Can someone give me a list of the nebulas you can see in the night sky viewable from the eastern U.S.?

Question

I'm about ready to get a 10 inch scope, and I am fond of Nebulas. So.. I'd be pretty cool to know.

What are the most enjoyable to observe?

Thanks.

If that's too much to ask, then what are the most enjoyble to observe?

Answer 1

There's one very nice list. Forgive me if this is wordy or pedantic, I really like the story.

A French astronomer was looking for comets. That is, he was looking for fuzzy things in the sky, and seeing if they moved from one night to the next.

But there were many fuzzy things that didn't move. To avoid mistakenly checking them out over and over, he made a list of the ones that didn't move, and their locations.

He's long gone now, and not remembered for any comets. But his list of things that are not comets is immortal. It has the vast majority of nebulae, galaxies, etc; that are spectacular objects in small telescopes.

The list is called the list of Messier objects.

This is a good resource, with links to detailed locations and photographic images.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Messier_objects

Many amateurs like to make it a challenge to see as many as possible.

http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/messier/xtra/cert.html

Some, in one night.

http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/messier/xtra/marathon/marathon.html

Answer 2

The prime attraction in the winter sky is the Great Nebula in Orion. Beyond that, though, the winter sky is not as strong in nebulae as the summer. Here's a site that tours the winter constellations: http://www.smokymtnastro.org/Seasons/Winter/Winter%20Sky%20Tour.htm
They show you the way to a couple of good planetary nebulae, including the Blue Snowball in Andromeda and the Eskimo in Gemini. There's also the Crab Nebula (M1) in Taurus.

Here's a list of lists that you might find useful: http://www.seds.org/MESSIER/xtra/similar/similar.html

With a 10-inch scope, there are thousands of objects you can see. What you really need is a star atlas and an observing guide. The Night Sky Observer's Guide is one of the best: http://www.willbell.com/handbook/nitesky.htm (Difficult to find in stores, easy direct from the publisher).

Answer 3

The Messier list is a good one to start with (they're not all nebulae though - there's a supernova remnant, galaxies and open and globular clusters). Once you've finished that, try the Caldwell Catalog. Everyone's got their own idea of what's enjoyable - I think M42 in Orion takes some beating, but I'd be delighted if I could observe the Horsehead just because it's so difficult.

Answer 4

Get yourself a good star atlas and dig in! You're going to need a reference of some sort to find things, and books do not require batteries. :-)

Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas is comprehensive, portable, and cheap. The definitive atlas for most users is Sky Atlas 2000.0. It is not particularly portable, nor is it particularly cheap. But it's beautiful.

By all means, spend some get-acquainted time with the Orion Nebula. One of my favourites at this time of year is M46 in Puppis, an open cluster with a tiny planetary nebula hiding in one corner.

Enjoy your new telescope. The sky is *not* the limit...

Answer 5

http://www.stellarium.org/
This is freeware that you can use to find anything in the sky.
___________
This is another one:
http://www.ap-i.net/skychart/index.php
___________________
And another
http://www.skymaps.com/
_________________________

I like the horsehead in Orion's belt, and my favorite is the Ring Nebule near zenith to me here in Idaho.
_______________________________