Binos put a grin on my face tonight

[John]

Feeling a bit tired and listless tonight. Very cloudy earlier but then a clear patch of sky appears with the stars shining boldly and no moon to dim them.

Not really in the mood to set a scope up so I dug out my 10x50 binoculars for a quick walk around the garden, just to say that I had done some astronomy at least

I've actually had a very absorbing 45 minutes. Best sky for some time - down to around mag 5.5 with the naked eye, quite a length of the milky way visible, M31 and the "sword handle" double cluster.

Put two 50mm objectives up to my eyes and its a rich feast. Suddenly the amateur astronomer inside kicks in and I'm cruising around some lovely sights. Splendid open clusters in Auriga, Cygnus and Cassiopeia plus the "seventy seven sisters" in Taurus of course. Ancient and distant globular clusters in Pegasus, Sagitta and Hercules. Further off to galaxies M31 and 32 in Andromeda, M81 and 82 in Ursa Major and M33, the Triangulum Galaxy in it's namesake constellation.  A faint shell of gas marking the last part of a stars life in Vulpecula.  Mars low and glowing in the SE sky.

Simple instrument, no hassle enjoyment. Astronomy is fun and the enthusasm is kindled again

[johnfosteruk]

Nice report John. I love observing with my 10x50, and my 8x40. Put 'em both to good use under Cornish skies last week, even with the moon out for most of it! As you say, hassle free, and simple.

[MarsG76]

Nice report... Sometimes simple setups is what brings the most amount enjoyment.

 

[Demonperformer]

Great to get your mojo back.

Although I mainly image, I like getting out the 7x50s and just "cruising the sky" while the rig is doing its thing and have many times "stumbled" upon things I did not realise were there. What this hobby should be like..

[F15Rules]

Simple Stargazing. Just as it should be John?.

We arrived in Santorini yesterday for a week and are at the top of the caldera in Imeroglivi. Wow! The views are spectacular! 

I've brought my Opticron SR-GA 8.5 X 50s with me and am so glad I did. It was cloudy last night, having been clearer at sunset, but blue skies today so I'm hopeful of some views tonight..we face west from our balcony, so should see Saturn and Mars later☺.

Thanks for the appetiser John!

Dave

[Saganite]

Have a great time Dave and make the most of what must be glorious night sky.

[John]

Fabulous place Dave - always wanted to go there

 

[F15Rules]

Thanks John and Steve?.

It's been 27degrees today, blooming hot! Still clear at the moment so fingers crossed for some views later.

I've never been in the Med this late in the year before, and am amazed how high up the sun still seems to be. We are at just under 37 degrees north here, (slightly further south than San Francisco!), so the horizon here will be 16 degrees further south here than back in Lincolnshire at 52.93deg.

Will be interesting to see how much higher in the sky Mars and Saturn appear to be!

Dave

[mark81]

Nice report John, always great to grab the bins when feeling a little tired.  Sometimes the session can be so good and the skies end up so clear that at the back of your mind your thinking 'why didn't I just bring the scope out!'. ?

[bish]

Everybody should own a pair of bins. At home I generally use them for bright comets, but at a dark site when you only get breaks in the cloud they are the best thing to have. I prefer M31 in a good pair of bins than using the 250px. There is something nice about sweeping the sky with bins and seeing what comes into view.

[Eastman]

 

On 03/10/2018 at 01:01, John said:

the "sword handle" double cluster

Nice report John, never knew that the double cluster represents the jeweled handle of Perseus’s sword.

Strange to see that both stellarium and Sky Safari show Mythical constellations images of Perseus without a sword.

Double cluster is one of my favorites with bins

[devdusty]

Hello John 

Great to hear you had such a good night's observing with your 10 x 50 binoculars. How do you hold them steady enough to observe these faint objects? I have tried using 10 x 50 binoculars with my elbows resting on a wall but the stars are dancing all over the place.!

Chris P

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Lovely report, John. Binoculars are just great for quick session when you don't feel like dragging out the big guns. I tend to favour my 16x80s over the 10x56 I have, but so many objects can be admired in either instrument, it's endless fun

[John]

2 hours ago, devdusty said:

Hello John 

Great to hear you had such a good night's observing with your 10 x 50 binoculars. How do you hold them steady enough to observe these faint objects? I have tried using 10 x 50 binoculars with my elbows resting on a wall but the stars are dancing all over the place.!

Chris P

Hi Chris,

I find that I can hold the 10x50's reasonably steady. My 11x70's are much more of a challenge being a lot larger and around 3x as heavy. I'm getting some 8x56's soon so it will be interesting to see how it goes with those.

One thing that does help is knowing where the target objects are and not having to search for them too much. I expect my arms would have got more tired if I had needed to scan around a lot to find things.

 

[F15Rules]

On 04/10/2018 at 17:21, devdusty said:

Hello John 

Great to hear you had such a good night's observing with your 10 x 50 binoculars. How do you hold them steady enough to observe these faint objects? I have tried using 10 x 50 binoculars with my elbows resting on a wall but the stars are dancing all over the place.!

Chris P

Hi Chris,

Although 10x50s can be held quite steadily, a lightweight tripod and trigger grip mount can transform their views and comfort of binocular viewing.

I use this one and can heartily recommend it, available from Amazon UK.

RAVELLI

4.4 out of 5 stars  270Reviews

Adjustable Handle Trigger Gun per Ravelli APGL4) 177 cm Professional Tripod with Ball Head, Quick Release Plate and Carry Bag

Dave

[LukeSkywatcher]

10x50 bins cant be beaten.

Although, my Omegon 2.1x42 wide field bins rise up to the challenge.

 

 

[devdusty]

Thanks for your advice Dave. I note your comments about finding objects you know John.

I have seen the Pleiades through the 10 x 50 binoculars.During the summer I have been looking for M13 in Hercules which should be easy but could not see the faint blur  through the 10x50 s.

Chris P

[PeterW]

I observe from a reclined lightweight camp chair and can hold 8x pretty still. A trick to get good at is being able to look at a star and the bring binoculars to your face pointing at it... saves time sweeping about randomly.

Peter

[Kn4fty]

Sometimes you just can't beat a pair of binoculars! I too have nights where I don't feel like setting up the scope and break out the binos. Most relaxing!