Observing the Helix with binos

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

I can say now that I have tried over the last two years to observe the Helix with binos from my backyard and failed with 7 x50s, 11x 60s and 20 x80s..even though I know I'm looking straight at the object

When I asked people over at CN (bino forum) most people thought it impossible from anywhere but a really dark site with binos

Does anyone have a contrary experience? Am I wasting my time trying to observe this object with binos??

for that matter is it visible at all from light polluted skies? I have imaged it with out a problem of course from my backyard but that is a different kettle of fish

[bird (Anthony Wesley)]

My first view of the helix is something I'll never forget - I was lying on my back on the bonnet of a mates car, scanning the sky overhead with bino's. I was really just killing time and taking a break from the scope, there were three of us and a C8 at a dark site outside my home town of Glen Innes. The darkest skies you could imagine.

Just randomly scanning across the sky, admiring the view, when suddenly ... there was this *huge* nebula! I guess it was pretty faint, but I remember it as being bright, probably my memory playing tricks. We all took turns to look at it with the binoculars, and we were all stunned that there was this large structure just there in reach of low power.

Of course it wasn't long before the star charts came out and we found that we were looking at the helix nebula.

This would have been in around 1984, just afte I'd finished high school.

Bird

[Starkler (Geoff)]

It is fairly faint and large. I doubt I could see it from my outer suburban skies.

[RapidEye]

I've seen it 3 times with my 10x50 Orion UltraView binoculars - with 2 caveats...

Twice was from my house, Mag 5.5 skies, but I put my Orion UltraBlock Nebula filter between one of my eye's and the binoculars

I know it is probably considered cheating, but it works pretty well for BIG emission stuff like the Helix, Veil, and North American Nebulas.

The third time I saw it was from a very nice site (Mag 6.5 skies) on a pristine night.

Now here is the pisser: I still don't care much for the Helix - it just isn't one of my favorites

Give the Nebula filter trick a try in your binos - should help.

[Blue Skies (Jacquie)]

I was once observing with someone who reckoned he saw the Helix naked eye! Granted that he was a very experienced observer and it was an exceptionally dark sky that night, but I've never heard of anyone else doing it since (of some friends seeing certain galaxies naked eye I have some much more believable stories). I would say it is probably your local sky conditions that are letting you down, not the binos.

[ving (David)]

from dark skies i swear i can see it in my finder....

I can see it from my backyard on a moonless night tho its really faint. thats thru my 8" tho...

I dont have any big binos so i havent tried.

[Hitchhiker]

I've seen the Helix in 8x56 binos. Not too difficult but I think you need reasonably dark skies.

I find the view through an 8" or 10" telescope pretty dim - moving the scope actually helps to see some detail. I don't have a nebula filter - it would be interesting to see how much more detail could be picked up. I like the idea of using a nebula filter with binos.

[ving (David)]

a broadband filter helps quite a bit

[bird (Anthony Wesley)]

Originally Posted by ving

a broadband filter helps quite a bit

I've got one of those attached to my phone...

[ving (David)]

Originally Posted by bird

I've got one of those attached to my phone...

shoosh you, or i'll send my army of snails over to your coriander

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

so its certainly possible with little magnification and aperture from a dark site

from light polluted skies...hand hold a nebula filter..will have to give that a try

[johnno]

Hi All,
With Binoculars,if you can fit just one filter,over one objective,or eyepiece
will do the trick,in fact the image is brighter,than if you use a filter,on each eyepiece or objective.

Regards.John