Triangulum Galaxy

[newbie]

Hi folks

Great night's viewing last night but despite trying to get my first view of this galaxy I couldn't find it

Got great views of Andromeda and found Triangulum constellation easily enough, but not a hint of the galaxy.

Anyone got any tips on finding it (apart from getting a go to!). Is is a great deal fainter / smaller than Andromeda?

Cheers

[John]

I guess you are talking about M33 here.

It is much harder to spot than M31 as it's face on and it's light is spread out. Dark skies with no moonlight or light pollution help a lot as it's drowned out easily.

I've seen it (or it's core at any rate) with a range of instruments from 8x40 binoculars up to a 12" dobsonian - it resembles a rather shapeless patch of mistyness which gets a little brighter with aperture although even in the 12" I could not discern any real form or shape to it. It's quite large - low power eyepieces are quite enough.

There are some notes here which may help you to find it:

Intro to Autumn Deep-Sky Objects

John

[acey]

I second John's comments. If you want to see M33 then go to the darkest place you can find and take a pair of binoculars. First time I ever saw it was as with 10x50s, I was simply sweeping the Triangulum area and it popped into view very prominently as a big, bright patch. Some people define a truly dark sky as one where M33 can be seen with the naked eye (something I've never managed).

In a telescope it's harder, and light pollution kills it completely. But the advantage of the telescope on this object is that you can search for detail. With an 8-inch at a dark site I've seen the arms and some of the HII regions.

[PeterMammoth]

Managed to see M33 last night, under very good seeing conditions. I'm still very much a novice but found it with ease, so I suppose it must depend on the light pollution.

[pvaz]

It's not the easiest one cause bright stars are not so close for reference.

But with a map if you pull a few line from the stars in triangulum and andromeda constellations to help you see where it is, it's not that hard. First time toke me about 10-15 minutes. I do have dark skies, M31 is clearly a naked eye object from my backyard, M33 is not, I think. I need to have a go at it naked eye.

[Doc]

I agree you need very dark skies to see it well. It's got a overall surface brightness of just mag 14.2 so is very dim indeed, it's size is 68.7' x 41.6' so is pretty large as galaxies go.

[bish]

I can't see M33 with a 150mm scope where I live because of the light pollution. I've only ever seen it from a darker site (when I could find it in bins).

[lukebl]

I live in a fairly light-polluted spot in a town, but I find that I can make out M33 pretty easily in a clear sky with 8 x 32 bins (admittedly only as a faint misty blob), so it is perfectly possible even in less than ideal conditions.

Regards

Luke

[Talitha]

The best advice i can think of is to sweep the area slowly and see if there's a patch of foggy smoke detected with averted vision. You can also consult an atlas or program to verify that you've got the actual starfield in view, and then tap the OTA and see if a foggy patch 'dances' in the eyepiece. Depending on your viewing conditions, the galaxy may merely appear as a slight brightening compared to the rest of the background sky. Also, be sure your field of view is wide enough to allow for plenty of 'elbow room' to frame the galaxy. Good luck.

[newbie]

Thanks everyone. I think my expectations of what I was expecting to see were too high! (I thought it was mag 5.2!). I will look more carefully next time out.

[mdstuart]

Try M77 which is up at the moment in the east. It is a small blob in a pair of binoculars. so brighter than M33 but much much smaller.

Mark

[moocher]

I found m33 without too much trouble in my Borg 77ed but i was in Cornwall at the time!!! I have seen it once or twice from here but that was in a 10" LX200 but the conditions ie transparency have to to spot on.....its a tough puppy but well worth it from a dark site!!!

Alan

[iamjulian]

Sometimes I can see M33 and sometimes I cannot. I find that if I can see M110 then I can see M33 on the same night. They must have a reasonably similar apparent brightness.

[Talitha]

Thanks everyone. I think my expectations of what I was expecting to see were too high! (I thought it was mag 5.2!). I will look more carefully next time out.

No, i don't think your expectations were too high for seeing an object of that magnitude. But the galaxy is large, which brings 'surface brightness' into play.

Imagine a black surface with one drop of glow-in-the-dark paint on it. It's a single point source like a star, and you'd be able to see it quite well in a dark room. Now spread the paint out a bit to simulate the size of a galaxy or nebula and see what happens. It gets dimmer. And the more you spread it out, the dimmer its 'surface brightness' gets.

[george7378]

I'm also trying to find this object now, with a 130mm 'scope. I am in quite a light polluted area at the moment, and I haven't yet seen M110. I can't wait to take the 'scope home. I'll try with binoculars at home too.

[John]

I'm also trying to find this object now, with a 130mm 'scope. I am in quite a light polluted area at the moment, and I haven't yet seen M110. I can't wait to take the 'scope home. I'll try with binoculars at home too.

Light pollution or moonglow is a real killer for fainter galaxies (ie: most of them !). I took my 4" refractor to a dark site earlier this year (the SGL4 star party in fact) and it made a huge difference.

John