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Have never seen M33 directly anywhere ...

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I think this is one of the places where Bortle's criteria need fixing. I'm quite sure I can't see M33 with direct vision, and I'm pretty sure that there are very, very few people who can. And I don't think light pollution is the obstacle; the problem is simply this object's inherent faintness.

But I wouldn't say that M33 is just "suspected" for me either. Even under fairly bright skies, I can sorta vaguely see something, and every time I sight on it through my Telrad, lo and behold, there's M33 sitting in the center of my eyepiece. I would think it might be an illusion composed of a bunch of faintish stars, but there are no stars in that vicinity which could produce such an illusion.

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Tony Flanders

eyeglasses
6x15 and 8x32 monoculars
8x25, 7x35, 10x30 IS, 10x50, and 15x70 binoculars
70mm and 100mm achromatic refractors
4.5", 7", and 12.5" Dobs

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