hi

[Beardy30]

can anyone help me understand M galaxies?

Which are the main ones ?

I know of M24 which is close to the Orion nebular but are there any others a beginner should look out for?

[richbyers]

m81/82 is one of the very main ones..called bodes nebula...its in ursa major, it can be a challenge at first but once you know where it is

also m31 is probably the most famous, and our neighbour- andromeda

there are the 'leo trio' which are at good viewing this time of year- (sorry dont have the exact numbers to hand)

[Beardy30]

cheers Rich i will have go at spotting them when this cloud lifts hopefully over the weekend

[richbyers]

there is a trick worth noting to get to m81/2 ... you sort of need a diagram to help. but you draw a line between the 'bottom left' star of the plough 'bucket' and the 'top right' of the bucket, and then extend that again by its length, and thats the general area....sorry if that makes no sense, if you seea diagram you ll get what i mean (ill hunt out the real star names on stellarium)

EDIT- the names are PHAD and DUBHE- draw a line between the 2

[Beardy30]

cool, cheers mate i will have a look.