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seeing the realm of galaxies??


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if you download "stellarium" its free, you can enter your scopes details and e/p's and get a reasonably accurate eyepiece f.o.v .

what i can say is at low power ( x40 ish) you can get three bright galaxies in the same view. im talking about m65,m66 and ngc 3628. im not sure but i dont think you can see three galaxies of that brightness so close to one another anywhere else (correct me someone if im wrong).

m95 ,m96 can be seen as a pair with m105 not far away.

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I have seen many galaxies in Leo (33 according to my log) so a 10" should be able to pick up more. You do need dark skies and absence of moonlight, and you only see fuzzy patches. A very good start (apart from the obvious Messiers) is NGC 2903: extended and rather bright, some spiral structure and the bar visible

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Your only chance is a dark sky, you might be able to see some of the most obvious Messier galaxies, depending on your local light pollution I was at the Kelling Heath star party with my 10" dob in April 2010 and had the best view of the Virgo galaxies I could ever wish for. Here is an extract from my log book:-

"I started at M84 and did a sweep about of the area. I could see lots of galaxies dotted about. At one point there were four galaxies in the F.O.V at the same time, possibly more!"

However that was with the use of expensive wide angle EP`s.

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In the Virgo Cluster (between Leo and Virgo) it should be possible to see a few hundred galaxies with a 10" if the sky is dark enough (i.e you can see the Milky Way very clearly with the naked eye), and if you search carefully using a good map. In a light-polluted town sky you'll manage a few. The Messier galaxies are the best ones to start with.

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The densest part is around M87 (the dominant galaxy in the cluster). In terms of NGC/IC galaxies the density there is about 15 galaxies per square degree. The bulk of the cluster is between 12h and 13h right ascension and 7 to 20 degrees declination. In that bit of sky there are 13 Messier galaxies, and about 100 galaxies down to 13th magnitude. There are a great many more at fainter magnitudes - a total of about 600 NGC/IC objects, all potentially within reach of a 12-14" scope at a dark site.

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Virgo is the richest area for galaxies but there are bucket loads more in Coma Berenices, Leo, Canes Venatici and up into Ursa Major.

I listed some of the more obvious ones on another thread. This was the list;

Leo - M65, M66, M95, M96, M105, NGC 2903 and NGC 3521.

Ursa - M81, M82, M108, NGC 2841 and NGC 3077

Coma - M64, M85, M100, M88, NGC 4565 and NGC 4494

Canes - M51, NGC 5195, M94, M106, M63, NGC 4631 and NGC 4449

Virgo - M104, M87, M49, M60, M84, M86, NGC 4697, NGC 4636 and M61

Hope that helps.

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With 10" you should be able to pack quite a few into the fov. Start off at x40 and go bit higher to see details of granulation and cores.

i usually check seeing first with the Leo triplet, if these are ok, then it's galaxy time. This whole area of the sky is packed, Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas will keep you busy.

Sometimes if they're faint just de focus and then focus, sometimes they'll pop into view, lovely,

Nick.

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How much can be seen in the realm of galaxies next to the leo constalation with a 10 inch telescope?

As an exercise I once aimed an 85mm camera lens at the Coma/Virgo galaxy cluster I think you are reffering to and exposed for 3 minutes from a dark sky site. The resulting photo showed over 100 galaxies. From a dark sky site with a 10" scope and a keen eye that is probably not far off how many NGC objects you might be able detect.

Each orange circle is at least one galaxy.

coma-virgocluster.jpg

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Although visually boring the Virgo galaxies are intellectually thrilling. From a dark site you can (pretty well by definition) see all the Messiers in a 4 inch. In a 10 inch from a dark site you'll beat Charles. In a 20 inch you pick up a new galaxy if you move the scope by the smallest amount you can.

Olly

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Although visually boring the Virgo galaxies are intellectually thrilling.

I agree that a lot of them, individually, are unremarkable, but having a number of galaxies in close proximity is always an interesting sight. Best bit in my opinion is Markarian's Chain (running from M84/86) which looks great in an 8".

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I agree that a lot of them, individually, are unremarkable, but having a number of galaxies in close proximity is always an interesting sight. Best bit in my opinion is Markarian's Chain (running from M84/86) which looks great in an 8".

Absolutely! Markarian's chain is awesome. I also love the "Eye's" They definitely have a weird shape. M104 and M102 with their distinctive dust bands are also great.

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Absolutely! Markarian's chain is awesome. I also love the "Eye's" They definitely have a weird shape. M104 and M102 with their distinctive dust bands are also great.

I have only managed four galaxies in one FOV in this area to date but I am sure that can be beaten, even with a five inch refractor.

Totally agree with comments about M104 too. The Sombrero is one of the most rewarding galaxies, despite its relatively low elevation in the spring.

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+1 for stellarium .Once you work out how to use it (which took me some time) you can see whats up there ,where it is and more or less what it looks like.You can go all round Leo with your scope and eyepiece in all levels of seeing.All this on a cloudy night in front of a warm fire maybe with a glass of wine!! Cheers Philip

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