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Is M31 Andromeda Galaxy this smudge of light I see?
Hi all
I have always wanted to view the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and last night had the clearest night for a while so went to have a look. Using
Stellarium I knew roughly where to look. The Square of Pegasus was above the horizon and resembled a 'diamond' due to its orientation. The lowest star in the 'diamond' was about half the height of the diamond above the horizon, so it was quite low.
I was using the 12.4mm and 25mm Plossls in my f1200mm 8" Optex dob. I'm observing from a point 25 km North East of Perth.
In the place that I expected to see M31 I saw a large faint 'smudge' of light that was vaguely ovoid in shape. Is this the Andromeda Galaxy?
I expect that the reason it is faint is due to it's low position above the horizon. At a guess I'd say it was about the same declination as the lowest star in the 'Diamond' of Pegasus.
Do I need to travel a bit further North, say to Lancelin (relies have a house there) to get a better view?
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