M1: Crab Nebula

This object is not particularly interesting visually, being small and faint. And it's hard to find. I keep it in my inventory of things that I can find because it's moderately well-known; the kind of thing that a visitor to the scope who has done some reading on Astronomy would ask to see.

Finding M1

M1 is technically in Taurus, but nearby Orion is so evident that it's easiest to find it associated with that constellation.
Almost straight above Orion's shoulders, find Zeta Tauri. It's the first bright star forming a long narrow Triangle with Orion's shoulders.
Mentally draw a line from Betelgeuse (Orion's left shoulder) to Zeta Tauri and beyond.
M1 is almost on that line, about 1/2 Telrad radius further out.
If you centre Zeta Tauri in an 8x50 finder, M1 is in the finder field, about halfway to the outside of the field, on the opposite side from Orion. It is small and faint.
This is a simulated view at 150x (e.g. my SV-105 with 4mm eyepiece).

Aren't nebulae supposed to be swirls of amazing colours? Not when viewed with your eyes - here is an explanation.

All the above images were generated with Starry Night Pro.