M33 naked eye

[jetstream]

Last night was spectacular,with 21.6 avg sky and 4/5 transparency,and a temp of -35c.While most of my time was spent observing the Great Orion nebula complex,a new first was recorded-M33 easily naked eye.I have spent a lot of dark sky time on this object,spiral arms seen a few times-so I  know where it is and what to look for now,just a light patch in the sky.Pretty happy about this one.

M42 was huge and bright,nebulosity everywhere.I'm trying to figure whall all this was I saw last night,got the atlas out now.Pretty sure M42,M43,NGC 1977 & NGC 1980-that whole area had shades and shadows everywhere I looked,mesmerizing.Well worth the 4 hours in sub -30c conditions on the lake ice.

[Pete Presland]

wow! sound awesome, can not imagine i would ever see it from my observing site. -30 though brrr that is pretty chilly

[ollypenrice]

Sounds great. 21.6 is the kind of value we usually record here, too. I don't have the eyesight to see M33 naked eye but it shows easily for me in small finderscopes.

Olly

[Mr Spock]

Sadly, due to the LP here, I've yet to see it after 40+ years of observing

[Mike73]

Well done Gerry.

I've never seen M33 naked eye even though one site I use can be around 21.6, every time I have been there I've never had excellent transparency but I'II keep trying!

[jetstream]

Well done Gerry.

I've never seen M33 naked eye even though one site I use can be around 21.6, every time I have been there I've never had excellent transparency but I'II keep trying!

Thanks Mike,this was a prize for me.I've been SQMing all over the place here-this location was my cabin.A real cold front came through last night,with clear,transparent skies-excellent as a matter of fact.M31 was right there,very easy,the Beehive,even tho a bit low,was very pronounced,Double cluster bright,etc.Jupiter was so bright I think it was affecting my night vision when I looked at it,all so amazing.

Back to the SQM.Early on the reading was 21.5,just after dark.Then it went to 21.6,then 21.7 for a little bit- 45 min or so and then back down to 21.5-which at that time the moon was about to rise,and I packed up.4 hours out there was enough,I was done-but very happy!

[Mike73]

Thanks Mike,this was a prize for me.I've been SQMing all over the place here-this location was my cabin.A real cold front came through last night,with clear,transparent skies-excellent as a matter of fact.M31 was right there,very easy,the Beehive,even tho a bit low,was very pronounced,Double cluster bright,etc.Jupiter was so bright I think it was affecting my night vision when I looked at it,all so amazing.

Back to the SQM.Early on the reading was 21.5,just after dark.Then it went to 21.6,then 21.7 for a little bit- 45 min or so and then back down to 21.5-which at that time the moon was about to rise,and I packed up.4 hours out there was enough,I was done-but vey happy!

I've noticed that the SQM readings always drop when the transparency isn't so good.

I could easily spend all night at a dark site just looking at naked eye objects add that to seeing the Milky Way blazing overhead is just incredible! Love it and will never get bored of it.

[cotterless45]

Brilliant ! There's nothing quite like pristine skies. It makes so much difference to see nebulosity and galaxies by eye and the magnificent Milky Way,

Nick.

[acey]

Well done on seeing M33. You need to have a limiting magnitude of about 6.7 to see it, and my eyes aren't good enough for that - my site reaches SQ 21.7 but I can't see beyond mag 6, so M33 has always eluded me as a naked-eye object, and always will.

About SQ readings - at a dark site the Milky Way has a significant effect: currently when the MW is overhead in the early evening I get a lower reading, then later when it has moved further west I get a higher reading. Also there may be some lessening of light pollution later in the night when some lights go out. Varying transparency has an unpredictable effect: if there are clouds reflecting light pollution then this can lead to lower readings, but if there are unilluminated clouds at a dark site then this results in higher readings, because of the absence of starlight. SQ readings are only really meaningful when the sky is clear with no sign of haze. Also, care needs to be taken that there are no shadows or obstructions: the sensor averages over a significant area of sky so if any part is shielded (e.g. by a nearby wall or even the observer's own body) then this will affect the reading.

[jetstream]

Acey,I have noticed the same connection with light reflecting clouds or light "absorbing" stuff in the air.Given reasonable conditions though,the SQM readings help me pick the site with the most potential,regardless of NELM (with in reason).I use the narrow beam version to help with the interference issues and take multiple readings to warm the sensor and average my results.I usually do about 10 readings per test.I do have light sensitive eyes still,even at 50-but who knows how long it will last.Thanks for the reply & advice on things...

[jetstream]

Sadly, due to the LP here, I've yet to see it after 40+ years of observing

Sorry to hear of the conditions there Michael.It is my hope to map my local area to help baseline light pollution and prevent it from spreading around here-will need luck with that.Even from some dark sites here,small light domes are becoming visible.My nephews from Toronto were amazed at the stars last night,even though they only lasted a short while out there.Hopefully through education and perseverance the LP situation can be improved.