Bino Session - 11.11.07

[asteria]

Hi all - up a bit early so grabbed the Lidl Specials and caught a few sights. The cloud cover was moderate, but moving quickly across the sky so I was able to dodge in and out as they went over.

The Comet! It looks much larger to me, with less definition, although still more or less circular. Noticeably closer to Alpha Per.

Venus: incredibly bright and large in the southeastern sky. Even in 50mm binos it was quite a sight.

Saturn: a good view with some hint of the rings (slightly oval shape), nestled below the stars of Leo.

Mars: clearly bigger than a few weeks ago, and getting brighter. Pity I didn't have the MAK out, but hopefully there will be plenty of opportunities for further viewing over the next few months.

M44 Beehive/Praesepe: I always enjoy this object in binos. A nice spread of stars, subtle and delicate.

M45 Pleiades: always a beautiful sight, now low to the western horizon in the morning.

Aldebaran and Hyades: a great combination to scan in the binos.

Stars of Orion: even in the morning light, these stars are a fantastically beautiful sight. Spent some time scanning the belt and sword. No sense of the nebula in the binos, but the light was coming up quite quickly. I'm looking forward to getting the scopes on to this part of the sky.

Arcturus: this one was a surprise. I am mainly familiar with it in the summer sky. However, now brilliant orange/red in the eastern morning sky and a glorious sight.

Mizar/Alcor: I always check in for this pair, even in the binos.

M101: a got a glimpse of this (I think) - a very subtle smudge, more or less where I expected to find it! But I might have been imagining it.

It's easy to underestimate the value of binos. Patrick Moore says binos are the first piece of equipment beginners should get, and after a few years of experience I tend to agree with him. It's amazing how much can be seen with them, particularly with clear, steady seeing. They are so simple as well, with no set up time.

Ed

[cygnusx1]

Good session there Ed!

Nisn't it nice to be able to get to see so many objects in one session.

I myself am thinking of getting some binos, on the nights i can't be bothered with setting up, or just for a quick view.

The Lidl's offer looks tantalizing.

[mik]

Nice report ED you got out and saw a good collection of objects

i am thinking on a good set of bins i have 8x36 Nikons that have

very good optics but not quite enough light gathering.

Mick.

[asteria]

Hi there - binos are very useful - the ultimate grab and go. The ones I use are the Lidl/Meade/Bresser specials and for the money they are very good. 10x50s. This combination of aperture and mag. seems to be about right, although I've often thought about moving up to the Celestron 70mm pair.

Mik - I bet the optics are great on your Nikons, but as you say 36mm is probably a bit small for astro work. 50mm seems to give just the right balance between light gathering and weight. Probably at 70mm it would be essential to have some sort of support for the arms to stop the shakes.

Take care all.

Ed

[Andrew*]

They're great for the money them binos. I find 10x50 ideal as no support is needed. 100% grab and go. Anything bigger and you need support.

Mind I wouldn't mind a pair of 20x100 on a nice bino mount...

Andrew