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Community photo entitled  by Dr Ski on 08/31/2019 at Valencia Observatory

On 08/31/2019 07:20 pm by Dr Ski | Valencia Observatory

M24 is #9 on my list of Favorite Binocular Targets, but sometimes I feel like it should be #1! With the Lagoon, Trifid, Swan and Eagle nebulae in the neighborhood, it is often ignored.
The Small Sagittarius Star cloud culminates (reaches it's highest point) in your sky now at Astronomical Twilight. What's unique about this view is that this is the highest concentration of resolvable stars you will ever see in binoculars! Count them. You need to spend a lot of time at the eyepiece (use a tripod) to fully appreciate the star clusters, bright and dark nebulae this cloud contains. If you only look at it for a minute, you haven't really seen it. The camera does a good job of approximating what it actually looks like thru binoculars or a low power (<20x) scope. Once you train your eye to see! Check it out. It's very easy to find. Again, a dark, transparent sky enhances the view.

Canon G9X, 11x70 Binoculars
Eyepiece projection
3.2s, ISO3200