42 AUSTRALIAN SKY & TELESCOPE November | December 2017
BINOCULAR HIGHLIGHT by Mathew WedelWHEN
Late October 11pm
Early November 10pm
Late November 9pmThese are daylight savings times.
Subtract one hour if daylight
savings is not applicable.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 curved edge represent-
ing 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 Canopus in the con-
stellation Carina is about a third
of the way between the south-
eastern horizon and the middle
of the chart. So if you look into
the south-eastern sky, you’ll find
Canopus about halfway between
the horizon and the zenith.NOTE: The chart is plotted for
latitude 35oS (for example, Syd-
ney, Buenos Aires, Cape Town).
If you’re much further north of
there, stars in the northern part of
the sky will be higher and those
in the south lower. If you’re fur-
ther south, the reverse is true.ONLINE
You can get a real-time sky chart
for your location at
skychart.skyandtelescope.com/
skychart.phpUSING THE
STAR CHARTI
vividly remember the first time I saw NGC 253, the Silver Coin
Galaxy (also known as the Sculptor Galaxy). I was on a little
weekend getaway with my family in the mountains, surrounded by
trees, and not bad off in terms of light pollution.
On the night in question, I was tired from an afternoon of
swimming and hiking with my son, but still wanted to soak up
a little starlight. So I grabbed my binos and popped into the lane
behind the lodgings to see what was up. I was working on a list
of deep sky binocular objects, and NGC 253 was one of my last
remaining targets.
My notes from that first observation hold up pretty well:
“Outstanding, one of the best galaxies I’ve seen. Big, bright,
obviously elongated, distinctly brighter in the western half.” At
magnitude 7.1, NGC 253 is indeed one of the brightest galaxies in
the sky. Not only is it one of best binocular galaxies, eagle-eyed
observers have spotted it with no optical aid whatsoever. And the
western half does seem to be a bit brighter, as many photos and
sketches attest. I suspect this is because the spiral arm on the west
is in the foreground, whereas the eastern arm is receding behind the
galaxy’s famously dense dust lanes.
Since that first observation, I’ve had a good look at NGC 253 on
dozens of occasions, and with instruments of all sizes. But somehow
it just doesn’t seem right if I’m not up in the mountains, surrounded
by trees, holding binoculars. Sometimes first loves never quite let go.■ MATT WEDEL is probably out in the dark somewhere, observing and
making new memories.The Silver Coin
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