A lifelong amateur astronomer, Phil Harrington was bitten by the "astronomical bug" when he was assigned to watch the total lunar eclipse of April 1968 as a homework assignment.  Since then , Phil has spent countless hours touring the universe through telescopes and binoculars. Phil is probably most familiar to amateur astronomers for his books, including: TOURING THE UNIVERSE THROUGH BINOCULARS, STAR WARE, and STAR WATCH.  Phil is also a contributing editor for Astronomy magazine, where he frequently reviews telescopes, binoculars, and other astronomical equipment, as well as authors observing features.  Phil also authored the magazine's monthly Binocular Universe column from 2005-2009.  In June 2009, his popular column moved to Cloudynights.com. Each month, Binocular Universe will visit some of the many wonders of the night sky that are visible through a simple pair of binoculars.  Some of the sights may be familiar, while others may be brand new.  And if you spot something along the way that you would like to see mentioned in a future column, be sure to drop Phil a line here. Welcome to the Binocular Universe, where two eyes are better than one. Binocular Universe: A Clearing in the Clouds [Article]  | 08/01/09 | by Phil Harrington The view through binoculars, especially 7x and 10x wide-field glasses, is simply overwhelming on a warm, dark summer's eve. There are more stars framed wit. . . Binocular Universe: A Dynamic Universe [Article]  | 03/05/10 | by Phil Harrington On January 1, 1801 , the solar system became a little more crowded. That night, the Sicilian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi stumbled upon the first asteroid, . . . Binocular Universe: A Month of Luna-See [Article]  | 07/02/09 | by Phil Harrington What were you doing exactly 40 years ago this month? For those of us who were around way back in July 1969, we were anticipating the greatest technologica. . . Binocular Universe: A Pair of Stingingly Beautiful Clusters [Article]  | 07/01/10 | by Phil Harrington Scorpius, the Scorpion, is one of those rare constellations that actually looks like what it is supposed to represent. Most stargazers find it easy to imag. . . Binocular Universe: Berenice's Hair [Article]  | 05/05/10 | by Phil Harrington Ptolemy III Euergetes ("Benefactor"), the third ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt , ruled in the middle of the third century B.C. Under his reign, t. . . Binocular Universe: Bikini Bottom [Article]  | 10/05/09 | by Phil Harrington April showers may bring May flowers here on Earth, but up in the sky, October is the soggiest time of year. That's because the "wet quarter" flows above o. . . Binocular Universe: Hitting Below the Belt [Article]  | 01/07/10 | by Phil Harrington Normally, hitting below the belt is considered a low blow. But in our case this month, hitting below the belt is exactly on target. This month, we are go. . . Binocular Universe: Hydra's Head [Article]  | 04/02/10 | by Phil Harrington The sky's longest constellation, Hydra, slithers along the southern horizon every spring, spanning the full width of the seasonal sky. Westernmost Hydra, l. . . Binocular Universe: Sly Fox (September 2010) [Article]  | 09/03/10 | by Phil Harrington Here are a few gems I bumped into along the way as I viewed the tiny constellation of Vulpecula the Fox. Vulpecula is a faint summertime constellation wed. . . Binocular Universe: Subaru [Article]  | 12/07/09 | by Phil Harrington Japanese stargazers call them Subaru. You may know them better as the Seven Sisters. But call them what you will, the open star cluster known official. . . Binocular Universe: Surfing Serpens [Article]  | 08/01/10 | by Phil Harrington Serpens the Serpent has the unique distinction of being the sky’s only constellation that is sliced in half by a second star group, the constellation Ophiu. . . Binocular Universe: Tales of the Unicorn [Article]  | 02/02/10 | by Phil Harrington This month, we call on the northwestern corner of the constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn. This seemingly empty region, bordered by brilliant Betelgeuse t. . . Binocular Universe: The Coathanger [Article]  | 09/01/09 | by Phil Harrington The three brilliant stars of the Summer Triangle -- Vega, Deneb, and Altair -- ride high in the sky this month, framing the gentle glow of our Milky Way ga. . . Binocular Universe: The Double Cluster and Friends [Article]  | 11/02/09 | by Phil Harrington Of the dozens of open star clusters that dot the autumn sky, none is more popular among binocular stargazers than NGC 869 and NGC 884, the famous Double Cl. . . Binocular Universe: The Heart of the Scorpion [Article]  | 06/01/09 | by Phil Harrington "Two eyes are better than one!"... That’s been my astronomical mantra ever since I got hooked into this hobby 41 years ago because of a homework assign. . . Binocular Universe: Two Late Spring Globular Clusters [Article]  | 06/10/10 | by Phil Harrington If you were asked to name the greatest visual observer of all time, who would you choose? My vote would have to go to the . . .