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Newbie question - Viewing galaxies



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 2nd 05, 02:46 PM
ag73
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Default Newbie question - Viewing galaxies

I used my LX90 for the second time yesterday and although the weather
wasn't perfect there were large breaks in the cloud around 11pm. I saw
the Andromeda Galaxy for the first time but it didn't look how I
imagined it would. It's hard to explain what I saw but the best I can
do is to say that it looked like a cloud tht was brighter in the middle
than near the edges. Is this the level of detail I should expect to see
or should I be able to see a definite galaxy structure or points of
light? The weather was quite humid yesterday and perhaps that doesn't
make for best viewing conditions?

I tried viewing through 20mm and 9mm eyepieces.

Thanks,

Andy Grove
http://www.andygrove.ws

  #2  
Old August 2nd 05, 03:08 PM
Pete Lawrence
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On 2 Aug 2005 06:46:51 -0700, "ag73" wrote:

I used my LX90 for the second time yesterday and although the weather
wasn't perfect there were large breaks in the cloud around 11pm. I saw
the Andromeda Galaxy for the first time but it didn't look how I
imagined it would. It's hard to explain what I saw but the best I can
do is to say that it looked like a cloud tht was brighter in the middle
than near the edges. Is this the level of detail I should expect to see
or should I be able to see a definite galaxy structure or points of
light? The weather was quite humid yesterday and perhaps that doesn't
make for best viewing conditions?

I tried viewing through 20mm and 9mm eyepieces.


M31 is tantalizing when viewed with the naked eye. It looks impressive
and full of promise. Binoculars enhance this appearance. Get a
telescope on it and it's a big disappointment!

What you are looking at is the central core of the galaxy not the
whole thing. The object is actually very large
(http://www.digitalsky.org.uk/relativesizes.html?).

A large telescope will start to show parts of the outer spiral arms
and imaging will set you off on an often frustrating journey of
discovery as you slowly begin to realise just how big and detailed M31
is. Look out for the two satellite galaxies M32 and M110 as well.

If you want to start digging into M31, look at the view through your
telescope and locate some of the foreground field stars. Look for
patterns and make a note of them. Then look at a photograph of M31
(there are plenty on line) and try and find the star patterns. Choose
stars well outside of the core or else long exposures will tend to
hide them.

By comparing what you are seeing with a photograph you should start to
realise what's what and how extensive the object actually is.

--
Pete
http://www.digitalsky.org.uk
  #3  
Old August 2nd 05, 03:22 PM
ag73
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Pete,

Many thanks for that. I took your advice and looked at some photos of
M31 and I can now see that I was able to view the central "bulge" of
the galaxy and the area immediately around it. I didn't see any stars
around it though. I think this may have been due to the weather
conditions. I'll certainly try this again and look for the spiral arms
next time.

Should I be using a filter for galaxy viewing?

Cheers,

Andy.
http://www.andygrove.ws

  #4  
Old August 2nd 05, 03:30 PM
Jim
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ag73 wrote:


Should I be using a filter for galaxy viewing?


Absolutely not. Galaxies emit light at all frequencies, so all a filter
will do is dim the galaxy.

Pete pretty much summed it up nicely - M31 is actually a rather
disappointing object, simply because it's too large.

I'd have a go at the M81/M82 pair - they're quite interesting.

Jim
--
Find me at http://www.ursaminorbeta.co.uk AIM/iChatAV: JCAndrew2
Lost: Stack Pointer. Small reward offered if found.
  #5  
Old August 3rd 05, 11:53 AM
Robert Geake
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"ag73" wrote in message
oups.com...
I used my LX90 for the second time yesterday and although the weather
wasn't perfect there were large breaks in the cloud around 11pm. I saw
the Andromeda Galaxy for the first time but it didn't look how I
imagined it would. It's hard to explain what I saw but the best I can
do is to say that it looked like a cloud tht was brighter in the middle
than near the edges. Is this the level of detail I should expect to see
or should I be able to see a definite galaxy structure or points of
light? The weather was quite humid yesterday and perhaps that doesn't
make for best viewing conditions?

I tried viewing through 20mm and 9mm eyepieces.

Thanks,

Andy Grove
http://www.andygrove.ws


Another word of advice with this object would be to NOT use 20 and 9mm
ep's..I tend to use a 40mm ep when viewing the Andromeda galaxy you do get a
very good idea of how large it is when you view it through a 2" 40mm ep and
still cant see the whole thing....

Would also aggree with Jim, M81/82 really are quite facinating

Rob



  #6  
Old August 3rd 05, 11:53 AM
Tony Pottrell
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"Jim" wrote in message
...
ag73 wrote:


Should I be using a filter for galaxy viewing?


Absolutely not. Galaxies emit light at all frequencies, so all a filter
will do is dim the galaxy.

Pete pretty much summed it up nicely - M31 is actually a rather
disappointing object, simply because it's too large.

I'd have a go at the M81/M82 pair - they're quite interesting.

Jim


Unless you're under light polluted skies like many of us, in which case an
LPR (Light Pollution Reducing) filter will make a big difference. These can
put a blue or green hue on things but it does enhance the contrast somewhat.
Good ones (I use an Astronomik CLS filter as it's quite aggressive, I live
under a Mag 1 sky!) start at about £50 I believe...

Tony


 




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