Its my first time ...

[Wozz]

... so be gentle with me.

Or, to put it another way, join me on my journey of discovery and maybe relive some of your first moments of wonder.

So, armed with my 10x50's and several star maps I ventured forth into my small garden and looked up. I couldn't see too much at first and hoped that was due to my eyes slowly switching their working mechanisms rather than the rather annoying street light right next to my garden.

After a while I was able to see more and more in the sky, unaided, as I let my eyes settle. A quick referral to my compass and a star map and I was roughly oriented. It would seem my garden is ideal for gazing south and east and not so good with north and west (due to the street light abd my house being in the way). So I instantly started thinking of local locations (Chester - happy to take suggestions) where I would gain more of a rounded view at night.

So, sat in my chair I positioned my star map and looked up trying to locate the star that, from my position, should have been fairly prominent ... Deneb.

The problem was that, as a new boy, I thought I had found it but I wasn't entirely sure. Moving the binoculars to my eyes didn't give any real proof. In fact it made me more confused as more and more stars become visible.

This moment of consternation led me to re-assess my approach so I dropped the binoculars and picked up the star map again. After some pondering and a quick reference to the magnitude legend I found what I should have been looking for (no, not Polaris sadly, my house was in the way) ... Vega.

Bingo - that one was easy. Big ole bright thing pretty much right above my noggin! Yay - I found something!!!! Maybe there was hope for this novice after all.

Right, so I had vega in my sights, the rest should be easy. Well, sort of. I started by tracking east to find Deneb now I had my bearings relative to Vega.

Got it!!! Or had I? Yes that must be it. Ok so that means Altair should be down, down, down, down, hmmm. Where on earth is it (pardon the pun).

It was way way down nearer the horizon then I expected. then it dawned on me - wow this space thing is BIG. I mean, really big.

Ok So I am not that dumb but you get the idea. From such a small star map I was realising the scale and partially, gaining an idea of how to track degrees from the horizon (despite the fact my conifers had that hidden also). I need a house move!

So down down down went the binoculars until I dropped them and realised the naked eye was going to help more on this one.

Got it. From there I could track up to Vega, left to Deneb and then south to Altair. This is fun. The voyage of discovery was fun. The view through the binoculars was fun. I was having fun. It was so peaceful out I was so relaxed I realised this could well be pretty therapeutic also.

So there it was - the "Summer Triangle". I had found it with a compass, a star map and a combination of eyes and binoculars. So what next ... right lets try and see the northern cross.

Oops lost Deneb again amidst all those dots. Back to the naked eye view, back to Vega, track east to Deneb - gotcha, quickly whip up the bins and move south west ish to find Sadi and Albireo. Oops lsot my place again. Rinse repeat with the naked eye and there they were. Quickly whipping the bins up I could see them both and thus was able to find the "Northern Cross".

Chalk up another successful venture for Wozz.

After these two successes I moved on to try and find Lyra, M57, M56 and then west to Hercules. I had trouble tracing out Hercules and found that it was always best to trace out the location with my naked eye and then hold that position to re-locate it through the binoculars. I found that re-locating Hercules was difficult as the stars appeared so dim but also as I was learning to translate the star map to real world scale so I was often looking in the wrong place for the "keystone" of Hercules and wasn't looking far enough west. Still - I was learning and really really enjoying it.

Positives were: I had fun, I was fascinated, it was so relaxing, I didn't want to go back indoors, I found stuff!!!!!

Downsides: the street light, my house being in the way, my tree's being in the way.

I think I will need to find a suitable location where I gain more of a rounde view of the sky rather than my limited view of the South, East and a little of the west.

This time last week I knew nothing at all about astronomy beyond the fumblings of looking up and saying "Ahh thats pretty". Now I can confidently say I can find and name several constellations and a number of stars. Its a good start in my book.

Roll on the next clear night.

What to look for next?

[Wozz]

During my session I also spotted a "shooting star" which I thought may be a Perseid (sp?) but suspect it was in the wrong part of the sky.

I also spotted a light, moving fast, very fast in fact, very high up. It wasn't a flashing light like a plane might have and it was a lot higher up but it was moving incredibly fast. Much faster than I thought a plane should be able to. I tracked it with my binoculars until it was no longer visible.

Does anyone know what this may be? The "shooting star" was fairly obvious but this "light" was most definitely very high up, very very fast, and constant in its direction and did not fade until it was out of sight.

[MikeP]

Hi Wozz, I enjoyed your report very much. The sense of achievement comes through very strongly.

If you can find the keystone of Hercules, point your binoculars about one third of the way down the right hand side and you'll see M13 - a globular cluster. You'll see it OK with binos if you are patient but it is one to return to when you get a scope.

Keep the reports coming.

