This one had always escaped my naked eye and telescopic observations. I had always heard that it truly was a naked eye object because of its vast size.

Going to my favorite dark sky location, the trailhead at Mt. Pilchuck in the Snoqualmie-Mt. Baker National Forest of Washington State, I was hoping for success. Having failed even at that spot to see NGC 7000 more than a few times, this night looked more promising than the others. It was very clear and turbulent free. Around 10:00 p.m. or so, skies were at their darkest so I grabbed my 7 x 50 binoculars and am pretty sure I located M81 and M82. That would be a first for me. I will attempt to verify this tonight by using Cartes du Ciel and my best remembrance of the surrounding field of stars.

Looking up at Cygnus, the Milky Way stood out better than I had ever seen it. THERE IT WAS!! The North American Nebula just as clear and prominent as a photograph. Turning my binoculars on it just ruined things. . .this is a visual treat and was more than worth all the years of waiting.

I hope you get to enjoy it soon if you haven’t already.