Erik Bakker
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/10/06
Posts: 534
Loc: Haren, The Netherlands, Europe
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M42 has the biggest share of my deep-sky observing time. So much detail in the nebula, the 6 brightest stars in the trapezium. M 45 is probably my most often observed object, though with less time per session. The Double Cluster is one of my favourites, along with M31 M32 M110. As far as galaxies go, I love the M81/M82 pair for the striking differences between the two in a beautiful starfield. M57 and M27 are my most observed planetaries. And M13, M15, M2 and M3 and my most observed globulars.
Clear skies,
Erik
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Visual astronomer, main instruments:
Fully mounted Questar 7 P-BB
Celestron C 102F f/8.8 fluorite
Vixen FL 70S f/8 fluorite
Celestron C 55F f/8 fluorite
Sets of Zeiss, TeleVue and Brandon eyepieces
Zeiss 7x50 Marine B/GA
Zeiss TM german equatorial
Gitzo 224 with Manfrotto 501 fluid head
Unitron alt-az mount
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Jack Tripper
sage
Reged: 05/10/09
Posts: 349
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
I seem to be stuck on M13. I love looking at it and wondering how amazing the sky for a planet in the middle of the cluster must look! Dain got my close second though.
Here is the closest I have ever been to M13. (2nd last picture): http://www.instrumentsoflight.com/spaceart.html
I think if I were that close, then I would surely make M13 my most viewed deep-sky object.
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Celestron CPC 1100 
Denkmeier S2 Power Filter Switch Diagonal (.66x Reducer, 2x Barlow)
Ethos 17mm, Baader Scopos 30mm
Lunt 60mm Hydrogen-Alpha Solar Scope, Lunt Zoom
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Tony Flanders
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/06
Posts: 3469
Loc: Cambridge, MA, USA
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Quote:
What Deep-Sky object would you say you have spent the most total hours observing?
I consider the Milky Way to be a deep-sky object. That makes the answer easy!
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Tony Flanders
First and foremost observing love: naked eye.
Second, binoculars.
Last but not least, telescopes.
And I sometimes dabble with cameras.
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stevecoe
"Astronomical Tourist"
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2648
Loc: Arizona, USA
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Tony, et al;
I agree that the Milky Way is certainly a fascinating object to observe. I have several friends who I have been observing with for over 30 years. We often laugh about coming out, setting up thousands of dollars worth of equipment and then ogglling the Milky Way for an hour!
We do live in a beautiful Universe;
Steve Coe
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TeleVue 102 refractor on CGEM mount
10 inch f/4.7 Newtonian
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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RAKing
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/28/07
Posts: 2092
Loc: West of the D.C. Nebula
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My Dad showed me how to find M31 as a child (naked eye). It was the first DSO he showed me and will always be my favorite.
With a telescope, I like M42 better.
Ron
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Time spent looking at the stars is added to your life.
Tak FS-128, C925-CF, C6SE, other stray cats and refractors.
A-P Mach1 GTO
Zeiss orthos to Ethos - and some stuff in between.
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JayinUT
I'm not Sleepy
Reged: 09/19/08
Posts: 953
Loc: Utah
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Most hours, M42.
Some others that I enjoy observing (some during this time of the year):
NGC 1232, NGC 457,
Melotte 20, The Double Double,
and one I look forward to as much as M42:
NGC 2264 The Christmas Tree Cluster and the Cone Nebula.
Could really break this down by season . . .
Sometimes, I find a jewel just for me, and I can spend hours and multiple visits on it. Alas, I'm mortal because there are more objects than I have life for. Perhaps, when I run out of life, I'll sail through them, and be one with them, not just observing them.
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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
Edited by JayinUT (10/29/09 10:39 AM)
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tatarjj
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/20/04
Posts: 1134
Loc: Austin, TX
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I donno which DSO I spend the most time on. Certainly, there are eye-candy objects I return to a couple times a night if they are up- M42, the Horsehead nebula, M17, M20, M8, the Veil, for example. But I have spent a disproportionate amount of time looking at/for a couple challenge objects like Simeis 147. Really hard to say what DSO's I have looked at most, it can change from year to year.
