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Ephemeris: 11/07/2023 – How to find the Great Andromeda Galaxy

November 7, 2023 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Election Day for some, Tuesday, November 7th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 5:23, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:30. The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:22 tomorrow morning.

The closest large galaxy to our Milky Way galaxy is the Great Andromeda Galaxy, seen high in the eastern sky when it gets dark. It is barely visible to the naked eye. To locate it, first find a large square of stars high in the east-southeast standing on one corner, the Great Square of Pegasus. The left star of the square is the head of the constellation Andromeda. Follow two stars to the left and a bit downward, then two stars straight up. The galaxy is near that last star as a small smudge of light. Binoculars are the best way to see it as a thin spindle of light. Using a telescope, one can see, besides its nucleus, its two satellite galaxies.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –5 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

How to find the Great Andromeda Galaxy (M31) from the Great Square of Pegasus by star-hopping. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Impress, and an animated slide from my presentation “Stars, Stories and Galaxies of Autumn”, and GIMP.
Great Andromeda Galaxy
The Great Andromeda Galaxy (M31) as it might be seen in binoculars. Visually even in a telescope the hub of this galaxy is all that is seen. However, it can also be seen with the naked eye. My photograph.
This is a long exposure photograph of The Great Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and two of its satellite galaxies, M32 and M110. To the eye in binoculars or telescope only the glow inside the first dust band is visible. It takes long exposure photography to reveal the galaxy’s extent. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Image credit: One of our local amateur astronomers and astrophotographers, Dan Dall’Olmo, another slide from my autumn presentation.

Categories: Ephemeris Program, Galaxies, Observing Tags: , , , , , ,