M31M31


Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda
NGC 224
Mag 3.4

The Andromeda Galaxy

05/11/12
Hazy, Smokey 21:00 to 23:00

06/07/13
Fills the FOV in 12mm with a smokey feel. Very bright centre but quickly fades to wisps
A feeling of 'hugeness' not experienced with any other object

31/08/13
Huge and bright, fills 12mm with haze

19/11/13
Hazy in a Moonwashed FOV in 12mm but still a very distinct core

20/08/14
A very bright central core which gradually dims to merge with the surrounding starfield right at the edge of 12mm FOV
Appears thinner and more pinched than in photographs, a glorious sight!

07/08/16
I rarely properly observe The Andromeda Galaxy, don't know why but tonight it, and its attendant Galaxies M32 and M110 are perfect
Fills the whole FOV in 12mm with M32 a tight bright ball just in the same FOV as the nucleus
A real feel for the shear size of M31 and its shape
The brightness drops off rapidly but the outer regions seem to spread for another 12mm FOV either side
M110 very faint but with a much larger feel to it than M32, sitting outside the FOV in 12mm from the centre of M31

26/08/16
Fantastic, filling the whole FOV is M31 with M32 as a very tight, bright and distinct ball above it where as M110 is surprisingly faint and actually sits outside the 12mm FOV from M31 and has a completely different look to M32, very hazy but much larger

28/09/16
M31, M32 and M110 viewed in 18mm where the dense core spreads right across the FOV and the hazy outer reaches spread for perhaps another FOV either side
The 18mm gives a dark background as its FOV is not as wide as the 12mm Plossl or the 25mm Ortho and really sets M31 and its attendant Galaxies off
M32 is small, very spherical and tight and really bright and easy to locate, unlike M110 sitting further out on the other side of M31, which appears as a wispy but large patch with no hint of shape or structure

25/11/17
Very high in a sky washed out by a very bright waxing Moon but a beautiful site, filling the whole FOV in 24mm with a bright central core