A spring spiral observation project

Spiral structure in galaxies is not easy to detect visually with smaller aperture. However, the spring sky contains a few galaxies where the sprial arms may be made out with moderate aperture when the sky is dark and clear.

For those of you who have clear and dark skies the following project is suggested: Observe the galaxies in the list below and assess the visibility of the spiral features in each case. Use sufficient magnification. Many of the galaxies in the list are quite small, and in my experience the best magnification range for observation of galaxies is 100 - 200x.

Here's the list:

M81
M101
M51
NGC2903 (Leo)
M95
M100
M99
M61
M83 (for those of you who live far enough south)

I hope you'll enjoy these objects.

Inge S

This sounds like a lot of fun. I'll give it a shot.

Thanks for the idea and the list, Inge. I too will give it a shot.

Bob Polcyn

I just want to add that I'm very interested in your results. Some of the objects are quite easy, but in a couple of cases I only suspect seeing the spiral pattern in my 12.5-inch. Maybe a combination of memory and imagination is playing with my mind....

Perhaps NGC 2403 could be included?

Jud