I was lucky enough to be invited to spend the Canada Day long weekend on a boat in the North Channel, above Manitoulin Island. Although being on a boat didn’t allow me to set up a telescope on a tripod (although ever so slightly, the boat was in constant motion), I did enjoy some amazing naked-eye and binocular views. I was able to see naked-eye stars of magnitude 6.0, but could not see a magnitude 6.3 star nearby, so that gives you an idea of the limiting magnitude. Deep sky objects like the Lagoon Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Double Cluster in Perseus and the Coathanger were all easily visible to the unaided eye. Perhaps most spectacular was the Milky Way, showing an abundance of detail and dark tendrils through the Great Rift, and the Scutum Star Cloud was perhaps at the best I’ve ever seen it. There were also many, many satellites and meteors. Even without a telescope, it was a wonderful observing experience. So this summer when you’re up at the cottage or vacationing in a dark site, remember to bring your scope and binoculars, or even just take the time to get out under a really dark sky and enjoy.
