Dark site bino bike

[Size9Hex]

Only a few short miles from home, the sky offers so much more. Not a true dark site by any stretch, but worth the effort.

It would be easier to go by car, but the constellations overhead whet the appetite, and I can't resist looking up as I pedal, despite pushing a brisk pace up the road. A rabbit runs alongside the bike, and twigs break in the woodland, trodden by unseen deer. I often hear owls as I climb the final hill through the woods, but tonight they are silent.

I arrive, swap my cycling helmet for a favourite warm hat bought from Kathmandu years ago, and make myself comfortable.

Seasons change with the scenery (so said the great S&G), and when I see the Andromeda galaxy somewhere in Cygnus, I realise three months have passed since I last came stargazing here. The daily incremental change in the sky above my garden doesn't exactly go unnoticed, but it has evidently accumulated rather more than I realised.

I can sometimes convince myself that I can see M31 unaided, but I can't quite talk myself into it tonight. It is rather lower in the sky previously though. The binoculars show a fully extended disk that I can never really appreciate in the telescope eyepiece.

The Triangulum Galaxy is easily found and the orientation is apparent. The only other time I've detected the orientation was... three months ago from this site, with binoculars. I'm not sure how I feel knowing that they out perform the 10 inch scope in my yard! Impressed I suppose. It certainly confirms the sage advice on dark skies vs. aperture on this forum.

The Pleiades are always terrific in binoculars, with layers of depth and mystery against which an over aggressive telescope pushes too hard. Sometimes, less is more.

The Double Cluster is unavoidable, calling to me in my peripheral vision from halfway across the sky.

I pick up the Hyades; Another obvious highlight in binoculars, with many an appealing pattern of stars to provide entertainment.

I pan unexpectedly into Alpha Persei and almost fall backwards off my perch. The telescope has never given me such a tremendous view of this fabulous swirl of stars.

Panning further, and I find the Auriga asterism smiling down from the sky. The wide view and the freedom of movement in binoculars really helps, and the four big M clusters in Auriga and the top end of Gemini popped out in succession. Navigating through this area of sky with a scope never feels a chore, but the experience just doesn't flow in the same buttery smooth way.

Darting around, Caroline's Rose is a treat, and not one I've seen since the autumn. The name is suggestive, and it does seem a particularly pretty cluster. The view in binoculars is subtle, and I've never caught it from home without the scope.

Lower in the south now, and Orion serves up a different set of treats from the usual. Low magnification and wide views reveal a tremendous large cluster around the belt, but just panning in and out of the Milky Way area reveals the richness of the sky here. The sword is a wonder to see in widescreen, and the little baby nebula in the middle is a charm.

Past Sirius, M41 is a new catch for me. My binoculars suggest it might well be something unusually special, despite the glare of industry on the horizon not far below. One to return to.

An aeroplane low in the east hasn't moved for some time, and the binoculars reveal a rich yellow Jupiter sized disc. The colour takes me by surprise, until I realise the Moon in that location would likely be a similar colour. I wonder if I see a see a moon or two around the planet, but I don't worry about confirming it or identifying them.

I deliberately didn't bring a map or a list of targets, and I finish just with an enjoyable scan round Leo, Lepus, and one or two other areas I don't know well.

The winter wind is by now beginning to bare its teeth. Cycling kit is not astronomy kit, and I'm feeling the cold, except in my fingertips where I'm feeling nothing.

A brisk pace on the bike lights the furnace, and the blood returns painfully to my fingers. Ten minutes more, I'm back on busy roads in town, and the orange streetlights are choking the sky.

Thanks for reading :-)

[PhotoGav]

Thank you for your delightful report. The imagery conjured up makes it almost fit for the Imaging section of the forum!! Good for you for making the effort to get on your bike and ride.

[Stu]

Almost poetic stuff there Paul.  A great way to spend an evening.  Not sure I fancy observing in Lycra's in the winter though  

I'm awaiting a pair of 20 x 80's myself, looking forward to it.

[Physopto]

30 minutes ago, Stu said:

Almost poetic stuff there Paul.  A great way to spend an evening.  Not sure I fancy observing in Lycra's in the winter though  

I'm awaiting a pair of 20 x 80's myself, looking forward to it.

Don't think I could even fit into a Lycra suite!

 

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

Marvelous Imagery in your report Paul.

I almost felt that I was there with you,as I read it.

Lots of my favourite  Binocular targets there.

I liked the way that you integrated the sky into the 'whole picture' of a countryside nighttime experience.

[laudropb]

Very nice report. A most enjoyable read.

[Size9Hex]

Thank you for the kind words everyone.

12 hours ago, Stu said:

Almost poetic stuff there Paul.  A great way to spend an evening.  Not sure I fancy observing in Lycra's in the winter though  

I'm awaiting a pair of 20 x 80's myself, looking forward to it.

Hope you get some good enjoyment from the new binos. It'll be nice to hear how you get on with them. Telescoping and binocularising feel like quite different activities to me sometimes (looking around vs looking at) but I guess the bigger size binos might sit in a niche of their own between the two.

[Piero]

A lovely report!

3 months ago you said.. Also for me it is about 3 months since the last time I cycled to the nearby dark countryside. Looking forward to going out again. My last nocturnal observation was in late December! Thanks for sharing your report. It gave me almost the feeling of being outside surrounded by Nature.