Galaxy Quest - Bortle 8

[lenscap]

When I got my 200p a few years ago I was disappointed that the only galaxy that I  managed to spot from my light polluted backyard was M31, and just the central core of that.

But a report on here inspired me to try harder, and last spring I was able to add M32 and M81 to my tally. Just small dim fuzzies of course with slightly brighter cores.

So this moonless week I decided to try for a few of the brightest Virgo galaxies, based on the Surface Brightness values in Stellarium.

Wednesday 22 April, from 11.30pm BST, 200p/F5 , EQ3-2, diy Onstep Goto.

   M87  SB 12.6.  To my surprise I saw this immediately in my 32mm Plossl. A uniform, circular misty patch, presumably the brighter core. Better in the 10mm but no structure.

   M49 SB 12.9    A barely visible, more or less circular fuzzy. Again no detail, but amazing to be able to see objects over 50 million light years away, as they were 50 million years ago, with just a few small pieces of glass!

   M104 SB 11.45  As the brightest of the three I thought this should have been doable (through a gap between in my neighbours trees) but I could see  no trace of it. I suppose the low altitude (25 degrees) meant there was just too much atmosphere to look through & too much light pollution.

I don't like to end a session with a fail so I headed for Ursa Major in search of M82 SB 12.4, the Cigar Galaxy.

I centred on M81 (so much easier to spot once you've seen it before!) & after checking the eyepiece view in SkySafari, moved it to the edge of the 32mm fov to bring M82 into the frame. Was there something there? I tapped the scope. Yes, a barely visible, long, thin streak. Much clearer in the 10mm. I tried the 4mm TMB and it was still visible & with the narrow fov I could estimate that it was about 8-10 by maybe 2 arcmin. Definitely cigar shaped.

So I'm delighted to have increased my bag of "Bortle 8" galaxies to 6 !.

Can I get to double figures?     The Quest continues . . . . . 😀

[Northernlight]

I think most people tend to use large dobs for visual on galaxies. I think unless you are in a ultra dark site with perfect seeing, then you will always be limited with smaller scopes.  As a minimum i would recommend a 12" Dob, but pref something bigger like a 16" to yield half decent result.

Out of interest, were you using any light pollution filters  on your eyepieces ? They can help to make a big difference.

[DHEB]

One key to observe some galaxies from light polluted places is to search for those that have relatively bright and compact cores (apart from those you saw also M63, M94), as opposed to those that are spread and faint throughout (like M101 or M74). The former tolerate magnification better which helps to distinguish them from the background sky.

[Froeng]

One important accessory when observing the faint fuzzies with medium aperture in light pollution is also an observation cloth. This can be any piece of black-out fabric large enough to cover the eyepiece and the observer’s head. Stay under there for 15min, then ramp up the magnification, so the sky background in the eyepiece gets dark enough to bring out the galaxies. This method works very well as it allows your eyes to be better dark adapted and hence increases visibility of faint nebulosity...

Best Regards

Frank

[domstar]

Great report. I have Bortle 4 skies here but only a four inch scope and I love galaxies, especially the ones around Virgo. It's amazing how difficult it can be to see a galaxy for the first time and then how easy it is by the third time. I haven't seen any detail yet, but as you said, the amazement comes from the knowledge of what you are seeing. 

Anyway, I like reading about observations under less than ideal conditions. They are more relatable. One difference between you and me- I always seem to finish on a failure. It shows me that I've had enough.

[mdstuart]

Great report. It is rewarding to push the limits whatever they are where you are.

Definitely try M94. I did this a while back which might help you select brighter galaxy targets.

http://bristolweather.org.uk/galaxies/Galaxy viewing with binoculars.php

 

[Oldfort]

From Bortle 8 skies, I would add the following:

M51 but only just

M63 - a faint smudge but unmistakable

M94 - relatively easy, even when M51 not visible

These were with a C8.

 

I also have seen M33 in a 4"refractor, with 50x magnification.  It may have helped that I had been out in the dark, relatively speaking, for quite some time  before I tried for this.

Edited May 9, 2020 by Oldfort