What are the 10 most impressive DSOs visible w/ a small scope?
Randy Smith, N3UMW, Frederick, MD
What are the 10 most impressive Deep Space Objects visible in a small
4-6 inch scope?
1. Great Nebula of Orion
2. Pleiades
3.???
Tiago Neto
Barry Peckham
> What are the 10 most impressive Deep Space Objects visible in a small
> 4-6 inch scope?
> 1. Great Nebula of Orion
> 2. Pleiades
How about...
M41
M46/47
M35
M38
h3945 ( blue/gold double, CMA)
M81/82
M3
Gamma AND (close, colorful double)
DESVOIVRES Emmanuel
>4-6 inch scope?
>
>1. Great Nebula of Orion
>2. Pleiades
what about NGC 6520 + B86 in sagittarius??
--
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Emmanuel DESVOIVRES
LGGE-CNRS
tel: 04/76/82/42/30
mailto:desv...@glaciog.ujf-grenoble.fr
http://glaciog.ujf-grenoble.fr/~desvoivr/
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Michael Edelman
Randy Smith, N3UMW, Frederick, MD wrote:
>
> What are the 10 most impressive Deep Space Objects visible in a small
> 4-6 inch scope?
>
> 1. Great Nebula of Orion
> 2. Pleiades
> 3.???
The Double Cluster
M51/52
M31
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Michelle Stone
Randy Smith, N3UMW, Frederick, MD wrote:
>
> What are the 10 most impressive Deep Space Objects visible in a small
> 4-6 inch scope?
>
> 1. Great Nebula of Orion
> 2. Pleiades
> 3.???
3. M13
4. ???
Dave Nash
rlsm...@erols.com (Randy Smith, N3UMW, Frederick, MD) writes:
>What are the 10 most impressive Deep Space Objects visible in a small
>4-6 inch scope?
>1. Great Nebula of Orion
>2. Pleiades
>3.???
That's a toughie, but I'll consider the ones I recall being most
impressive in my Astroscan (4.25" short-focal length reflector):
1) M31. With such a small aperture, seeing the dust lanes will be tough,
but you can fit the entire galaxy into one field of view, with M32 and
M110 flanking it.
2) M42, Orion Nebula. Exquisite under a dark sky, which will reveal lots
of long, faint extensions to the nebula
3) Beehive open cluster
4) Double Cluster in Perseus
5) Veil Nebula (dark sky; a good filter helps a lot!)
6) M81 + M82. Low power shows both galaxies in one view; high power
on M82 can show the disturbed dark area near its center.
7) M17. The swan shape is easy even in a small scope, and the surface
brightness is high.
8) M8. Another good high surface brightness nebula.
9) M13. Proably the best globular for small telescopes at northern
sites; if you're in the southern US or further south, or have very
transparent skies, M22 or M4 might be superior.
10) M11. Another excellent open cluster, rich and compact.
There are many other objects that are close and probably deserve
mention along with these. In particular, most Messier open clusters
look good in small apertures, as do some other nebulas and galaxies
(particularly under dark skies). A special class of objects, not
applicable every year:
11) Whatever bright comet is around. I got my first good views of
Comets Halley (1985-86) and Levy (1990) through my Astroscan, and it
saw extensive use on Hyakutake. Next time I'm at a dark site, I'll be
trying it out on Hale-Bopp as well.
--
Dave Nash, School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois
E-mail: na...@aries.scs.uiuc.edu; WWW: http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/~nash/
--"It's 106 miles to the centerline, we've got a 10" scope, half a box
of eyepieces, it's getting dark, and we're wearing mylar glasses...HIT IT!"
Jay Reynolds Freeman
There was a thread on "most beautiful" some months ago. Here is what
I posted then...
################################################################
My immediate reaction was, "how do I *ever* decide", but after
watching the thread for a while, I decided to make two lists, one of
stuff that was obvious and easy to see, the other of stuff that was
more subtle. I think I have a qualitatively different kind of
aesthetic reaction to subtle beauty than to more obvious kinds.
What's more, all the "obvious" stuff is guaranteed to draw a "wow!"
from newcomers, whereas much of the subtle stuff they may not be able
to see at all. I decided to adopt the phrase "during your
starwatching session" from the body of the question as a guide to what
was allowed -- not all of these things are what most of us call "deep
sky objects". And I wish I had had a chance to look at some of the
far southern-sky objects that many other posters have mentioned.
Here is my "obvious" list, with comments, in no particular order.
NGC 4565 -- An outstanding edge-on spiral; with modest aperture one
can see disc with obscuring dust band, lens, and highly condensed,
almost stellar, nucleus.
The Orion Nebula -- An outstanding HII region with much detail in
dust, gas, and stars, and with considerable color.
