Andromeda

[johnb]

Hi

using my setup Im amazed at the detail i can see in M42 (Orion Nebula) I have attempted in vain to view M31 (Andromeda) using my kit Skywatcher Explorer 250 OTA with a 25mm EP what anm i looking for, the scope is aglined ok as I can go to individual stars with no issue but when I goto M31 i see nothing

regards

John B

[John]

You should see an elongated fuzzy glow, brighter at the core. It will more than fill the field of view even at lowest power. The full extent of M31 is the equivilent of 8 x the apparent diameter of the moon - it's a really big object. It's obvious in binoculars and finder scopes and I can see it, using a bit of averted vision, with the naked eye on clear, dark nights.

[yeti monster]

Johnb, your location states Lon-don, I would imagine that all that smog and orange permaglow will be preventing the faint fuzzies from getting through to your scope. Can you get to a dark observing site?

[johnb]

Thanks, Dark site is possible at a weekend so I will try from there (its all down to the weather)

Regards

John B

[Capricorn]

Small point I read elsewhere: If you take a look at something like Casseiopia and cannot see the milky way behind it then you will not see Andromeda.

Also the moon is bright at the moment.

[yeti monster]

Full moon is good for viewing the moon, and not at lot else really, unless you like seeing stars that just look like stars no matter what.

[EA2007]

Are you looking in the right place??

lol, erm as the others said (and you probably know) try a darker location. M31 looks pretty cool as it appears far larger than any other galaxy, you may only make out the core though and even this will be a fuzzy grey/silver elliptical blotch.

[Robert Watson]

Hi John

I live outside a small village which is behind a hill, But the light pollution that comes over is bad .

And my luck it's just where Andromeda is I've seen andro on a few nights but it's just a fuzz.

I have gone through all the eyepices (which is not many) to try and get a better sighting and still get a fuzz

Has any one ever put a book out (ie the best eyepice to use to look at Mar's Saturn,Andro With a 4"6" 10" scope) .

Robert

[ollypenrice]

From a dark site it is a naked eye object, and my eyesight is fairly dismal. (It looks like an elongated star, a bit like a streak.) It should be very easy indeed in your scope once you are out of the glow. I'm sure that's all it is. Like all fuzzies, the higher it is the better.

Olly

[joey7415963]

Also, it's fairly low on the horizon at this time of year, so when it's observable it goes through more atmosphere that absorbs more light.

[Chris H]

Yes,this time of year in the UK Andromeda will be disappearing into the evening sky glow, best leave it until the end of August. You may have better luck seeing it using your finderscope. It's naked eye from where I live, to find it look for the Andromeda constellation and its just above nu Andromeda. Its about 4 degrees long so you want low power an eyepiece with x30 giving you something like a 2 degree TFOV will show you the brightest part of it.

[hemihaggis]

ehh?? the guy has 10" scope ...i think you should be able to see m31 with that ..even from london ??

[Chris H]

ehh?? the guy has 10" scope ...i think you should be able to see m31 with that ..even from london ??

If M31 is higher in the sky there is no doubting that he could see it with a 10" dob but at the mo its not getting properly dark until after 8 o'clock and by then constellation of Andromeda is very low to the western horizon. Other than the core M31 has very delicate features so its best seen when high in the sky on dark nights.