#1  
Old 09-11-2008, 01:35 PM
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goober (Doug)
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Binocular Report: 6 November 2008

Binocular Obs Report - 6 November 2008

Location: Archies Creek (just north of Wonthaggi)
Time: 22:30 - 23:30 EDT
Moon: Half

A quick hour under the stars during our trip away. The cloudy goo had cleared, but there was more forecast (correct too, it rained for the next 36 hours), so I went out with a pair of 10x50's and a deck chair.

I only had the Pocket Sky Atlas with me.

M31 - easy to pick out low in the north as an elongated glow. It was aligned NW/SE.

M33 - nice to finally find this one. Couldn't see a lot of detail but it was obviously there as a ghostly patch, elongated almost N/S. I went back to this several times to confirm I had it, and saw it every time.

M34 - went hunting this between Almach and Algol, but couldn't confirm it. The PSA shows two 6 magnitude stars within the cluster, and I think I got those, but couldn't see anything else. We're about about +45 North, so it was tough.

Spent the rest of the time touring the favorites - M45, Orion, LMC, SMC, 47 Tuc. All magnificent.

Why do I live in Melbourne?
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Old 09-11-2008, 05:29 PM
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dannat (Daniel)
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great report doug, binos can be the most enjoyable of all instruments to use i reckon..only thing missing from the report - what type size were you using
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Old 09-11-2008, 09:45 PM
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erick (Eric)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by goober View Post

Why do I live in Melbourne?

Hello from the darker skies of Bacchus Marsh!

Well done on M33! I must turn my binoculars onto it at SVAA camp.

How about M1 in a few months time? Actually pretty easy once you locate it.
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Old 10-11-2008, 08:39 AM
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goober (Doug)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dannat View Post
..only thing missing from the report - what type size were you using
These!

Quote:
with a pair of 10x50's
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Old 10-11-2008, 08:51 AM
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goober (Doug)
No obs, raising Harrison

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Quote:
Originally Posted by erick View Post
Hello from the darker skies of Bacchus Marsh!

Well done on M33! I must turn my binoculars onto it at SVAA camp.

How about M1 in a few months time? Actually pretty easy once you locate it.
Hi Eric - Bacchus Marsh huh.... my inlaws are in Darley just on the outskirts. Must drag the scope up there one night.

M33 - wasn't expecting to see it after reading how difficult it can be. Easy as easy with binos and dark skies.

M1 - it wasn't quite up. The Hyades were over the horizon, but not the rest of Taurus. But yes, that would have been a nice test with binos and the half moon.
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Old 10-11-2008, 05:08 PM
ausastronomer (John Bambury)
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Originally Posted by goober View Post
M33 - wasn't expecting to see it after reading how difficult it can be. Easy as easy with binos and dark skies.
The critical thing to observing M33 is clear dark skies, because it is so diffuse.

I have observed M33 naked eye on 3 occasions under superb observing conditions. Twice from Coonabarabran and once near Emerald in central western QLD, about 300km West of Rockhampton. My most recent naked eye observation of M33 was in mid October last year when we took some visiting US observers to Coonabarabran to observe for a week. We had superb conditions one evening and despite M33 having fairly poor elevation, I was able to observe it naked eye. Several of my observing colleagues were also able to identify it, when I pointed the green laser pointer at it for them. Dave Kriege from Obsession Telescopes was with us on this trip. Dave is a very experienced observer who has observed all over the world, including at altitude on Mauna Kea and at altitude in Chile and Bolivia. Dave commented that the conditions we experienced that night were the best he had ever encountered anywhere in the world, apart from one solitary night at 10,000 feet on Mauna Kea, which has a serious elevation advantage over Coonabarabran.

In October/November when it is well placed, or at least as good as it is going to get, it should be fairly easy with any binocular aid, provided the skies are clear and dark.

Cheers,
John B
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Old 10-11-2008, 08:09 PM
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ngcles
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Both eyes

Hi Doug,

Nice report as usual and I'd of course echo the comments about binos being a favourite instrument.

Ausastronomer wrote:

"I have observed M33 naked eye on 3 occasions under superb observing conditions. Twice from Coonabarabran and once near Emerald in central western QLD, about 300km West of Rockhampton."

The first time I saw M33 naked eye was memorable for me too -- it was on the way to the 2002 Ceduna Total Solar Eclipse, at a spot 20-odd kms out of Broken Hill. It was about 30 degrees C, very stilll, essentially zero humidity and extremely dark.

I'd spent about 15mins driving out to where we were observing most of it on high-beams so I could spot the mobs of roos that were all over the place. When I arrived at the little dirt car-park we were observing from I hopped out of the ute and could see M31 naked-eye immediately. It only took a couple of minutes of dark adaptation before I said to a mate, "hey, that's M33" sure enough, there it was and not very difficult to see at all in those conditions.

It was a terrific couple of hours most of which I spent naked-eye observing and sometimes using the 10x50s and a 80mm f/5 richest-field refractor I borrowed to take to the eclipse. We could see hints of spiral structure in M33 with the 90mm refractor and could also see M32 and 100 easily. Off the top of my head, I can only remember a couple of other nights that the sky was that good -- the night after the 1976 eclipse at Bombala in southern NSW and at Coona when using the 40" a few years ago.

Best,

Les D

Last edited by ngcles; 11-11-2008 at 02:23 PM.
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Old 11-11-2008, 11:07 AM
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goober (Doug)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ngcles View Post
... at a spot 20-odd kms out of Broken Hill.
I've observed from a site 30 minutes out of Broken Hill - jaw dropping skies...
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  #9  
Old 22-11-2008, 09:54 AM
Rob_K
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Nice one Doug! Had the opportunity to do a bit of binocular viewing in dark skies last week from White Cliffs, NE of Broken Hill (between clouds, LOL!). M31 was great, easy naked eye too. Saw M33 as a ghostly patch, but the lights of the town (such as it is!) in the same direction killed any chance of naked-eye. Did heaps of other bright galaxies including NGC253, NGC55 etc, and LMC was a spectacular bino sight!

Yep, the skies have it!

Cheers -
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