Saturn -- My favorite planet that I can view as a celestial object
(Earth might rate if I could see it from afar), also the first
celestial object that I ever saw through a telescope.
The Central Milky Way -- Another outstanding edge-on spiral, whose
view is enhanced by the fact that we are inside it; one of my
favorite things to do is show people NGC 4565 as it is sinking
toward the western horizon on a late spring evening, point out
the lens, disc, and dust band, then grab them by the shoulders,
spin them around facing the Sagittarius Milky Way, and say,
"And there's another one!" Wow.
Luna -- It's nice to see some topography now and then, and the
view of our Moon through an amateur-sized telescope shows stuff
down to approximately neighborhood size; I could resolve my daily
walk to work if it were on the moon and had bright lights at
both ends.
The Pleiades -- Dazzling open cluster, with subtle nebulosity.
Space Shuttle Reentry -- I saw Columbia on the way home in July
1996. To a pilot, the difference between her controlled flight,
and the trajectory of a meteor or a piece of space debris, was
obvious and thrilling. As a kid science fiction fan, I always
wanted to see a space ship landing on the Earth. Now I have.
Comet Hyakutake -- The intense nucleus and coma, shining linear inner
tail, and swirling outer tail, stretching out half way across the
sky, were enough to make me believe in star dragons.
Mizar and Alcor -- Well-placed most of the year, this bright
multiple star gives a hint of the dynamic range in brightness and
separation that double stars exhibit.
Omega Centauri -- Even from 37 degrees north, by far the best
globular cluster in the sky, bright and easily resolved with
modest aperture.
Next, here is my "subtle" list, also with comments, also in no
particular order.
The Veil Nebula -- The eastern and western arcs are not especially
subtle, but the rich mass of nebulosity between then makes this
supernova remnant rewarding to long hard looks in excellent sky.
NGC 5053 -- This faint, low-surface-brightness globular, in the
same low-magnification field as brighter M53, provides an
interesting comparison of objects of this kind.
Sirius B -- The Pup is not always wide enough to detect, even in
great telescopes, but when it is, its subtlety provides a
wonderful contrast to the dazzling primary.
Leo I -- Nearby Regulus makes this dwarf galaxy hard to see, and
emphasizes the low surface brightness of this class of object.
Gamma-Two Andromeda -- Gamma Andromeda is another wide/narrow
multiple star, with an interesting color contrast, in which the
narrow pair is difficult or impossible in many amateur telescopes.
The Star Queen -- This dark structure in M16 was made famous by the
Hubble photograph in early 1996. Its shape is discernable in
largish amateur telescopes, and to my eye, is appropriate for the
name.
The Horsehead Nebula -- Also well-named and close to something bright.
Too bad it wasn't known to any ancient culture -- this dark nebula
deserves a good myth.
K4-8 -- Amid a small telescopic asterism, a little arc of stars in
Scutum, this small, moderately faint planetary seems like a charm
on a bracelet.
The Zodiacal Band -- If the Milky Way is the Great Sky River, this
lane of dust in the ecliptic must be the most dried-up and arid of
streams. Perhaps the Counterglow is the spring from which it flows.
NGC 4387 -- This relatively faint member of the Virgo Cluster of
Galaxies lies centered in an equilateral triangle whose northern
edge is bounded by bright M84 and M86, and whose southern point is
NGC 4388. The progression from Messier objects through two levels
of increasing faintness always reminds me that there is always more
to see, and puts me in mind of the line from the book version of
_2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_, "It goes on forever -- and it's full of
stars."
One particular event of beauty perhaps deserves a category of its own,
which I do not quite know how to name:
A Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile Test. On May 14, 1988,
observers set up at Fremont Peak State Park, overlooking
Monterey Bay, were treated to a view of a missile launch from
a submerged submarine, just at dusk. The rising vehicle
left the shadow of the world, and the exhaust plume changed
from dirty gray to all the colors of sunset, then finally to
dazzling white, as it arced along its trajectory. The display
of color put me in mind of Bifroste, the Rainbow Bridge of
Norse mythology, over which the gods rode at Gotterdammerung,
into the last battle, resolutely onward to the end of the world.
We did not know it was a test. For perhaps fifteen seconds,
until it became clear that the vehicle was headed down the
Pacific Missile Range, not inland, and that there was only one
missile, not dozens, that balmy summer evening could indeed have
been the Twilight of the Gods.
--
Jay Reynolds Freeman -- fre...@netcom.com -- I speak only for myself.
Eric Greene
Michelle Stone <mst...@tencor.com> wrote:
>Randy Smith, N3UMW, Frederick, MD wrote:
>>
>> What are the 10 most impressive Deep Space Objects visible in a small
>> 4-6 inch scope?
