Andromeda, Cassiopeia and a few favourites.

[wookie1965]

Started out looking at the sun left the kit out just in case and I got clear skies. Using my Tal 100rs.

Andromeda first M31 was disappointed with this could only see a splodge with a bright centre.

Parused some open clusters NGC 956, NGC 7686, NGC 272,  NGC 752 all very nice in my 25mmBST.

NGC 7662 "Blue Snowball"  now I knew the mount was brilliant went straight to it (Thank you Damian) this was lovely in the 15mm with UHC filter.

Tried the "Fiddlehead" NGC 772 but was to low.

Up to Cassiopeia.

Caroline`s Rose NGC 7789 this I missed but left it and went on.

Σ 3037 SAO 020832 Close double Yellow and tiny red companion.

Ψ (Psi) Cass lovely colourful double with a yellow and small green/blue companion.

Iota Cass Lovely triple whitish primary with yellow and  reddish yellow  companions.

Now on to some old favourites 

M81 and M82 got both in my 25mm could easily see the cigar shape.

NGC 457 I love this cluster (Owl or ET cluster) some lovely colours here.

Finally M57 started with 15mm with UHC  and it looked brilliant could see a touch of blue colour, tried ramping up mag try to see central star but I think it is not possible in my Tal.

Moon was coming up above the houses behind me and washed the sky so decided to pack up half way through a long meteor streaked through. 

I cannot show my appreciation more to Damian for fixing my mount it is now perfect.

[ronin]

2 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

Andromeda first M31 as disappointed with this could only see a splodge with a bright centre.

It is always seems that even astronomers expect to see all of M31, I only have 1 scope that will manage all of M31. That is my smallest short Achro and even then I still need a medium length eyepiece, 18mm I think. It is a shame as I think that in one of the bigger ones I have and at a darker location it would be a good sight.

Sometimes I have the idea that M31 needs an almost custom built scope to manage anything that is expected of it. Even a 6" f/4 with a 25mm BST/30mm Plossl would not fit it all in.

Your description always makes me recall one person who was pointed at a scope with M31 cebtered in it, 90mm Mak, their comment was "Underwhelming isn't it." and it is so true in a terrible way.

[wookie1965]

1 minute ago, ronin said:

It is always seems that even astronomers expect to see all of M31, I only have 1 scope that will manage all of M31. That is my smallest short Achro and even then I still need a medium length eyepiece, 18mm I think. It is a shame as I think that in one of the bigger ones I have and at a darker location it would be a good sight.

Sometimes I have the idea that M31 needs an almost custom built scope to manage anything that is expected of it. Even a 6" f/4 with a 25mm BST/30mm Plossl would not fit it all in.

Your description always makes me recall one person who was pointed at a scope with M31 cebtered in it, 90mm Mak, their comment was "Underwhelming isn't it." and it is so true in a terrible way.

I think it was the seeing being low down I have had much better views before, stretched out with a bright core but could definitely see the shape. This time just looked a mess no shape just a bright centre.

 

[Littleguy80]

Nice report. I need to check out some of those doubles/triples and NGC457  

[harrym]

I've never really got into double star observing but these sound like some good ones to try.

One of the best instruments for seeing the whole of M31 is actually the naked eye, because the magnification from a scope spreads the light out too much. With the 12" Northumberland refractor the lowest power eyepiece only has a FOV of half a degree, so we can't fit much more than the central core in the field. The view of M31 is so underwhelming that on an observing night last year one of my colleagues accidentally pointed the scope at M32 instead and didn't realise it!

[Pingster]

M31, i often hear reports that it looks under whelming becuase you cant fit it in the eyepiece.  And that one needs to get an lower powered eyepiece with a ultrawide fov. I feel advice like this can lead new astronomers to waste a lot of money.

Imo, if you want to get the whole of M31 in, look at it with a pair of binoculars. Cheap and simple. And what you see, its not going to get much better even if you spenf thousands.

With M31, spending your money on eyepieces wont improve the view of it or increase the detail. Becuase in even the best quality scopes, it mostly looks like a faint grey oval with a slightly brighter core.

The only other way to get the dust lanes and a slight "textured" detail on the bands is to got to somewhere truely dark like wales and use a 16in dob or bigger.

Again even like that most people won't be amazed by it (as it still will not look anything like photos). Yet us long time astronomers will scream "wow" becuase we have spent years seeing it as nothing more than a blob. ?

 

[Stu]

On 12/08/2017 at 13:15, ronin said:

Sometimes I have the idea that M31 needs an almost custom built scope to manage anything that is expected of it. Even a 6" f/4 with a 25mm BST/30mm Plossl would not fit it all in.

Perhaps not all of it, but a 32mm Plossl in a 150mm f4 would certainly show plenty of this object under a dark sky, giving 2.67 degrees. Stick a 30mm 82 degree ES in it and then you are talking!

In this fov you would see most of the main features, M32 and M110 too.

The key to seeing the full extent is dark skies. The best views I have had have been under dark skies with a TV85 or 106mm EDT with 600 or 690mm focal lengths respectively. With a 31mm Nagler you get over 3.5 degrees of sky, plenty to see the fuller extent of the very faint spiral arms, and amazing object. I certainly prefer the view in a widefield frac to that in binoculars.

[Paul73]

Re M31. With a lot of the big objects. A decent pair of bins and a dark site is the way to go!

Paul

PS. Well done Damien!!

[estwing]

nice report and yes well done Damo!

[ejp1684]

Great report. I spent about 20 minutes on Caroline's Rose, until high cloud and increasing moonlight interfered with it.

Eric.

[mapstar]

Nice to see you are getting out Paul.

I'm glad the Mount is working as it should now and I can see it's already giving you some fine views ready for the coming season. Hearing you're using it is thanks enough 

M31 from a dark site is extensive and  it's amazing how far out from the core you have to go to find m32 and m110 as well as G1 globular cluster.

My scope is still waiting on it's first outing this season. 

Hope to read some more of your reports soon. Happy hunting 

 

 

 

[Piero]

Very nice report!  

The best view of M31 I've got was in Devon in 2014 with basic Revelations 15x70. Truly impressive fitting almost all the fov with the daughters M32 and M110 nicely framed. The worst filter is light pollution! 

[Special K]

Great report!  Re: Andromeda, I'm finding my observing has improved over the years and I see more as experience grows and expectations interfere less.  Best view I've had so far is using the Nag31 in my ED80 which gives over 4 degrees fov. Dark skies in Menorca allowed me to make out some of the swirling essence.  At f5.9 my 6" with the same EP gives a decent slice of the galaxy with a lot more light harvested. I couldn't get this on the plane though!