Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 39
Gary Seronik
Binocular Highlight
Facing
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Late December
Early January
Late January
Early February
Late February
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The winter sky is tremendously bountiful for binocular observers - enough showpiece objects
cross the meridian on February evenings to keep
you busy for hours. For me, one of the most enjoyable stretches of sky is found in Auriga, which features the fine Messier trio of M36, M37, and M38.
The Auriga open clusters are appealing for a
number of reasons, not least because each one is
distinct. And noting their differences is a good way
to sharpen your observing skills. Let's begin with
the easternmost cluster, M37. Although easy to see
in my 10×30 image-stabilized binoculars, M37 is the
toughest of the bunch when it comes to resolving
individual stars. Even in my 15×45 ISBs, it's just a
round, slightly grainy haze of starlight. Shift your
gaze roughly one binocular field westward to pick
up neighboring M36. This is the easiest of the
three to see and resolve. In my 10×30s, it's a compact grouping with perhaps a half dozen individual
stars visible. The extra magnification and light
grasp of the 15×45s doubles the star count and fills
in the cluster's arrowhead shape.
Moving another bino field westward brings
you to my favorite of the three, M38. Although
it's the least obvious, it's still an easy catch under
decent skies. M38 is an opulent gathering with a
few individual cluster stars flickering in and out of
view against a box-shaped haze. What makes this
cluster extra appealing is the company it keeps.
M38 is positioned in a rich field crossed by a couple
of attractive strings of 6th- and 7th-magnitude
stars, and, if you have dark skies, there's even a
little bonus open cluster nearby, NGC 1907, which
shows up reasonably well in my 15×45s. ✦
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Clusters Aplenty in Auriga
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Sk yandTelescope.com Februar y 2016
39
http://www.SkyandTelescope.com
Sky and Telescope - February 2016
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky and Telescope - February 2016
Contents
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - Cover1
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - Cover2
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 1
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - Contents
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 3
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - A
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - B
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 4
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 5
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 6
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 7
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 8
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 9
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 10
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 11
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 12
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 13
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 14
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 15
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 16
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 17
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 18
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 19
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 20
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 21
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 22
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 23
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 24
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 25
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 26
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 27
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 28
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 29
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 30
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 31
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 32
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 33
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 34
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 35
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 36
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 37
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 38
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 39
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 40
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 41
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 42
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 43
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 44
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 45
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 46
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 47
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 48
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 49
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 50
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 51
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 52
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 53
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 54
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 55
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 56
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 57
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 58
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 59
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 60
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 61
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 62
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 63
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 64
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 65
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 66
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 67
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 68
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 69
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 70
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 71
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 72
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 73
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 74
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 75
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - 76
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - Cover3
Sky and Telescope - February 2016 - Cover4
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