M81 and M82

[Fypunky]

Hi Peeps

We (my daughter and I) are new to this, we are currently using a pair of Bushnell Powerview 10x50s. It took me a little while to find Andromeda but we got there and find it easily now but we are really struggling with M81 and M82. Our location is Blackpool, Lancs, UK and yes we have a certain amount of light pollution to deal with. 

Direction should be around NNE, can i ask if we should be able to resolve M81 or not through our bins?

Livi will have her scope come xmas and hopefully we should be able to see it better then but was hoping to see it before. We have some clear sky's forcast coming up so was hoping to get out there.

Cheers

[Paulhenry85]

They can be seen in binoculars and are easy(ish) to find. Just follow the diagonal line north through the stars Alpha and Gamma in the bowl of the Big Dipper. Good luck

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

M81 is fairly easy in 10x50 bins, M82 a touch harder. You must be on the lookout for something much smaller than M31. M81 is a fuzzy oval shape,  M82 much more elongated

[Daniel-K]

Have you managed m31 first? Jsut cause its a fair bit easier than m81&82.also its up earlier at the moment

[Fypunky]

They can be seen in binoculars and are easy(ish) to find. Just follow the diagonal line north through the stars Alpha and Gamma in the bowl of the Big Dipper. Good luck

I know where it is or at least where it should be, measured it with stellarium as we did with M31 and found that pretty much straight away. If it is much smaller than M31 then I reckon its the light pol thats making it difficult for us. We are in the south of Blackpool and M81 is almost straight up the prom so there is a country mile or ten of bright lights between us. 

I think we might have to take a trip in the car to some darker areas and try again now I know we should be able to see it. Many thanks

Have you managed m31 first? Jsut cause its a fair bit easier than m81&82.also its up earlier at the moment

Yes we have M31 and been observing it now for a week or so when clear, as I said, took us a while to find it but once I had figured out all of the stellarium program and how to measure using my hand we pretty much dropped straight on to it. 

[Paulhenry85]

To be honest winter is not a good time to hunt galaxies, spring is the best. Ursa Major sits quite low this time of year so not only will light pollution be an issue atmosphere too. it's do able with a telescope with right condition or if you stay up late enough. They are much smaller the m31 so finding them with binos at this time of year will be a nightmare. If you haven't already done so I would check off open clusters as winter time is the best time to do this.

[NGC 1502]

Your best bet is get out of town on a moonless transparent night if poss.   If you've found M31, then 81/82 are dimmer and smaller. Look for two tiny smudges fairly close together, they are about half a degree apart compared with the much larger field visible in 10x50s that usually have a 5 to 6 ish degree field.

But once you have found them, don't forget the light you are seeing took around 12 million years to hit your retina, so a stunning sight indeed.

Have fun & don't give up  it's worth the effort, Ed.

[Stu]

I agree with Ed, try somewhere darker. I am south of Heathrow and struggle to see them against the light pollution to the north in my 15x50's. They do get higher later in so that may help too. There are some easy star hops which you can check out which will ensure you are in the right place.

Good luck!

Stu

[Stu]

Here you go.

If you find the two pointer stars at the end of the Plough, further across from these are two more stars nearly parallel to them. The top one is highlighted in this diagram.

Follow the line of these two upwards and you will find a small triangle of stars

Follow the base of this triangle to the left on this diagram and you come to a line of three stars, a bright one, a dim one close to it and then another bright one a little further below.

Position these stars to the top right of you view in the binoculars and M81/M82 should be right there.

I've used this method for years now and find them easily every time, just takes a bit if practise and a darker sky.

Cheers,

Stu

[Fypunky]

Many thanks. I tried again last night for an hour or so from about 9pm to no avail, I think I know the exact position, used and studied with stellarium to get the stars to hop from but nothing I can only put it to the light pol, hopefully we will get out into some darker sky this weekend.

I also had a go at M33 but again just could not resolve it, I was sure at one point it was there with averted vision but couldn't no matter how long I looked see it again.

Still gets me out the way of the wife's nagging!

