110 Messier Objects with 15 x 70 Binoculars

I've had my 15 x 70 Oberwerk binoculars for nearly a year now and have really enjoyed observing with them. In September, I started putting them to use on the Messier catalog. My goal was to see if I could observe all 110 objects from home, with as little fuss as possible. That is: no tripod, very little dark adaptation, and only the most rudimentary sketches. I wanted it to be a fun little blitz, to see how far the binoculars could take me. My main advantage is a very clear sky. So, even though glaring light from nearby industry is reflecting off of every nearby structure, the sky clarity makes up for it if you can shield your eyes for just a few minutes.

When I started last September, the bright, feisty objects in the Summer Milky Way made for easy pickings. By the time spring rolled around though, my binoculars faced an imposing load of galaxies. But they gave way bit by bit. Finally, on April 2nd, I finished a tour of the Virgo Cluster and tracked down my last binocular Messier object: M100.

Several of the objects were very difficult, and would have benefitted from a tripod rather than a reclined lawn chair. I was fooled by unresolved groups of stars a couple times too and had to run back out to re-observe those areas. But with close comparison to the star field and comparison to Starry Night software, I was able to verify all the tough ones. The most difficult objects I noted on my list were: M74, M76, M91, M96, M102, M108, and M109.

Now that I've done it, I hope to attempt a Binocular Messier Marathon one day.

My observing notes are in the table at the end of this entry.

If you want to see the handwritten notes with those rudimentary sketches I mentioned, they can be found in this PDF: Binocular Messier Observation Notes

I have also prepared a blank observing record, in case you would like to use it:
Binocular Messier Observation Form (Letter Size)
Binocular Messier Observation Form (A4 Size)