M31 and satellite galaxy - did I see it?

[george7378]

Hi all,

I got my most amazing view of M31 yet tonight, and I could see it as a very bright and clear elliptical smudge with a defined nucleus at about 65X magnification. I could see many stars behind it, and was able to get a brilliantly sharp image in the good seeing.

I have a question: I think I might have seen the satellite galaxy of M31, but it seemed a little far away from the galaxy itself. In the HST pictures, it is very close to the nebulosity but I accept that I can't see half as much as the HST, and so it might appear to be further away from M31 itself. At 65X magnification, if I pushed up and to the right (down and to the left in real life because it's a 130mm reflector), I could see a small smudge slide into view. It is just out of the field of view if I centre M31 at 65X, and I could see what appeared to be a dim star at the centre, so maybe I was hallucinating or it could be a nebula or cluster.

Did I see the satellite galaxy, or was it something else?

Thanks.

[John]

There are 2 companions of M31 visible in small scopes - M32 which is close to M31 and appears as a tight fuzzy ball of light and M110 which is on the opposite side of M31 to M32 and further away from it, and quite a lot fainter. It sounds like you saw M32 from your description.

[george7378]

Thanks. Yes, that looks very much like what I saw. I'm so pleased that I can see objects as faint as that!

[mdstuart]

Yes M23 looks like a small but brigth blob the other side of a pair of stars from the main galaxy. I am sure thats what you saw....

Like this...

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/attachments/3396414-M31%20and%20M32%20(2).jpg

Mark

[george7378]

Yes - that's pretty much a copy of what I could see.

Thanks!