We are approaching last quarter, so time to dust off a
binocular, stay up late, brave the mosquitoes and see some star clusters, assuming, of course, we get a clear night. Those lazy, hazy days of summer don't always clean up their act at night.
This is my favorite time for globular star clusters, what with the wealth of these in Ophiuchus and surrounding constellations. Really not so much a matter of admiring them for their beauty; more a matter of just collecting them, given most of them are small and dim by comparison to mighty M13 in Hercules. Still, lots of fun and definitely a challenge under my light polluted skies, even with my big
Nikon 10x70 Astroluxe. Sure, under these urban skies, I could probably do about as well with my
Swift Audubon 8.5x44 820 ED, or one of my other
birding binoculars, but just seems more fun to use a binocular designed expressly for astronomy. The Nikon Astro Luxe is, after all, a thoroughbred.
My only problem is sneaking over to the park after dark. No, not real smart for a single gal and the police have scolded me for it, but what's a girl to do? Like all the other paths in my life, I walk this one alone, unless someone can direct me to an astronomer's escort service. Ha!