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Is M51 visible from suburban Birmingham with a 6 inch newt?

crazyjedi

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nytecam

nytecam

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Here's a quicky 1 second shot of M51 from a couple of weeks ago that may mimick the visual aspect of this gxy under LP and small aperture with two brightish 'cores' and hint of faint 'arms' :police:

post-21003-0-15765000-1367573790_thumb.j

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x6gas

x6gas

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Here's a quicky 1 second shot of M51 from a couple of weeks ago that may mimick the visual aspect of this gxy under LP and small aperture with two brightish 'cores' and hint of faint 'arms' :police:

^^^^ That's pretty much exactly the view I got through my 11" Edge HD the other night.

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nytecam

nytecam

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^^^^ That's pretty much exactly the view I got through my 11" Edge HD the other night.

Thanks for the feedback - it's a long time since I used my Meade 12" XL200 visually on deepsky so I've forgotten what to expect. The scope is now an astrograph eg with a permanently attached cam behind a focal reducer running at a very fast f/3.6 which I use in brief exposure to get my 'visual' DSO fix :police:
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estwing

estwing

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had a look last-night and got a view the same as your pick but with a tiny bit more detail..from my back garden..but the sky wasn't as good as it was on weds night when i was out drinkin with a mate! :BangHead:

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crazyjedi

crazyjedi

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Here's a quicky 1 second shot of M51 from a couple of weeks ago that may mimick the visual aspect of this gxy under LP and small aperture with two brightish 'cores' and hint of faint 'arms' :police:

If I can see anything like that I'd be more than chuffed!

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crazyjedi

crazyjedi

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had a look last-night and got a view the same as your pick but with a tiny bit more detail..from my back garden..but the sky wasn't as good as it was on weds night when i was out drinkin with a mate! :BangHead:

Doh!! Unfortunately I was doing the same damn thing......... And now it's cloud central around here :angry1:

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crazyjedi

crazyjedi

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I could just see it with averted vision on good nights from Dudley with my 6". It's still fairly faint with the 10".

If you are having difficulty with a 250 from Dudley I'm going to really struggle from Rubery with 150 :huh:

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kirkster501

kirkster501

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M81 and M82 are much easier than M51. However, M51 forms a right angle with Alkaid which makes it easy to find. I can get it in my 15x70 bins from my semi urban back yard OK. You can see the very faint smudge (very indistinct) together with an even more indistinct second smudge that's NGC 5159. I have never seen spiral structure in this galaxy visually - not even with my 12" scope.

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estwing

estwing

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M81 and M82 are much easier than M51. However, M51 forms a right angle with Alkaid which makes it easy to find. I can get it in my 15x70 bins from my semi urban back yard OK. You can see the very faint smudge (very indistinct) together with an even more indistinct second smudge that's NGC 5159. I have never seen spiral structure in this galaxy visually - not even with my 12" scope.

...i have in mine,but as always..its all about the skies
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Astralstroll

Astralstroll

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I've seen M51 and the two cores from my rather well lit back garden. Not the easiest of objects, but doable with a little perseverance. Just keep going back every now and again and you will eat it sooner or later. In the meantime, don't neglect all the other delights up there!

Dave.

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bish

bish

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If you are having difficulty with a 250 from Dudley I'm going to really struggle from Rubery with 150 :huh:

I think our skies are probably about the same. I wouldn't give up with the 6", but as said above sky conditions are all important. If it's a bit misty etc then I wouldn't try, but on really good nights I think you will get there. I used to view from a balcony with street lights very close by but did just manage it with the 6".

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nytecam

nytecam

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I don't eyeball DSOs anymore as I find it too frustrating but I do appreciate the OP question. It's not for everyone but brief exposure AP gives me my fix even from my severely LP garden - 5s pic below from two summers back records the supernova too and 60s+ and...well it's better than a Texas StarParty :cool:

post-21003-0-02095400-1369728979_thumb.j

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crazyjedi

crazyjedi

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I don't eyeball DSOs anymore as I find it too frustrating but I do appreciate the OP question. It's not for everyone but brief exposure AP gives me my fix even from my severely LP garden - 5s pic below from two summers back records the supernova too and 60s+ and...well it's better than a Texas StarParty :cool:

I do get what you mean - eyeballing DSO's is a good way to get yourself eyestrain. I am keen to move on to some AP as soon as funds allow. Nice picks by the way

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