Viewing stars with binoculars.

[Stargazing_Cliff]

Past couple weeks viewed Orion (constellation)

Orion (constellation) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

this was nice viewing

since dont see orion now doesnt go past me field of view now i seem to like looking at

Coma Berenices (Constellation)

Coma Berenices - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lovely viewing of the cluster of stars.

[BazMark]

I discovered Mel 111 myself three weeks back when I was in North Wales. I didn't even know it was there till we were panning the sky round 11pm and I spotted a light patch of sky and trained my binos on it. It was beautiful to behold and is now a regular object on my viewing list when I'm out with my binos. I can't see it at all with the naked eye from where I live in Essex.

[ismangil]

I discovered Mel 111 myself three weeks back when I was in North Wales. I didn't even know it was there till we were panning the sky round 11pm and I spotted a light patch of sky and trained my binos on it. It was beautiful to behold and is now a regular object on my viewing list when I'm out with my binos. I can't see it at all with the naked eye from where I live in Essex.

I finally found Melotte 111 last night after a long time, the sky around that area is totally blank to the naked eye in my backyard!

A tip by fellow SGL of making a same-side triangle between Arcturus and the end of Ursa Major and Melotte 111 helps a lot.

[BazMark]

To find it again when I returned home from my short break in N Wales I tried to imagine the whole of Ursa Major (looks like a pan) as the minute hand on a clock with the end of the pan handle as the centre of the clock face. (Funny shaped hand I know) If you move the hand forward 15 minutes (90 Degrees) you find mel 111 where the end of the pan would be. Works every time for me anyway.

[Astromart]

... I tried to imagine the whole of Ursa Major (looks like a pan) as the minute hand on a clock with the end of the pan handle as the centre of the clock face. (Funny shaped hand I know) If you move the hand forward 15 minutes (90 Degrees) you find mel 111 where the end of the pan would be. Works every time for me anyway.

I like it - will try it out when the cloud goes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BinocularSky]

I tried to imagine the whole of Ursa Major (looks like a pan)

I am finding it hard to visualise that, starting with imagining the whole of UMa as a pan. If I rotate around the tip of the tail (Alkaid/eta), neither the nose (Muscida/omicron) or any of the feet (xi, mu, kappa) end up anywhere near Mel-111; ditto if I rotate around Muscida.

That said, to find Mel-111, I just go straight to gamma Com with 10x50 binoc or a finder, and Mel-111 is there. Couldn't be easier.

[BazMark]

I am finding it hard to visualise that, starting with imagining the whole of UMa as a pan. If I rotate around the tip of the tail (Alkaid/eta), neither the nose (Muscida/omicron) or any of the feet (xi, mu, kappa) end up anywhere near Mel-111; ditto if I rotate around Muscida.

That said, to find Mel-111, I just go straight to gamma Com with 10x50 binoc or a finder, and Mel-111 is there. Couldn't be easier.

You're right! I'm forgetting that in my light polluted skies most of Ursa Major doesn't stand out. Only Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, Alkaid really stand out. We used to call them the 'Big Dipper' and they do look like a pan. But, add in the rest of Ursa Major if you can see them clearly and the 'Pan' gets lost in 'The Great Bear' which doesn't look remotely like a bear to me.

The whole area that Mel 111 is in is void of stars due to LP where I live. When I found them whilst up in N Wales I could just see them with unaided eyesight. I then trained my 15x 70s on them and saw them properly for the first time. I had to work out a way to find them when I got back home and the method I mentioned earlier just came to me and it worked fine when I got home.

[Lux1]

Like you Cliff, I started off with a basic 50mm scope and mini binoculars. The views of star clusters and the moon in the small scope got me hooked. I moved on to a 3" reflector and had my first good view of Saturn. I then moved on to a 130mm on a GOTO mount, however I will progress up the aperture ladder yet!

Your an inspiration as to what can be achieved with limited equipment.