M33 at last

[asset189]

Spent literally hours looking for M33 over the past year with out sucess, blamed my failure on everything from light polution to poor seeing and even began to doubt my equipment. Then at long long last I found it with the 15x 70 bins the other night and now every time i look at triangulum M33 almost jumps into my field of view, the size of it was probably my undoing initially but the moral of the store i suppose is stick with it and youll succeed . Now for M51

[iksobarg]

You GO get'em!

Coincidentally i just got the hang of finding m31...

[rory]

I was almost obsessed with trying to view m33 a while back . Despite doing it all wrong ( light polluted back garden , often not letting my eyes adapt for long enough)

But I managed the central core a couple of times and even that was very very faint and needed averted vision . But I hear such good things about low mag / dark sky = great views .

I was still happy enough to view the core and tick off a list . But let's be honest I never really seen it in all its spender. I've heard a few mention bins are a good way to go on theTriangulum

[dick_dangerous]

M33 is famously elusive. I find it an easy target under dark skies usually, but even in uber-dark Northern Spain this year, I found it a tricky one to spot. I want to try the Dob on it from the Park but I'm not convinced I'll find it - it's the surface brightness that's so low.

The other challenging little tinkers include M51, as you mention, M74 (The "Phantom Galaxy") and M101 (The Pinwheel). It's those nearby face-on spirals - their so spread-out that you can't discern them from the skyglow!

DD

[swamp thing]

Nice one

It took me a long time too. Immensely satisfying isn't it?

M51 is easy peasy by comparison. Good hunting.

[Paul73]

It is only easy once you have found it!! I spent ages trying to get this one.

M51 will be a breeze......if the seeing Is right, the sky dark enough, MK1's fresh.... See if you can get the bridge between the twin bright centres.

Paul

[asset189]

Thanks for the encouragement , visually how does m51 compare size wise to m33 ?

[estwing]

More detail in 51 but 33 is more of a trophy in mybook

[cotterless45]

M33 is quite huge and obvious by eye from a dark site. It spins out of the wide end of Triangulum and you wonder how you can't spot such a big thing from town !

In the scope the spiral arms can be just made out, there appears no bright centre, just more surrounding glimmer.

M51 and NGC 5195 will show at best the two bright knots and sometimes the structure that appears to link them. Under dark sky it's a quite wonderful sight. As is the nearby but elusive M101,

Nick.

[tarotrocola]

First time I tried to view M33 wasn't well informed at all, all I knew was that it was big and bright... I spent a lot of time moving between Triangulum and Andromeda, I didn't understand how I wasn't able to locate it..

[alan potts]

This is an object that goes from good to bad from night to night. I have been on it a few times in the last 6 weeks. Some nights you wonder how it can vary so much, it is an object that need a dark site but most of all good transparency and that is some that has been fairly rare this year.

Alan

[Special K]

Bins are definitely the way to spot it............plus experience. Like you I spent some time looking with a telescope to no avail but saw it with my 10x50s last summer at a dark site. However I have only just realized I can see it in the bins from home too!! It's big that's for sure, and very different from Andromeda in that the core doesn't stand out much more than the rest. However it fills a great area with averted vision. Heck, I even put the 3" scope on it last night and could make some of it out!!

Having said that, it was remarkably transparent for a bit last night, and Andromeda was suggesting more of its enormous scale than normal. M33 is definitely subject to conditions.

[cotterless45]

Real eyepoppingly clear last night. We could see the void where M33 goes.

I remember a few years ago turning the scope at M33 from a very dark site. I was absolutely blown away with the size and details ,

Nick.

[dick_dangerous]

Had a crack at M33 from the park with the Dob as promised. Nada. Ditto M74. Did manage to get a lovely view of M77 though and my first sighting of M110 from Bushy Park, not to mention my first light with superlative M42 of the year. Get in!

DD

[Jase_v2]

got M33 myself last night  - lovely and clear up here and my first session in months Failed miserably to find M101 despite several attempts - though M81 & 82 were looking fab and clear.