Where to Find Celestial Objects Visible from Light Polluted Areas

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  • Thread starter Thread starter kleinma
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Discussion Overview

The discussion focuses on locating celestial objects visible from areas with moderate light pollution, specifically using a telescope. Participants share their experiences and seek advice on identifying and navigating to various astronomical targets, such as nebulae and constellations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire to locate celestial objects with a telescope despite living in a light-polluted area, mentioning their equipment and previous observations of the moon and Mars.
  • Another participant suggests the Orion Nebula (M42) as an accessible target, providing guidance on how to locate it using star hopping from Orion's belt and sword.
  • It is noted that the nebula will appear as a gray cloud rather than in its colorful photographic form, which may be a point of interest for beginners.
  • A participant acknowledges the advice given and expresses familiarity with the Orion Nebula, indicating a desire for a more advanced telescope for better observations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the visibility of the Orion Nebula as a target for observation, but there is no consensus on the best methods for navigating to celestial objects or the specific challenges posed by light pollution.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention varying levels of experience and equipment, which may influence their ability to locate celestial objects. There is also a recognition of the limitations imposed by light pollution on visibility.

Who May Find This Useful

Astronomy enthusiasts, particularly those in light-polluted areas looking for guidance on locating celestial objects with telescopes.

kleinma
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I would like to try to locate some cool objects in the sky with my telescope... but I guess I need some objects that are visible with moderate light pollution... I don't live in a city.. but close enough where I get a good amount of pollution.. as well as many highways lined with lights obscuring my views... On a clear night I can see a decent amount of stars... probably a total of 75-150 i would estimate

anyway, how would I go about pinpointing a location of a nebula or some other object of interest? I have spotted out the moon and Mars as they are obviously easy targets... I have an orion 8" dob with 6 eyepieces and a barlow... but I am unsure how to navigate to exact points in the sky.. I suppose maybe star hopping? any advice?
 
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A lot of people read this but I got 0 responses... can anyone help me out?
 
Sorry kleinma...been busy lately. Hopefully someone can help.

Certainly, as winter approaches, the constellation Orion will be creeping up into view. The Orion Nebula (M42) is an easy target* and an interesting one (with a nice set of 4 bright stars hiding in the middle).

* - bright (as far as these things go) and easy to locate by starhopping from Orion's belt/sword...the sword is 3 stars in a line extending down from the belt (which is also 3 stars in a line) and the nebula is in the middle of the sword. Try with binocs (35 or 50 mm lenses) first if it helps.

That's the first one I found when I started out (and I lived in a light polluted area too).

Note that it will just look like a gray cloud (rather than the colorful photos you can get with cameras & long time exposures), but you may recognize the structure from such photos.
 
Originally posted by Phobos
Sorry kleinma...been busy lately. Hopefully someone can help.

Certainly, as winter approaches, the constellation Orion will be creeping up into view. The Orion Nebula (M42) is an easy target* and an interesting one (with a nice set of 4 bright stars hiding in the middle).

* - bright (as far as these things go) and easy to locate by starhopping from Orion's belt/sword...the sword is 3 stars in a line extending down from the belt (which is also 3 stars in a line) and the nebula is in the middle of the sword. Try with binocs (35 or 50 mm lenses) first if it helps.

That's the first one I found when I started out (and I lived in a light polluted area too).

Note that it will just look like a gray cloud (rather than the colorful photos you can get with cameras & long time exposures), but you may recognize the structure from such photos.

thanks for the response phobos...

I know the nebula your talking about... as I have a nice Hubble poster of it hanging on my wall.. i will take a look for it.. i have spotted orions belt no problem in the past with the naked eye.. stands out around here since there arent a ton of stars in the sky...

really makes me wish i had a killer telescope though...
I drool over the meade 14" lx200GPS... too bad i don't have 4.5k to drop on it
 

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