Constellations: Delphinus, Lyra, Perseus, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor
Clusters: NGC 869/884, α Persia Cluster
Conjunction: Saturn-Spica
Location: Fisherman's Corner Campground, Hampton, Illinois
Date: 2017-08-22
Time: 9:00 PM - 10:08 PM
Instrument: Visual + Binocular 10x30 IS
Transparency: Good (3)
Seeing: Good (3)
Temperature: 22º C
Light breeze and no clouds as we camped beside the Mississippi River - but they didn't tell us about the numerous trains passing on the tracks on the other side of the river at all hours.
Ursa Major
Time: not recorded
Instrument: Visual + Binoculars
S&T Chart Reference: 31, 32, 33, 43, F
Easily located all 7 stars in the constellation visually. With the binoculars, saw the Mizar-Alcor pairing.
Ursa Minor
Time: 9:00 PM
Instrument: Visual
S&T Chart Reference: 64
Using the pointer stars of Ursa Major, easily locate all 7 stars in the constellation except η. For me, this has always been a difficult to see.
Lyra
Time: 9:15 PM
Instrument: Binoculars
S&T Chart Reference: 63
I located Vega, ζ, ε1 and ε2, δ1 and δ2, β and γ.
Perseus + α Persii Cluster
Time: 9:33 PM
Instrument: Visual + Binoculars
S&T Chart Reference: 2, 13
Able to see Mirfak, γ Perseus and δ Perseus. There were numerous stars seen around Mirfak, much like an open cluster; very bright stars extended towards δ. I had found the α Persia cluster!
NGC 869/884
Time: 9:33 PM
Instrument: Visual + Binoculars
S&T Chart Reference: 1, 2, 13
Used naked eye and binoculars. Located Perseus then noticed the 2 clusters above Miram, NGC 884 was a more diffuse grey fuzzy - numerous stars in the cluster with perhaps lower magnitudes. NGC 869 had 3 bright points in an otherwise grey fuzzy area. Both were easily seen in the same binocular FOV.
NOTE: There were 2 stars between Miram and the NGCs that I did not identify
Conjunction Saturn-Spica
Time: 9:10 PM EDT
Instrument: Visual + Binoculars
Located Spica visually; couldn't see the other stars of the constellation due to light pollution. Using the binoculars, I viewed Saturn that was within 10º of Spica. Saturn was located slightly higher in declination than Spica.