Hi, Pardon my ignorance but being a complete novice I do have some questions. I recently purchased a SW254N-EQ5Pro w/supplied lenses,Celestron Ultima 2X,Orion 13% moon filter,Celestron A/C Adapt., and SW Eyepiece Collimator. Can any of the DSO,s be viewed by the naked eye through my set-up without using a CCD Imager? I am planning on purchasing an Orion SS 2 down the road since DSO,s really interest me. Maybe you've seen some of my recent posts in the Astro Imaging Forum and maybe you haven't! I'm especially interested in galaxies.....are any bright enough to be viewed as asked? Thanks for the help.

I will rephrase my question since I have not received a reply yet. Can anyone supply me with a short list of galaxies that are the brightest that I might be able to see through my set-up with the naked eye? I realize they won't look fantastic,colorful or detailed; that will have to wait for my CCD unit along with practice using my scope and equipment. I've been doing some research on many things, I just haven't had a lot of time to research galaxies yet. I haven't even used my scope yet for various reasons. My question is a preliminary question just for my knowledge. I'm sure I can gather the info (list) on my own when I have more time, I was just hoping someone might be willing to help me out a little. Just a short list of only a few "brighter" galaxies (if any) would be great. Thank-you.

Start with Messier objects. Go to star clusters first. The brightest is the Pleiades. My favorite is the Beehive cluster. A few that are dimmer, but will look good in your scope include M36, M37, M38 in the constellation Auriga.

After the open clusters, focus on nebulas. Who can resist the Orion nebula? In a 10" reflector it looks great, takes up the entire FOV, and you can see the outline almost like a photograph in grey scale. Sagittarius has some great nebula/cluster combos.

Then head for the galaxies. You have to train your eyes to see them. Start with Andromeda. It will look good in your scope. Other galaxies I like to view include the Whirlpool M51 under the handle of the Big Dipper and M87 Sombrero in Virgo.

Finally, move toward the more difficult planetary nebulas, like the ring Nebula (M57) in lyra and the Dumbbell Nebula (M27) in Vulpecula.

Thanks for the reply jrkirkham, you gave me some excellent info and I really appreciate it. Sorry it took so long to reply to you, I've been very busy with other things. I did post my question in one of the main forums before you replied, I just couldn't wait any longer....I was starting to wonder if anyone ever checks this social group! Anyway, thanks again and I will find your info very useful.

Hi David...Icke? just kiddin. I am new to the Astronomy Forum and as soon as I walked into the door I was helped. So I will pass on what i've learned right away. If your doing some searching in the night sky I suggest you use this piece of software that was giving to me. http://www.stellarium.org/ This is a nice tool that i'm still familiarizing myself with. Assuming you try it go ahead and change the location and time right away and set it as default. Good luck! have fun