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46 • Celestial Observing
Star Hopping
Another way to find deep-sky objects is by star hopping. Star hopping is done
by using bright stars to “guide” you to an object. Here are the directions for
two popular objects.
The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is an easy target. To find M31:
1. Locate the constellation of Pegasus, a large square visible in the fall and
winter months.
2. Start at the star in the northeast corner. The star is Alpha (α)
Andromedae.
3. Move northeast approximately 7°. There you will find two stars of equal
brightness — Delta (δ) and Pi (π) Andromedae — about 3° apart.
4. Continue in the same direction another 8°. There you will find two stars —
Beta (β) and Mu (µ) Andromedae — about 3° apart.
5. Move 3° northwest — the same distance between the two stars — to the
Andromeda galaxy. It is easily visible in the finder.
Figure 6-3
Star hopping to the Andromeda Galaxy is a snap to find since all the stars needed to do
so are visible to the naked eye. Note that the scale for this star chart is different from
the one on the following page which shows the constellation Lyra.