Catch The Southern Messier Several Show Objects

[skywalker]

Right Now Even the Novice can enjoy the Dozens of brighter Messier in the Southern Sky located in the Milky-way...

After Dusk may catch a few in Scorpius a J or Cycle shape larger constellation, huge M4 Globular Glows next to brighter star Antares, Scorpius is starting to get low in South-South-West (between SW and S). Off the J's end find the Butterfly Cluster and my favorite Ptolemy with beautiful contrast, sparkles like diamonds...

Sagittarius the Archer shaped like a Teapot with the spout tipping down to it right is located low now directly in the South at dusk...if you can pick up any of the small 3 globulars lined on the bottom of the Teapot conditions are better than average, just off the top star reveals M28 Globular but the show stopper is nearby move abit to the left and see the Huge M22, compares to famed M13, starts to resolve even in the lowest powers again with good conditons..Erie looking Lagoon Nebula is abit futher upward, the list goes on, simply scan in these areas and slowly upward the Milky-way, hard to miss at least a Dozen of these southern beauties... If your still not sure on these constellations, simply scan the bottom of the Milky-way and come up, many are located abit low...you will see several...

With good skys the Small ETX90 Locater will pick up all of these, but more fun with a Richfield or even Binoculars will show several, at a dark site many are visible w/naked eye..

Happy Hunting...

[Johnmore]

I agree with you! Upper Michigan, dark sky! Wow! Bright milky way all the way down to horizon! I can see M22 and M28 in one view on my 10X50 binocular. M8 all the way up to M17 and M16 easy to see in my binocular. Anyone who know Scorpius and Sagittarius then they able to find many interesting objects and bright open clusters in the Milky Way. Years ago, first time I saw M7 and I said myself wow what a nice open clusters and I noticed what's little but bright cluster and I found out it to be M6! Anyone who see it will never forget in lifetime! You are right that right now is the best time because there will be No Moon for a few days until the Sagittarius getting lower next month! Sad that I live so close to Chicago and I can see faint nebula of M8 at 70 power with narrowband filter in my backyard. Light Pollution is EVIL! That's why I joined IDA and hope that someday we might able to see milky way in our backyard!