Andromeda is over rated!

[bus_ter]

OK controversial I know!

But all I see is a faint misty patch. I can't make out any detail, any shape, any colours.. well anything. I know it looks lovely when imaged, but through the EP I find it pretty boring. I would rather view a Planet, or a nice cluster or even a pretty double.

Am I doing something wrong? Do you need dark skies to see more than a foggy patch?

[ronin]

Agree 100% percent.

Nice to find it and realise what it is but that's about it.

[nightfisher]

The darker the sky, the better the view will be for just about all deep sky objects, and keep the magnification down low, hope this helps

[space3]

it doesnt show much detail, I prefer looking at it in my 15x70s than in my 925, and under dark skies its a naked eye galaxy, that alone does it for me,

over rated, I dont think so, I think its wonderful

[Mike73]

It sure doesnt give much away, couple dust lanes and thats it!

M33 and M101 put on a nice show though!

[Monty]

Call the inquisition!

[Veracocha]

At Galloway last week I could see it with the naked eye quite well. Through 10 x 43 bins it was a completely different view to that seen in my native Brum. Don't discount it, it's beautiful and so close in the scheme of things.

[TheMightyKong]

For me, the first time I saw it from a properly dark sky one night at the kielder star party some years ago, it was just ASTONISHING! Just stared at it for I'm not sure how long before lifting up my binoculars. From home in London it's a misty smudge... Still fascinating when you think about what you're looking at.

[KevUU]

It's not the prettiest thing to look at... It's more about what it is than what it looks like - the fact that we can see it at all when it's 2.5 million light years away is pretty stonking... If you can get a view with the 'other two' in as well - M32 and M110 - it looks pretty nice though.

[Luke]

We got a great view of M31 in our 12 inch dob at low power at the Kelling star party wtih the dust lanes clearly visible, the darker skies definitely helped.

[swamp thing]

Well!

There is the fore mentioned dust lanes, the companion Galaxies, and with scopes 10" and over the globular clusters make an interesting observing project. This is one I was hoping to have a go at this autumn, but the weathers been so awful I haven't had a chance yet.

With even modest sized kit it is a thing of real beauty from dark skies. I agree from urban skies its pretty dull.

[Raga]

My little 6 yr old daughter loves andromeda as her and mummy have stars "named after them" in andromeda.

[ollypenrice]

I live at a dark site and, when it's on the zenith (very important!!), the dust lanes split it into three. It won't fit in the field of a 26 Nagler in the half metre Newt because it clearly extends beyond the FOV. In good 8X42 bins it fills more than half the FOV and, after twenty years, still makes my skin prickle and my blood run cold when I consider what I'm looking at. You can see it, 2.9 (modern estimate) million light years away, naked eye. Say that again. Two point nine million lightyears. And with 60 year old indifferent eyes I can look up and see the darned thing. Yikes. I'm a fan.

Olly

[J_M_Franklin]

OK controversial I know!

But all I see is a faint misty patch. I can't make out any detail, any shape, any colours.. well anything. I know it looks lovely when imaged, but through the EP I find it pretty boring. I would rather view a Planet, or a nice cluster or even a pretty double.

Am I doing something wrong? Do you need dark skies to see more than a foggy patch?

Hey, it's not Andromeda's fault you have a diddy scope that cannot bring out the glory of our sister Galaxy...stop bitching and buy a large Dob..Muhahahahaha

Seriously, I know what you mean, in my 8" SCT I have the same problem, I used to have a 14" SCT and Andromeda was nice in that..I miss it. The telescope was damaged beyond repair when I stored it at friends as I had to go abroad for a few months..he had a house fire..

This is why I plan to get 18-20" Dob in the next few years so i can view the deep space objects I love..

[crashtestdummy]

From a dark site with a decent scope i totally disagree with your statement.from a light polluted site i totally agree with it

[J_M_Franklin]

From a dark site with a decent scope i totally disagree with your statement.from a light polluted site i totally agree with it

Sadly light pollution impacts the majority of us to one extent or another....However I do have a nice picture that I took from Morocco, but I was in the middle of the desert about 100 miles from any towns with street lights...GLORIOUS...

[Moonshane]

galaxies are not glamorous visually on the whole but from the right place with the right scope they are lovely wisps of light on an inky backdrop. think about what you see too as others have said. in reality, almost everything not solar system or star based is faint and tricky, the challenge sometimes is even detecting it let along seeing detail. thankfully there's room in this wonderful hobby for all sorts of people who appreciate all sorts of things in different ways and for different reasons.

[Ags]

Its the best astro sight I've ever seen, from dark skies with a pair of rubbishy 16x50 bins.

[LukeSkywatcher]

It is overrated for the most part. Yes it looks amazing in images, but visually its just another "faint fuzzy". Once found/seen..........move on to more impressive objects.

It's not the prettiest thing to look at... It's more about what it is than what it looks like

That is EXACTLY how i feel when i observe it.

[CFC]

It's a gob smacker from a dark site if you ask me. It's so bright!

[Black Knight]

I recently managed to catch a dust lane in M31 using nought but binoculars. My first thought was I was seeing things, but apparently it can be done. Chuffed wasn't the word - I almost did a jig around the garden. ... Almost!

[John]

Andromeda is a star constellation, not an object

I assume we are talking about Messier 31, AKA the Andromeda galaxy here though.

Like many astronomical objects, M31 can seem underwhelming at first glance. Study it and it's immediate locality carefully and under varying conditions, and there is a lot to see, even through modest aperture scopes.

With the exception of the moon, most objects, even well known ones, will not look that impressive to start with. Give them time though, and you will start to pick out more details and realise that they are the showpieces of the night sky.

It does take some time though .... and darker skies do really help with galaxies so don't blame them, blame the light pollution.

[brantuk]

If you want to see andromeda properly you really have to have the gear - in an 18" to 20" dob with a 35mm 2" Panoptic at a dark site like Kelling it is absolutely awesome - plenty of detail on show - I could see all it's amazing structure and it's certainly more fascinating than many other objects. Big thanks to Ron and Clive.

It was vary similar to the photos except of course it was black and white. It took me totally by surprise and being the nearest galaxy to Earth is the only chance you get to see that level of detail in another world. To see that sort of view at 2.5 million light years away makes it a very special object. You simply have to get to a star party,

[ollypenrice]

To me a 'good visual object' is one that rewards effort at the eyepiece and the Andromeda Nebula does this. ( SInce John is being precise about the name I'm going to go all historical here. Ironically Edwin Hubble, the man who proved the remoteness of M31 in 1925, refused to call it the Adromeda Galaxy, as others started to do, and persisted with the rather lovely 'Andromeda Nebula' until his death.)

So the Andromeda Nebula rewards efforts in averted vision to trace out its incredible size on the sky. Sometimes you think you have it all but go to a tapering 'end' and nod the Dob (you are using a Dob, right?? ) across the extended galaxy. Like as not you'll pick up even more extension.

Olly

[fredster]

Definitely not overrated, just requires the right balance of dark, transparent skies and good low power widefield instrument. From the average back garden it is just a featureless fuzzy blob and if you have been building yourself up for seeing it for the first time, then yes i can understand it being seen as overrated. But from a good dark site with nice transparent skies and a suitable light bucket, it is one of the best objects in the sky. Looks mighty good in a 12" F4 dob with a 31mm Nagler. It's neighbouring galaxies, M32 & M110, also show up really well too. A glorious sight!