Use the Great Square to locate Andromeda galaxy
Discuss Print Me Email to FriendTonight is Tuesday, Nov 17 2009
If you have a really dark sky, you can see the Andromeda galaxy at this time of year … simply by looking up. Around 9:00 p.m., in fact, this galaxy is almost straight overhead, so you may want to enjoy the comfort of a reclining lawn chair for viewing this deep-sky treasure. This neighboring spiral galaxy appears in our sky as a large hazy patch – bigger than a full moon. It’s very noticeable in a star-filled sky, far from city lights.
If you need some help finding the Andromeda galaxy, there are a couple of different ways to use neighboring constellations to find it.
One way to find the galaxy is by finding the Great Square in the constellation Pegasus. The Great Square consists of a large square pattern of stars in the east at nightfall. By mid-evening, the Great Square swings way up high in your southern sky. Extending from the Square, you’ll find two graceful streams of stars – another constellation, Andromeda. I learned to find the Andromeda galaxy by “star-hopping” from the star Alpheratz in Great Square to the two stars marked here – first Mirach, then Mu Andromedae. An imaginary line drawn through these two stars points to the Andromeda galaxy. If you can’t see the Andromeda galaxy with the unaided eye, try binoculars.
But I said there were a couple of ways to use neighboring constellations to find the Andromeda galaxy. Find this wonderful galaxy using the constellation Cassiopeia with the help of tomorrow’s chart.
