Epsilon
Lyrae
Located
at the top of Lyra this is the famous double-double. Although you'll
only be able to split the group in two with binoculars. Now take a
look at the other stars that make up the outline of Lyra. How many
other doubles can you find?
Coathanger
Also
know as Collinder 399, this distinctive group of stars lies two
binocular fields below Beta Lyrae, the head of the swan.
M27 -
Dumbbell Nebula
If
you've managed to locate the Coathanger, look for the outline of
Sagitta the arrow nearby. The Dumbbell Nebula or M27 can be found by
scanning one binocular field north of the tip of the arrow.
M11
This
open cluster lies in one of the densest parts of the summer milky
way: the Scutum Star Cloud. You can find the "wild duck"
cluster as admiral Smyth called it one binocular field west of
Aquilla's beak. You should see two pairs of stars nearby.
M24
The
Sagittarius star cloud is another dense portion of the milky way
that, like the Scutum star cloud, is best appreciated with a pair of
binoculars. On some charts it's mislabeled as the open cluster NGC
6603. M24 is in reality the star cloud surrounding NGC 6603. You can
find both just below the Scutum star cloud.
M23
Just
a little over one binocular field west of M24 lies this rich open
cluster made up of over 120 faint stars. Although through a pair of
10x50 binoculars, you may begin to resolve them into individual
stars.
M8
Better
known as the lagoon nebula. The winter sky has Orion, the summer sky
has the lagoon. Located one field below M23 this huge cloud of gas
is bisected at one end by a dark lane or a "lagoon" if you
prefer.
M25
Slew
your binoculars about one field east of the M24, the Sagittarius
star cloud, and you'll be rewarded with a view of this attractive
little cluster.
M22
This
globular cluster is almost a magnitude brighter than the well know
M13. Look for a nebulous disk just one field north north-east of the
top of the teapot.
M7
You'll
need a clear southern horizon to view this beauty. This large
cluster is located one binocular field north east of Scorpio's tail.
It can be easily resolved into individual stars in just about any
pair of binoculars.
M6
The
"butterfly" cluster can be found just to the northwest of
M6. In fact, you can probably squeeze both of them in the same field
of view.
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