At least I thought I was looking at Andromeda..

[AlexF]

Tonight I decided I'd at least try looking at something other than the moon and/or Jupiter with my old 60mm telescope. Thinking Andromeda was the easiest DSO to locate, I gave it a shot. I pulled up Stellarium for a minute, noted its position from the moon, and went.

Problem: I have no finder scope. Well I do, but I've managed to loose the side with the crosshairs.

Solution!: Having my handy 10x50's in.. hand.. I simply set them on top of the scope. Hah!

With a quick measure of accuracy via Jupiter, I spun my scope around to point at the bright spot up and slightly to the left of the moon. Within a minute of finding it in my bins, I found it in my wobbly scope. "Amazing," I thought. "My little scope can actually see a GALAXY!" I marveled at "it" for a good 5 minutes, and then came back inside. I pulled up Stellarium again to compare, and.. wait a minute..

I was actually looking at Alpheratz, and that, I'm not even sure of because it's supposed to have a magnitude of 2.05? Anyway, maybe if I knew my constellations, I'd know that Andromeda was off the tip of Pegasus' back foot. But I really wouldn't be able to tell Pegasus in the first place with the amount of light pollution I have (crank it up to 6 in Stellarium).

I went back out shortly after discovering my error only to find a fat cloud rolling in from the North.

Pegasus will now be my first constellation I learn about.

[Mikea]

Light pollution makes the summer skies difficult for me too. Anyway, part of the fun is in the learning! Good luck with Pegasus.

[bish]

Keep at it and you will be surprised at what you can find after a bit of practise.

[Doc]

You will know you have found the M31 as soon as you clamp eyes on it. Even in a 60mm you will know that it is not a star you are looking at.

Keep hunting you will find it.

[haitch]

15 miles north of B'ham. 5 miles north of Walsall and it's still obvious in my 10x50 bins.

Big fuzzy blob

You'll know when you see it!

[part timer]

Just think a kind of faint cloud and this is what M31 looks like in a 60mm.

I suggest this and M13, M27 and the double cluster in perseus.

these are all visible in binoculars and 60mm scopes from heavily light polluted areas. they also give a good idea of what to look for in fainter objects.

After a while you'll be surprised by what a small scope can see!

Just remember that on many nights it will look clear but the haze in the atmosphere will wipe out most objects. Just be patient and good things will happen!