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John T.
Austin, TX
25" f/4.2 Dob
18" Obsession #701
4" Stellar Vue Achromat
8X56 Binos
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Jeff Morgan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/28/03
Posts: 1987
Loc: Prescott, AZ
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Probably the North American Nebula. M42, M8 or the Scutum star cloud would be close seconds. All are complex objects that offer different embedded features. The North American is available most of the year from my location, and during the warmest parts of the year.
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Jeff Morgan
Prescott, AZ
Wile E. Coyote School of Telescope Making
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Jack Tripper
sage
Reged: 05/10/09
Posts: 349
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
I donno which DSO I spend the most time on. Certainly, there are eye-candy objects I return to a couple times a night if they are up- M42, the Horsehead nebula, M17, M20, M8, the Veil, for example. But I have spent a disproportionate amount of time looking at/for a couple challenge objects like Simeis 147. Really hard to say what DSO's I have looked at most, it can change from year to year.
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John T.
Austin, TX
25" f/4.2 Dob
18" Obsession #701
4" Stellar Vue Achromat
8X56 Binos
I appreciate hearing the other side of this.
I wonder if I would spend most of my nights on M31 if I owned a 25" telescope like yours.
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Celestron CPC 1100
Denkmeier S2 Power Filter Switch Diagonal (.66x Reducer, 2x Barlow)
Ethos 17mm, Baader Scopos 30mm
Lunt 60mm Hydrogen-Alpha Solar Scope, Lunt Zoom
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tatarjj
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/20/04
Posts: 1134
Loc: Austin, TX
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Quote:
I appreciate hearing the other side of this.
I wonder if I would spend most of my nights on M31 if I owned a 25" telescope like yours.
M31's details are subtle, even through a large scope. With the 25", you can track down its globulars, probably observe many of its emission nebulae, catch some extra dust clouds, but the overall view, at low power, is pretty similar to what you see through a small scope. A FAR more interesting object is M33, which is a virtual "playground" of subtle and obvious objects. For example, last time I was out, I zoomed in at around 500X on NGC 604, M33's largest nebula. A surprising amount of detail was seen in it, including a signifcant hook, a very bright spot, and a couple little detached clouds. It showed more detail than most bright planetary nebulae!
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John T.
Austin, TX
25" f/4.2 Dob
18" Obsession #701
4" Stellar Vue Achromat
8X56 Binos
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JayKSC
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/01/05
Posts: 985
Loc: Florida
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In terms of a single session, probably M57 so far. I spent around 3-hours on it once to see how much detail I could extract from the view. Otherwise, M42 and M103 without doubt. I'm an open cluster fan and M103 was one of my first "less obvious" Messier objects. I've returned to it often since.
- Jay
South Florida
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Refractor manic. 
My Sketches
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Ptarmigan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/23/04
Posts: 2364
Loc: Arctic
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I like seeing the Milky Way through my telescope. Beautiful! 
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Ptarmigans=Cute and Cuddly
Meade Starfinder 8
Nikon 10x50
Rebel XT
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Ptarmigan
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/23/04
Posts: 2364
Loc: Arctic
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Seeing objects like Orion Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy make you attached to those objects. They become your friends and when you see them again, I get the same feeling when I see a friend I have not seen in years.
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Ptarmigans=Cute and Cuddly
Meade Starfinder 8
Nikon 10x50
Rebel XT
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Rat
super member
Reged: 10/13/06
Posts: 154
Loc: USA
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Another M42 fan here. I think number two is the Ring Nebula. Can't imagine how many hours I have viewing them.
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Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 12230
Loc: Los Angeles
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M31 for sure.
When I was young it was seeing the shape.
When I got older, it was detecting the lanes.
When I got older still, it became spotting globulars in M31.
Now it's seeing individual stars in NGC206, and tracking the maximum extent of the galaxy--especially tracking down outlying H-II regions.
But, a lot of hours in more different scopes than I can even remember.
Best view of overall shape: 11x80 binos under mag.21.8 skies
Best view of dark lanes: 12.5" at low power
Best view of globular G-1 (Mayall-II): 60" at 488X
Best view of core and dark areas therein: 28"
Best view of NGC206: 12.5" at ~230X on a very dark night with superb seeing.
