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m44 etc

Discussion in 'Observing Celestial Objects' started by kevan hubbard, Feb 16, 2017.

m44 etc

Started by kevan hubbard on Feb 16, 2017 at 4:12 PM

5 Replies 1433 Views 3 Likes

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  1. kevan hubbard

    kevan hubbard Well-Known Member

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    kevan hubbard, Feb 16, 2017
    #1
    Been down the beach with my Russian 20x60 binoculars and lying on a sand dune using them hand held.hand held is a challenge for these beasts but if you rest back it can be done effectively your head takes the weight and arms offer stability. An amazing view of m44 and it really did resemble a swarm of bees. They resolved all the open clusters I looked at m45,m45,m35,m34,m41,m38,m36 but perhaps not m37.rather good views of m31 and m42 too plus Venus, Mars and Uranus all in a line.my 8x25 monocular was anaemic compared with the 20x60s but proved useful as a spotter as the 20x60s have a narrow field of view.
     
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  2. Zigarro

    Zigarro Well-Known Member

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    Zigarro, Feb 17, 2017
    #2
    Back in 1992-before I was retired & not yet into astronomy- I lived in Corpus Christi and rode a H/D motorcycle. I rode out to Matagorda Island and parked in the wet sand by the surf. I lay back against my 'sissy-bar' and sipped a pint of raw whisky while smoking a Honduran cigar and looking at the black sky filled with stars, I wondered how it got any better'n this here! Nothing beats a dark beach for star gazing!
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2017
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  3. kevan hubbard

    kevan hubbard Well-Known Member

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    kevan hubbard, Feb 18, 2017
    #3
    It sounds fantastic. Often with aesthetic stargazing it's the context it's done in.I remember being on a south facing beach in el zonte, el Salvador, pacific ocean crashing in and watching the southern cross rise which is visible from so far south.or being on cauker caye, Belize, looking at the false cross through a cloud of fire flies.or being on the isle of Arran, Scotland, walking out and seeing the milky way arching overhead. This list goes on. Not just the science with stargazing but the way it interconnects with us as a product of star dust.
     
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  4. bventrudo

    bventrudo Staff

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    bventrudo, Feb 18, 2017
    #4
    Kevan Hubbard... That is EXACTLY the short version of why stargazing is so compelling, and such fun.
     
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  5. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Orion25, Feb 19, 2017
    #5
    This - couldn't have said it better.
     
  6. Mark Moyer

    Mark Moyer Member

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    Mark Moyer, Feb 21, 2017
    #6
    M 44 is always so beautiful. Saturday night I tried something different with M 44. I saw on my charts that there are five NGC galaxies hidden among the stars. I found four of them. It was a thrill since I'd always enjoyed the cluster with its bright gems before but never realized there were also fainter treasures among them.
     
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