cold and unsatisfied

spent the last 2 hours out in the cold trying to look for the sombrero galaxy ( or any galaxy besides andromeda), but could find nothing. i have a 6" celestron sct. im sure im not using the thing correctly as all i can ever find is andromeda, saturn and orions nebula, the bare basics. would a better finder scope , or a wide angle eyepiece aid me more? are there any astronomy lessons in ireland that will actually teach you how to use your scope correctly, as i dont want it to be an expensive paperweight, taking up space in my closet gathering dust.

The simplest and waaay the most useful piece of kit I have is my Telrad finder. I never could get the hang of optical finders - producing a view of the sky that was completely different to the view through the eyepiece. With the Telrad you just swing the scope around until the illuminated red circles are centred roughly on the object you are hunting - or a nearby star which you can star hop from. If you use a low (lowest) power eyepiece in the scope then you will usually find that the telescope field of view is about the same size (or bigger!) than the centre 1/2degree circle on the Telrad. They cost about $40ish. Worth every penny.

Phil.

think il try to get my hands on the telrad finder you mention. i really spend 99% of my time ( or on nights like tonight 100% ) looking for objects. it really is getting quite discouraging. il look into the telrad a bit more but i think its the way to go. thanks for the advice, you have given me a glimmer of hope to getting my enthusisiam

I have a green laser pointer on my 8"dob and it makes finding stuff a breeze. Definitely go for a telrad or a laser pointer. You will find that you can hop from one object to the next with relative ease.

Also I use a pair of 10X50's the whole time when observing, these and a decent enough atlas makes the process much easier.

I would recommend "Binocular Highlights" by Gary Seronik (Sky and Telescope.)

The directions to scores of galaxies are second to none.

Like having a good teacher right beside you.

A breeze to use.

Peter.

I have a green laser pointer on my 8"dob and it makes finding stuff a breeze. Definitely go for a telrad or a laser pointer. You will find that you can hop from one object to the next with relative ease.

Also I use a pair of 10X50's the whole time when observing, these and a decent enough atlas makes the process much easier.

Good grief - I totally forgot about my shiny new green laser! I have to agree, they are even easier to use (but quite a bit more expensive) than a Telrad.

You do have to be very careful where you point them, however, as the beam is a significant danger to aircraft, even those flying high... and to people on the ground. 5mw may not sound like much power but it is enough to cause permanent eye damage even when reflected off another surface.

A book I would recommend for finding your way around the sky is Turn Left at Orion by Guy Consulmagno (Cambridge University Press.) I gave it to my niece at Christmas (after reading it myself ) But the best way to learn how to find things in the sky is to go out with other astronomers on an observing session. You'll learn more in one night than in a month of sessions alone!

Good luck,

Phil.