Guide to Skywatching & Astronomy in Ireland
Data also useful for the UK & some of Europe

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

February Skywatching with binoculars

There are plenty of interesting deep space objects that can be viewed with binoculars. Its easiest to steady them against a surface before viewing & is probably easier to view through one eye piece. Alternatively use a monoscope, as powerful as possible. Here is a list of interesting deep space objects that can be seen in February with binoculars.

M41 cluster in Canis Major
M44 Beehive cluster in Cancer
M81 & M82 Galxies in Ursa Major
Mizar & Alcor double in the plough
M51 Whirlpool galaxy in Ursa Major
M35 cluster in Gemini
M42 Orion Nebula
M45 Pleiades luster in Taurus
Hyades loose cluster in Taurus
M36, M37 & M38 Cluster in Auriga
M33 Pinwheel galaxy in Andromeda
Double cluster in Perseus
M52 cluster in Cassiopeia

Many of the pictures we are used to seeing of these objects have been tinted and coloured, but the real things are still spectacular!If you can see them with binoculars they should be easy to see with telescopes too.

These objects are best viewed on new / dark moons & in dark sky areas.

Try flickr for some excellent pictures! Happy Skywatching!

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