Binocular Observing 11/01/17

[Badweather]

This started on 10/31/17

I had set my 8SE up at around 7:00 pm

Transparency: above average 4/5

Seeing: average 3/5

I viewed a number of objects with my 8SE:

M31, M32,

M110 was not able to see.

M57, M27 are always available.

M13, M92 sitting very pretty in a clearer patch of sky than usual to the west.

I was early enough to catch some favorites, M8, M16, M17, M20, M21, M22, M23, and M24

I then took a break and when I came back I grabbed my binoculars, 10x50's.

First I viewed Pleiades, then Hyades, then over to Mirach, Nu, Mu, and above that to M31. I couldn't see M110 or M32 in binos.

I've been searching for Kembles Cascade with binoculars, which I've found with the 8SE, though you can only see two stars at a time at that magnification and narrower FOV.

So I'm looking around the general vicinity below Cassiopeia, in Camelopardalis and eventually wander into Perseus and find:

The Double Cluster with my binos.

I slewed the 8SE over to NGC 884, and NGC 869 to confirmed that I had in fact found the double cluster in my 10x50's

I finished my bino tour of the sky on the Coathanger Cluster.

I have never viewed the Coathanger cluster through my telescope. Well, maybe once just like M45 and Hyades. I always use binoculars to look at these objects now.

I finished the evening on M42 which I end up looking at for nearly an hour through both the binoculars and my 8SE

[RT65CB-SWL]

Good report and you bagged a few DSO targets. The 'Coathanger'  is a lovely asterism when viewed through binoculars, as are the 'Pleaides'. 

[Stu]

Very nice report Badweather.

Kemble's Cascade is lovely through a widefield scope or binoculars, relatively easy to find by following the two end stars in Cassiopeia.

http://www.backyard-astro.com/deepsky/bino/01_b.html

[Badweather]

1 hour ago, Philip R said:

Good report and you bagged a few DSO targets. The 'Coathanger'  is a lovely asterism when viewed through binoculars, as are the 'Pleaides'. 

Thanks Phillip!

It really is a neat little asterism. i do recall now, I remeber thinking that this must be the coathanger cluster, then pointing the 8SE at it and looking and thinking that the binos are the thing to use for this particular object.

11 minutes ago, Stu said:

Very nice report Badweather.

Kemble's Cascade is lovely through a widefield scope or binoculars, relatively easy to find by following the two end stars in Cassiopeia.

http://www.backyard-astro.com/deepsky/bino/01_b.html

Thanks Stu,

I appreciate that link. It will probably help to know what I'm looking for. Now that I see what Kemble's Cascade looks like in the 15x80's I have a bit of an idea that it's smaller than i was expecting and I recall seeing something about the size it should be, in my memory, so I may have already seen it.

When I have tried over the last month to see it, I tend to drift towards the space between Cassiopeia and Perseus. I see it's a bit towards the north of the line coming from the two stars in Cas.

Generally when I go looking for things I tend to only want to know whether they're galaxies, SNR's, emmison nebula, open cluster, globular cluster, asterism, etc. because I think preconceived notions can get in the way of good observing skills and techniques. But in this case, it helps I think to know how small it may appear in my 10x50's.
 

[Stu]

This is it in 10x50s, with the lovely NGC1502 highlighted. If you find the three brighter stars at the top then they lead onto the Cascade.