Hey there,
I have a not-so-powerful telescope and was wondering if there are any "spectacular" objects that I can see with my telescope anywhere from 9pm to 2am CDT (2:00 UT to 7:00 UT) during the next few days or weeks? My friend also has a telescope that we will be using, and I think it's a bit more powerful than mine. However, I am not too sure since she knows nothing of telescoping (even less than me ) I have a Bushnell Voyager telescope model 78-9570 (http://products.consumerguide.com/cp...x.cfm/id/24676).

Erm, the moon? That's about the only thing I've been able to look at.

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Moraliser Overtax Porn

M13 in Hercules. One of the most beautiful Globs (globular cluster) in the Northern sky.

Alberio in Cygnus (aka the "northern cross"). Beautiful contrasting double star system.

In the early morning, Saturn can be found in the Eastern sky. Needless to say, it's worth the early getting up thing if you haven't viewed it yet!

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. . . My moustache is touching my brain!!!!

Cool, Thanx. Could you maybe tell me what to expect when looking at these objects? That way, I'll know for sure if I am looking at the right thing. I have also been hearing a lot of talk of people taking a look at the planets in the early morning and the planets just being spectacular. When I tried targeting planets with my telescope a lil' while ago, they weren't all so great due to my telescope's weakness. Does anyone think I will have much better luck at viewing the planets right now when they are only really visible for me in the early morning hours?

m13 should be visible pretty much anytime it's dark. It's basically straight up. I'd advise that you take a good look at a star map (www.skyandtelescope.com has a good one) and see what's what.

Also, if you give us the specs on your scope, we could help you figure out what is an appropriate target (not all scopes are good for everything).

You can always try the Andromeda Galaxy, Ring Nebula, Whirlpool, and the Crab Nebula.

Thanks for the extra tips
JustAGuy, that as an awesome skymap! It is way better than the skymap I was currently using.

Get a copy of the book Turn Left at Orion. It covers exactly what you need -- has instructions for finding over 100 of the best northern hemisphere objects, has sketches of what they look like through a finder scope and through a small telescope, and has explanations of what they are. It's a perfect book for a new telescope user.

You can find it in book stores, onlines, and maybe in your local library.