Winter Targets for Small Telescopes

[vlaiv]

43 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

quite a few stars out there are not single stars one famous is Alcor and Mizar which if you have good eyesight you can see both I have read the Romans used this for the eye test to join there ranks I could be wrong. Another good one is Albireo in Cygnus when viewed through a scope you can clearly see a yellow star and a blue star. There are thousands out there splitting them will take different magnifications depending how close they are to each other.

That one is actually rather interesting story - and not yet settled

It is the Mizar of the two that is double system (in fact both appear to be quadruple systems - Alcor spectroscopic quadruple and Mizar double of two spectroscopic doubles). Alcor and Mizar indeed form naked eye pair (but I believe that they are optical pair) - but Mizar is also double star visually (real double).

Splitting Alcor and Mizar by naked eye is not much of a feat, but splitting Mizar with naked eye - certainly is. I've heard the story that it was in Arabic ranks that it was used as test for exceptional vision. Given that they are separated by about 1/4 of arc minute - it is really on threshold of vision of someone with exceptionally sharp eyesight.

I've read once discussion that emphasized desert as setting for conducting these tests - desert can have exceptional seeing and transparency and it is just possible to split them visually if one really has good vision.

[jcj380]

Many nice objects in Orion, Canis Major, Monoceros, Gemini, and Auriga.  Perseus and Cassiopeia also.

[Martin Meredith]

Some additional Winter targets that are favourites of mine (usually in 10x50s) are M41 just below Sirius and the highly constrasting close pair of clusters, M46 and M47 in Puppis. These are a little low down perhaps but worth seeking out. There are a number of bright NGC open clusters in Puppis too.

Martin

[wibblefish]

@jcj380 @Martin Meredith thanks both, I'll add it to my growing list, not had any clear skies to play with since 21st December sadly bar a couple of quick full moon gazes through some heavy cloud!