've yet to see the Intergalactic Wanderer but will when it's favorably positioned. Waiting at the eyepiece for those few seconds of calm seeing when the cluster is truly resolved is rewarding.
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Rocco
Zhumell Z12
Super C8 (1984 vintage)
Celestron 102 f/5
and a cheap pair of binoculars
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star drop
Guilty as Charged
Reged: 02/02/08
Posts: 16271
Loc: Snow Plop, WNY
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Globular clusters are my favorites followed by galaxies. Of current interest are globular clusters that were never visible when I observed in severely light polluted skies. This past June I finally got a good look at some of the dark nebulae that were nearly impossible to see in a red zone. Barely visible or threshold objects do not thrill me in the least.
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Ted
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Achernar
Postmaster
Reged: 02/25/06
Posts: 5025
Loc: Mobile, Alabama, USA
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The fact that we see things very few humans ever see without electronic cameras or spacecraft. That is what I like the most about astronomy and observing deep sky objects in particular.
Taras
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15-inch F/4.5 Dob under construction
10-inch F/4.5 Discovery Dob
6-inch F/8 Homebuilt Dob
4 1/4-inch F/4 Homebuilt reflector
A whole bunch of eyepieces, filters and other accessories....
Two curious cats
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scopethis
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/30/08
Posts: 635
Loc: Kingman, Ks
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I like searching for planetary nebula, some are a real challenge. I like viewing open clusters cause the array of star patterns are unique to each one.
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rathbaster
professor emeritus
Reged: 03/21/08
Posts: 540
Loc: East Bridgewater, MA
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Quote:
Id like to hear what people like about deep sky observing. Do you enjoy hunting down those faint litte objects that are not much more then a fuzz? Or do you enjoy hunting for the details in objects? Or both!?
I enjoy both finding objects I've never seen before by star hoping and I enjoy looking for detail in objects I've seen many times before.
-Joe
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Bridgewater State College Observatory
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HellsKitchen
sage
Reged: 09/05/08
Posts: 356
Loc: Melbourne Australia
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Planetary nebulae and galaxy clusters are my faves. I've been having great success observing faint gx clusters with my 12" dob, but now I have a planetary craving although sadly the PNe season here is drawing to a close....need some clear skies this new moon period...
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S 38º 00' E 145º20'
Custom 12" F/4.6 dob
10" GSO dob
Intes M500 Mak
4.5" Meade Newtonian
Set of Vixen LVWs + TV barlows + powermates
Astronomik 0III, UHC, H-beta filters
Edited by HellsKitchen (08/16/09 04:42 AM)
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John Kocijanski
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 08/22/03
Posts: 1663
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Quote:
Galaxy hunting. Seeing a small smudge, and knowing those photons have just finished a multi-million year journey as they land on your retina. I admit I quickly get bored looking at something with no hint of detail, but just detecting it and moving on to the next faint fuzzy is enough for me.
Same here. I also enjoy rich star clusters like M22 or M11. They remind me of a swarm of bees.
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Deep Space Observer 10 * SPC-8 * C102 HD f/10 * XT 4.5 * Orion/Moonlite 80ED * PST *
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Enig
super member
Reged: 06/24/09
Posts: 160
Loc: NW GA, U.S.A.
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For me it's about making the most direct and "deepest" possible "connection" with The Universe, and trying to, as fully as possible, take in its reality. I am, so far, not very successful due to the turbulence... within, which can be even harder to see through than the atmosphere.
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Nekkid Eyes!
12x50 Binoculars
8" Newtonian / Dobsonian Telescope (Stock Zhumell Z8)
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azure1961p
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/17/09
Posts: 731
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I knew a guy who was on his way of reaching his 5000'th galaxy via his 13" dob. He hd these huge sheets of reverse negative photos of the night sky. This was the heavy duty magnitude stuff.
I didn't get it.
I wouldnt imagine i could even recall seeing 5000 individual galaxies scooped up over the course of a few years much less any time spent really appreciating them. Some folks are like that though - stuffing a sack so to speak with as much star dust as possible and reaping great rewards from it.
I think if at the end of my life I've amassed 500 galaxies - thats a heaping load. I doubt itll get near that.
I like galaxies and other deep sky objects for there ethereal beauty and the pursuit of something barely within the limits of human grasp that provides a truth about the universe we live in.
I dont resite that to myself or murmor it, but if i had to lay it out in a sentence. That'd be it.
Most compelling depsky phenomena for me is that of detecting structure in galaxies - and with my 8" tele, not my larger [temporarily in pieces] dob.
Pete
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astrokido
space wanderer
Reged: 06/09/08
Posts: 662
Loc: Phoenix, AZ
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I always try to imagine the view as if everything were in motion when I'm looking at it. Every star ignited at some point, every open cluster fired up at one time, PN's went kaboom! the whole MW is just one big fireworks show on a vast timescale.
When looking at the Moon it's the same thing, every crater had its moment of impact, how big was the rock that did it? And 40 years ago a few people went up to there to walk on it, it's too fascinating.
Stars are never boring either, they vary so much in many ways that each is unique. Observing makes me want to learn more about the universe and leads me to reading more about astronomy.
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- Gill C. - Celestron Cometron CO-100, 10x25, 20x80, Binochair, Nikon D40
The Night Sky Atlas: www.nightskyatlas.com
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Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 12221
Loc: Los Angeles
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Love star clusters--no two are alike, and some are dense and some are sparse and some are faint and some are bright.
