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Finding Andormeda - Almost


Adam Isa

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Hello all. Decided that tonight, I would attempt to view M31. Nothing fancy, just wanted to have a decent look and say that I have seen it and the other stuff can come later. Got the telescope out and looked at the moon. Then started looking at a few bright stars. I was wondering what they are so I got the laptop out and Steallarium switched on.

I decided then to persue M31. Only problem being, I had very little idea where to look. Based on the time and my location, I knew it was about 25° ummm, east of east, if that makes sense. I found a star and directly above it was second. Looked in Stellarium and I would appear that the first was Mirach and the second HIP 4994. Roughly the same distance between them two above 4994 was M31. just before I could confirm this, the cloud had set in and it was time to pack away.

As I've said many times on here, directly east, which is where I do most observations here is a lamp post spoiling a loft of the views.

I got thinking though, how do you know what you are looking at? I thought I was looking at Mirach, but for all I know, it may have been a completely different star? Also, the stars 'change' season to season, so they may not be in the same position a few months later. Do you just learn that such-and-such a star will be x position, or do you have to check with planispheres and programs like Stellarium?

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There is almost a full moon too, so not the best time to view M31.

It will be pretty well washed out by moonlight.

The best place to start when looking for it, is the Great Square of Pegasus. An asterism that forms a large square with aa bright star in each corner. When you find it in the sky, start at the top left star in the square, then count three stars upwards and to the left .

Then move your eyes to the right a couple of stars, and you should see a patch of light with your naked eye. That's the Galaxy.

Wait till the moon is out of the way, you will find it easier to see.

Ron.

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I think i found it tonight for the first time too.

99% sure i started at Mirach (bright yellow). Then straight up to HIP 4436 (a dimmer white). Then up and left to HIP 3881/up and right to HIP 3231.

Then in between those two was a tiny faint smudge.

I believe this is the Andromeda galaxy, but but a tiny faint smudge, i mean a really faint smudge of what i assume is the dust cloud. But i could not see any points of light.

Is this due to the moon being so bright and full tonight then? As it does seem as you have described, washed out.

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there are a number of routes to M31 but I find the easiest is find the W in the sky (roughly NE in the English sky now), this is Cassiopeia. the right side of the W is a steep V shape, the other half of the W is more like a reversed L shape.

using the right hand steep V, this points roughly downwards and at a quite bright star - obvious to the naked eye. this is Mirach. if you have binoculars I'd try to use these first (I found M31 last night with 7x36s and with a full moon albeit at a reasonably dark site - it's very obvious unless you have bad light pollution without a bright moon the street light may affect your chances of this and a light pollution filter may help). from Mirach move upwards (effectively slightly to the right of Cassiopeia) and you'll see another bright star and then another less bright star - to the right and slightly above this last star is M31 which is just under two binocular widths above Mirach. hope this helps.

the messier maps here Messier Objects might help too as would a copy of Turn left at Orion a great starter book.

it sounds like you were in the right sort of place.

the latter book also gives some good main guide stars and constellations which will help. the constellations don't really change from year to year but their position does as you say, due to the Earth's orbit etc. eventually you'll get to know a few and they will help you to get to know the others - I am still only at the stage of knowing the main obvious ones myself.

cheers

Shane

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a good thing to bear in mind is that you'll probably never (or rarely) resolve much detail in most galaxies, they are generally like small hazy stars with maybe a slight halo of 'dust' around them. this is actually masses of stars but they cannot be resolved due to the distances involved. M31 is over 2M light years away from us.

think more of what you are seeing than the detail involved. you'll never of course see Hubble like images visually.

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Ah, no i understand that. it is just that i am stretching to say that i saw a faint smudge. It really was like a slighty lighter patch in the sky. I wouldn't say what i saw resembled a hazy star, there didn't seem to be any light at all. All i could say that i may have seen was a smudge about the same size as Mirach, just where M31 is located.

The clouds have covered up that area now so that is probably it for that part of the sky for tonight.

Have put the scope away but i can still see Jupiter from my bedroom window, so i am just using the binoculars whilst that is still visible :D

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I got thinking though, how do you know what you are looking at? I thought I was looking at Mirach, but for all I know, it may have been a completely different star? Also, the stars 'change' season to season, so they may not be in the same position a few months later. Do you just learn that such-and-such a star will be x position, or do you have to check with planispheres and programs like Stellarium?

That's what constellations are for :D, after a while you'll easily recognise the main ones and know your way around them, no matter where they appear in the sky or their orientation.

