So far, I have only been viewing planets and randomly scanning the sky with my 200mm reflector.  But last night I thought I would try star-hopping.  There is a fair amount of light pollution from the not-so-distant city, not to mention the big bright lights directly under my balcony.  So I wasn't expecting to see much, if anything. 

So after probably 30 minutes of trying to find the correct stars in Lyra, I finally saw something through the finderscope; it was faint and very small, but it almost looked like a little donut.  I checked through the eyepiece, and there it was!  The ghostly donut of Ring Nebula!  I had no idea I would be able to see it so clearly.  Thus encouraged, I continued star-hopping and soon discovered the Dumbell Nebula.  My luck continued to roll with M11 (my first open cluster, and a magnificent sight), and several clusters around Cassiopea.  After much searching I finally found Andromeda (I think), but when I used even my lowest power, I could see nothing!  I'm sure I was pointed right at it (it was visible through the finder scope), but it only registered as a faint haze at 48x through a 25mm Plossl. 

So I continued my search for other objects, and then I began experiencing more difficulty.  I found it nearly impossible to know whether I was pointed at the correct stars.  Without knowing what star you're pointed at, star-hopping is quite a challenge.  I guess I will get better as I become more familiar with the sky and my equipment; it was my first time, after all.  Maybe a laser finder would help.  Does anyone ever use them in addition to a regular finder scope? 

Megawatt,

You may find a Telrad more useful than a laser. There are many star charts available just for the Telrad and star hopping. It has a ringed field that is graduated in degrees. It makes the hopping very easy. Use it to get within a half of a degree and then go to your finder scope to zero in. Cost is less than a laser.

JJ 

Ditto on the suggestion of the Telrad!!!  I put one on my XT 8 Dob.  Made all the difference in the world!  In the universe, I should say!

 I wasn't sold on using a Telrad at first, even with all of the great reviews I've read about them. I thought my 9 x 50 finder did just fine, and couldn't see how a Telrad would be better. Especially since there was no magnification involved. Since then, I've had the opportunity to use telescopes that only had Telrads on them, and my mind was quickly changed. I will have Telrads on both of my dobs soon.

I use my Telrad all the time also, but my skies are relatively dark, so I can see some of the fainter target stars near my ultimate goal.  That makes using the Telrad easy.  In a more light polluted environment I can imagine that it might be harder to use a unit finder.  Another poster on these forums who observes from a fairly light polluted site swears by his laser, as it lets him better judge where the scope is pointed without the need for sighting on 4th magnitude stars.

on the telrad.  I'd be lost without mine.

 Megawatt - You should be proud of yourself for having such success on your first try at star hoping!

    Most people give up after several attempts and that's a shame. Sure locating objects by the star hoping method is hard at first but with some practice, it's a very valuable skill in observing.

    Keep up the good work and don't get discouraged. Learning the skill takes a little time. Using a Telrad or a "go to" feature is O.K. for getting some results without much effort but star hoping is the only way you will truly learn the night sky. Once learned, a lifetime of objects can be had no matter what the scope used or the seeing conditions.

   With your reported success in your post, you are indeed well on the way to mastering the skill. Don't give up now - expertise is just around the corner for you!

   Wishing you more progress, clear and dark skies, Mr Q
 

Thanks for the encouragement, Mr. Q.  I can't wait to get to a dark-sky location and see what I can see.  My problem now is that instead of seeking more difficult targets, I find myself going back to those that I know I can find. 

 Megawatt - That's exactly what you should be doing! Going back to familiar objects builds your confidence in locating not only the objects you know but new ones when tried.

 This reinforcing learning method can't be beat when it comes to learning how to locate objects. It has been my valued friend over my 50+ years of visual observing.

  Your next problem will be when you do get to a dark sky sight - those familiar guide stars will seem to be swamped out with a myriad of now visible fainter stars. That's why learning the constellations by heart (recognizing them upside down, etc.) is a must when the sky is very dark and the familiar brighter stars are flooded with thousands of more stars not normally seen.

  You are on the right track. Don't get discouraged in the learning process. It does take time, practice and patience but worth the effort. Some day I may be asking YOU where a particular object could be found Mr Q