M-77 through a 31-inch telescope

In September of 2000, I managed some time on the huge 31-inch f/7 Newtonian reflector at Warren Rupp Observatory near Mansfield, Ohio. During the evening observing session, I made this drawing of M-77, the bright Seyfert galaxy in the constellation of Cetus. M-77, discovered by Pierre Mchain in 1780 has proven to be fertile ground for researchers. It was one of the first galaxies to be recognized by Lord Rosse to be spiral shaped, to have strong spectral emission lines that suggest rapid outflow of material from the core and to be a strong source of energy in the radio spectrum. Today, it's believed all of this is powered by a central supermassive object, almost a small quasars.

M-77 is a high surface brightness object that is easy to see in small telescopes. It is worth examining M-77 at high powers, even in smaller telescopes for hints of the spiral detail.

For the full story, see:
http://ladyandtramp.com/31-inch/m-77.jpg