Bode's Nebulae and M101?

Question

Hey I live on the edge of a city and the light pollution around my area is not severe,but it's not really contributing to my astronomy either lol.But I was looking out of my window and I have actually seen two constellations!,the constellation Ursa Major and Bootes!,I made out Ursa Major by starting with the tail and working my way down the line of stars with the help of identifying each with Stellarium, it's pretty awesome and shocking in a way that each star is 55,0000 light years away in space!,then I had a treat in finding another constallation, yep I navigated south +30 degrees using my skill of Azimuthal Grid and found the Constallation of Bootes, and at the bottom Arcturus! however my question is involved in the constellation Ursa Major, -0(just above) there are two nebulas called Bode's Nebulae and M101,has any of you Astronomers seen these Nebulaes through your telescope?

Answer 1

First of all, congratulations on identifying Ursa Major and Bootes; those were two of the first constellations I identified when I was getting started. You're well on your way!

Both M81 (sometimes called Bode's Galaxy) and M101 are galaxies, and very few people use the old fashioned term "nebula" for them, reserving it for true nebulae, clouds of gas in our own galaxy, such as M8 (the Trifid Nebula) and M42 (the Orion Nebula).

Oddly enough, M81 and its neighbour M82 are among the brightest and easiest galaxies to see, while M101 is one of the most difficult, possibly _the_ most difficult object in Messier's catalog. That's because M81 and M82 have a high surface brightness, whereas M101 has a very low surface brightness, so that it tends to get lost in the sky background unless you have a very dark site. M81 and 82 are very easy to spot, even in the city and with binoculars, and make an interesting contrast in their shapes, M81 being a smooth oval and M82 being a mottled cigar shape.

I observe all three of these galaxies very often with my 11" scope under dark country skies.

Answer 2

Yes I have seen both, although M101 is not easy with no light pollution; I'm afraid you won't see it in Chicago! M81 and M82 are certainly worthy targets, and they are about 11 million light years away. Also, there are several great double stars in the region "above and to the left" of Arcturus. M3 is a beautiful globular cluster that looks like a jewel box between Bootes and Ursa Major (closer to Bootes). Finally, if you look above Bootes, you should be able to find Hercules. And if you find Hercules, you can easily find M13, which is the biggest and brightest globular cluster in the northern hemisphere. It's worth the search. Good luck and have fun.

Answer 3

I have observed both galaxies many times. M-81 or Bode's nebula is a type Sa spiral that basically looks rather featureless in a smaller telescope. There is a bright nucleus but the nuclear bulge is quite large in proportion to the spial arms. In 1993 a supernova exploded in this galaxy and I was able to see it easily even in binoculars! M-81 makes a nice pair with M-82, an edge on galaxy with irregular dark lanes running across it. There are two other smaller galaxies near them, NGC-3077 and 2976, both easy marks for a 6-inch if you observe from a good site and the sky is clear and dark. M-101 is a showpiece galaxy that does require clear dark skies to see the spiral arms well. In my 10-inch they were clearly visible as a clockwise spiral pattern with a small nuclear region. It's large and almost looks like an intergalatic ghost. There are two smaller elliptical companion galaxies nearby, NGC-5374 and 5375, which are in range of a 6-inch and very easy in a 10-inch. There are also numerous star forming regions you can see with larger telescopes from a dark site. Both of these objects are fine examples of sprial galaxies and well worth looking at even if you have a 4 or 6-inch telescope. Dark and clear skies are more important than having a 16 or 20-inch telescope to get a good view, though they would look like their photos through a large telescope.

Answer 4

Bode's nebula, better known as M81, is fairly easy to spot in a small telescope, along with its companion galaxy M82. M101 is a big face-on galaxy that's very impressive in photos, but rather faint in a small scope. In a dark sky you can see bits of its spiral arms.

You have read the star distances wrong. Stars are too dim to see unaided beyond a couple of thousand light years; I think the Big Dipper stars are all within 100 ly.

Answer 5

There is a book by H.A Rey on the constellations. That sounds like it would be a good first book for you to get.

Yes, he is the Curious George author but he has 2 good books on Astronomy that you can learn a lot from without spending a lot of money and simple enough to understand even at a beginner level. I have them both.

Answer 6

I have seen both and photographed both.

Neither is much to see, even through a good scope.

You will need a 4-inch or better aperture and use lower powers to take advantage of what little light you get.

Photography will require exposures of 10 - 15 minutes to get good results on Bode's, a little less with M101.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

I've not had much luck with nebulas.... I've wanted to see the Horsehead nebula, the nebula in Orion, and a few others, and mostly, they appear as white splotches, without all the brilliant colors you see in photographs.

Answer 9

definite. what are you watching for to confirm? saturn would be non-stellar and a creamy yellow coloration, yet it particularly is all you are going to confirm. deep sky products will look like somewhat fuzzy stars, or small patches the place the sky will never be as darkish because of the fact the sky around it.

Answer 10

Ive seen it thru my 10 inch dob