M51 Whirlpool Galaxy

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ChaosKnight
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Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2003 6:54 pm

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy

Post by ChaosKnight »

Anyone ever saw this through a small scope (~4")??

I was star hopping from Ursa Major last night, and i was quite sure i got the location right. But i couldn't see any faint fuzzy through the scope, even with a 40mm eyepiece. Lots of stars were visible though.

The galaxy is supposed to be at magnitude 8+, but could the wide area it covers cause it to have low surface brightness?
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weixing
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Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2003 12:22 am
Favourite scope: Vixen R200SS & Celestron 6" F5 Achro Refractor
Location: (Tampines) Earth of Solar System in Orion Arm of Milky Way Galaxy in Local Group Galaxies Cluster

Post by weixing »

Hi,
You need quite a clear and dark sky to see a galaxy, so I think it is quite difficult to see it in Singapore.

By the way, I seen it before through a 80mm scope, but not in Singapore. :P

Have a nice day.
Yang Weixing
:mrgreen: "The universe is composed mainly of hydrogen and ignorance." :mrgreen:
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Sam Lee
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Location: Woodlands
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Post by Sam Lee »

It shows up as a very dim patch (rather large) in a 8inch, while i was hunting for it in Singapore Poly. Have not try it in a 4inch before!

Regards,
Sam
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