>>
>> 1. Great Nebula of Orion
>> 2. Pleiades
>> 3.???
>3. M13
>4. ???
4. Beta Cygni - Alberio
5. M57 - The Ring Nebula
Susan Carroll
Here are a few of my picks.
M37 - an open cluster in Auriga that I think of as a ruby set against a
field of diamonds - the red star near the center provides a glorious
contrast with the surround white stars.
NGC 4631 - large edge-on spiral in Canes Venatici..often overlooked, and I
don't know why. Most impressive!
NGC 2362 - open cluster in Canis Major, surrounding Tau Canis Majoris.
Very compact and at the center, Tau itself, a triple star. 100x will
easily show the triple...the cluster surrounding it is breath-taking.
NGC 7789 - large open cluster in Cassiopeia. Looks like a giant rose, with
the stars outlining the rose petals like drops of dew....or perhaps a
spiral galaxy, face on, with the star groupings forming the "arms" of the
galaxy.
NGC 2477 - large open cluster in Puppis, about 25' in diameter, with over
300 stars. WOW!
--
Susan S. Carroll
"The quality of mercy is not strained; it droppeth as the gentle rain from
heaven."
Portia, in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
Eric Greene <e...@america.net> wrote in article
<5hggq4$4...@peach.america.net>...
Thomas Michael Trusock
Tiago Neto (ice...@mail.telepac.pt) wrote:
: In article <33387de8.8576623@news>, rlsm...@erols.com says...
: >
: >What are the 10 most impressive Deep Space Objects visible in a small
: >4-6 inch scope?
: >
: >1. Great Nebula of Orion
: >2. Pleiades
: >3.???
Don't forget M31 in Andromeda, and M13 in Hercules.
--
"We are Pentium of Borg. Motorola is futile. Cyrix is Irrelevant.
You will be estimated."
Tom Trusock - Educator and Tech Consultant: Ubly Community Schools
for...@not.canterbury.ac.nz
In <5hgtn8$3i7$4...@edcen.ehhs.cmich.edu>, ttru...@edcen.ehhs.cmich.edu (Thomas Michael Trusock) writes:
>Tiago Neto (ice...@mail.telepac.pt) wrote:
>: In article <33387de8.8576623@news>, rlsm...@erols.com says...
>: >
>: >What are the 10 most impressive Deep Space Objects visible in a small
>: >4-6 inch scope?
>: >
>: >1. Great Nebula of Orion
>: >2. Pleiades
>: >3.???
>: Try M81 in Ursa Major
>
>Don't forget M31 in Andromeda, and M13 in Hercules.
Omega Centauri
Eta Carinae
Tarantula nebula (and LMC)
Jewel box cluster
47 Tucanae
SMC
NGC 6025
Centaurus A
IC2602
NGC2516
Just to counteract the northern hemisphere bias 8-)
Regards,
Euan
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Christchurch, New Zealand Forestry School
Home page: http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/fore/EUAN.HTM
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[EOB]
spooner
Randy Smith, N3UMW, Frederick, MD wrote:
>
> 4-6 inch scope?
>
> 1. Great Nebula of Orion
> 2. Pleiades
> 3.???
3. M-8
4. Double Cluster
5. M-17
6. Beehive Cluster
7. M-22
8. M-13
9. Ring Nebula
10. Albireo
No particular order and Southern Hemisphere would be different. Left out
m-31 and ngc 253 and m104 and m6 ... etc.
Probably depends on the mood what makes the list. :-)
Mike Spooner
Wesley Stone
1. Orion Nebula
2. Pleiades (if you have a 1.5 degree field)
3. M22
4. M11 (Wild Duck Cluster)
5. M17 (Swan Nebula)
6. M82
7. NGC 457 (Owl Cluster)
8. Double Cluster in Perseus
9. M27 (Dumbbell Nebula)
10. M13
Warning: Subject to change without notice. Impressiveness isn't
everything, so here is my list of favorites with that bias removed and
assuming dark-adapted eyes in mag 6.5+ skies.
1. Orion Nebula
2. Andromeda Galaxy
3. Pleiades
4. Veil Nebula
5. Helix Nebula
6. Swan Nebula
7. M22
8. NGC 253
9. M82
10. M8 (Lagoon Nebula)
--
Wes Stone <wst...@lclark.edu> Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR
SKYTOUR Amateur Astronomy Hypertext:
http://www.lclark.edu/~wstone/skytour/skytour.html
David Smith
Randy Smith, N3UMW, Frederick, MD <rlsm...@erols.com> wrote in article
<33387de8.8576623@news>...
> What are the 10 most impressive Deep Space Objects visible in a small
> 4-6 inch scope?
North America Nebula. A small wide-angle telescope like the Astroscan is
just right for it.