55 replies to this topic

[jcj380]

1. Living in nasty light pollution, I mainly observe open clusters, double stars, and the moon. 
2. Next are emission nebulas like M42 and globular clusters. 
3. I can only discern a few galaxies here, so they're low on the list. 
4. Dead last is planets.  I check Jupiter's moons occasionally and I've spotted Neptune and Uranus just to mark off the list.

 

If I'm at a dark site, I try for more galaxies and bright nebs.  The Leo Triplet punched me in the eye in rural Wisconsin. 

Edited by jcj380, 06 March 2024 - 02:20 PM.

[Keith Rivich]

Solar system:

 

Moon (it can be observed just about anytime you wish)

Mars at opposition. This planet can really challenge your observing skills.

Saturn because its Saturn

Jupiter. Similar to Mars it can test your telescope when trying to see small scale detail.

 

Deep sky:

 

Planetary Nebula. Lots of variability in how these look in the telescope. 

Globular and Open clusters. Just beautiful in dark skies.

Galaxies and Galaxy clusters. Similar to planetary nebulae. Lots of variation. Lots of detail to be gleaned. Like the moon, always available. 

Nebulae of all sorts. Bright, Dark, Reflection. 

Exotics. M87's jet, lensed quasars, supernova and so on. 

Multiple stars. Not my favorite DSO but they are always available. 

Carbon Stars. Always cool to see the red color in the more, well, redder ones!

Edited by Keith Rivich, 07 March 2024 - 10:34 AM.

[Dave Mitsky]

Solar system:

 

Moon (it can be observed just about anytime you wish)

Mars at opposition. This planet can really challenge your observing skills.

Saturn because its Saturn

Jupiter. Similar to Mars it can test your telescope when trying to see small scale detail.

 

Deep sky:

 

Planetary Nebula. Lots of variability in how these look in the telescope. 

Globular and Open clusters. Just beautiful in dark skies.

Galaxies and Galaxy clusters. Similar to planetary nebulae. Lots of variation. Lots of detail to be gleaned. Like the moon, always available. 

Nebulae of all sorts. Bright, Dark, Reflection. 

Exotics. M87's jet, lensed quasars and so on. 

Multiple stars. Not my favorite DSO but they are always available. 

Carbon Stars. Always cool to see the red color in the more, well, redder ones!

Ditto with the addition of supernovae.

[LordNewton]

Anything I observe for the first time becomes my new favorite! It started with the Moon and Saturn.

 

Something that I see my self returning to often is Jupiter and it's moons and M35.

[Keith Rivich]

Ditto with the addition of supernovae.

Forgot about those guys! I edited my post.

 

I probably should have mentioned comets, but good ones are few and far between. However, on any clear dark night, there are usually a 1/2 dozen or so faint comets within reach of the 25".  

[Dave Mitsky]

Forgot about those guys! I edited my post.

 

I probably should have mentioned comets, but good ones are few and far between. However, on any clear dark night, there are usually a 1/2 dozen or so faint comets within reach of the 25".  

I should have mentioned comets too.  I've observed quite a few of them over the years, some thanks to a friend of mine who has a 24" Starmaster Dob and who is excellent at tracking down very faint objects.

[MonogonMan]

I hate to say it, but my five favorite objects are probably the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Pleaides, and the Orion Nebula. The Sun's pretty great too, if you have a proper solar filter or (better) an H-alpha scope.

 

Besides that -- well, there's all the other planets, especially Mars and Venus when they're closest. Comets when they happen to come around, all the other Messier objects (only 108 left after M42 and M45!), plus the hundred or so most spectacular non-Messier clusters, nebulae, and galaxies.

 

After that you can roll up your sleeves and start to get to work on the rest of the universe. It's a big place.

As a newcomer to the hobby, I'm glad to hear that even a seasoned astronomer's favorite objects line up with my own: Jupiter (by a substantial lead), then Pleiades and M42. I don't believe I'll ever get tired of them.

[Dave Mitsky]

Oops, I also enjoy observing the Sun in white and H-alpha light.

[NK351c]

Hard to say, as I've seem to go through different phases over my 3 years in. If I have to pick by most viewed and most time spent, my top 5 would be:

 

Jupiter

Saturn

Double Cluster (Low and Mid mag)

M42

Moon

 

I haven't seen a galaxy with a supernova in it yet, but it is on my 'to do' list.

 

One of our local observatories had a daytime fund raiser a couple years ago and someone had a big double stack H-alpha scope. That by-far was one most awesome views of the sun I've ever seen. I was so impressed, once I got home I hopped right on that computer to see how much a setup like that would cost and...needless to say, I'll just wait till they have another event .

 

NK

Edited by NK351c, 07 March 2024 - 06:39 PM.

[kfiscus]

I'm a sucker for edge-on galaxies.  I get a thrill when they catch my averted vision.

[csphere.d]

I enjoy all the planets, even little Mercury!  I like to track the movement of the planets and I look forward to planetary conjunctions.  Jupiter offers great detail and Saturn never disappoints!  Mars is challenging but probably the most rewarding.  And I would say there is nothing quite like catching a very thin crescent Venus just before or after its inferior conjunction!

