September 22. 2012: quick session with bins

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Yesterday the promised clear patches of sky materialized so late that I did not feel like setting up the scope. Instead, I grabbed the Helios 15x70 bins and had a short tour of some favourites. M45 was first up. It is always a stunning binocular object. As it rose over the city of Groningen, I could of course not see the reflection nebulae, but dozens of stars shone out. M31 was next. Quite close to zenith by now, and an easy target, as were M32 and M110. After this I tried M33. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was from my suburban garden. Jupiter by now was just above the trees, and the disk with 4 moons in a neat row showed very nicely. I then went to Perseus with the double cluster (I rarely miss a chance of having a peek at it), and the alpha-Persei cluster. Finally, I moved to Cygnus, and tried to get the North America Nebula, but that proved too hard under these conditions. I finished with M13, in Hercules. Quite low in the west, but still a very nice object in the 15x70s.

I must say that the more I use these Helios 15x70s, the more I like them. They seem to pick up a lot more than my older Omegons (Revelation/Celestron clones).

[Double Kick Drum]

Glad you managed to get out. Those Helios bins do sound nice. The only good thing about my Adlers is the weight of them. It means I don't have to use a tripod.

The forecast for the next few days looks ominous. Still, on the bright side, it could have been like this during the last New Moon period.

Clear skies.

[Stu]

Nice one Michael. Always good to get out for a quick session if you get a chance.

Must have a try with some bigger binos, they sound good . Were you using a tripod or just handheld?

Stu

[scarp15]

Nice report,

I really enjoy using my Helios 15x70's for much the same reasons. The contrast and sharpness across the field is much improved compared to my previous 15x70's. I enjoy using mine both at a dark location and from home, where I find them to be very versatile, used in short sessions, or slightly longer periods where I will tripod mount them. Panning the sky with the binoculars, I am able to avoid the worst of the increasing light pollution hot spots and thermals - created by heating systems, in my immediate neighbourhood, that would restrict my scope somewhat.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Thanks, guys. I used mine without tripod. I sometimes use a p-mount, but did not want to set it up last night