astronomy trip report

[mostsmooth]

i posted here a not very long ago about looking for a telescope, and got some advice to get a pair of binoculars first and get my feet wet. well it was great advice. been looking at orion and the orion nebula every clear night. the orion nebula is awesome. the pleiades is (are?) spectacular as well. i just got in from looking at jupiter and its moons. who the frick would have thought you could see jupiters moons with binocs?(when i first saw them, i assumed thats what they were, but i checked the cartes du ciel chart and it showed them exactly as i was seeing them). saturn is out right now as well.
anybody know any good sights to look out for out there in the sky other than those ive mentioned?
and why cant i find a decent compass in the b&m sporting goods stores?

[Borodog]

Can't help with the compass, but you'll want to definitely check out Andromeda. There are a number of nice open and globular clusters you can find. There's a spectaculer double star that I can't recall the name of, one is brilliant blue and the other clear yellow. The color contrast between them is really surprising. I suggest getting Peterson's Field Guide to the Stars and Planets. Well worth the money. I probably need a new one; mine has got to be near 20 years old.

[andyfox]

What binoculars did you get? Thanks.

[mostsmooth]

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Can't help with the compass, but you'll want to definitely check out Andromeda. There are a number of nice open and globular clusters you can find. There's a spectaculer double star that I can't recall the name of, one is brilliant blue and the other clear yellow. The color contrast between them is really surprising. I suggest getting Peterson's Field Guide to the Stars and Planets. Well worth the money. I probably need a new one; mine has got to be near 20 years old.

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i keep hearing about this guide, i guess ill have to break down and pick it up.

[mostsmooth]

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What binoculars did you get? Thanks.

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oberwerks 11x70
link

[Nut4Dawgs]

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...and why cant i find a decent compass in the b&m sporting goods stores?

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One of the best compasses (compai/compae? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] ) I can remember ever having was my Boy Scout jobbie. BSA gear used to be sold at "authorized" stores. You might try looking for the BSA site.

p.s.
Are you using a tripod?

[KenProspero]

The "bible" for Binocular Asronomy is a book, aptly called:

"Binocular Astronomy". Authors are Crossen & Tirion.

I also carry with me a copy of the Audobon Society's Field Guide to the Night Sky.

[KenProspero]

Andy:

I've been very happy with Celestron Ultima 10x50 (Model Number 71127).

The 10x50 is usable as a handheld either at night or for daytime use. For astronomy, unless you have a very steady hand, I'd recommend a tripod mount/tripod.

If memory serves, these go for $200+/-

Another alternative is to get a set of image stabalized binoculars. I think that ..... Ummmmmm Canon makes them and they've gotten good reviews from users.

[mostsmooth]

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...and why cant i find a decent compass in the b&m sporting goods stores?

[/ QUOTE ]
One of the best compasses (compai/compae? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] ) I can remember ever having was my Boy Scout jobbie. BSA gear used to be sold at "authorized" stores. You might try looking for the BSA site.

p.s.
Are you using a tripod?

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yes, the boy scout compass!! i was thinking the same thing. the one i had was silver and opened like an old pocket watch type thingy (from what i remember)
as far as a tripod goes, i think im gonna need one as im not as steady as i thought i could be.

[Nut4Dawgs]

Yeah, the pocket watch type also had a flip-up sight. The other one I remember was mounted on a piece of clear acrylic-type material with references etched in red and it rotated.

If you don't yet have a tripod, lay on your back. Also, you might try the old rifle shooting trick/aid - use something like a broom stick. Ever seen that? It works great.