Mike

[ashenlight]

Hi Wozz sounds like you had a great night, so pleased you have made out the Summer Triangle. You can use this as a signpost now to 'star hop' your way to other constellations in the night sky. This is how I find my way around, get to know a prominent shape of stars (an 'asterism') and then use this to bounce your way across the celestial sphere.

Did you manage to see M57 at all? I can't with my 10x50s, it is so faint through my scope so I think it's a long shot with 10x50s and a bit of light pollution. Well done for giving it a go though, that's what it is all about.

As for some tips on targets to try for next, here's a few to keep you going with those 10x50s.

Locate Hercules and the asterism 'keystone' (just keep at it trying to trace out those constellations, it'll come easier to you with practice). Try to locate M13 (shown on the map linked to earlier). It'll appear as a round, faint patch of 'dustiness.' Slowly track your way down from the top right star of the keystone to the bottom right corner, looking carefully all the way. It is a lovely sight.

How about trying to locate the little constellation Delphinus? Imagine a line between Deneb and Altair, the two stars that mark the left hand side of the Summer Triangle. Delphinus is about a quarter of the up this line from Altair, to the left. It's very pretty, especially through binoculars!

This is a bit harder, but it'd be a great challenge for you. Try to locate the coathanger cluster - use your star map to locate the small constellations Vulpecula and Sagitta that reside within the Summer Triangle. The coat hanger cluster can be found just inbetween the two. Scan the area with binoculars and look out for the shape of an upside down coat hanger

Make sure you give yourself enough time to become fully dark adapted. I usually spend about half an hour outside looking up and letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. Have a read about the human eye and its two types of cells, rod and cones, it made more sense to me after I understood that

One of my favourite things to do is just pull up a sun lounger and use a star map and just my (dark adapted) eyes to get acquainted with the night sky. You'll find it easier to star hop your way around constellation with your eyes instead of your binoculars. It can be difficult to get your bearings with binoculars - with the naked eye you can see a wider area, making it easier to see 'where you are' on the celestial sphere.

Happy observing

[Wozz]

Thanks Mike,

I have to ask does it take a while to focus to see the clusters? I spent a great deal of time staring through the bins last time trying to make out M56 and M57 and can't honestly say with any confidence I definitely saw them. The nearby street light does shed a lot of light in my rear garden so that may be creating some light noise?

If I have a clear sky tonight I may move to the front of the house and see if that gives any improvement looking N, NE and NW.

[Wozz]

Hi Ashenlight,

I couldn't seem to find either M56 or M57 through my bins but I think the street light near by rear garden may partialy be the cause here. I can never create a darkness in the rear garden as this light sheds an awful lot into my rear garden. I'm not sure there is an awful lot I can do beyond moving or planting a large tree.

I'll certainly have another go at the keystone tonight and track down to M13. I could find it but just kept losing it.

Thanks for the suggestions Deplhinus should be an easy one to spot in that direction from my rear garden

[MikeP]

Wozz,

I'm 60 in a few weeks and I can't see M57 or M56 through binos. As you age, your pupils don't dilate as much, so you'll need to take that into account.

M57 has a magnitude of 8.8, M56 is 8.4 but M13 is 5.8. That makes M13 quite a lot brighter, which is why I can see it through binos. Have a go but it will depend on light pollution.

Good luck.

[ashenlight]

You're right Wozz, it most certainly is because of that light. Light pollution is a real problem when it comes to astronomy. M57 and M56 (and all the other faint fuzzies) are really faint and so, so tiny you wouldn't believe! I would say you'd struggle with 10x50s - my garden has a little light pollution but is shielded quite a bit because of big trees that make a difference but I've never seen m57 with binos. It's just too small and too faint.

Just make sure you're dark adapted and this will give you the best chance of spotting the things you want to to spot.

As the months go on M31, the Andromeda galaxy, should begin to get a good bit of height and will be a lovely sight through your 10x50s - I saw it last year with my binos and it was breathtaking - a great size and fairly obvious.

Try using the technique of averted vision when you are observing these fainter objects - when you think you are in the right place for the object you want to observe, try looking a little to the side, more to the edge of the field of view. The light from the object will be hitting the more sensitive parts of the eye and the object will suddenly 'pop' into view. This is also great for teasing out more detail from fainter objects like M13, and can help you 'hold' the object for longer.

All the best

[Wozz]

Thanks Mike - sounds like M13 is the way to go then. Sadly in that directio I get a lot of light pollution despite living in a very rural area there is a path running alongside my house and one of the streetlights is right against my fence

There are plenty of places nearby I can go to vastly reduce the light pollution but walking up the hill by the forest near my house is, honestly, a little scary!

[Wozz]

Try using the technique of averted vision when you are observing these fainter objects - when you think you are in the right place for the object you want to observe, try looking a little to the side, more to the edge of the field of view. The light from the object will be hitting the more sensitive parts of the eye and the object will suddenly 'pop' into view. This is also great for teasing out more detail from fainter objects like M13, and can help you 'hold' the object for longer.

