Maybe people start out using too much power when trying to find
the Helix with their telescope?
Rich
> The Helix Nebula is actually quite nice in binos. It's very large and shows
> up pretty well. It's one of my favorite binocular objects.
>
> I don't know why it is more difficult in a scope but it sure seems to be.
>
> Michelle Stone
> Argo Navis and
> Custom Telescopes by Plettstone
> http://www.plettstone.com/telescopes
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: sf-bay-tac-bounces@seds.org [mailto:sf-bay-tac-bounces@seds.org]On
> > Behalf Of Szaki
> > Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 10:30 AM
> > To: TAC
> > Subject: [TAC] (no subject)
> >
> >
> >
> > This year while watching the Perseid meteor shower from MB
> > open space I found the Helix Nebula with my 8x42 Leica BN
> > binocular. This was about 2 am when the Helix was in the southwest
> > where the sky is a little darker at MB, but MB is not what I would
> > call a dark sky site. This was without a filter. Just the bino and my
> > eyes.
> >
> > Clear skies,
> > Rich
> >
> > Well, you must have one heck of a 42mm bino, Rich. Me and my friend
> > observed at MB last year, 12.5" DOB and I had a 8" LX-200 and had a hard
> > time to find and see the Helix nebula.
> > Friend asked me to point the GOTO to the Helix, since he had a
> > hard time to
> > find it with his DOB. I did, but it was hard to see in the 8"
> > SCT. With the
> > LP filter it was better.
> > I also have a 100x25 bino, very good for DSO's from a dark site.
> >
> > Julius
> >
> >
> > Some official coment on the Helix:
> > <" It is also one of the apparently largest planetaries known:
> > Its apparent
> > size covers an area of 16 arc minutes diameter, more than half of that of
> > the full moon; it halo extends even further to 28 arc minutes or
> > almost the
> > moon's apparent diameter (These dimensions were taken from
> > Stephen J. Hynes
> > who quotes AAT and ESO photos). Although the nebula is quite bright, its
> > light is spread over this large area so that it is not an easy object for
> > visual observing; the Herschels have apparently never cataloged
> > or observed
> > it. ">
> >
>
Received on Mon Aug 30 14:54:51 2004