Galaxies...still no luck.

[StevenG.]

I understand how you feel. Although you should consider several factors that may be problems.

Light pollution and visbility are just two examples. Ideally, it would be best to view galaxies in a dark area. You could, however, view one galaxy fairly well through a pair of binoculars, and that is M31 (AKA Andromeda Galaxy). Since the Milky Way is generally close to the galaxy, M31 is pretty bright. In a light-polluted sky, M31 appears as merely as a smudge that shares the shape of a wide oval. You will reveal more details of the galaxy when you view it in a dark area. It could also be viewed as simply a smudge with the naked eye in a dark area.

I would suggest to locate yourself to a dark area, because your chances are greater than at a light-polluted area.

[SwampStar]

I do keep looking for TLAO on Amazon etc. but just keep wondering if it's better than other books/resources on the net. I have Stellarium, for example, on laptop and smartphone, so in theory I should just point it at the sky and be in the right place. Having said that, there are so many good things said about the book that I might just bite the bullet!

And cheers, Jarvo...Don't worry - I'll let you all know!

[m_j_lyons]

TLAO is a great book to get started - it provides finder charts, verbal directions, and a sketch of what each object looks like through the eye piece. For that reason it's pretty much a must have for most newbie observers. I used it for about a month and found it useful for about a month. If you were going to go that route I'd either get the latest edition which is supposed be more applicable to people with 8-10' scopes vs the earlier edition that was for 4-6' scopes. If you can find a used version - that's even better since you'll likely grow beyond it's covers by summer.

Happy hunting.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Finder charts are so handy, especially in the beginning. As you get more experience, you start making your own style of star-hopping approaches, but books like TLAO are brilliant to get started. I used a different book: "Astronomy with Binoculars" to get started, it was used so much it has all but disintegrated. I later used the Sky Atlas 2000.0 to find things, and now supplement that with printouts from Stellarium to zoom in on the fine detail.

[ismangil]

TLAO most importantly gives sketches of the smudge we're looking for

With 10x50 definitely I was able to see M31 (when it was high up) at least, from light polluted back garden.

[andrew63]

The Andromeda galaxy is by far the easiest to spot, even in light polluted areas, and a good object in binoculars. It is not the best time of the year to observe though as low down in the north east. If your up about 3 ish get the bins out it will be worth it!

andrew

[Dan Watts]

Try and get hold of a copy of turn Left at Orion. This will help manage your expectations when you find your first Galaxy.

I find a good finder and a good star atlas to star hop is useful too.

Really looking forward to you finding your first one mate - its a fantastic feeling

Jarvo

I'll second that, I bought this book and is brilliant for showing exactly how you see objects in the sky and the surroundings.

This thread has been a great read as I was actually searching for some info on Galaxies as I too am searching for my first one

Good luck with your search

Dan.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

A good finder is indeed a very good investment. I found more stuff than ever before once I had augmented my scope with a very big finder (16x70, made from a cheap 70mm F/5 refractor). Standard 6x30 finder are OK, but no more. You need not go to the find of monster I have, a 9x50 would help a lot. I prefer a right-angle correct image (RACI) finder, some people prefer straight through. The advantage over telrads or RDFs is that you have more than just the naked eye stars in the star-hopping process to work with. That makes a big difference.

[ismangil]

Agreed, in light polluted sky you can't star hop by unmagnified stars - there almost none...

RDF/Telrad can get you in the general area and then you have to use a bright (at least 50mm) finderscope.

[ggreene1]

I'm just starting out at this, but it sounds like I did OK by picking up a good 9X50 RACI finder scope. Glad to hear that. Just waiting for some clear skies.

[SwampStar]

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