The way I think of it is that Andromeda is the line of bright stars next to pegasus, and to get to M31 i follow the crooked 'branch' coming off the middle star. It's easier than trying to remember how many degrees away it is from delta andromadae, or whatever.

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The advice on using the W in cassiopiea is the best route. The great square in Pegasus is tough to see in most locations as to see all 4 stars forming the square isn't easy - and the square is massive. There always seems to be one of the stars in the square missing so you'll be staring at the sky for ages!

As advised above, use the right hand side of the "W" - it's a sharper "V" shape. This points to a fairly bright star....up a bit and you'll see a less bright one, quite faint in my location and when full moon strikes like tonight, forget it. Anyway, quite close to the fainter star (slightly above it) is M31. Through most small scopes it's as described, a faint "galaxy shaped" cloud, but you won't see the spiral shape you see in all the photos - a camera can see a lot more than your eye.

Good luck - have a go for the globular cluster in Hercules. I think that's easier to nail than M31!

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The advice on using the W in cassiopiea is the best route. The great square in Pegasus is tough to see in most locations as to see all 4 stars forming the square isn't easy - and the square is massive. There always seems to be one of the stars in the square missing so you'll be staring at the sky for ages!

As advised above, use the right hand side of the "W" - it's a sharper "V" shape. This points to a fairly bright star....up a bit and you'll see a less bright one, quite faint in my location and when full moon strikes like tonight, forget it. Anyway, quite close to the fainter star (slightly above it) is M31. Through most small scopes it's as described, a faint "galaxy shaped" cloud, but you won't see the spiral shape you see in all the photos - a camera can see a lot more than your eye.

Good luck - have a go for the globular cluster in Hercules. I think that's easier to nail than M31!

Fair enough. Thanks.

The clouds have now taken Jupiter too so i will call it a night, but i will definitely go for the globular cluster in Hurcules when the next clear skies occur.

I think i will leave the galaxies for when the moon isn't so full so it makes it easier for me, as the constellations were quite dim in the east tonight where i am :)

All i need to do now is get some filters too, to help make out some detail on Jupiter and i will be set :D

Cheers again all.

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I always use the "W" of Cassiopeia to locate Andromeda galaxy. To me it looks like a small fuzzy cigar shape, brighter towards the centre and faint at the edges. It takes time to see it best you can. Try using averted vision (looking slightly left or right of it). Over time you will get better at this and you will see a lot more then if you are looking straight at it.

Here's one i made earlier (couple of weeks ago): The "W" of Cassiopeia is towards the top left of the image and Andromeda is almost centred in the image.

post-18019-13387747434_thumb.jpg

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Hi. I can only echo the comments made by many others. When I first found Andromeda I was quite dissapointed to see a dim fuzzy blob and not the beautifully deatiled sparkling object seen by Hubble and others!

Before the last full moon I was playing around with a Canon DSLR, with CLS filter, and an old 50mm F1.8 lens. All on a not very level driven EQ mount. Visually M31 was not there, but the camera did catch it. The number of stars in the photo gives some idea of how dim M31 really is.

post-18944-133877474461_thumb.jpg

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WAY too much moon at the moment, as has been said. I can almost read by the blessed thing!

A most excellent book is the Photographic Atlas of the Stars, if you can get a copy. On one page is a star chart and on the opposite page a photograph of the exact region. This trains you in the use of star charts in the field and is one of the most browsed over books in our collection. I always use it with beginners and find they love it. If you study it before going outside you will already have a head start. I do this routinely when on the hunt for something new.

Olly

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  • 2 weeks later...

Whilst on honeymoon in the Maldives in July....yes honeymoon and I still took the binos..............we sat on the beach loungers one night and looked up. Oh my goodness, or words to that effect. I hadn't seen a sky that dark in my life. It was so dark that I could hardly make out any constellations - too many stars. But...managed to see Andromeda and pointed out M31 to my wife. She looked first, found M31, said "oh, that's nice" and then I had a look.

Lots of forum sites go on about light pollution, well they are spot on. It affects viewing massively. I could not believe the level of detail in M31 from a cheap pair of binos. It was of course, pitch black, no moon and an amazing site.

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I agree with the previous posts, I use a 5inch "rich field" refractor for DSO's and M31 is a sight i could keep in the eyepiece all night when the sky is inky black. Under our normal light polluted skies don't expect more than a hazy blob, same goes for the hercules cluster and other DSO's. I think we should give everybody a torch and ditch these nasty street lights lol ;-)

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