Dan: welcome! That is a great goal and you will have fun with that telescope.

It is a 305 mm f/5 so a 5 mm eyepiece will give you a 1 mm exit pupil and about 300x. That is a bit high for deep-sky observing (except some planetary nebula). Start with a 15 mm (100x, 3mm exit pupil) or 10 mm (150x, 2 mm exit pupil) eyepiece, preferably wide field if the telescope has no drive. You may want to even try a lower power if you are going to star-hop to the right field.

If you are inexperienced at deep-sky observing, go for the brighter open clusters and globular clusters first, to get used to observing with the telescope. Then move on to the planetary nebulae and galaxies. It is easy to get lost among the galaxy clusters!

In your Observer's Handbook, on pp. 317–319, there is a seasonal list of Messiers. Right now is an excellent time to observe open clusters. In the spring, there are tons of galaxies! Check out pp. 86–87 for logbook tips.

Have fun!

Dave XVII

Hi Dan,

Since the winter constellations are still around, I'd start with the Orion Nebula (M42 and M43), then M78. I'd then go up and work through the open clusters in Gemini (M35) and Auriga. All of these are easy objects with a 12-inch, even from the city.

Once you get into spring, most of the spring objects are galaxies which are fainter and harder to find and see. The virgo cluster can be intimidating to a new observer. I suggest starting on the Leo side.

Regarding eyepieces, always start with the lowest power you have (highest number written on the ep). Most Messier Objects are large so you won't need high power to see them.