15x70 bins Trying to view Messier objects with 15x70 Celestron Skymaster Binoculars. HELP!!!

[WolfAstronomer]

I just recently got 15x70 Celestron Skymaster binoculars, and finally got a nice clear sky. I'm in bortle zone 4. I looked up online how to find certain messier objects, and looked for them, but i couldn't find them. (btw, i do have a tripod, and i used that most of the time) Why couldn't I find ANY messier objects?? I was certain i would be able to find some.... 
Any tips?

[PeterW]

Any specific objects? Many will be quite small in those binoculars. You should be able to see plenty under those skies.

 

Peter

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have found the majority of the Messier objects with similar bins, so it is definitely possible. Which ones were you trying to find?

[PeterW]

I sometimes find the field if view with this size of binoculars can be a little small, you need to be careful to get them pointing in the right direction before you go star hopping. Larger binoculars can have funders attached, not so much easy with smaller ones. 
 

peter

Edited May 21, 2021 by PeterW
Typo correction

[happy-kat]

There the great binocularsky free monthly news letter with targets for binocular viewing.

[Ceramus]

The FOV of a 15x20 is not too large, so finding faint targets is difficult.

Which Skymaster 15x20 model do you have? I've just bought the15x20  Skymaster PRO and it came with a tripod adaptor that also serves as a finder bracket for a red-dot finder. Using one of these and a sturdy tripod would make the task much easier.

[PEMS]

Just added to the "other"  post to this, basically said work out some bright ones, work out (guess) where they should be, aim binoculars. Then hope. Usually seems to work, well 80% of the time. Did throw in a small selection: Think they were:

M31 - Andromeda Galaxy, M33 - Triangulum Galaxy, M45 - Pleiades, M42 - Orion Neb, M??? - 3 Open Clusters in Auriga, M13 - Globular Cluster in Hercules (along one edge of the square)

C14 - Double Cluster in Perseus (haf way between Cassiopeia and Perseus), C?? - The Hyades Cluster, cluster is dim and bigm easy to find as you locate Aldebaren - Big Red Star to the right of Orions Belt.

M are Messier objects, C are Caldwell Objects. Basically work out the big, bright, easy ones first. Write them down, get a book, estimate where and then find and tick them off.

[WolfAstronomer]

20 hours ago, PeterW said:

Any specific objects? Many will be quite small in those binoculars. You should be able to see plenty under those skies.

 

Peter

 

20 hours ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

I have found the majority of the Messier objects with similar bins, so it is definitely possible. Which ones were you trying to find?

Well, i was trying to find M48, M67, M44, M81, M82, M51, M3, M104. 
Didn't end up finding any of them.... 

[WolfAstronomer]

17 hours ago, PeterW said:

I sometimes find the field if view with this size of binoculars can be a little small, you need to be careful to get them pointing in the right direction before you go star hopping. Larger binoculars can have funders attached, not so much easy with smaller ones. 
 

peter

I know.. I tried it tons of times, carefully measuring and hopping..... but i didn't find anything.

 

[WolfAstronomer]

14 hours ago, happy-kat said:

There the great binocularsky free monthly news letter with targets for binocular viewing.

I will ook into it

 

[WolfAstronomer]

13 hours ago, Ceramus said:

The FOV of a 15x20 is not too large, so finding faint targets is difficult.

Which Skymaster 15x20 model do you have? I've just bought the15x20  Skymaster PRO and it came with a tripod adaptor that also serves as a finder bracket for a red-dot finder. Using one of these and a sturdy tripod would make the task much easier.

My binoculars are 15x70 skymaster celestron... not 15x20
I don't have a finder... i do have a sturdy tripod.

[WolfAstronomer]

10 hours ago, PEMS said:

Just added to the "other"  post to this, basically said work out some bright ones, work out (guess) where they should be, aim binoculars. Then hope. Usually seems to work, well 80% of the time. Did throw in a small selection: Think they were:

M31 - Andromeda Galaxy, M33 - Triangulum Galaxy, M45 - Pleiades, M42 - Orion Neb, M??? - 3 Open Clusters in Auriga, M13 - Globular Cluster in Hercules (along one edge of the square)

C14 - Double Cluster in Perseus (haf way between Cassiopeia and Perseus), C?? - The Hyades Cluster, cluster is dim and bigm easy to find as you locate Aldebaren - Big Red Star to the right of Orions Belt.

M are Messier objects, C are Caldwell Objects. Basically work out the big, bright, easy ones first. Write them down, get a book, estimate where and then find and tick them off.

 

3 minutes ago, WolfAstronomer said:

 

Well, i was trying to find M48, M67, M44, M81, M82, M51, M3, M104. 
Didn't end up finding any of them.... 

As you can see in this second quote, those are the ones i tried finding. None of the other objects would be seeable for me until summer i think...

 

[PeterW]

M44 should be easy by sweeping between Leo and Gemini…. It’s very obvious when you sweep over it. From there you can hop down to M67 which is much less obvious. M81 should be visible, M51 possibly not. M3 should be a fuzzy ball, I’d get there from the coma cluster or Arcturus. M104 might be hard and I’ve not looked for M48.

Peter

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Try M13. It shows up distinctly as a fuzzy ball (no stars resolved) easily found in the trapezium forming the body of Hercules. Note that you should not expect to see anything like the photos, stars are only really easily resolved with an 8" scope 

[John]

The open star clusters are probably the easiest deep sky targets to see with binoculars so things like the double cluster in Perseus (not a Messier object), M 35 in Gemini, M44 in Cancer, the clusters in Auriga etc, etc. Asterisms such as the "coathanger" in Vulpecula or "Eddies Coaster" in Cassiopeia are also nice binocular targets. Some more of these here:

https://britastro.org/journal_item/22500

The brighter globular clusters appear as condensed fuzzy spots and there are a number worth seeking out. Most galaxies and nebulae are somewhat less distinctive. Many can actually be seen, or at least glimpsed, with 70mm and even 50mm aperture binoculars but they are often small and subtle and can be easily overlooked by the inexperienced observer.

 

 

Edited May 22, 2021 by John

[WolfAstronomer]

On 22/05/2021 at 03:29, PeterW said:

M44 should be easy by sweeping between Leo and Gemini…. It’s very obvious when you sweep over it. From there you can hop down to M67 which is much less obvious. M81 should be visible, M51 possibly not. M3 should be a fuzzy ball, I’d get there from the coma cluster or Arcturus. M104 might be hard and I’ve not looked for M48.

Peter

Ok, thank you, i will try that tonight

 

[WolfAstronomer]

On 22/05/2021 at 03:36, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

Try M13. It shows up distinctly as a fuzzy ball (no stars resolved) easily found in the trapezium forming the body of Hercules. Note that you should not expect to see anything like the photos, stars are only really easily resolved with an 8" scope 

ok i will try to have a look at m13

 

[WolfAstronomer]

On 22/05/2021 at 05:12, John said:

The open star clusters are probably the easiest deep sky targets to see with binoculars so things like the double cluster in Perseus (not a Messier object), M 35 in Gemini, M44 in Cancer, the clusters in Auriga etc, etc. Asterisms such as the "coathanger" in Vulpecula or "Eddies Coaster" in Cassiopeia are also nice binocular targets. Some more of these here:

https://britastro.org/journal_item/22500

The brighter globular clusters appear as condensed fuzzy spots and there are a number worth seeking out. Most galaxies and nebulae are somewhat less distinctive. Many can actually be seen, or at least glimpsed, with 70mm and even 50mm aperture binoculars but they are often small and subtle and can be easily overlooked by the inexperienced observer.

 

 

ok ty