 

I love open clusters and the brighter Nebulae.  I am always thrilled each time I observe the Orion Nebula and the Pleaides!  When I do make it out to dark skies, I enjoy chasing down globular clusters, galaxies and fainter nebulae.   And there is always the special thrill of wide-field viewing of the Milky Way!  

 

Two areas that I plan on spending more time with are double stars and the Moon.  So much universe, so little time!

[dave253]

Aahh, Mercury!

 

 I have a vivid memory of a great view one April morning in 2019; Tiger had just won the Masters, and the epic image of the black hole in M87 had just been released. 
 

It was a beautiful little gibbous peach coloured thing (80mm refractor, 100x)

 

I’d like to add that I love globular clusters. 

[star69]

I'm a newb so nearly everything thrills me, but I can't get enough of M42 and the double cluster. I have enjoyed globular clusters a lot. Seeing the core of M31 for the first time was thrilling. Having said all that, I had excellent seeing a few nights ago and had a view of Uranus that had me saying wow out loud to no one at all. Actually, that happens a lot now that I think about it. 

 

-Kevin 

[Astro_In_Tampa]

I'm a newb so nearly everything thrills me, but I can't get enough of M42 and the double cluster. I have enjoyed globular clusters a lot. Seeing the core of M31 for the first time was thrilling. Having said all that, I had excellent seeing a few nights ago and had a view of Uranus that had me saying wow out loud to no one at all. Actually, that happens a lot now that I think about it. 

 

-Kevin 

Is it just me, or does Uranus move rather quickly through the EP in relation to Jupiter? Seems to me it moves faster than it should considering how far away it is.

[star69]

Is it just me, or does Uranus move rather quickly through the EP in relation to Jupiter? Seems to me it moves faster than it should considering how far away it is.

Didn't notice that. Of course, earth's rotation is what you see as objects pass through the field of view. High magnifications = shorter drift times. Any chance that is what you were noticing?

-Kevin

[PIEJr]

Nebula, and some clusters.

10 plus years ago I found the Great Orion Nebula in a spotting scope. I was hooked!

I still enjoy all the Nebula.

[Mike Q]

Give me nebula, globs and galaxies.  

[Tony Flanders]

Hard to say, as I've seem to go through different phases over my 3 years in. If I have to pick by most viewed and most time spent, my top 5 would be:
 
Jupiter
Saturn
Double Cluster (Low and Mid mag)
M42
Moon

Yes, the Double Cluster is right up there too. Actually a lot more interesting than the Pleiades through a medium to big scope, though I prefer the Pleiades through small scopes, binoculars, and to the unaided eye.

The Alpha Persei Cluster is also amazing through binoculars and very small scopes.

[WillR]

Here's my list made specifically for beginners from my observations as a beginner with a 130mm table top scope. They are ranked for difficulty but you can order the spreadsheet however you want.

Attached Files

•  Will's 100 v2.pdf   49.36KB   14 downloads
•  Will's 100 v2.xlsx   76.22KB   5 downloads

[Astro_In_Tampa]

Didn't notice that. Of course, earth's rotation is what you see as objects pass through the field of view. High magnifications = shorter drift times. Any chance that is what you were noticing?

-Kevin

Probably. I was able to see it last night and it didn't appear to be moving any faster than Jupiter. I think I'm starting to lose my mind. It'll pass.

[Alex65]

My favorite object to observe is, and always has been, the good old Moon. 

 

However, I also enjoy observing the planets, especially Mars and Jupiter. I never tire of glimpsing, for example, the Syrtis Major or the Great Red Spot. Saturn is another long time favorite, of course. 

 

Though I do look at some faint nebulae and galaxies, I'm not really a DSO observer but I do enjoy observing M42. I also enjoy observing clusters, both open and globular clusters.

 

Over the past couple of years I have become more interested in observing binary star systems, especially multiple systems such as Sigma Orionis and Beta Monocerotis. 

[MrFreeze]

 

 

Moon (it can be observed just about anytime you wish)

Oh if only that were true! The only things you can see from here of late has been rain clouds. And it's been like this for weeks now.

 

If it ever clears then luna is my favourite target, followed by jupiter, saturn, sol, and really anything you can observe in a heavily light polluted environment.

 

David

[Harry Jacobson]

My favorites are the same popular objects cited in this thread; the moon, Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Orion, the Pleiades, Hyades…

 

Of late I’ve been doing a lot of naked eye observation and playing around with my new Pentax Papilio 6.5x21 on a Finn Stick due to my handshake. In my murky skies I’ve been looking at the environs of bright objects; Betelgeuse, Castor, Pollux, last night Procyon, Sirius, …

[Keith Rivich]

I'm a sucker for edge-on galaxies.  I get a thrill when they catch my averted vision.

Ditto.

 

I've been working on a thin and super-thin list for the last 5 years or so. Lots of these beasties in the UGC catalog. Something ghostly about these thin strips of light that keeps drawing me back. 

[Keith Rivich]

Oh if only that were true! The only things you can see from here of late has been rain clouds. And it's been like this for weeks now.

 

If it ever clears then luna is my favourite target, followed by jupiter, saturn, sol, and really anything you can observe in a heavily light polluted environment.

 

David

Yea, we are in an El Nino pattern, and a strong one at that, that has been nothing but a river of clouds for months. The bad part is aren't getting much if any rain and are starting to slide back into drought territory. Last year our area was 30" below normal in rainfall.