Love planetary nebulae--some are green and some are bluish and some are so faint they look like breath on the eyepiece and others are so bright they almost damage your night vision. Some have visible central stars, some don't. Some have interesting shapes, while others are small round points a few seconds wide.
Love nebulae, both dark and light. Some are bright and display tremendous details, while others are faint haze in the field of view. Some even display color hues, while others are as colorless as fog. Some dark nebulae are intensely dark (like B86 next to NGC6520), while others are quite subtle (streams near M11).
Love double stars. Some are intensely colored. Some are multiple stars. Some are close, and some are widely spaced.
Some are nearly the same brightness, while others have widely different magnitudes (those are the ones I love most--like Sirius).
Love carbon stars. I've seen many the color of a stoplight--not orange red like Aldebaran or Betelgeuse, but bright red. They're quite obvious when you find them.
Love galaxies most of all. There are so many of them to view!. Thousands and thousands. In every shape, size, and magnitude. I find spectacular ones I've never seen before every time I seek out some new ones. I love edge-ons with dark lanes, I love face-ons with spiral arms, I love little companions of big galaxies, I love small groups that take high power to see them as separates, and I especially love clusters of galaxies. I was looking at a group of galaxies my last time out that had emitted their light toward us when fish were the highest life form on Earth.
In a dark sky, an 8" can detect over 15,000 DSOs (estimate), and a 12.5" over 30K objects. I can't hope to see everything the scope is capable of detecting, but I'll try to see a representative sampling of everything.
Even better, the more I view the more I see. The more I see, the more astrophysics and observation come together. What a great hobby!!
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Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov, Fujinon Binos
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
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JayinUT
I'm not Sleepy
Reged: 09/19/08
Posts: 944
Loc: Utah
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What do I love about DSO hunting? I love the fact that no matter what level an observer is, there is something for them in every type of object. Beginner? Sure there are plenty of open star clusters, planetary nebula, double stars, galaxies and other objects. Intermediate observer, same thing. Advanced observer, same thing. As Don points out, I don't think one will ever run out of objects to view. That's what is cool, the more you gain experience, the more you can see.
What items/objects do I like? I enjoy planetary nebula, nebula, open star clusters, globular clusters, and carbon stars, as well as galaxies.
Finally, the quote in my signature explains a lot.
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Jay in Utah
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Location: Lat: 40.514N Long: -112.032W
Mortal as I am, I know that I am born for a day. But when I follow at my pleasure the serried multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer touch the earth.
— Ptolemy, c.150 AD
My Blog
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Carol L
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 6034
Loc: Tomahawk, WI 45N//89W
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What do i like about deep sky observing? Simply put, i enjoy falling into the eyepiece. Observing (not only deep sky, but all of it) gives me the same Peace that meditating does. It's like getting a soul-massage, if you know what i mean. It soothes my Spirit, satisfies my Curiosity, and feeds my Intellect. Can't ask for anything more than that, IMO.
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 Authoring the monthly AstroSketch page in "Sky at Night" magazine
Lunar Sketch Tutorial
CN Gallery
Photo Gallery
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AlanK
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/26/07
Posts: 512
Loc: Auckland, New Zealand
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I enjoy going for the deep faint off the beaten track stuff that not many people have seen which keeps me coming back for more.
Quote:
I knew a guy who was on his way of reaching his 5000'th galaxy via his 13" dob. Pete
No surprise Pete, there are quite a few of us out there. See down in my sig - about 6,300 of those are galaxies. Like that guy I am using reverse negative photos and a whole lot of other planning material out in the field.
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Clear skies!
18 inch f4.5 Obsession #1637
12 inch f5.4 reflector
Just another frozen astronomer
Kumeu Observatory
Auckland NZ
7,276 deep sky objects incl 4,670 ngcs
Who dares - observes!
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Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 12221
Loc: Los Angeles
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Quote:
What do i like about deep sky observing? Simply put, i enjoy falling into the eyepiece. Observing (not only deep sky, but all of it) gives me the same Peace that meditating does. It's like getting a soul-massage, if you know what i mean. It soothes my Spirit, satisfies my Curiosity, and feeds my Intellect. Can't ask for anything more than that, IMO.
So well stated.
Exactly.
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Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov, Fujinon Binos
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
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Achernar
Postmaster
Reged: 02/25/06
Posts: 5025
Loc: Mobile, Alabama, USA
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I've seen a few of the Abell planetary nebulas and a few of the Palomar globular clusters. They're really challenging compared to most NGC-nebulae and star clusters. Many NGC and IC galaxies on the other hands are definitely not easy objects for a 10-inch even from a dark site.
Taras
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15-inch F/4.5 Dob under construction
10-inch F/4.5 Discovery Dob
6-inch F/8 Homebuilt Dob
4 1/4-inch F/4 Homebuilt reflector
A whole bunch of eyepieces, filters and other accessories....
Two curious cats
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HellsKitchen
sage
Reged: 09/05/08
Posts: 356
Loc: Melbourne Australia
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I've done a number of PGC galaxies from my suburban backyard....very hard but patience and perseverance at the eyepiece pays off big time 
Gonna hunt some off-da-beaten-track PNe's tomorrow night if the forecast for clear skies holds true.
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S 38º 00' E 145º20'
Custom 12" F/4.6 dob
10" GSO dob
Intes M500 Mak
4.5" Meade Newtonian
Set of Vixen LVWs + TV barlows + powermates
Astronomik 0III, UHC, H-beta filters
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