How do I - Magnitudes of DSO's?

Kilolani wrote:
Interestingly I have the same experience, in that [the Helix nebula] is
much easier for me to find in binoculars than any other way. Although
it seems that both (or should I say all three, counting Caroline)
Herschels missed it, so I assume it's because they weren't expecting
anything quite so large... or its size and surface brightness make it
relatively tricky in large scopes.

Size was probably the deciding issue. Sir William Herschel's 18.7-inch
telescope typically operated at 157X, which produced a 15' diameter true field
of view. The Helix (NGC 7293) is about 16' in diameter.

Regards,

Bill Ferris
"Cosmic Voyage: The Online Resource for Amateur Astronomers"
URL: http://www.cosmic-voyage.net
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