M81/M82 with binoculars

[nwink]

I've been starting out a 110 objects to view for binoculars in the night sky handbook created by the Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies.  I've had my 15x70's for about a month now, learning constellations, finding a few Messiers and star clusters and such, but I wanted a purposeful program/guide I could work through.  This handbook has the levels of easy, medium, challenging.

I know viewing is entirely dependent on dark skies.  I live in somewhat dark skies (at the edge of red on the dark sky map)...typically see a few hundred stars with the naked eye at night, just guessing.  I've seen Andromeda several times through my binoculars, so I'm somewhat familiar with how an easy-to-find (very large) galaxy looks in binoculars.

But that said, now I'm wanting to find M81/M82.  The BinocularSky website shows an example of what they look like in some behemoth binoculars (34x100?).  Would it even be possible for me to see these in my skies at home with 15x70's (they're rated as a medium level of difficulty)?  They must just look like the faintest wisp.  Or does it sound like I most likely won't find them until I go out to some darker skies?  Thanks!

[Paul73]

I would expect you to need to head away from town a bit. I can see down to about mag 5.5 with the naked eye and can just catch them with my 10x50s.

At least binos are nice and portable.

Paul

[jkwhinfrey]

I'm on the edge of a small town with mag 4.5, perhaps mag 5, stars visible and I can get M81/M82 in my 15x70s.

I spotted them whilst trying to find the supernova in M82 this year. They're not spectacular, but I was surprised how visible they were.

James

[libraryman]

I agree with James, truth is; once you spot them, you will find them quite eisily, initially they can be a difficult spot and the darker it is the better.

Ray

[SteveNickolls]

Another +1 with James. Our sky is poor at around 4.3 limiting magnitude but I can spot them in my 15x70's. As James says they are nothing spectacular but they are there. Good luck hunting for them.

Cheers,

Steve

[BinocularSky]

The BinocularSky website shows an example of what they look like in some behemoth binoculars (34x100?).  Would it even be possible for me to see these in my skies at home with 15x70's (they're rated as a medium level of difficulty)?

Transparency and darkness are the key in smaller binos. From my typically mag +5.5-ish back garden, I can get them quite easily in my 10x42 when they are high in the sky.

Oh, and my big bino is a Miyauchi, not a Behemoth...

[nwink]

Steve/Paul/James,

How are you determining the magnitude of your skies?

[chiltonstar]

Wait for the right night, and then you will have a good view of M81/M82. My northish view is usually LP'd to the proverbial, but when rain has cleared the atmosphere and the Moon is elsewhere, then the couple are an amazing sight in my 15x70s, with even some detail when I use my mega-tripod.

Chris

[jkwhinfrey]

I'm not particular precise about it.

I judge the magnitude from the faintest star I can actually see directly with the naked eye near the zenith. Actually it's a combination of the faintest I can see, and the brightest that I can't. The limiting magnitude is somewhere in between.

I have quite a few comparison stars in my head - not literally ;-) - from the finder charts I've used whilst observing binocular variable stars.

Now the sky nearer the horizon, say the first 20 degrees altitude, isn't anywhere near that. It's sky glow central, and I wouldn't normally bother trying for smaller or fainter DSOs down there.

James

[nwink]

I just came across this blogpost that uses the Little Dipper to help determine limiting magnitude (since it's out all year and features stars with a wide variety of brightness):

http://astrobob.areavoices.com/2010/12/06/how-dark-is-your-sky/

Very helpful!

[Paul73]

I just came across this blogpost that uses the Little Dipper to help determine limiting magnitude (since it's out all year and features stars with a wide variety of brightness):

http://astrobob.areavoices.com/2010/12/06/how-dark-is-your-sky/

Very helpful!

Good tool. I just look up pick the faintest star that you can see then look up its brightness. I normally go for about 45°.

Paul

[BinocularSky]

Steve/Paul/James,

How are you determining the magnitude of your skies?

If I want to do it accurately (new site, etc) I use this. Otherwise I just take a wild guess, based on what I try to pass off as "educated experience", and shove an "-ish" on the end...

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

Thanks for the link Steve. A very useful tool.

[BinocularSky]

It's actually a sort-of stripped down version of the IMO charts & tables, but much easier to print out (two pages as opposed to over a dozen) and stash in the eyepiece box.

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

It's actually a sort-of stripped down version of the IMO charts & tables, but much easier to print out (two pages as opposed to over a dozen) and stash in the eyepiece box.

The charts now reside in my eyepiece box too!

[Iainp]

I struggled to find M81 and M82 from my previous home in light polluted Hatfield UK (Just outside London) even in my 10" Scope. Now I'm in a village in Cambridgeshire, conditions are much better but I still struggle to find the pair with binoculars.  Recently I visited a friend in Great Massingham, Norfolk and stepped out into her garden with my 15 X 70 Revelation binoculars. The sky was, it seemed to me, completely transparent black, so I knew it was going to be good but I had no idea how good.  Even with hand held bins M81/82 seemed brighter and clearer than I'd ever seen it through the 10", even from decent darker skies.  The Orion nebula M42 was up too; stunning!  It was almost painful to realise how fantastic astronomy could be from a proper dark site.