Andromeda and . . . . .

The newbie here again. I have found the andromeda galaxy through my 8" dob. Unreal. Can anybody suggest something else 'awesome' that I might be able to find? Like another galaxy or . . . .??

First I would recommend some kind of reference. Many sky charts are available that should help you. I just download the PDF from the Sky and Telescope websight every month to get an overview of the night sky and then use Pennington's Messier guide to star hop. Check out Sagitarius on the next clear night. It looks like a giant teapot in the Southern sky. Just above the spout you will find the lagoon and trifid nebulas. With a good guide you should be able to find many open and globular clusters also. Clear Skies!

Mark,
Absolutely the easiest atlas to use for an absolute beginner; Edmund's Mag 5 Atlas.

Best advanced beginner's star atlas: Bright Star Atlas, by Brian Skiff.

Best folding star map showing 600 best objects and giving brief data: Orion's Deep Map 600. Objects selected by Steve Gottlieb. Great, easy to use. Everyone should have it.

Best advanced beginner to intermediate star atlas: Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas. Superb. A tour de force. No data are given though.

Best guide to actually finding deep sky objects,(also describing them, and showing what they look like): Illustrated Guide to Deep Sky Wonders, by Thompson and Thompson. If you can't find an object, this is the book to use.

Best brief inspiring descriptions of 300 deep sky objects: James Mullaney's Celestial Splendors.

Best lengthy inspiring descriptions with data: Robert Burnham Jr.'s Burnham's Celestial Handbook. A gem.

I have zillions of books and atlases, and I don't have any doubt that the ones I list above are the best and easiest to use for a beginner.

Bill Meyers
Observing since 1947.

Mark Aguirre said:

The newbie here again. I have found the andromeda galaxy through my 8" dob. Unreal. Can anybody suggest something else 'awesome' that I might be able to find? Like another galaxy or . . . .??

Mark,

Some further thoughts:

Turn Left at Orion is also very good.

The Cambridge Star Atlas is very like the Bright Star Atlas but is prettier. I like the vertical format of BSA better than the horizontal format of CSA, though.

To answer your question more specifically, at this time of year,
Messier 13 and Messier 22 and Messier 24 and Messier 17 and Messier 57 are all outstanding and easy to find.

In the winter Messiers 42, 35, and 45 are outstanding and very easy to find.

What helped me a lot was joining my local astronomy club. The members were very generous in showing me how to find things in my scope. I highly recommend this.

Bill Meyers

Mark Aguirre said:

The newbie here again. I have found the andromeda galaxy through my 8" dob. Unreal. Can anybody suggest something else 'awesome' that I might be able to find? Like another galaxy or . . . .??

Another couple of things to look at that are well placed in the sky and not hard to find, M81 and M82. They are circumpolar and up all year for those of us in the PNW, they might be up further south but they are generally well placed from my back yard year round. Happy Hunting and Clear Skies