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Hey Folks,

I recently purchased a NP 101 for doing some quicker viewing than with my CPC 1100 (Beast).

I wanted to check out the ring nebula as I understood it was pretty easy to see even in semiurban skies.

So last night I had the fortune of clear skies and my neighboors lights off.

I initially used my 13mm Ethos and picked it up as a hazy doughnut.

Went down to a 6mm Ethos and got a bigger hazy doughnut.

So it wasn't as impressive as in the pics you see all over, but I was very pleased to have found it.

Also saw M31 and M33 together quite nicely in the 6mm. That was a treat!

Would using a filter bring out any more contrast and color?

Sean

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You won't see much in the way of color in M57 with only 101mm of aperture, but a nebula filter may help the Ring stand out a little bit better than it does without a filter (especially at powers under 40x). Higher power will also help, as I have used 122x on the Ring in my 100mm f/6 refractor with fairly good results. Clear skies to you.

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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
Prairie Astronomy Club
http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org

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So David,

I also have the CPC 1100. Sounds like this would be better for viewing M57?

Also, what filter would you recommend?

I currently don't have any specialty filters.

Thanks,

Sean

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For a "1-filter" purchase, I would recommend the DGM Optics NPB filter (in a 2" model, as you need a lot of field of view and lower power for proper nebula filter use). Also, the Lumicon OIII filter is good as well, but I like the view of the Ring just a tad better in the NPB than the OIII. At high power, filters may also not be necessary, as I rarely use one when viewing the ring at powers much over 200x. Clear skies to you.

--------------------
David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
Prairie Astronomy Club
http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org

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Quote:

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Hey Folks,

I recently purchased a NP 101 for doing some quicker viewing than with my CPC 1100 (Beast).

I wanted to check out the ring nebula as I understood it was pretty easy to see even in semiurban skies.

So last night I had the fortune of clear skies and my neighboors lights off.

I initially used my 13mm Ethos and picked it up as a hazy doughnut.

Went down to a 6mm Ethos and got a bigger hazy doughnut.

So it wasn't as impressive as in the pics you see all over, but I was very pleased to have found it.

Also saw M31 and M33 together quite nicely in the 6mm. That was a treat!

Would using a filter bring out any more contrast and color?

Sean

---

You won't see much in the way of color in M57 with only 101mm of aperture, but a nebula filter may help the Ring stand out a little bit better than it does without a filter (especially at powers under 40x). Higher power will also help, as I have used 122x on the Ring in my 100mm f/6 refractor with fairly good results. Clear skies to you.

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Sean,
Just some thoughts stirred by your post:

Maybe M31 and M32 together in a 6mm?

M33 is pretty far away from M31 in our sky and ordinarily people find it hard to see although I usually find it easy. It is big and it's possible to skip right by it if you don't know what to look for. Use low power for M33. I don't think a filter will help with M33 since it is a galaxy, not a nebula. M33 does contain a huge emission nebula but I have not seen it; I think you would need really dark skies for that; David Knisely could tell you more accurately.

Enjoy your scopes,
Bill

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