Best Sky Objects for Binoculars
Observing the Moon, Planets, Double Stars, Galaxies and More
Apr 8, 2007
What are the top sights for binoculars? You can view everything from the moon to distant galaxies. Here are a list of the best binocular targets.
You know you're ready for touring the heavens with binoculars when you want to get an up-close look at the beauties of the universe but are not ready to shell out for a telescope. A good pair of binoculars can show you great highlights: the moon, planets, double stars, cluster, nebulae, and galaxies. But which of these are best through binoculars?
Before you even pick your object, you need to make sure you can hold your binoculars steady or nothing will look good. Buy a sturdy tripod for best results. A cheaper way to go is to recline in a deck chair while resting your arms on the armrest. You won't see much of anything if your binoculars are bouncing around.
Once you have that simple matter resolved, get ready to see some of the best sights in the northern sky.
- The Moon -- It's bright and easy to find. Even kids can spot the moon in binoculars. The best part of the moon to view? That would be the terminator, the dividing line between day and night. This means that full moon is not the best time to view, for the whole surface is illuminated. You want to view the moon during its phases, when the sun's light cuts across the moon, and valleys and mountains of the moon stand out in stark relief at the edge. Also look for rilles, mares (dry lava beds), and craters where brighter debris has been splashed across the surface.
- Planets -- Planets are not really the place you are going to find a lot of excitement. The rings of Saturn will probably appear as not much more than slight bulges on each side of the planet. Jupiter is probably the target of choice. It will resolve as a disk instead of a point and you will be able to track the four largest moons as they circle the planet. Uranus and Neptune can be spotted in binoculars too if you have a finder chart or know just where to look. Start with Uranus, as it is brighter, and then try for Neptune. You probably won't see the disk shape of Neptune or any color with binoculars, but it will be a steady light and not twinkling like the stars.
- Double Stars -- Start with something easy that is up all night every night for those in the Northern Hemisphere. The stars Mizar and Alcor, located at the bend in the handle of the Big Dipper, can be resolved by people with decent eyesight alone. Try it with binoculars and see what differences there are between the stars in brightness, size, or color. Next, see if you can resolve the two stars in the summer constellation Cygnus the Swan. The beautiful double star Albireo sits at the base of the cross-shaped constellation. The third magnitude pair is a striking yellow and blue in color.
- Star Clusters -- There are a few globular clusters that make great binocular targets. Start with the best globular in the Northern Hemisphere, the Great Globular Cluster of Hercules, M13. Hercules, a summer constellation, has a notable central "keystone" shape, or lopsided square. M13 lies on the west edge of the keystone. At magnitude 5.9, you can begin to glimpse some of the hundreds of thousands of stars that swarm tightly in this patch of sky. Another globular, the first to be discovered, is M22 in Sagittarius. The whole teapot region of Sagittarius is rich with binocular treasures, but M22 is a stunning magnitude 5.1 cluster just above and to the left of the teapot's lid. Another type of cluster, the open cluster, is best represented in binoculars by the Pleiades Cluster in Taurus, a fuzzy patch of six to seven stars seen with the naked eye, and the Beehive Cluster at the center of CancerThe Pleiades or M45 is a 1.6 magnitude gem that is best in binoculars -- a telescope cannot capture the wide range of the cluster's stars. The Beehive Cluster or M44 is a 3.4 magnitude grouping that can also be seen with the naked eye. Through his telescope, Galileo could see more than 40 stars. How many can you see?
- Nebulae -- Probably the most popular nebula in the sky is the Orion Nebula, M42, a hazy 4th-magnitude patch on Orion's sword that can be glimpsed with the naked eye. Binoculars enhance this view. Two stars cast their light onto this gas cloud, making it glow, and both those stars are part of multiple star systems. See if you can split one of them into a double star through your binoculars and for a real test, try to see the four stars in the second grouping, known as the Trapezium. Another nebula for binoculars is the Lagoon Nebula, M8, in Sagittarius, not far from our ealier star cluster target M22. Above the spout of the teapot asterism of Sagittarius, imagine steam flowing upward. This stretch of the Milky Way, filled with beautiful targest, contains M8, which, at magnitude 5.8, is more of a challenge than Orion. Another even more difficult nebula lies right next to M8. M20, the Trifid Nebula, is recognizable by the darker dust lanes dividing this nebula into three parts. Make sure you are observing from a dark-sky location to have a chance at this magnitude 6.3 gas cloud.
- Galaxies -- Start with the obvious galaxy that is possible to glimpse with the naked eye under great conditions. The Andromeda Galaxy, M31, is a magnitude 3.5 spiral. Lying in the constellation Andromeda and below the W-shape of Cassiopeia, the Andromeda Galaxy will show up as an elongated fuzzy blob. Two 8th-magnitude companions lie along the disk of Andromeda, they will be a real challenge to glimpse in binoculars. A pair of galaxies in Ursa Major, M81 and M82, a magnitude 6.9 and 8.4 respectively, are a decent challenge but easily available to Northern viewers. These north circumpolar galaxies are up every night of the year. Scan just above the head of the Great Bear for the two fuzzy patches.
- Miscellaneous -- There is always something good to view in the sky with binoculars, whether it be one of the objects above, finding a slim moon or planet during sunrise or sunset, catching a new comet, or just scanning the plentiful Milky Way and seeing what amazing sight pops into view.
Images courtesy of Calvin College Observatory.
The copyright of the article Best Sky Objects for Binoculars in Stargazing is owned by Kelly Whitt. Permission to republish Best Sky Objects for Binoculars in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
