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(IAAC) Barnard's Loop, Naked Eye or Otherwise



From: Mel Bartels <mbartels@efn.org>

>I've never seen Barnard's Loop, but a few amateurs have
>reported this.  Unaided eye observing is a lot of fun and very 
rewarding - I encourage all to to try, and to spend time practicing the 
ability.

Some friends and I have seen Barnard's Loop using an H-Beta filter and a 
Pronto late last fall at Fremont Peak in California; it appeared as a 
faint strand that could be traced several degrees along the eastern edge 
of Orion.  We did not try to see it naked eye or using a filter. I have 
occasionally tried this technique on such objects as the Rosette and 
North America Nebulae - the NA is pretty easy in most dark skies, but 
the Rosette has always stymied me with or without a filter.

When I look at the Pleiades naked eye or filtered, all I see is a 
scattering of 6 or 7 stars (if I'm lucky) that are lopsided and blurry - 
astigmatism prevents high-definiton naked eye viewing.  There are a few 
guys out here who routinely count more than a dozen stars, though, and 
sometimes as high as 16 or even more.  Some wear glasses and some do 
not.

Bruce Jensen

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