First time with binos - Cornwall dark skies

[david_taurus83]

The family and I are on a nice week long break here in Cornwall. Just outside Boscastle, bortle 3 skies. I had hummed and hawed for a couple of weeks about wether to load up the EQ6 mount for the trip but the weather forecast was, predictably, rubbish! Anyways, not wanting to miss any chance of a clear sky, I bought myself a nice entry level set of binoculars, Olympus 10 x 50 DPS I from Amazon after reading some good reviews. Last night the clouds parted and Cornwalls sky finally revealed itself to me in all its glory! Amazing is the only way to describe! I had read that at dark skies it is difficult to pick out the usual familiar stars due to so many being visible and it's true! I had a great half hour last night. Peering through gaps in the cloud, I had a good look at Orion again, prob for the last time this year as it's getting low now. No chance of seing it from Brum now due to neighbours rooftops. M44 cluster, clearly visible to the naked eye, my first time observing. Also, below and to the left a little of M44, a faint smudge, almost like a galaxy. Is this M67? Didn't know a glob cluster can appear like this but can't see anything else on Stellarium in this area. Had a quick look for M81 and M82 as well. Easily visible through the bins . I have to say, my 200p is a great telescope, but my only eyepiece, a Baader Zoom 8-24, I've always felt that the FOV is just too narrow, I was disappointed a few weeks ago viewing the double cluster and not being able to fit barely one cluster into view. I have mainly been  trying AP with the scope though. The field of view through bins though is fantastic. Love the simplicity and ease of just being able to pick them up and go outside. No lugging around heavy mounts or polar aligning. I had read plenty of advice for beginners looking to buy their first telescope for them to buy some binos first. I can strongly recommend this advice now! Whenever I go out imaging now, these binos will always be at hand.

 

I've had another go tonight with them mounted on a camera tripod. Skies not as clear as last night though. I've had to come back in, defeated by the cold, strong wind and cloud. Viewing Jupiter and it's moons now through an open window!! Couldn't do this with an EQ6!

 

The weather really has been awful these last 6 weeks. But that brief half hour of dark skies I had last night, has brought back the excitement I had when I first looked through an eyepiece last November. I will miss this place when I go back to the light polluted skies of the Midlands this week.

 

Clear skies to all and hopefully some better weather soon!

[Pete Presland]

There is no real substitute for dark skies, sounds like you had a couple of pretty good sessions under them. I love the bino's as well they easily my most used piece of equipment.

[Stu]

Hi David,

Great report, dark skies really do make a huge difference. A nice pair of binos can show you a huge amount still.

Definitely sounds like you got M67, the position is correct for it.

Well worth getting a widefield eyepiece to see the larger objects. Something like an ES 24mm 68 degree should fit both of the clusters in the field of view, lovely sight. Is you scope f6 or f5? Even at f6/1200mm f/l it fits!

[Eastman]

Great report David, widefield views under a darks skies are the best.

Nice objects you saw with the bino.

You right, the double cluster needs to be seen in one fov, great open cluster also through a binos.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Great report! Bins, even "mere" 10x50s can reveal so many objects, especially under dark skies. Investing in wide-field EPs is certainly a good idea as well. My Nagler 31T5 "Panzerfaust" actually manages to fit the double cluster into the FOV even with my F/10 C8

[david_taurus83]

3 hours ago, Stu said:

Hi David,

Great report, dark skies really do make a huge difference. A nice pair of binos can show you a huge amount still.

Definitely sounds like you got M67, the position is correct for it.

Well worth getting a widefield eyepiece to see the larger objects. Something like an ES 24mm 68 degree should fit both of the clusters in the field of view, lovely sight. Is you scope f6 or f5? Even at f6/1200mm f/l it fits!

Perhaps "disappointed" is the wrong word to use as my initial reaction was to say out loud "wow!"

 

I will have to keep an eye out in the for sale section and maybe treat myself for my birthday. However I keep telling myself I have already treated myself to the next 5 birthdays and Christmases all at once.

 

I really have spent an awful lot on astro gear ?

 

[Swithin StCleeve]

I love observation reports like this, and I agree with what you said about the simplicity of bins. Plus, you have to know the night sky when you use binoculars. And that in itself, is a skill, I think.