Test - Custom Icons

This is a test for using my own custom icons. Layout is still up for grabs. Here is a demonstration of the icon and some descriptive text.


Starhop


M57, Ring Nebula. This is a challenge object for 50mm bins. I first saw this described as a binocular challenge in an article, M57 and Expectations, by Gary Seronik in his monthly column, northern binocular highlight, Sky & Telescope, August 2005. I have seen this nebula without a filter in a number of small scopes. It typically appears as a small, unfocused star. It is faint, but there is enough contrast with the background sky to see with direct vision. Binoculars that I have successfully, and pretty consistently, seen M57 are Canon 15x50 binoculars and Takahashi 22x60 binoculars. In all binocular observations, a tripod was used.

{Insert telescope icon} The Coulter CT100 is a small fast scope which the nebula is slightly easier to detect. In the 4" Takahashi refractor the nebula displays a doughnut shape, and my larger 10" provides much, much more detail. Blah, blah, blah.