Well I finally made the jump from a 4" Meade newt to a 8" inch Orion dob mounted newt.

Now, I have had some great views. Of planets... I have no problem finding things in the sky.
For some reason, I can't find any DSO! I have spent hours looking. I take that back, I have found a few clusters, but thats about it.

Am I using the wrong setup? I have decently dark skies. I have tried a 25mm, a 9mm, a Zoom EP that goes from 24mm-8mm, Barlowed of the above options of all combos. I have even tried my filters (Red, Blue, Green & Yellow) What am I doing wrong?
I let my eyes adjust, do the whole scope cool down, take my time and use starcharts & software. Are there any tips you guys can offer? I have an 8" Dobsonian Newt by Orion that I am using now.

Any input would be great!

THANKS!!!

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with your set-up.  The 25mm eyepiece in your 8" scope will give you 48X magnification and that is good enough to find most of the Messier DSOs.  The problem may be with what you are expecting to see.  What objects have you been looking for?  At low power globular clusters will look like fuzzy balls of light that seperate into individual stars as you go to larger magnifications.  Planetary nebulae, like M57 the Ring, are usually very small, but obviously not stars.  Most galaxies are just gray smudges against the background when you first find them, sometimes they look like puffs of smoke.

Are you using star charts?  Your colored filters won't help with deep space objects, they will just block some of the precious light.  Observing DSOs is as much about training your eye to see the faint fuzzies as it is about knowing where to look for them.  If you know you are in the right spot, just be patient and relax.  Soon you will find what you are looking for.

 I am sure your right. I think my eye is just not trained yet. I know not to expect to see full spirals and swirls, but I couldn't even find Andromeda! I really love the clusters, don't know why, I just do. I look at them for as long as an hour sometimes. I will keep trying. I just hope I am not doing something wrong. Thanks! Any other input would be great!

This time of year Andromeda is too low in the northwest to be seen from most of the mid-northern latitudes, so don't beat yourself up about that one.  If you are looking for galaxies you could try to find the Leo Triplet in the hind-leg area of the constellation Leo.  The two Messier galaxies, M65 & M66 are fairly bright and compact making them easier to spot.  Another great object for this season is M13, the globular cluster in Hercules.  The 'keystone' asterism in Hercules is high in the northeast after dark right now and M13 is a great show.  Check out the monthly charts in Astronomy magazine and the Skydome feature on this website for maps.

Good Hunting

 Lordmono - I agree with zacksdad. Some other tings to consider when looking for DSOs include you field of view when looking through the eyepiece. The area of the sky you are looking at is very, very small. Any misalignment of the scope on the targeted area will result in you not finding the object.

    Assuming you are trying to locate DSOs with a star chart (using R.A./DEC. coordinates), setting circles on your scope mount (if used) are only approximate in accuracy. Once set to the target area, you then have to very slowly scan around the spot for the object on low power. Move the scope's view one field of view at a time in different directions during your scan of the area.

    Another method of locating DSOs is to use the "star hoping" method. You pick a bright star closest to the object you want to observe and, using the star chart, see what stars you will pass on the way to the object (how many l.p. fields of view from the "pilot" star).

    With fairly dark sky, you should be able to see the Andromeda Galaxy with the unaided eye if it's at least 1/4 the way up from the horizon. In a l.p. scope view, the galaxy will be very bright and large. Not being able to find M31 could be a sign that you are being too hasty in first locating the constellation your object is in and then trying to locate it in the sky from references of a star chart. These skills are not easily learned and take time and patience to master. If you can locate any of the brighter planets and observe them through the scope, you are on the right track. You only need more practice and patience to locate fainter DSOs.  Your main problem may be that you don't know right now the relationship between your scope's field of view size and what it would look like on a star chart. Try to make some comparisons with a few bright, close stars viewed in the scope on l.p. Then look at the coresponding area on the chart to give you an idea of your field of view size.

    Above all else, don't give up! With a little patience and concentration in learning how to locate DSOs, you will soon be on the way to observing many easy and hard DSOs. For a tutorial on locating objects via the star-hoping method, go to "SkyTonight.com" Once there, go to "Stargazing Basics" and you will find all you need in learning the locating method.

     Good luck and wishing you many clear,dark skies, Mr Q
 

 YAY! M13 located last night. Well I am pretty sure it was M13 as I was pretty sure I was looking in Hercules. Just took my time and planned out "directions" beforehand while sitting outside just before sunset. I watched the sky slowly come alive with stars and found my way around. It was awesome. I think I saw another galaxy, very very faint near Hercules. Was just a puff or smear in the sky. I guess getting ready ahead of time is the way to go for me. Thanks so much for all your tips and help! There is no way I am giving up on Astronomy, it's just to amazing!

-Dan 

 Lordmono - Sounds like you spotted the galaxy NGC 6207, which is at about 12th mag. It is an elusive object but with 8" and larger scopes, it should not be a hard object to detect. Yes, it does look like a faint smudge, as do most galaxies in scopes. Good job finding M13 and the next door galaxy!

    Locating DSOs is not like a quick swim - just jumping into the water, it's more like fishing for a game fish at a large lake. You have to study the water, know where you are going, what tackle to use, etc. In short, you have to take things slow and prepare in advance what you are going to do (observe).

    Now that your confidence is built up a bit, it's time for another DSO to be found! But don't pick one that's too hard to locate. Those can come later. Enjoy the easy ones for now and have lots of fun while you gain telescopic skills for later harder objects.  Mr Q