M31 and M33

[Fypunky]

Last night we were lucky enough to have a break in the clouds for an hour or so and we raced out with the telescope so my daughter could watch Jupiter drift in and out of the EP. This left me the chance to visit my old friend, M31 through the binoculars.

I love this little smudge in the night sky, the other night I showed it to my neighbour with the bins as he has never seen it, he didn't sound to impressed at first as I have talked about it for a while, I think he expected to see the hubble version!

I explained to carry on looking for a while and use averted vision and more detail will come, tho with our LP not that much, however I went on whilst he was looking at it and explained the history, the time taken for the light he was viewing to fall onto his retina and the fact (always puts the hackles up) that one day in the future we will collide with it.

Again last night I looked in complete fascination at this little smudge in the night sky, wondering if by chance there is another planet with life on and if that life knows they too will collide with us. Since taking this hobby up with my daughter no other object has had me drawn to it as M31, not a lot to look at but has a wow factor that planets etc as yet have not given me.

I then swung across to try and find M33, as yet I have not managed anything with the bins but I will not give up, seems strange not seeing the slightest fuzz.

[Special K]

Nice report. LP really kills off M33 chances, so you'll have to take a drive to have a fighting chance.

[callisto]

I've only glimpsed M33 with averted vision with my trusty Russian 10X50s

[Russko13]

I can't get m33 from anywhere other than my dark sky location in Brecon with my 10x50's it does Jump out at you when you take LP out of the mix