M33 - Triangulum Galaxy

A nearby type Sc spiral galaxy that is a prominent member of the Local Group. With about half the diameter of the Local Group's two dominant systems, the Andromeda Galaxy and our own Milky Way, M33 is an averaged-sized spiral, with a mass of between 10 and 40 billion solar masses.

The Triangulum Galaxy was probably first found by Hodierna before 1654 and independently rediscovered by Charles Messier in 1764.

Despite its modest size, M33 is home to one of the largest H II regions known: NGC 604, with a diameter of nearly 1,500 light-years and at least 200 newly-formed hot massive stars. It also has globular clusters and, possibly, its own satellite galaxy, LGS 3. (M33, in turn, may be a remote but gravitationally bound companion of the Andromeda Galaxy).

For the amateur observer, the Triangulum Galaxy can be glanced with the naked eye under exceptionally good conditions, making it, for those with keen eyesight, the most distant object visible without optical aid. It is outstanding in good binoculars, but as its considerable total brightness is distributed quite evenly over an area of nearly four times that covered by the full Moon, its surface brightness is extremely low.

M33 was the initial target of a 1975 SETI investigation by Frank Drake and Carl Sagan using the Arecibo radio telescope. The study was extended, with negative results, to other nearby galaxies at wavelengths of 21, 18, and 12.6 cm.



*easy to find - just hop to it from the Andromeda galaxy M31 -
possibly find it in binoculars first
i say easy to find, but the beginner in astronomy sometimes struggles with finding new objects...even the more persistent amateurs have struggles with objects..
really, a dark sky is a must for finding deep sky objects that you're not familiar with...definitely in the city, M33 is difficult...
get some good sky charts and be persistent in finding new objects...if you fail....sip some coffee or cocoa for a few minutes or however long it takes to get
your mind back... then go at it again... I PROMISE!! (PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF - EVENTUALLY YOU'LL SEEK AND FIND)

UV image of Andromeda (Sept 16, 2009)

On September 16, 2009, NASA's Swift Satellite Mission released the highest resolution ultra-violet (UV) image of Andromeda available. Covering an area some 200,000 light-years (ly) wide and 100,000 ly high, the image was compiled from 330 UV images made at wavelengths of 192.8, 224.6, and 260 nanometers. The result covers some 20,000 UV sources among the hottest and youngest stars and stellar remnants in Andromeda's spiral arms, densest clusters, and violent core around its central, supermassive black hole

Position of Uranus - 09/22/2009 - 9:00

Uranus is a nice object to find! find it first in binoculars is my opinion!...it's really not that difficult! As a matter of fact, using binoculars is a great way for any amateur to surf the universe....

here is a chart showing you where uranus is around 9:00 p.m central standard time!

Helix Nebula

The Helix Nebula!! Hard to spot because of it's magnitude perhaps...but definitely a keeper! used a 13.1" dobsonian mounted reflector to find it using averted vision...since i was in not so great a spot 5 miles out of the city of Florence, Alabama. covered a large surface area though and not really that difficult!