Re: The first night out with my 10" dob.

From: Tony Flanders (tony_flanders_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 09/05/04 

Date: 5 Sep 2004 03:17:02 -0700

"Tom" <tom@wallyworld.net> wrote in message news:<10jkr9v594tln53@corp.supernews.com>...

> I have dreamed of seeing M31. From what I have read, I knew enough to find
> it. After searching and searching with the 2" in the area to the left of
> the "Great Square", I finally noticed a smudge of light that was in stark
> contrast to surrounding collection of stars in my field of view. I put the
> 9mm in to get a closer look, and the smudge got a bit bigger, but by no
> means did it give me a detailed view of a galaxy.

Yes, it seems most likely that it was M31. Frankly, I'm amazed that you
found anything at all; sweeping at random over such an immense area
rarely succeeds in finding your target. Even the most minimal star
chart would have saved you a vast amount of time, and also made your
identification pretty certain once you got there.

Anyway, the area you were searching has very few bright deep-sky objects.
If you had found the star cluster NGC 752, your 10" scope would have
resolved it into stars easily. And I can't imagine any beginner noticing
M33 from a suburban location; it's notoriously difficult to find when
there's significant light pollution. That leaves M31.

To get a good view of M31, you'll have to get far, far away from
Scottsdale -- and on a moonless night, too. Dark skies are absolutely
essential for viewing details in galaxies. Even then, M31 is going
to be a major challenge; expect to spend many months tuning your
eyes before you can see much structure in it. To a beginner with
a 10" scope viewing from a suburb, M31 should appear like a moderately
small, very bright (as DSOs go) blob, possibly surrounded by a vague
ellipse about one degree long.

The easiest feature to note would be the satellite galaxy M32. A
chart would make it much easier to find, but it might well pop
right out in a scope as big as yours. Look for a bright star that
appears conspicuously fuzzy. Or, alternatively, for a miniature
version of the core of M31.

    - Tony Flanders

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