Like ghostly fogs drifting through the cosmos, bright nebulae are some of the most beautiful objects in the sky. Yet they can also be the most frustrating. Often they have a very low surface brightness which means that a very dark sky is required for a good view, and their true beauty is generally only revealed to the camera. Also, in the telescope, the field is often dominated by stars that are burned out in photographs, so the nebula is seen as a faint glow surrounding the stars. Nevertheless, nebulae will richly repay the careful observer, often with intricate detail and intermingling trails of light and dark nebulosity.
Seeing colour in nebulae can be a real challenge. The Orion nebula (M42) shows a green tinge even in small telescopes. However to see the red colouration that dominates photographs requires at least a moderate telescope and dark skies. I have always found the Trifid nebula (M20) to be the easiest, probably due to the colour contrast between the two portions of the nebula. A 10" telescope will clearly show a pinkish colour if the skies are dark. The Keyhole nebula (NGC 3372) will show a pink colour in a 12", while a 16" will show the same colour in the outer portions of the Orion nebula.
