Last night I took advantage of the clear sky and the midnight moonrise to do some binocular deep sky observing out at Lakeside. I brought along a load of firewood to warm myself as the moon rose and blotted out the dark. I do this once a year before the weather turns dry and burning restrictions are in force. You should check out M83 this time of year. It's called the "Southern Whirlpool" because it's every bit as spectacular as M51 which happens to be straight overhead these evenings. South of Spica and Saturn and east of Corvus and M68 its easy to find. There is a set of four stars that make an upside down cross or kite just like Cygnus but without the central star. M83 is right in the middle where the two lines cross. You need a good southern horizon like Lakeside or Rush Valley. Do it this month, It will be lost in the evening twilight by next month's new moon. DT