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If you have a telescope, I'll show some of the objects that you should check out. Unless I state otherwise, all of these can be seen well with a 60mm telescope.
Object | What makes this one so special? |
M42/Trapezium | M42 is brilliant in a telescope. In a 60mm you can't miss the clouds of the nebula. If you go with a medium power eyepiece, you can make out the Trapezium near the center of the cloud. The Trapezium is 4 stars that orbit each other. In a larger telescope, you can see the vivid green of M42. The Trapezium is much easier to see. |
Pleiades | The Pleiades are nice to look at without a telescope. When you turn your telescope towards them, the stars of the cluster jump out at you and there are too many to count. You can see all of the brightest stars, but you can also see the much dimmer members of the cluster. |
Moon/Jupiter/Saturn | These are the three locals that should be visited when you get the chance. The Moon is nice to look at with all powers on all telescopes. Zooming out allows you to take in a lot of the moon at once while still being able see detail. If you zoom in, clarity goes down slightly, but you can see much more small detail. Plan on looking at the Moon when the phase is young or old. The shadows are much more prominent and detail is much higher. Jupiter and Saturn are best viewed through a larger telescope. Even with a 60mm, you can still see Saturn's rings (it can be difficult at times) and Jupiter's moons. It's fun to watch their dance around Jupiter. The rings are visible, but you often have to look in the eyepiece at the black next to Saturn or unfocus your vision slightly to be able to see them in a 60mm. In a larger telescope, you an see at least two cloud bands on Jupiter and the rings of Saturn are much easier to find. |
Beta (Cygnus) | This is a beautiful double star. Located in Cygnus as the head of the swan, beta is a wide double star with dramatically contrasting colors. The primary star is a bright gold color, while the dimmer (not by much) star is a bright blue. Beta can be seen in any telescope, including the 60mm, the vividness of the blue star's color lowers as the telescope size gets smaller. |
NGC869/NGC884 | This is the famous double cluster of Perseus, This is a sight that shouldn't be missed. It can be difficult at times to find, because some of the year it's nearly straight up and difficult to guide the telescope. I don't know if they can be found with a 60mm, I've never tried. The double cluster can be see in the same low-to-medium power eyepiece. You'll know it when you find it. |
M13 | M13 is a globular cluster located in the constellation Hercules. I'm not sure how well it shows up in smaller telescopes, but in a larger one (8in) you can see M13 very well. Using low to medium power, you are able to make out the cloudy nature of the area. If you use a high power eyepiece (I used a 3.8mm for a little over 200x) you not only can see the haziness of the area, but you can see many dim points of light. |
M57 (Ring Nebula) | The first time that I ever looked, I was able to find M57 without many problems. Almost directly between beta and gamma in Lyra, it can be found using a low power eyepiece. I was able to see the hole that gives M57 it's name using a high power eyepiece (3.8mm for 200x). |
This is all for now, I'll think of some more and post them. If you have any suggestions, let me know and I might add it.