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spotted m31for the first time

mondeoman

By mondeoman
in Observing - Deep Sky

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ronl

ronl

Posted
Posted

Well done on finding M31, if you are observing with a Newtonian scope,

just above and to the left is M32 a much smaller misty patch, I have not

long packed up myself, clouded out, but it was visible tonight, even with

a very bright and beautiful Moon, keep enjoying your scope.

Clear Sky's 

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Charic

Charic

Posted
Posted

Just come in after spotting m31 for the first time i think ,a misty grey patch just a short distance from mirach.Am i right ?. Being new to astronomy i wasnt sure what to expect.very exciting though.

Not sure of your equipment setup, nothing in your signature, but if you can view M31 from a much darker site with the same equipment, you're in for a surprise!

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Dave In Vermont

Dave In Vermont

Posted
Posted

I loaned-out one of my 12" LX-series SCT's to a friend and suggested he find M31. He, too, was only used to using his 114mm Newtonian. His first look at M42 nearly gave him a heart-attack. When he finds M31 for the first time, I may well need to call an ambulance for him! :grin:

Clear Skies & Look Up,

Dave :evil:

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  • 4 weeks later...
greglloyd

greglloyd

Posted
Posted

Just come in after spotting m31 for the first time i think ,a misty grey patch just a short distance from mirach.Am i right ?. Being new to astronomy i wasnt sure what to expect.very exciting though.

It's a great feeling seeing another galaxy than ours for the first time. The mind boggles. And it gets better over the years as you become more experienced, your equipment improves, and you delve deeper ;-)

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Special K

Special K

Posted
Posted

Great sorting it for the first time! We had dinner company the other night and somehow got on the subject of telescopes. :) One guest said he had always wanted to see the Andromeda Galaxy, and it being clear, seemed like the perfect opportunity to put the scope out back! I was pleased to give him his first view but a shame it wasn't in a larger scope or a darker sky.

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Dannae

Dannae

Posted
Posted

Brings back memories :) My first grab was with the return of Halley's Comet which I recall was around 1987?? It appeared in or around the hyades if I remember and I had just reached the age when 'The Sky at Night' was reachable with my pre-teen constitution. He mentioned Andromeda was naked eye and how to star hop visually from Pegasus which I already knew.

Regards

Dannae

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niallk

niallk

Posted
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I was buzzing when I found M31 + co for the first time too! It had taken a few attempts to find as my first galaxy, and I always tend to have a look if positioned OK if I'm out. Sometimes the conditions are such that I start to see lots of detail in the dustlanes - some nights better than others :) I too think it is amazing to think that the photons I see have been travelling since before the first homo erectus fossil until bumping into my eyes, and the diameter exceeds 100k light yrs ... Yip boggles the mind ;). As the experienced guys always say - you learn to see more. Seriously it took me more nights than I should admit to find it the first time, but now I can locate it naked eye using averted vision on a decent night.

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Naf

Naf

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Posted

Views of   M31 sound great  up there in the northern hemisphere, down here at 34 degree s all I can see with my 12"SC is the central region, a fuzzy glow. M31 doesn't get 15 degree above the northern horizon. Clear skies. :grin: :grin:

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greglloyd

greglloyd

Posted
Posted

I was buzzing when I found M31 + co for the first time too! It had taken a few attempts to find as my first galaxy, and I always tend to have a look if positioned OK if I'm out. Sometimes the conditions are such that I start to see lots of detail in the dustlanes - some nights better than others :) I too think it is amazing to think that the photons I see have been travelling since before the first homo erectus fossil until bumping into my eyes, and the diameter exceeds 100k light yrs ... Yip boggles the mind ;). As the experienced guys always say - you learn to see more. Seriously it took me more nights than I should admit to find it the first time, but now I can locate it naked eye using averted vision on a decent night.

Yep, all true!

It's become an easy naked eye target for me over the years. Direct vision even (skies fairly dark here). It's large to the naked eye too.

My first encounter was way back when I was 12 years old with a 40mm refractor. Took an absolute age to find it. But was my first DSO.

These days, I'm currently challenging myself with M33 which I have recently just been able to perceive with the naked eye on good nights. It's about knowing exactly where to look, averted vision, and understanding the orientation of the object and size.

Bar the odd random (exceptional) report of M81 naked eye - M33 is pretty accepted as the furthest object the naked eye can see.

One object I was pleased to bag naked eye back in June from Gran Canaria was M13 in Hercules. This was from a very dark site at 3000ft above sea level.

p.s. I find the M81 reports almost too hard to accept! Given the size of the galaxy in the sky (i.e. Much smaller than M31 / 33) along with it's magnitude - you would have to have at least the eyesight of a falcon to pick that out!!

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