(Tony Flanders) writes:

Even a 60mm scope is big enough to classify most of the Messier galaxies
as spiral versus elliptical with a reasonably high degree of confidence,
and M31 is obviously a spiral to the naked eye. Not that you can see
the spiral arms, but no elliptical galaxy could possibly have that
shape and that kind of central condensation.

You are exaggerating _grossly_ on both acounts, IMO. First, a small
scope (most scopes, really) typically shows just the central hub of
spiral galaxies, and these are not much differen from ellipticals.
Second, one only has to glance over at neighboring M110 to see an
elliptical galaxy that looks very similar to the naked eye view of M31.

pej
--
Per Erik Jorde