But I don’t own a Telescope!

By Aaron B. Clevenson, ALCor

Ok, some of us are fortunate enough to have a telescope, but some of us don’t. Some of us are grateful that we have binoculars. What about us? Well assuming you have already done the Binocular Messier Club certification, where can you go from here? Well the Astronomical League (AL) has two more binocular-based observing clubs that are perfect for you: Deep Sky Binocular Club, and the Southern Skies Binocular Club. Let’s take a look at these in a little more depth.

There is nothing like the ease and comfort of sitting back in a lounge chair gazing skyward with a pair of binoculars. You see great swaths of sky, ultimate flexibility, and great convenience. (Have you ever tried to go on a trip with your telescope? Hah!) Well there are many objects out there just waiting for you to find them. Get comfortable, keep warm, and let’s explore. We have 60 objects to find. The requirements are the typical ones, keep good records, and be sure to sketch what you see. Recommended equipment is a pair of modest 7 x 50 binoculars. So what do we see? Well it’s a mixed bag of goodies. They are brighter than 9th magnitude and come from a number of different lists. They are all larger than 3 degrees. There are 57 open clusters, 2 galaxies, and one globular cluster. Some of them are very beautiful, some of them are vary faint.

Need more? How about the Southern Skies Binocular Club certification? As the name implies, some travel will be needed. Sounds like another road trip to Chile! (My bags are still packed.) Although the list has 73 objects on it, you only need to find 50. The same 7 x 50 binoculars will serve you well. They say that an experienced observer with only two good nights of observing can complete this certification. Of course you need to be south! This group is a little diverse. There are 52 open clusters, 15 globular clusters, 3 galaxies, and 3 nebulas, so much to see and so far away. This is on my must do list!

The requirements are fairly typical, but they want a little more “star atlas information” than most clubs. Be sure to sketch your work and keep good records. “But I don’t own a telescope!” I hear you say, no problem, these clubs are for you. Next month we come back much closer to home, a little over 8 minutes as the photon flies, to explore the Sunspotters Club. Until then, Happy Hunting!