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Old 28-March-2008, 07:02 PM
Casus_belli Casus_belli is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Fraserburgh Scotland
Posts: 278
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Have you tried stellarium. Its free and easy to use and can be set to your location. It doesnt show everything that your scope will be able to see but it does give you a good start. Use your mouse scroll button to zoom in and out.

Available at

stellarium.org

Theres also google sky which while much more detailed I dont like so much, its not so user friendly but again is free (which is important to a Scotsman) I sometimes stumble across a faint fuzzy that isnt on stellarium and its google sky I go to to identify it.

On a wind free night I used to take the sky scene section of Astronomy now magazine out with me which under a red torch was very handy for finding my way about and it taught me a lot about the sky. I dare say on your side of the pond there are similar publications. An excellent book for a beginner is "Turn left at Orion"

Faint fuzzies need dark skies. If the moon is up I dont bother too much with them and look for double stars of star clusters instead so a lot depends on how dark your sky is. Light pollution is my enemy.

This scope has taught me a lot. Not only where things are but how to look through the scope (Adverted vision) and the weather conditions. I've learned that a cold night is normally better than a warm night as theres less water vapor in the air. (A problem that you will suffer from in Miami) I use M51 as a guide to viewing. The better I can see it the more faint fuzzies I can see. I use this simply because I have no problem finding it and because I've seen it in all conditions and from memory I know what to expect.

Do try the Orion Nebulae. Its the middle star in orions sword (not the belt) In my more northerly sky its never very high up but even here its a stunning sight. From where you are it should be spectacular.
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