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Celestial Observing • 43
Star Hopping
You can use your setting circles to find these objects (as described earlier in
this manual) or try star hopping. Star hopping is done by using bright stars to
guide you to an object. Here are directions for two popular objects.
The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is an easy first 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 5-2
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.