September 27-28 Binocular Session

[Natty Bumpo]

September 27-28, 2019
Rural Dark Site

Fithian, Illinois.  USA
40.009685,-87.832128
Elevation 670 ft

Pentax 8.5X43
Oberwerk 25X100

2100-0100

Transparency was very good all evening.
Seeing average at 2100 but improved through the evening.
Pickering 3 at outset increased to 4 by 2300.

Henry and I had a grand outing at our Fithian dark site.
Henry imaged with his Quatro and I lounged with my binoculars.

At midnight when NGC7000 was nearly at zenith I made the observation free handing my Oberwerks 25X100 binoculars reclining in my ZG chair.
Easy peasy...

I attempted to render a sketch as closely as I could to the contrasts which I was actually viewing.

Before it was all over I had spent the evening in what amounts to "Birdwatcher Astronomy".

I bounced around and followed a meandering trail of "pickups" as I enjoyed the binoculars. Sometimes the 25X100s were mounted on the tripod. Sometimes the 25X100s were free handed in the recliner. And sometimes a wondered with the 8.5X43s. In fact I often use the 8.5X43s as finders for the big guns. When I ran upon an item a went to the 25X100 for a closer view. Once in a while the 25X200 constructed the field too much...Collinder 65 is an example of this situation. This OC revealed most fully in the 8.5X43 Pentax

NGC752 OC
Open cluster in Auriga

M33
Spiral galaxy in Triangulum.
Presented is a dusty irregular oval with faint brightness increase at the center. No defined structure revealed. This is a very low contrast view in the 25X100s.

LAGOON NEBULA,
Messier 8 in Sagittarius.
Pleasing nebulisity.


WILD DUCK
Messier11. Open cluster in Scutum.

SATURN
Bare minimum of resolve of Saturns rings.

JUPITER
Visual observation only.

M2
Globular cluster in Aquarius.

M30
Globular cluster in Capricornus.

M29
Ooen Cluster in Cygnus.

NGC 7000
Bright Nebula in Cygnus
North American Nebula

This is revealed to me as a faint cloud somewhat shrouded to the north in a myriad star field standing out by contrast to its background in the south.


Hyades, Mel 25
This is a well known 330 arcmin Open Cluster in Taurus. I always enjoy this Cluster.

NGC1647
Open cluster in Taurus northeast of Albebaran and the Hyades cluster.

NGC1746
Open cluster in Taurus east of NGC1647

CR65 Collinder 65
Ooen cluster in Taurus

CR69 12:43 AM
Open Cluster in Orion with the star Meissa north and East of Bellatrix.

So there it is.
We had fun. We ate some sandwiches. We Snapped some pictures. Henry shared his views with me and I shared my views with him.

Clear skies.

 

Edited September 29, 2019 by Natty Bumpo
Image added

[scarp15]

Enjoyable read, very nicely presented binocular session in relaxing circumstances and superb sketch and yes taking sandwiches is always a good plan.

[mark81]

Nice session with some great objects - many of them are targets I always tend to go for with binoculars.  

The 8x32s sound useful.  I've been meaning to get a pair for ages ...

[Natty Bumpo]

Thank you Scarp and Mark for your encouraging comments. 

I enjoy binocular astronomy very much.

It is my goto for a relaxing pleasure cruise on the river Alph. 

"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure-dome decree :

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran through caverns measureless to man

Down to a sunless sea."

–Kubla Khan, Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Cheers!

[Stu]

Entertaining report Natty, and a lovely sketch. Not dissimilar to the views I got with my 72mm recently, albeit I had a wider field of view. Reclining with the 25x100s sounds like a good approach, particularly with object high up towards the zenith.