What constellation do you think is the best for binocular observing and why?
Remember, you can only choose one!

My vote is for Sagittarius because of the many OCs, GCs, nebulae and star clouds. Also, I can look in the direction of the heart of the galaxy I reside in.

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Meade DS-10 (10" newt)
10x50, 10x70 binos

That would be a hard one to beat, the Milky Way above the teapot is very awesome in binos.

I think my second choice would be the area around the tail of the Scorpian. At least, from a place far enough south to get a good look at it.

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"I'm as accurate as any psychic. And I'm a cartoon!" -- Squidward

"Arrrgh, the laws of physics be a harsh mistress!" -- Bender

I was going to say "Cygnus", but from New Mexico, it would definitely be Sagittarius. We see it here, but usually it's lost in the haze/skyglow when you get too far from the zenith.

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Todd (Bowie, MD, US, North America, Earth, Sol System, Vega region, Local Bubble, Orion arm, Milky Way Galaxy, Local Group, Virgo A Cluster, Virgo supercluster, the universe in which spock is clean shaven)

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

personal page: http://blog.astrosketches.info

For me Scorpio and Sagittarius are usually murky in the skyglow so in summer I prefer to look northward toward the Double Cluster in Perseus which rises as the night wears on. In winter/spring Orion, of course.

I guess when I thought of this "poll", I neglected to consider at what latitude the observers are replying from

Considering this sites covers the world, I guess it would be fair to include all members' opinions. Though most of the Earth's population resides in the middle part of the northern hemisphere, that's why I thought the question was valid enough to ask.

So if you are in Australia, by all means include your favorite (that's obviously well positioned in the sky for observing). I'm sure the majority of responses will come from the most populated areas of the Earth (latitude wise). I guess in the end, the majority wins but the info will still be valuable to those outside the most populated areas.

If your location is not listed in the post, please include it (at least the country), and that should allow all to participate, regardless of their location. Mr Q

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What goes around, comes around, eventually.

Meade DS-10 (10" newt)
10x50, 10x70 binos

SUBARU is really neat

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-work in progress--

No doubt the best binoc constellation is the Argo Navis compound. Unbeatable.

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Tough to come up with a 'better' constellation than Sagittarius simply due to its rich star fields, numerous DSO's, and impressive dust lanes. Cygnus is also very thick with stars and has some nice dark nebula as well. However, I'll give a shout out to Cassiopeia (sp?) with its multitude of open clusters. Lots of great constellations to enjoy through binocs!

That would be a toss-up between Cygnus (which is always gloriously rich in stars) and Lyra (another lovely, starry constellation that nearly fits in a binocular's FOV). Sagittarius is indeed lovely, but too low from my latitude to be well appreciated, IMO, to say nothing of the summer haze and light pollution that take a lot of the punch out of it. Cygnus and Lyra, by comparison, pass almost directly overhead during the year.

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"Call me old-fashioned, but I think fire is magic. And it scares me a lot."

--The State