Andromeda or fuzzy cloud?

[Sam Bo]

Last night after lots of geometry and reading of constellation books i think i found Andromeda. Through my small Bresser scope it looked like a faint fuzzy cloud. With averted vision only slightly better. Does that sound like M31 through a cheap 70 mm refractor? If so it would be my first galaxy...cant wait to get my 8" reflector!

[Kain]

Sounds about right mate.

Looks like that through most scopes tbh, with more condensed fuzziness in the centre.

Kain

[maroon bells]

I think you definitely found it. I remember looking at it through my 9 inch SCT last year and it looked just like a cloud through that.

[SteveL]

Got my first look at it (ever) through my scope last night as it finally cleared my roof guttering as the sky was starting to lighten... yes, its just a fuzzy blob... a VERY BIG fuzzy blob

[proflight2000]

I always use the star Mirach to locate the galaxy, put mirach in the center of the eyepiece and slowley pan right around 4 telrads and hey presto, you then know its there. Then if you again use Mirach and pan left you come to the pinwheel galaxy, again around 4 telrad lengths.

[lunator]

Sambo

Sounds like you found it.

Well done.

[Greg]

Sounds right...

Looks good in the 10x50's too..

Greg

[themos]

Hey Greg, I think I spotted it last night in my 10x50s. There were two stars (five-ish magnitude) under it forming a base of a triangle. I tried to get the reflector on it but clouds kept getting in the way. Next time...

[dogfish]

Hi Themos

You're bang on with your description of the two stars below it looking like the base of a triangle. I've been looking at it regularly in the past few weeks (only recently cleared my rooftop, like SteveL) with my 10X50's. I still can't see it with the naked eye from my light polluted back garden, but at least I know where it is when I next get to a dark site. Neat, isn't it.

Martin

[themos]

Hello again!

Last night was good: I got a Jupiter movie that confessed under Registax torture that there is at least one dark band in Jupiter. The focusing was rushed so the 4.5-inch could only spot the one band. And I got the reflector bang on Andromeda Galaxy. What helped me this time was remembering to keep the finder objective covered when not used, this kept the dewing up to a minimum and I was able to point the scope at the galaxy by looking through the finder. I was pleased that I could point the binoculars at the big Glob in Hercules and the Andromeda Galaxy, switching between the two easily.

[barkis]

You can use the square of Pegasus to find M31.

Count three stars in from the top left in the square, then count three up, then turn right about two moon widths, and there is the naked eye

Fuzzy M31 the only naked eye visible object outside our own galaxy, 2.2 million light years. So the light you see from it, started it's journey when dinasaurs roamed the earth. That distance may have been revised by Hipparchus, I am not sure.

Ron.

[Sam Bo]

What i love about seeing it is that you realise just how large it is!!! 2.2 million light years away and look how big that thing is in the sky!!! Amazing! :shock:

Anyone have any suggestions of easy to see galaxies with small 70 mm refractor? What about M51 in Ursa Major?

[Astroman]

Um, the dinosaurs disappeared 65 million years ago, so when light left the Virgo Cluster, they were still around. Andromeda, not so much.

M51 is very small for a 70mm, unless you have nice, dark skies. M31 obviously, M33 is not too bad, though low surface brightness. M83 is good in a small scope, but may be too far south for you. M84 and M86 are a nice target in Virgo. M81 and 82 in Ursa Major. M65 and 66 in Leo as well as M95 and 96. Ngc 4565 is doable and Ngc 253, though that one may be too far south, too.