Bonus Bino Bonanza! (Kelling Autumn 2013)

[Perkil8r]

It was the last official night at Kelling Autumn 2013, it had been clear but then clouded over. There was fun and laughs during the early hours and then all went quite. "Where was everybody?" I hear you ask, well the usual suspects turned in about 2am, the only noise out there was the noise of the lesser snoring Astronomer and I was processing images in the tent. Then at 3am I decided I should turn in myself. The years have taken their toll though and I needed to visit the brick building built very well before I dare tuck myself and teddy into our bed. I gathered my legs and opened the tent door, what's this?..... It's clear as a bell again!

 

There was a dulcet tone of a coffee grinder as somebody was also caught short and realised it had cleared. I dashed to the brick building and back as fast as my ninja feet would carry me. I then proceeded to talk to the coffee grinder folks for a few minutes before deciding to grab the trusty Boots 10x50's out of the van. I polar aligned my chair and sat down without a clue where to start.

 

The milky way shone out across the Obsidian sky like a great shimmering ribbon, so where the heck do I start? I slewed round to M45, well why the heck not, afterall it is a great target for low power bino's and tonight was to be no exception. The seven sisters were out in full glory with a slight haze to them too, focus helped to get rid of the haze and bring out a plethora of tiny stars like icing sugar sprinkled over the sky, let's stay there for a minute or five and soak in the sugary greatness, the longer I stay there the more icing sugar became visible until finally there was something more, was it dew? no, I believe I may be starting to detect a very tiny hint of illumination up there.

 

Moving round to M42 and strewth, I've not seen so much of that jewel in bino's before, I think this is going to be something special. Developing a very slight greeny hue to the nebulosity look closer and yes, there it is, the fish's mouth is showing through. Hang on a second... if that's the case why can I see it so well? Oh hang on, there's M43. This really is getting to be good now.

 

What should I look at next? M31 I guess, it would be rude not to, I'll look at this and go back to bed I think.... yeah right Square of Pegasus, top "leg" along one two three, up one two BOOM! Filling a good half of the F.O.V. and bright as you like, our closest neighbour shone out like the beams of a lighthouse pointing the way to the milky way. Can I see M110, sadly no, but 32 is there albeit a fuzzy star.

 

Go on then, I may as well look at Double Cluster. Wow......... just talk amongst yourselves for a while whilst I just soak this moment in, hundreds of tiny jewels glinting against the pitch black background. I must have spent five or six minutes just soaking them all in before the sudden realisation that I have still to see M33.

 

Back to M31, Down one two, then the same again and POW! there she is! So that's what it looks like then.... one to tick off! I have searched for this tricky little blighter a few times but with no success, so I made sure I was right by going back to M31 and re-tracing my steps and yes, it's still there. Smaller in width than M31 but much rounder and without such a bright spot of a core, I am now happy. Maybe I should go to bed? Nah!

 

Next port of call is NGC281 the Pacman Nebula near Sadhir. (spelling?) Well, I know how to find it and I go straight there, scanned about within the F.O.V. a bit and I am sure I can spot it. Now I agree this might be a subject for some discussion as I cannot say I "saw" it, so much as sensed it. I noticed a slight change in background illumination in the spot where it should be, but I can't claim I saw the shape or any detail. I am counting it though, hoping that my mind didn't fill it in for my eyes.

 

We're on a roll but I really must get off to bed, it's 4:30am and I need to be up early to sort the packing down, but hell, let's just have another look at M42/43 before I turn in. Yup, it's still there. Looks a bit brighter now, must be my eyes adjusting more, Horsehead?...... hmmm.... not likely I knew that but that didn't stop me trying. Not a chance! Nothing so much as even a slight increase in illumination, but it was worth a try. Scan across towards where I thought the Rosette was, but can't seem to find the rectangle of six stars anywhere but I did spot an asterism I have called Red Rum. To my mind it looked a bit like a racehorse. HIP29371 is in the middle of it's back, the rest have no identification to them in Stellarium. I liked it, you might not see it, but I do. Realising I was wrong in my hopping I went back to try again. Finally I found the six or so centre stars that form C49. Keeping them in the centre I flicked my eyes around the edges and after some time I was able to see some difference in the background. My eyes saw the rectangle on a slightly darker background then a wide ring of slightly lighter background with the outer edge fading away. It looked like vignetting, but I am convinced since the centre was also darker, that I had managed to detect the rough shape of the Rosette.

 

After this I swung around all over the shop re looking at most of the targets I had bagged again before finishing with Jupiter. three moons visible, turns out it was two and a star. Callisto and Europa were the two, IO should have been possible at higher magnification but in 10x50's IO became part of Jove which it's self is little more than a fat star.

 

By this time it was 5:10 so I wandered off to the brick building again before strolling back to the tent with my head full of stars and memories of what was a surprise bonus to the weekend.

[Guest foundaplanet]

Great read Mike of one of those unexpected excellent moments.. It does take some beating being under a glorious sky eh, I know what you mean about having a head full of stars, it don't get much better than that.    

[Tweedledee]

Great report Mike.

 

It is amazing what you can see with just 10x50s under a good sky.

 

Your racehorse asterism around HIP29371 is also called Perrson 1. Now you mention it, I can now see it (in Stellarium) as a horse with legs outstretched running.

I will have a look at that, right way up, in the big binoculars next chance I get, since I've only seen it upside down through the telescope and not thought of it as a horse.

 

Cheers.

[+RonC]

Good read Mike 

[Daz Type-R]

Nicely done sir, you dirty visual monkey you........

 

[Perkil8r]

Great report Mike.

 

It is amazing what you can see with just 10x50s under a good sky.

 

Your racehorse asterism around HIP29371 is also called Perrson 1. Now you mention it, I can now see it (in Stellarium) as a horse with legs outstretched running.

I will have a look at that, right way up, in the big binoculars next chance I get, since I've only seen it upside down through the telescope and not thought of it as a horse.

 

Cheers.

 

I see the outstretched legs, the back and a sort of neck and head. It just popped into my field of view, I had no idea it was an actual asterism, you are the fountain of all knowledge on these things and never fail to amaze and educate me, thanks

[Tweedledee]

you are the fountain of all knowledge on these things and never fail to amaze and educate me, thanks

 

Cheers Mike.

You obviously haven't realised yet that I normally just spew out a load of gobbledygook and then throw in a few random numbers to ensure total confusion.  

[Guest foundaplanet]

Cheers Mike.

You obviously haven't realised yet that I normally just spew out a load of gobbledygook and then throw in a few random numbers to ensure total confusion.  

 

Sounds like you have mastered String Theory to...  

[Tweedledee]

Sounds like you have mastered String Theory to...  

 

:D