I grew up in a rural area and thus learned all my
binocular deep-sky objects under dark, pristine skies. Moving to the light-polluted Chicago area has forced me to relearn many of my favorite deep-sky objects for
binoculars, though. It's kind of like seeing pictures of aging Hollywood stars and trying to remember what they looked like in their younger, glory days. Truly M31 and the Double Cluster are ghosts of their former selves around here.
So, I've had to get a little adventurous with my
binocular astronomy. A couple of days ago, much to the chagrin of my friends, I grabbed my
Nikon 10x70 Astroluxe, my star chart, red light and bug dope (thank-goodness) and covertly slipped into a local park after dark. Around here, that is no small risk. Was it worth it? Definitely. Not only did I have access to a much wider swath of the sky (the park is an open area with a lake), I was also able to gain at least one magnitude of brightness - a significant improvement, especially in a good
astronomy binocular like the Nikon. For instance, whereas M27 was barely detectable from my apartment lawn, I found the little planetary with ease from the park. No, it wasn't great compared to the good old days, but I could see it and I was definitely enjoying myself. That's what counts. Okay, getting home safe counts, too.