All the best

A great tip thank you.

My bracket to connect my bins to my tripod have just arrived so I will be hoping for clear skies tonight

There is also a good field near my house with minimal light noise so I may venture out tonight and try there. Fingers crossed.

[ashenlight]

The tripod will help so much. Even though 10x50s are fairly light, you still get a bit of shake... a tripod to hold them steady will make viewing much more pleasurable and of course allow you to concentrate on using averted vision a bit more. Good luck with that field, the reduction in light pollution will make a huge difference. got my fingers crossed for you.

[Doc]

Wow what a read. Your writing style is great, it draws the reader into your magical tour of the sky.

As others have said you found the keystone so finding M13 ahould be pretty simple, in fact you will stumble upon it by just scanning the outer edges of the keystone. You will be amazed when you see it.

[Wozz]

Hey thanks Doc. I just tried to make it an accurate re-creation of my first tentative steps into Astronomy whilst keeping some humour in there. Much more interesting than the conference call I was on

I'm looking forward to M13!

[AztecastroMcJ]

nice one Wozz, ur report reminds me of my 1st view vieing expierences, i actually started with Ursa Major Asterism(Big Dipper) n Arcturus,

once i felt reasonably comfortable with that area i moved on to Summer triangle and other constellations, think important to take time and try to learn my way about, taking notes and sketches is advised too, find it helps me remember stars names etc

[lulu57]

If you can relax into the experience already, then you're doing very well.

I've always found it hard to find the keystone in Hercules if I just nip out and look, but if I use a planisphere to position myself correctly and just look up for a long time, it eventually emerges from the background.

If I can look without becoming impatient or frustrated, the stars usually come to me!

[Wozz]

If I can look without becoming impatient or frustrated, the stars usually come to me!

My sentiments exactly. If ever a hobby becomes frustrating, above and beyond general weather troubles, then you know its no longer a hobby!

[philj]

I enjoyed your report Wozz, took me back a few years that did. Congrats on entering this fascinating hobby.

When I was starting out, and still try on occassions when doing purely visual, I always used to try and see something new in each session. Visiting the old favourites is great but trying for that ellusive object and then finally bagging it gives a great sense of achievement.

As for the object you saw going faster than a plane, not sure, could have been a number of things, sattellite, ISS etc.

I actually caught an Iridium flare the other night. This is a bright sattellite that moves quite quickly then suddenly flashes like a car windscreen in the sun. FAscinating to see

Keep the reports coming and enjoy the experience

Philj

[mdstuart]

I also enjoyed your write up Wozz. You are certainly finding your way around. If you can wait up a bit later say nearer 12 then Jupiter rises in the east. You cannot miss it and even in your bins you should see the little dots of the moons either side of the planet.

Also by this time of night you can find Pegasus which is a nice square of stars. Just right of the bottom of the square is M15 which is just as good as the M13 they all talk about above.

Enjoy the sky!

Mark

[mike.brightmore]

Brings back quite a few not too distant memories. The book 'Turn Left at Orion' gets a lot of favourable mentions on this forum and really is useful. Another good marker star is Arcturus (a bright red giant over to the West). The 3 stars in the handle of the Plough 'arc down to Arcturus'. In fact if you start observing early the first three stars to come out are Vega, Deneb and Arcturus. Anyway draw an imaginary line from Vega to Arcturus and the keystone in Hercules is one third the way along this line. You have found Cygnus (the Northern Cross) - try looking at the lovely double star, Albireo, the beak of the Swan at the opposite end to Deneb. I have a particularly intrusive street light and I got the local council to put a shield on the back of it - worth a try.

[Talitha]

"It was so peaceful out I was so relaxed I realised this could well be pretty therapeutic also."

Feels like a soul-massage, doesn't it?

Thanks for an excellent read, Wozz!

[Casus belli]

Really enjoyable report. May I suggest m31? Its at its best through a pair of binos.

[Wozz]

Soul-massage! Heh I like that. It is a very relaxing experience.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I now have a long list of sights I would like to see.

All I need now is a clear sky!

[Wozz]

I have a particularly intrusive street light and I got the local council to put a shield on the back of it - worth a try.

Bingo! Thats exactly what I need.

I'll get onto my council and hope they are as understanding.

[themos]

If you use binoculars, this is a great guide to what you can see:

http://www.minds.may.ie/~astro2/IFASData/IFASBinocularHandbook.pdf

I enjoyed your report very much. For your next night, see if you can find the Coathanger cluster, it's on the line between Vega and Altair, roughly half way.

[albedo0.39]

Good Read and well written - you have given us all an insight into the wonder of the moment... so with that in mind why not try to hunt for something like M92 in Hercules or (to test the seeing) M51 in Canes Venatica - that might be a push but from dark skies, it might pop into view...

Steve