Astronomy File: M33 in 7x35 binoculars!

Martin Timothy

Viewing Log: Scanning the Eastern Horizon from Brisbane Australia with 7x35 Binocs one morning before dawn, searching for the first apparition of the planet Mercury after inferior conjunction.

Scanning over Praesepe the Beehive cluster which appears as a "bag of dots," then further north, there is a rosy tint in the east as the Sun nears the horizon, minutes later in near daylight continuing to scan and Gorblimey,

There in the binocs is what can only be described as a super bag of dots, like many many many tiny glittering specks, I had scanned over M 33 a face on spiral galaxy in the constellation Triangulum, the multitude of dots were individual stars in that galaxy!

Feedback: The discernible “dots” were intervening stars from our own galaxy, M33 would be much too far to have the stars appear as individual points.

Not at all - another time I put the same binocs onto Saturn, and lo and behold it appeared like a tiny photograph, the rings were perfectly visible including the Cassini Division which appeared as a black line on the rings, the apparition in both cases was for about one and a half seconds.



Another time after checking the guide stars and going to the correct location, Centaurus A an exploding galaxy in that constellation appeared, albeit very low surface brightness and contrast, none the less it was just like it is in photographs including the dust band in the middle.



One morning before dawn in February 1987 a bright light appeared low in the South, since planes come in on that vector to land at Brisbane airport it appeared a commercial plane had turned his landing lights on,

Later that day Supernova 1987a in the Large Magellanic Cloud was reported, the neutrinos were detected at 19 hr 35 min 35 sec UT 23 Feb, which is 05 hr 35 min 35 sec Local 24 Feb, so that must have been what it was!

peterako

God bless your eyes! :eek: