Re: [ATM] Wanted: Wow Objects for Winter Star Party - Mid Northern Lattitude

[Alexis Cousein <al@sgi.com>]

RC Stargazer wrote:
> 
> Can anyone give me some other early evening objects that are good wows as 
> well as easy to find in an 8" dob (No goto)?  Then I'll start studying up on 
> them, and practicing locating them as soon as they are start 'coming 
> around'.

Mars, Saturn, Praesepe (M44), the Pleiades (M45), the double cluster 
(early in the evening).

*Obviously* M42/M43, the great Orion nebula, with a UHC-type filter.
The Rosette nebula with an OIII if you have (very) dark skies.

M35 plus NGC2158 (certainly this close to Mars!). It's interesting
to note that the smaller object is actually a lot larger than the
other, even if it's much more distant.

Both Leo triplets close to Saturn.

M81 and M82 (at different powers - one to show the two galaxies in one 
field, one to show M82's structure). They are gravitationally bound
(with a couple of other members) and it's easy to visualise the massive
M81 (certainly in dark skies) ripping apart M82.

Parts of the Virgo cluster later at night (especially Markarian's chain)
if you have a wide field eyepiece. Excellent illustration of galaxy
clusters.

NGC 4565 - a perfect edge on needle (with dust lane for the less casual
observers amongst the students).

NGC457 (the "ET" cluster) for entertainment value (early). NGC7789 even
earlier, if you can catch it when it's just become very dark.

There are a lot of spectacular planetaries too, but most require quite
some power and passing the views to others isn't trivial. The Eskimo
Nebule or Clown Nebula (NGC 2392) is probably the one showing most
colour and structure. The Ghost of Jupiter is also a nice one, though
it tends to be low on the horizon very early on in Feb-Mar.

A couple of coloured binaries, too. Can't remember all their names.

Perhaps a carbon star (to show stars can really be RED).

Round off the night with Leo and Virgo galaxies and M3 once Coma
Berenices is high enough in the sky.


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