binoculars
Below are the episodes of the Jodcast (or segments) which match the keyword binoculars. You can continue searching by going back to the tag cloud.
- The night sky for July 2007 - July 2007 (MP3)
Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during July 2007. During July the nights are getting slightly longer. Looking above at around 10pm we see Ursa Major - the Great Bear. Moving south we first come to the constellation Hercules containing the wonderful globular cluster M13. Further south is Ophiuchus and Sagittarius and Scorpius below. Rising in the east in the late evening is the beautiful region of the Milky Way containing Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila the Eagle which make up the Summer Triangle. As July begins you should be able to see Saturn a few degrees west of Leo's bright star Regulus but as the month progresses it gets closer to the Sun in the sky. Mercury passed between the Earth and the Sun on 28th June. During July Mercury is 5 degrees from the Sun at the start of the month and increasing to about 15 degrees. Mars is getting better and is now rising around midnight. The disc is around 6.3 arcseconds across and you might just see the poles with a telescope. Venus shines brightly in the western sky after sunset although you will start to need a good clear western horizon to see it now. The Moon can be fun to observe and is probably best to observe at first quarter around July 22nd. Jupiter is seen in the south at about 10pm and is up and to the left of Antares in Scorpius. Sadly, Jupiter is not very high in the sky for observers at northern latitudes. On 1st July, Saturn and Venus are only separated by only around one degree. You could also try to spot dwarf planet Ceres with binoculars just below Mars during this month. - The night sky for May 2007 - May 2007 (MP3)
Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during May 2007. From around the middle of May, in northern England, it doesn't get truely dark for about six weeks. As the Sun sets, in the south west we see the constellation of Gemini and high in the south is Leo. Between them is the constellation Cancer and with binoculars you may see a very nice star cluster called the Beehive Cluster. On the boundary between Leo and Cancer is Saturn. Between the bright star Spica - in the constellation Virgo - and the tail of Leo, is the Realm of the Galaxies. These galaxies form part of the Virgo Cluster, part of the Virgo Supercluster of galaxies but sadly you'll need a telescope to see them. Overhead is Ursa Major containing the asterism called the Plough (Big Dipper). If you look at the central star of the tail of the bear, you'll see it has a companion. These stars - Mizar and Alcor - make the Horse and Rider. Mizar is itself a double star and these can be seen with a telescope. Saturn is about 11 degrees to the right of the brightest star of Leo; Regulus. In a small telescope you will easily see Saturn's largest Moon Titan. Around the last week of the month it will be possible to see Mercury around 30 minutes after sunset between where the Sun has set and the planet Venus. Mars is barely visible, just before dawn, close to the south-eastern horizon. The disc is just 5 arcseconds across so there are no details to be seen. Venus is currently dominating the western sky after sunset. On the 19th May, a thin crescent Moon is just three degrees from the planet Venus and will make a very nice pairing with your eyes or a pair of binoculars.
