Without. question. the. finest. galaxy. of. them. all. (beyond.
our.own.Milky.Way.–.see.the.following.section).is.the.
famed.Andromeda.Galaxy.(M.31)..You.can.see.it.with.
the.unaided.eye.on.a.dark.night.if.you.know.just.where.
to. look. in. the. Fall. constellation.Andromeda. and. it’s. a.
nice.sight.even.in.binoculars..Every.star.chart.and.star.
atlas.ever.made.shows.it,.so.prominent.is.it..Aim.your.
Astroscan. at. it. using. the. 28. mm. (16X). eyepiece. and.
settle. down. for. some. careful. viewing.. It. appears. as. a.
large.bright.oval.glow.brightest.in.the.center.and.nearly.
encompasses.the.entire.field.of.view.with.averted.vision..
At.30X.the.nucleus.becomes.obvious,.and.you’ll.see.that.
one.side.of.the.galaxy.seems.to.fade.gradually.into.space.
while.the.other.side.cuts.off.abruptly..This.is.caused.by.
dust.in.one.of.its.big.graceful.spiral.arms..Near.the.main.
galaxy.itself.are.two.small.and.much.fainter.companion.
galaxies.that.slowly.orbit.it..The.brighter.round.one.close.
to.M.31.is.known.as.M.32.while.the.fainter,.larger.oval.
one.further.out.(but.still.in.the.same.field.of.view).is.M.
110..Now.how’s.that.for.your.first.galaxy?.Three.in.one!
One.of.the.many.galaxy.pairs.in.the.sky.is.M.81.and.M.
82.(sometimes.referred.to.as.Bode’s.Nebulae),.located.
off.the.bowl.of.the.Big.Dipper..Extending.an.imaginary.
line.from.the.bottom.left.corner.star.to.the.upper.right.
one.and.prolonging.its.distance.will.put.you.in.the.vicinity.
where.you.can.sweep.for.them..M.81.is.oval-shaped.and..
M. 82. cigar-shaped,. both. fitting. within. the. same. field.
of. view. of. both. the. 28. mm. (16X). and. 15. mm. (30X).
eyepieces.. Among. other. galaxies. you’ll. want. to.
seek. out. using. a. star. atlas. are. the. Whirlpool. Galaxy..
(M.51).in.Canes.Venatici,.the.Pinwheel.or.Triangulum.Galaxy..
(M.33).in.Triangulum,.the.Sombrero.Galaxy.(M.104).in.
Virgo,.and.the.Sculptor.Galaxy.in.Sculptor..And.should.
you.live.in.the.Southern.Hemisphere.(or.be.visiting.there),.
certainly. don’t. miss. the. two. Magellanic. Clouds,. huge.
satellite.galaxies.to.our.own,.visible.to.the.unaided.eye.
as.detached.portions.of.the.Milky.Way..Sweeping.them.
with.an.Astroscan.is.truly.an.unforgettable.experience!.
Starclouds in Cygnus
Photo by D. Healy
π
“Square of Pegasus”
Andromeda
Alpheratz
Markab
Pegasus
ν
Finding the
Andromeda
Galaxy
Especially.in.the.case.of.galaxies,.it’s.important.to.see.
with.your.mind.as.well.as.with.your.eyes..It’s.not.so.much.
what.they.look.like.in.the.eyepiece.that.matters.but.what.
they.represent.–.vast.star.cities.containing.hundreds.of.
billions.of.suns.floating.in.the.vastness.of.intergalactic.
space.tens.and.hundreds.of.millions.of.light-years.away!.
(A.light-year.is.the.distance.a.beam.of.light.travels.in.a.
year,.which.is.approximately.6,000,000,000,000.miles.).
And.further.realize.that.when.you.look.at.galaxies,.you’re.
seeing.them.by.light.that’s.millions.of.years.old!
Milky Way
Stretching.around.the.sky.in.a.complete.circle.is.the.Milky.
Way,. a. pale. band. of. light. composed. of. the. combined.
radiance. of. hundreds. of. billions. of. stars. in. our. home.
Galaxy..It.isn’t.very.familiar.to.today’s.city-dwellers,.but.
it.certainly.was.to.the.unlighted-street.generations.that.
preceded.them..Away.from.city.lights,.arching.across.the.
heavens.on.late.Summer.nights,.the.Milky.Way.totally.
dominates.the.sky..If.you’ve.never.had.an.opportunity.
to.see.it.this.way,.you.owe.it.to.yourself.to.do.so!.But.
even.from.the.suburbs.on.a.dark.clear.moonless.night,.
its.glow.can.be.followed.from.horizon.to.horizon.in.late.
Summer. and. early. Fall,. being. brightest. overhead.. All.
you.have.to.do.to.enjoy.the.Milky.Way.is.to.seat.yourself.
comfortably.on.the.ground.with.the.Astroscan.cradled.in.
your.lap.(without.its.base),.or.place.the.Astroscan.on.a.
picnic.table.(with.its.base),.and.slowly.sweep.along.this.
band.of.light..We’ve.already.covered.some.of.the.objects.
you’ll.encounter,.but.it’s.the.sheer.number.of.stars.that.
will.dazzle.and.thrill.you,.with.thousands.of.them.being.
visible. in. the. same. 28. mm. (16X). low-power. eyepiece.
field!.Some.of.the.very.richest.parts.of.the.Milky.Way.
are.its.massed.starclouds.in.the.constellations.Cygnus,.
Aquila,. Scutum. and. especially. Sagittarius.. Sweeping.
across. them. will. leave. you. breathless. and. may. well.
overwhelm.you.with.the.magnificence.of.our.Galaxy.and.
the.universe.itself.
