2003-07-02T03:05:00Z
2003-07-02T03:40:00Z
+43.00-072.50+300
US-Vermont-Tunbridge
Peter C. Chapin
Tonight I used my 10x60 binoculars as my primary observing instrument. I also
used my naked eye for some observations.
My plan for this evening was to set up in the field across the street (now that it
has been cut) and see how much of the sky I can view from there. The setup time was short
tonight because I only brought out my binoculars and supporting items (flashlights, radio,
atlases). I did not bother with the telescope. This cut the number of trips I needed to
make to two, down from four. I found that ascending the embankment up to the field was a
little tricky in the dark. It went okay but I'm not sure how it would be to haul the
telescope mounting up there. I used the 6v flashlight to illuminate the trail during
setup; without that it would have been very hazardous.
From the field I could see a lot more of the sky than I can from my yard. There was
a nearly perfect view of the east (although the horizon was hidden by a ridge) and a
decent view of the south. I could see the top part of Sco (but not the lower section) and
the top of the Sgr teapot. Oph was well placed on meridian and completely visible. The
view to the west and southwest was not especially good due to trees, but if I went farther
up on the field I'm sure it would be better in that direction too.
I observed the region of the North American Nebula (NGC-7000) in the binoculars.
The outline of the nebula was quite visible but what struck me tonight was the large dark
area just to the east of the main nebula. In that area there was a rather bright star
standing more or less on its own. It had an obvious red hue. To the north of the nebula,
perhaps one binocular field of view away, I saw a rather distinct dark "hole". It was
nearly circular and appeared to be completely devoid of stars or "foggy" background. It
was quite fascinating. The entire area was littered with dark lanes of various
kinds.
M-11 was a spectacular object in the binoculars. In fact, the entire area around
M-11, the Scutum Star Cloud, was amazing. I could even see the bright foreground star that
appears to be involved with M-11. The cluster itself, however, was unresolved. M-10 and
M-12 in Oph were also nice in the binoculars. Both clusters fit into the same field of
view and both were bright (easily seen with direct). They looked like circular fuzzy
disks. M-10 was rather near the bright star 30 Oph and that made for an interesting view.
I also looked at M-5. It was just about to go into the trees. I was amazed at how bright
it was. It was much brighter than M-10 or M-12 although it seemed to be about the same
size. Its proximity to 5 Ser really added a lot of interest to the view.
M-22 in Sgr was easily visible above the trees. It was a large, impressive object.
M-8, the Lagoon Nebula, was also excellent. I could see the Trifid Nebula, M-20, as a
small, fuzzy splotch around a star. I could also see numerous other clusters in the area.
I really need to get the telescope up on this field so that I can look at some of these
objects with it!