#2 most viewed object is, for sure, M42. I've caught the G and H1 stars in the Trapezium with the 12.5", but the view of the Trapezium area with the 60" was an eye-opener: the region looked like a large piece of Swiss cheese with a star in every hole. Simply amazing.
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Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov, Fujinon Binos
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
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tatarjj
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/20/04
Posts: 1134
Loc: Austin, TX
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Quote:
M31 for sure.
When I was young it was seeing the shape.
When I got older, it was detecting the lanes.
When I got older still, it became spotting globulars in M31.
Now it's seeing individual stars in NGC206, and tracking the maximum extent of the galaxy--especially tracking down outlying H-II regions.
But, a lot of hours in more different scopes than I can even remember.
Best view of overall shape: 11x80 binos under mag.21.8 skies
Best view of dark lanes: 12.5" at low power
Best view of globular G-1 (Mayall-II): 60" at 488X
Best view of core and dark areas therein: 28"
Best view of NGC206: 12.5" at ~230X on a very dark night with superb seeing.
#2 most viewed object is, for sure, M42. I've caught the G and H1 stars in the Trapezium with the 12.5", but the view of the Trapezium area with the 60" was an eye-opener: the region looked like a large piece of Swiss cheese with a star in every hole. Simply amazing.
Don,
I really would like to get around to going deep on M31 someday soon. Considering the amount of attention I have given other areas of visual deep sky observing, I way behind on giving M31 its due. After I get my astigmatism in my 25" mirror fixed, I'll be in even better shape to do so, so most likely next fall. How exactly do YOU approach finding objects in M31? Do you print off pages from the Atlas of the Andromeda Galaxy?
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John T.
Austin, TX
25" f/4.2 Dob
18" Obsession #701
4" Stellar Vue Achromat
8X56 Binos
Edited by tatarjj (10/31/09 05:27 PM)
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Carol L
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 6034
Loc: Tomahawk, WI 45N//89W
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Mine's a 3-way tie between M13, the Veil, and M44.
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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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Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 12230
Loc: Los Angeles
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Quote:
Quote:
M31 for sure.
When I was young it was seeing the shape.
When I got older, it was detecting the lanes.
When I got older still, it became spotting globulars in M31.
Now it's seeing individual stars in NGC206, and tracking the maximum extent of the galaxy--especially tracking down outlying H-II regions.
But, a lot of hours in more different scopes than I can even remember.
Best view of overall shape: 11x80 binos under mag.21.8 skies
Best view of dark lanes: 12.5" at low power
Best view of globular G-1 (Mayall-II): 60" at 488X
Best view of core and dark areas therein: 28"
Best view of NGC206: 12.5" at ~230X on a very dark night with superb seeing.
#2 most viewed object is, for sure, M42. I've caught the G and H1 stars in the Trapezium with the 12.5", but the view of the Trapezium area with the 60" was an eye-opener: the region looked like a large piece of Swiss cheese with a star in every hole. Simply amazing.
Don,
I really would like to get around to going deep on M31 someday soon. Considering the amount of attention I have given other areas of visual deep sky observing, I way behind on giving M31 its due. After I get my astigmatism in my 25" mirror fixed, I'll be in even better shape to do so, so most likely next fall. How exactly do YOU approach finding objects in M31? Do you print off pages from the Atlas of the Andromeda Galaxy?
http://astronomy-mall.com/Adventures.In.Deep.Space/gcm31.htm
http://www.robgendlerastropics.com/M31NMmosaicglobs.html
http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/ANDROMEDA_Atlas/frames.html
I have a separate folder with all this printed.
And Megastar on my computer.
It's amazing how many things can be seen in M31.
I haven't really scratched the surface.
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Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov, Fujinon Binos
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
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scoping
super member
Reged: 01/05/09
Posts: 156
Loc: Jacksonville,Fl
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M42 and m31.
Mark Kaupas
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GlennLeDrew
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 06/18/08
Posts: 1304
Loc: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Like Tony Flanders, I consider the milky way to be a DSO. And I might gaze at it nearly as much as all other discrete objects combined.
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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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