A nice naked eye project

[kt4hx]

Over on Cloudy Nights, noted observer and author Phil Harrington posts a monthly observing challenge. For the month of October he posted a nice naked eye challenge that gives one a sense of their naked eye limiting magnitude (NELM). He utilizes the Great Square asterism in Pegasus, and based on the number of stars you can see within the square (not including the four corner stars), he estimates what your NELM would be. Give it a try and see what you come up with from your favorite (or only) observing locations.

https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/c ... uare-r3401

[helicon]

Pretty much only four from California. Have not seen Pegasus from here yet but I suspect it will be a couple more stars, Bortle 5ish or so. There are no streetlights and we are about ten miles from town, though porchlights and other random lights cause a few problems.

[pakarinen]

There are stars inside the square? Huh. Imagine that! (B7-8)

[JayTee]

I posted this very same topic over on (the now defunct) AF.net several years ago. I wish there were a way to recover it.

[Graeme1858]

We have thin high cloud tonight, so none! Not a sausage, bugger all! There are no stars in the square of Pegasus from my location tonight. I'm Bortle 4 and I gave it 15 minutes for my eyes to dark adapt. There's aurora happening too, can't see that either!

Tomorrow night is forecast clear, I'll have another go. I would like to think it was possible to see the four mag 4 stars, we'll see.

Graeme

[JayTee]

We have low thick clouds tonight. I guess you can color me done!

[messier 111]

I tried during the evenings when I was looking at Jupiter, no luck, I only see the pegasus square.
my sky is class 8 or 9.

[Ylem]

Inside the square??

I'm under class 8 skies, but there is a park in walking distance that is a class 7, I'll give that a try

[Graeme1858]

Same again, none! But I did see a meteor, so that was nice. Zooming across the top of the square from the direction of Andromeda. Probably an Andromedid then, which peaks today!

A similar test of visibility I like to do is with Ursa Minor. The stars in this constellation range from just brighter than mag 2 to about 5, with a mag 3 and three around about mag 4. Tonight I could see the two 2s, Polaris and Kochab and the mag 3, Pherkad. On a good night I can see six Ursa Minor stars, occasionally I can see all seven. That's always a bit of a treat!

Graeme

[kt4hx]

Same again, none! But I did see a meteor, so that was nice. Zooming across the top of the square from the direction of Andromeda. Probably an Andromedid then, which peaks today!

A similar test of visibility I like to do is with Ursa Minor. The stars in this constellation range from just brighter than mag 2 to about 5, with a mag 3 and three around about mag 4. Tonight I could see the two 2s, Polaris and Kochab and the mag 3, Pherkad. On a good night I can see six Ursa Minor stars, occasionally I can see all seven. That's always a bit of a treat!

Graeme

Yeah I've used Ursa Minor as well. At least in your case it rides higher in the sky with less extinction than we have here. At home, I can usually just make out the 7th star on good nights. At the dark site it is a poor night if I can't see that star!

Next time I get over to the dark site I will do the Pegasus thing.