General Session - July 11, 2018

Venus (in Virgo)
Time: 9:35 PM CDT
Instrument: Visual 

Viewed Venus naked eye. Found it 15º above the WSW horizon below β Virgo (Zavijava).

Jupiter (in Libra)
Time: 9:50 PM CDT
Instrument: Visual + Binoculars 
S&T Chart Reference: 46, 57

Jupiter could easily be found visually in the SW sky. My binoculars allowed me to find all 4 Galilean moons - Io, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. Jupiter was located less than 5º from α Librae at approximately 2 o'clock to the star.

Scorpius
Time: 9:50 PM + 11:00 PM CDT
Instrument: Visual + Binoculars 
S&T Chart Reference: 56, 58, J

Observation #1 @ 9:50 PM:
Used my binoculars to view Antares; this star had initially caught my attention due to its definite redness and the binocular view showed the colour very well. I was also to see the blue τ Scorpii / Al Naiyat. Visually, I located Deshubba. I found it difficult to locate the other stars in the constellation due to the lightness of the sky at this time.

Observation #2 @ 11:00 PM:
Antares was still visibly quite red. Once again located Al Niyat and Deschubba but also visually located Graffias and π Scorpii. Used my binoculars to locate ω¹ Scorpii and ω² Scorpii near Graffias; very easy to see this bright pair.

M11 (Wild Duck Cluster)
Time: 10:20 PM CDT
Instrument: Binoculars  
S&T Chart Reference: 67

Looked for the semi-circle of stars above the Teapot and used binoculars to locate M11 (as the golf ball next to the golf club). Could make out the brighter centre with fading edges of the globular cluster.

Summer Triangle (DAVe)
Time: 10:28 PM CDT
Instrument: Visual + Binoculars 
Visually located all 3 stars of the asterism - Deneb, Altair and Vega. Used my binoculars to look at Vega and Lyra's double-double.

Leo
Time: 10:28 PM CDT
Instrument: Visual + Binoculars 
S&T Chart Reference: 34, 35

First noticed Regulus very low in the sky, about 5º above the horizon with Venus nearby. Could faintly make out Denebola and may have seen θ Leonis and δ Leonis, but not sure. Definitely didn't see his legs or most of his mane/head.

Lyra
Time: 10:28 PM CDT
Instrument: Visual + Binoculars 
S&T Chart Reference: 63
Easily located Vega. Used my binoculars to locate ε¹ and ε², ζ, δ¹ and δ² Lyrae. Didn't/Couldn't see the double stars of the double stars in ε.

M8 (Lagoon Nebula)
Time: 10:55 PM CDT
Instrument: Binoculars  
S&T Chart Reference: 67, 69, I
Found the Teapot then used its spout to locate M8. The line of 5 bright stars with the surrounding oval-shaped nebulosity was easily identified as M8. The lanes of the Milky Way were now becoming evident.

Ophiuchus
Time: 10:56 PM CDT
Instrument: Visual  
S&T Chart Reference: 54, 56, 67

The curved line of stars above Scorpius caught my eye. Very quickly located α, β and κ at the top of the huge figure, but only visually. Didn't look for the accompanying stars in Serpens Cauda and Serpens Caput.

Cassiopeia
Time: 10:56 PM CDT
Instrument: Visual + Binoculars 
S&T Chart Reference: 1, 3, 72
Easily located all 5 stars of this constellation in the NE sky.

Cygnus + Coathanger / Collinder 399 / Brocchi's Cluster 
Time: 10:58 PM CDT
Instrument: Visual + Binoculars 
S&T Chart Reference: 62, 73, H
Easily located Deneb visually, then located Sadr, Albireo, ε and λ.

Used the binoculars to view the double in Albireo. Could see the larger yellowish star β¹ and the bluish companion albeit smaller β². Also used Albireo to locate all 10 stars of the Coathanger.

Within 10 minutes, the light and dark lanes of the Milky Way became visible.