NGC 3242 "Ghost of Jupiter" Nebula 
At magnitude 8.6, NGC 3242 is a bright planetary nebula, but is still very much dimmer than it's namesake.  It is about 1/2 the size.  Still it's is bright enough to be seen in a small scope, and if you have dark skies you just might be able to glimpse it in 10x50 binoculars as a slightly extended star.   You should be able to see it as  round bluish-green glow in a six or eight inch scope at 75-100 power..  For a size comparison, compare this image to the f10 images for M-57.  The image scale is about the same. 
    Constellation:  Hydra

    Size:  25.0"

    Magnitude: 8.6

    Mag Central Star: 13.3

    RA:  10h 24m 46.1s

    Dec: -18d 38m 33s

 
 

This image was taken at the same time as the f10 image below.  The Orion MAK 500 was attached to the LX 200 which was guided by MX-5C and STAR 2000.  A nice feature of my system is that I can image through both the Orion MAK 500 and the LX 200 simultaneously.  Click here for a larger image.

 Scope:  Orion MAK 500
Nikon Film Camera with Kodak MAX 800 film
focal ratio: f5.5
Exposure:  10 min guided with MX-5C and STAR 2000

Click Here for a Larger Image

Click here for the SEDS NGC Catalog

 Scope:   8" LX 200 SCT
MX-5C CCD Camera,  STAR 2000 Auto-tracker and IDAS LPR
Focal Ratio: f10
Exposure:  15 min for outer region, 5 min for central area
Reserved for Future Image
 Scope:  8" LX 200 SCT
MX-5C CCD Camera
Focal Ratio: 
Exposure: 
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