How to make galaxies look better.

[markus.a.bergh]

Hello Everybody, I need some advice. I have finally found M65 and M66 in Leo which is pretty exciting but they are not very "clear" They look like fuzzy balls with a bright center.

What can I do to make these two look more like Galaxies or show a bit more detail? For example, do you need special filters to see galaxies in more detail?

Here's what I'm using .:
* A nice dark cloudless night in a semi rural area. Not perfect but not bad either.
* A shiny new 12" GSO Dob,
* A 20mm eyepiece - nothing fancy but i works well.

* I don't really use my 7mm Eyepiece on these two because it's a budget item - nothing fancy and M65 and M66 look are a bit dark and dull using this eyepiece.

Would a good quality 7 mm or 5 mm eyepiece make a big difference compared to a cheaper one when looking at galaxies?

Thanks for all your help, Markus.

[goober]

Hi Markus,

You're on the right track. The darker the skies, the better. Good transparency really helps too (not so much dust, smog, junk to look through). Spend a good amount of time getting dark adapted eyes. Spend around 15 minutes just looking at the galaxies - it's amazing how much more you see after 15 minutes. Revisit the object over many nights, your mind builds up a memory bank of detail you've previously seen and you suddenly notice something you hadn't seen before.

12" should be plenty enough to pull out some detail. You should see some elongation along with the bright core. I could spot the elongation in M65/66 with my 4" scope. Also, look for the larger, fainter galaxy nearby (NGC 3628) - they make a great triplet.

[janoskiss]

A 10-12mm eyepiece is your best bet for maximum detail. 7mm in your f/5 will be getting too dim and with the 20mm the magnification is not enough. Does not have to be an expensive EP, but helps to have a well made one, with good multicoatings. But probably even your 20mm in a 2x barlow would not be a bad start.

You'll also want:

1) Skies as dark (light pollution free) as possible, ideally 200+km from large cities, 50+km from major rural centres.

2) Clear skies with good transparency. Often after clear sunny days moisture condenses out of the atmosphere at night, covering the sky in a light (invisible) haze that reduces transparency.

Even with all of the above, galaxies are still faint objects. So you'll want your eyes dark adapted, and take your time observing.

[glenc]

Don't expect them to be perfectly clear. I suggest you use a 10 or 15mm eyepiece to see more detail.
You need 20 to 30 minutes to dark adapt properly.

[markus.a.bergh]

Thanks Everyone! I really appreciate the help.