M8

[eric]

While I was observing M8 for the first time yesterday, my eyes could only detect a slight hint of nebulosity for the brighter side of the Lagoon. NGC6523 nearby was visible though. Through the eyepiece M8 is as faint as M4, unlike M42 which is much brighter in my opinion. Do I need to train my eyes more or get a narrow band filter? How well can you see them with a 8" SCT?


By the way, I was using a 4.5” Reflector at low power. Thanks in advance!

[weixing]

Hi,
Yap... it's like that if you observe in Singapore... it's depend a lots on sky condition and site darkness. A larger scope will of course more obvious, but still not as obvious as M42.

A narrow band filter will improve the contrast if you use low to medium power of your scope.

Anyway, to see it clearly, a larger scope will helps a lot, but the sky condition and a darker site are the most importance factors.

By the way, welcome to SingAstro!

Have a nice day.

[eric]

Thanks for your advice! I’ll probably get a narrowband filter from Astrobargain then, with the Galileoscope also lol.

[rlow]

I also have a 114mm reflector which gives a nice rich-field view at low power. I would recommend you to get a 1.25" Orion Ultrablock filter which is very cost-effective and it will help you see the nebulosity better. Beside that, the other ways to see more nebulosity is:

a. train your eye - dark adaptation & use averted vision;
b. observe on a clearer night;
c. use a bigger scope;
d. observe at a dark site with magnitude 6 skies (this is the best!)

If you want to know how much more you can see in bigger scopes, come join us this Friday at Tiong Bahru Park.

[oxygn]

I also have a 114mm reflector which gives a nice rich-field view at low power. I would recommend you to get a 1.25" Orion Ultrablock filter which is very cost-effective and it will help you see the nebulosity better. Beside that, the other ways to see more nebulosity is:

a. train your eye - dark adaptation & use averted vision;
b. observe on a clearer night;
c. use a bigger scope;
d. observe at a dark site with magnitude 6 skies (this is the best!)

If you want to know how much more you can see in bigger scopes, come join us this Friday at Tiong Bahru Park.

Are there any magnitude 6 skies in Singaopre?

[qinjuehang]

Um...just MAYBE Pulau Ubin is. Its is almost impossible to get close-to-ideal in urban areas...I went to Perth once, and the skies are way better than anything I've seen in Singapore, but still when you try to take long exposure shots the sky is still not fully dark (and its uniform, ie. not noise). Compared to Singapore however...I once helped a friend with a DSLR take a Orion Nebula shot, and the night sky was totally grey. And that was during Earth hour...

The humidity in Singapore does not help either. More likely to have high altitude clouds/mist/fog/turbulence means poorer seeing (larger seeing disk). Light pollution in Singapore is one of the worst, because we live in a small country, so "downtown", or what we call CBD, is never far, and we have streetlights everywhere as well. Overseas trips (not necessarily far, maybe a weekend drive to Malaysia) are really beneficial to observing nebulas and photography, and if it is the first time, can blow you away. Just remember to check when the Milky Way rises

[eric]

Hi Richard,

I suppose you were referring to the one that Astro Bargain is selling at $155? (as shown in the pic) I’ve been eying on it for a while actually. Sorry I was busy last Friday... hopefully I’ll be free for the next observation.