First binocular observing session

[Andrew]

Spent a couple of hours tonight trying out my new 10x50 binos. This was my first real attempt at binocular observing and I was amazed at how much was visible. I started with some open clusters in Cygnus: M29, NGC6910, NGC6871 and M39. All were easily visible as hazy patches with M39 the pick of the bunch showing approx 8 stars resolved. Next I moved on to the Milky Way between Perseus and Cassiopeia. The double cluster was spectacular and it was nice to see the long chains of bright stars that loop off to the north. Trumpler 2 and Stock 2 were visible nearby as hazy patches with perhaps 10-15 stars resolved in Stock 2 with averted vision. Not surprisingly, the binos excelled at the bigger clusters. Both M45 and the Alpha Persei cluster (Melotte 20) showed 45+ stars each including a nice range in brightness. The Hyades (Melotte 25) were also impressive and filled the whole FOV.

The wide FOV also made for easy navigation around Cassiopeia which was littered with clusters. M103 and M52 were obvious hazy patches with just a couple of stars resolved. NGC743 was just visible with averted vision, but NGC 663 was straight forward, and NGC457 was also obvious although only the owl’s eyes were resolved. Back in Perseus, NGC1528 stood out very clearly as a large faint haze and nearby NGC1545 could just be seen with averted vision. It was a similar story for NGC752 in Andromeda which was larger but again faint and only obvious with AV.

Next I went on a mini Messier marathon through the nearby open clusters. M34, M35, M36, M37 and M38 were all obvious hazy patches with M34 and M35 probably the pick of the bunch with 5-8 stars resolved in each. M38 was probably the toughest of these, despite being higher than M36 or M37, and appeared large and very faint.

The biggest surprise for me was the way the binos performed on galaxies. M31 showed its bright central core with obvious faint extensions showing its orientation clearly. Both M81 and M82 were also visible. M81 was obvious once I found the right spot and could be seen without averted vision. M82 was quite a bit harder and I only managed a couple of sights in AV, but it was definitely there. However, the big shock was yet to come when I looked for M33. I’ve struggled for this with my small reflector for ages and yet when I took a look with the binos I found it almost immediately. I was so surprised I almost fell over backwards (literally). I spent quite a while checking the nearby stars just to convince myself I was right – I couldn’t believe it had been so easy, standing out as a weak but obvious patch with the correct orientation about 30’ across.

I finished off with M15 in Pegasus which was a bit low in the sky, but there nonetheless as a small circular haze, and finally M42 which had just about got high enough to show off a little nebulosity.

All in all it was great night and I’m now a definite binocular convert.

[Kain]

Were they the Lidl binos by chance?

Glad you had a good session mate.

Kain

[Greg]

May I suggest a series of SGL Commandments....

1. Let us not underestimate the power of binoculars. Mine are out on a regular basis!

[Naz]

Good report Andrew, binoculars are an excellent way of scanning the skies. I use mine all the time, and when I find anything of interest, turn to the telescope for a closer look. Often I only use the bins' as a grab and go.

naz

[geppetto]

Great report of a successful nights bino viewing Andrew 8)

Begining to wish I'd grabbed a pair of the Lidl ones now

[Andrew]

Yes - I'm using the Lidl binos. They are very nice, particularly for getting a quick fix when time is short.

Only problem is they've got me wondering about the view through some 25X100s