[Stu]

I'm sure it will be light pollution which is the problem. I can't see M33 or M101 from my garden, but from a dark site they are quite easy to find in binoculars.

Keep at it, but maybe try somewhere darker.

Cheers,

Stu

[WaveSoarer]

I think that most of this has already been covered but it does help when an object is near to overhead. This really helps as the amount of atmosphere that the light has to pass through is reduced to a minimum and the effects of LP and just murk in the air will be reduced. I find that objects are lost in the haze if they are low but are much more obvious overhead. The difference can be quite startling and M51, for example can be almost invisible at this time of year but is very obvious near zenith. I'm in a semi rural area so the LP here isn't so bad but there is still a bit of sky glow. M81 and M82 are really fantastic in bins. In a telescope they are even better and even yield a fair amount of detail - unlike most galaxies I've seen. Well worth being patient - though my patience is wearing a bit thin with all the cloud we've been having recently and, despite the forecast, it was cloudy here all day today and it's set to stay that way tonight.

[WaveSoarer]

P.S. Stu's star hop is exactly what I do. The triangle of stars is really recognisable and makes the hop to the line of three stars (though I just really go for the two bright ones).

[BinocularSky]

That way certainly works, but I find it much easier to just imagine a diagonal across the bowl of the plough, follow it for the same length again and, on the odd occasion that the galaxies aren't in the FoV, a square spiral search gets them within a few seconds.

[cantab]

I never got them in 10x50s from Birmingham, it took the 15x70s to bring M81 and 82 in, and even then they were tough.

[Fypunky]

I could be wrong but I am sure I hit the faintest of spots last night with averted vision. They are now a little higher in the sky and I went out late on. Followed the directions etc and hit a tiny tiny smudge, moved a little and went back and it was there (whatever it was), I had two mins on andromeda and went back and sure enough found it again. I cant be 100% by any means but there was something smudgy there.

Oh well only two to go before I hijack the daughter new scope   and hopefully hit upon it to confirm what I was looking at.

[friedeggs]

Must have been M81 you got. I'm impressed, although they are easy to line up on that is a faint target for 10x50's with that much light pollution. One of my favourite targets. Stunning with an 8" scope and 25 mm eyepiece from a very dark site

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[Walshie79]

I don't know if it's just me, but by panning NW from Dubhe I notice a very distinctive square shaped asterism of stars, that I've only seen printed on a few skycharts. It lies north of 23 Um a annd by following the east side- left when it's below Polaris- find M81 straight away.

[Special K]

I'm struggling too, and think I'm somewhat confused in the brain by my recollections of what I see in the scope.  I was on them with the bins last night, but not certain of what I'm seeing.  I also was at a very dark location last week and had trouble.  I think I'll do a concurrent session with the scope and bins and suss it out once and for all for myself! 

Good luck.  The LP is definitely the biggest issue.

[sansan]

I also have never seen m81 or m82 with my fuji 10x50s but have just got my q7.4s delivered so should have better luck with them as I Have x25 and x40 eps come with them. I live in grimsby on the main A46 and have a lot of LP also but in my back garden I lose the street lights so should be interesting what my 7.4 shows. I am new to astronomy and this is only my second blog of any kind. Clear nights

[Fypunky]

Not had the chance to confirm it is indeed M81 through the scope as the only clear nights have had a moon casting its light pollution across the sky (that and my daughter as it is her scope and that tends to be pointed at Jupiter) but it is getting higher now so will have a go soon enough.

Time will tell if it was or not, going off what you guys are saying it may not of been but something was there.

[todd8137]

When the stargazing lark was on tv we had a few nights here at the obsy we had all my binos set up 50mm,70mm,80mm we saw loads of stuff m81/2 is tricky but once found lovely I have never seen them with 20x50s yet ,it's a rather dark place where I live ,keep at it

Pat

[Steve91]

After a bit of research and searching I last night found M81 and M82, was actually on the hunt for the supernova but no luck there yet.

The galaxies were the faintest of objects, light pollution not helping me a great deal and the wind was making things a little bit difficult but with 25x70's managed to find them, well pleased