On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 21:46:43 GMT, wrote:

Is there a website that show pictures of what should be seen though the
eyepiese when looking for deep space objects?

No picture can show you deep sky objects (DSOs) 'exactly' the way
you'll see them. Some photographs, CCD images, and sketches can come
close. Others will be *very* different from what you'll be able to
see. There are many factors that can and will effect the way you see
DSOs.

It's best to look into the eyepiece yourself. For each DSO you'll
either see the object or you won't. If you see it, study the image.
You're likely to see more details if you attempt a sketch. Expect
nothing! Be happy if you see anything! With experience and practice
you'll see far more than what you'll see on your first nights out.

Many of the DSOs that were very difficult or even impossible to see
when you first started looking will become much easier to see and will
be seen in greater detail after you've gained more experience.

Sketches are the best way of seeing how others see such objects. Yet,
*some* photographs and CCD images can come closer to matching the
eyepiece view. (No, there's really no contradiction here!)

If you want to search the Internet for insight on what has been seen
by others I suggest starting at any site that shows astronomical
sketches and from there hop to other sites with astronomical sketches.
My own site is: http://www.rangeweb.net/~sketcher/

If you drop by my site, take a look at 'planetary sketches page 2' and
compare the two Jupiter sketches. The two sketches are *very*
different in scale and *very* different in the details that are shown.
Yet both sketches were made by the same person, on the same night,
with the same telescope at the same magnification.

The lessons to be learned by that pair of sketches a Image scale
is a variable. A large object in a sketch may not look 'large' when
you look at it through an eyepiece. Also, details that are easy to
see in a sketch may not have been easy to see through the eyepiece.

When it comes to DSOs, some objects that are easy to see in a sketch
might have been almost impossible to see through the eyepiece. My
sketch of the Horsehead Nebula is an example of such an object. On
many nights that nebula has been invisible even in larger telescopes.

In conclusion: Go out and look for yourself. Remember, if you see
anything at all when you look at a DSO you're off to a good start.
Expect nothing and be happy with anything!

Sketcher
To sketch is to see.