Five things you can see in UK dark night skies with binoculars
Many star watchers began with binoculars rather than telescopes, since binoculars are not only much easier to aim at the object you want to see, but they also show it the right way up, which most telescopes don’t! Here are 5 beautiful objects that you can see with modest binoculars in truly dark skies. Remember to steady your binoculars a tripod or other mount. An excellent resource for binocular users is www.binocularsky.com
The Auriga Clusters
Pan around the winter constellation of Auriga to find its star clusters which look, through binoculars, like small fuzzy patches.
The Scutum Star Cloud
Sometimes called “the Gem of the Milky Way”, this bright condensation of stars can be mistaken for a small, round ordinary cloud down near the southern horizon in midsummer.
Meteors
Don’t imagine that all you need to see meteors is the unaided eye. Sometimes bright meteors leave lingering gas trails behind them which are easily seen with binoculars.
The Perseus Region
Around the bright star Mirfak in Perseus is a large sparkling field of hot, white stars. Sweep around here with binoculars for beautiful views.
Mizar and Alcor
The middle star in the handle of the Plough is Mizar, and binoculars will easily show its little companion Alcor. An old name for this little star is “the Test“, since only people with good eyesight could see it.