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M33 best viewing ever!!

vegaandarctures

By vegaandarctures
in Observing - Deep Sky

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vegaandarctures

vegaandarctures

Posted
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Just come back out of the freezing cold and had a good long observation of the spiral galaxy M33 with my 15x70 Bins. Tonight here in Wiltshire it is one of the clearest nights I ever seen before and lucky for me I live in one the darkest sights in that area. When I had finished observing my usual favorite DSO's and a good look at Jupiter and Uranus I turned to M33 and WOW! After observing for a solid ten minutes I actually manged to see it as a faint S shape which I assume is spiral arm structure! I'm pretty chuffed with my self and typing this little report has warmed my hands up again :icon_salut: Has anyone else ever managed that in Bins before?

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Mr Q

Mr Q

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Yes, on a dark, transparent night with 10x50s. Just a hint of it being there but after many years of trying for this elusive object, I was very pleased. Seeing any spiral structure with binos is indeed a feat - congratulations!

What's next? The Veil? North American Nebula? These are easier than M33 in binos - faint but detectable in dark skies. Happy hunting!

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banner001

banner001

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last night was stunning!

i swear i could see M36 and M38 with the naked eye. Orions sword area was amazing, stunning blue/green nebula, jupiter was bright and clear...pretty amazing, pleiades was nice as well, could make out nebulosity with naked eye.

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bish

bish

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I was down in Wiltshire last night at my parent's and it was a great night. M33 was the best I've seen it my 10x50 bins. I put my 10" scope on it with an Antares LPR filter and could see structure, although it was more 'clumpy' (for want of a more scientific term!) than anything.

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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Congrats to all who found M33. M33 is great from a dark site, especially in a wide-field instrument. I have seen it a couple of times with my 15x70 bins and the little 80mm F/6 at 22x mag (3.76 deg true FOV). Really clear S-shape. In my C8 from a dark site clumps and bumps also appear. Clumpy is a perfectly acceptable scientific term :icon_salut:

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jasonbirder

jasonbirder

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Got a glimpse of it last night with 8x42 binoculars...but try as I might I couldn't pick it up in my 8" dob even with a low power (25mm) EP...go figure

In the binoculars it was just a barely visible (slipping in and out of view) ghostly haze...but covering a surprisingly large area...

Would be nice to get it in the scope on a dark night as i guess its one of the few that might show a hint of a spiral structure in my scope!

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swamp thing

swamp thing

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Would be nice to get it in the scope on a dark night as i guess its one of the few that might show a hint of a spiral structure in my scope!

Yes indeed, but as has been said you really must get to a true dark sky site.

Large face on spiral Galaxies like M33 can be some of the most incredible things you will ever see. You can spend all night wandering around the spiral arms. But the sky must be ink black.

The level of contrast between object and sky is what is important not what aperture you attack it with.

Because the surface brightness of these objects is so low any LP at all causes them to start disappearing into the sky background.

I have observed M33 through my 15x70 bins from sites where it was almost invisible through my 10" Dob. In fact it was so hard to see, that my observing buddy couldn't see it through my scope at all.

Only the fact that I have observed it so many times before, was I able to pick it out.

Regards Steve

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Bart

Bart

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Previously I made out M33 as a large haze but no arm structure. I have also spotted the Veil without filters from my garden.But try as I might, and believe me I've tried, I cannot get the North American nebula, even when it was close to the zenith. I know its in front of me but i can't make it out. Is it becasue it is so big? Are the edges distinct? It's killing me.

Bart

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swamp thing

swamp thing

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The NA neb is huge and the edges are pretty indistinguishable.

The easiest bit is along the gulf of Mexico if that makes sense.:)

I have seen it by holding an O-III filter up to my eye from dark sites.

You should see it with your 15x70 bins. It's pretty hard in a big scope though like your 10"

Regards Steve

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Bart

Bart

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The NA neb is huge and the edges are pretty indistinguishable.

The easiest bit is along the gulf of Mexico if that makes sense.:)

I have seen it by holding an O-III filter up to my eye from dark sites.

You should see it with your 15x70 bins. It's pretty hard in a big scope though like your 10"

Regards Steve

Steve,

Thanks for the tips. I only have a UHC at thee moment and the OIII is next on my shopping list. Would you know if I have to spend good money on an OIII or just on price?

BTW - That is some collection of scopes you have, how do you decide which one to use, or do you always go the big 'un? I assume you have a large garage or a very cluttered house (no offence!)

Bart

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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I only got the NA nebula last year (32 years into stargazing). I got them from a dark site with my 15x70s. I had simply been looking for something smaller, and simply was not prepared for the sheer size of it. It looked like it filled about half the FOV of the 15x70. This year I got it very clearly with my 80mm F/6 and 40 and 22mm EPs (12x and 22x). UHC helped enhance it to such an extent I spotted the Pelican as well (easily). The skies were very dark, and I was 800m above see level, which helps as well.

In my opinion, it is the darkness in the "Gulf of Mexico" that stands out most. Like many nebulae with fuzzy edges, it is dust lanes that give them away more than the emission part itself.

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