milky way at Guhagar Beach , at around 10 pm



    Cassiopeia constellation as my guide for finding the Andromeda Galaxy .
    easiest way to find the location for Andromeda galaxy is to look for
    Cassiopeia constellation first.
    Cassiopeia is like a ' M ' shape , located towards the north sky.
    then trace the ' M ' forward and look for a faint oval object in between the stars.
    that is the Andromeda.
   

    super-cropped image of the previous photo above.
    Being the closest spiral galaxy to our planet ,
    approximately 2.5 million light-years (2.4×10¹⁹ km) from Earth.
    on a good day with clear sky and minimal light pollution , we can actually
    see Andromeda galaxy with our naked eyes.



    minimal lights from thin crescent makes the sky darker and stars more prominent.
    also the moon sets as early as 9 pm that night , making the sky even darker
    after the moon disappears from the sky.


   Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky,
   named after the vain queen Cassiopeia
   in Greek mythology , who boasted about her unrivalled beauty.
   Cassiopeia was the wife of Cepheus, King of Aethiopia
   and mother of Princess Andromeda.

   It is bordered by Andromeda to the south, Perseus to the southeast,
   and Cepheus to the north.
   It is opposite the Big Dipper , that means Polaris is sandwiched between
   the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia.
   ( finding North / Polaris from Big Dipper : click here )
   In northern locations above 34ºN latitude it is visible year-round
   and in the sub-tropics it can be seen at its clearest
   from September to early November in its characteristic 'M' shape.
   Because it lies in rich Milky Way star fields,
   Cassiopeia contains many deep sky objects, including open clusters and nebulae.

    the cluster of stars is the Pleiades ( Seven Sisters )
    In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were seven sisters: Maia, Electra, Alcyone,
   Taygete, Asterope,   Celaeno and Merope.
   Their parents were Atlas, a Titan who held up the sky,
   and the oceanid Pleione, the protectress of sailing.
   




    compared to Goa , I like Guhagar Beach more because it's less crowded , cleaner
    and with minimal lights from beach resorts that causes light pollution.
    the almost pitch black condition at night is ideal for stargazing.


   Guhagar Beach , Maharashtra , India
   September 2014