Australian Sky & Telescope - April 2016__

42 AUSTRALIAN SKY & TELESCOPE APRIL 2016

Gary Seronik

Binocular Highlight

A marathon bino session

F

ew approach binocular astronomy as a competitive sport, but it’s

unquestionably rewarding to challenge yourself from time to

time. Running a Messier marathon is a great way to sharpen your

observing and planning skills — with particular emphasis on the latter.

What’s a Messier marathon? Simply an attempt to see as many Messier

objects as you can in a single, dusk-to-dawn session.

What are the secrets to success? First, as I mention above, planning

is very important. Have your charts ready and print an observing list

that includes a logical sequence. Use Larry McNish’s Messier Marathon

Planner (http://is.gd/mmarathon) or a similar tool to generate one tailored

to your location and date. Second, find an observing site with dark skies

and good horizons, especially in the east and west. Third, bring a friend

or join a group. Long observing sessions are always more fun when the

experience is shared. Plus, you can keep each other awake during lulls in

the action.

As for equipment, use whatever binoculars you have — obviously, the

bigger, the better you’re going to do. But regardless of model, make sure

your binos can be mounted in some fashion. You’ll spend a lot of time

consulting your charts, and a mount means you don’t have to re-find your

target every time you do.

Most importantly, have fun. In truth, you’re only competing against

yourself. There’s no prize for achieving a high score — the reward is in

the attempt, and a night spent in the company of the stars. ✦

M49

M58

M59

M60

M61

M84

M85

M86

M87

M88

M89 M90

M91

M98

M99

M100

LEO

VIRGO

COMA

BERENICES

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ν

β

(^5) ° binocu
lar
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ie
w
–1
Star
magnitudes
0
1
2
3
4
15
h
CES
LIBRA α
σ
ζ
Fa
cin
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Fa
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Dblt
USING THE
STAR CHART
WHEN
Early March 10pm
Late March 9pm
Early April 8pm
Late April 7pm
These are standard times — add
Daylight Savings if it applies to
your location.
HOW
Go outside within an hour or so of
a time listed above. Hold the map
above your head with the bottom
of the page facing south. The chart
now matches the stars in your
sky, with the circular perimeter
representing the horizon and the
centre of the chart being the point
directly over your head (known as
the zenith).
FOR EXAMPLE:Look at the
chart, and you’ll see that the bright
star Achernar at the end of the
constellation Eridanus (The River)
is about one-third of the way from
the southwestern horizon and
the middle of the chart. So if you
look to the southwest, you’ll find
Achernar about one-third of the
wayupfromthehorizon.
NOTE: The map is plotted for 35°
southlatitude(forexample,Sydney,
Buenos Aires, Cape Town). If you’re
much further north of there, stars in
the northern part of the sky will be
higher and stars in the south lower.
If you’re further south, the reverse
is true.
ONLINE
You can get a sky chart
customised for your
location at any time at
SkyandTelescope.com/skychart