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Dark Nebula for Binoculars


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I read this too - but must admit - I don’t really see the attraction. I mean, it’s just a dark patch, it seems like a case of looking for something that you know you can’t see, and the only way you know you’ve found it is when you can’t see anything? I can do that every time it’s cloudy already!

or maybe I’m just a big old cynic ?

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I need to drive about 45 minutes to get to a dark enough spot so I've come appreciate my binoculars and a tripod for easy set up. I like star hopping and working with a chart and the Pocket Atlas just to find a target so binoculars are well suited.  With 10x50s I often just park on the side of a rural road and lean back against the side of my car to view. The L935 dark nebula it one of my favourite 10x50 objects when Cyg is straight over head.

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On 23/08/2018 at 23:22, Mr niall said:

I read this too - but must admit - I don’t really see the attraction. I mean, it’s just a dark patch, it seems like a case of looking for something that you know you can’t see, and the only way you know you’ve found it is when you can’t see anything?

True, however...

...straining to identify the dark nebulae makes the surrounding bright features more prominent.

I find it a very useful 'mind trick' to see more.  It may have some physiological basis.

Cheers

Paul

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On 27/08/2018 at 10:11, clarkpm4242 said:

...straining to identify the dark nebulae makes the surrounding bright features more prominent.

Exactly. It's actually a pretty good way to see NGC 7000: concentrate on looking for the "Gulf of Mexico" DN.

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  • 3 months later...

BinocularSky:  Good example of a Dark Nebula that helps with large binoculars.  However, if you only have Naked Eyes or Wide Field Binoculars then you can use the same observational technique in observing the Cepheus Star Cloud!  The west and north side are defined by Lynds DN ID#300 and Lynds DN ID#399, while the east side of the Cepheus Star Cloud is defined by Lynds DN ID#352.  Of course the base of the Cepheus Star Cloud has IC1396 and Herschel's Garnet Star.  The Star Cloud is so much more noticeable due to it being surrounded by these huge Dark Nebulae which are, of course, a significant part of the matter that makes up our Milky Way.  Check out the picture drawn by Dr Gaposchkin in 1959 which I annotated with identification labels and uploaded into the Observing Deep Sky.  As I note in that discussion there are many large Dark Nebulae left out of the image for Northern Hemisphere observers due to Dr. Gaposchkin having worked on the better part of the image at the dark site of Mt. Stromlo Observatory and only finishing the northern portion of the drawing when he had returned to Boston - hardly a dark site.  

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