Napoleon's Hat

Finally got a bit of clear sky as a welcome change from storm clouds. It didn't last long but I went out for about an hour before the haze set in. It was very dewy and damp. Draco wasn't quite as bright as a few nights ago but it was all there as well as the little dipper. I did a bit of binocular observing before hauling out the dob. I could just make out the dim triangle of Bootes between Gamma Bootes and the handle of the Big Dipper. In my 7x50's I was able to distinguish Kappa and Iota clearly with averted vision. When I looked directly at the pair, Iota would often dissapear!
I checked out Picot 1 (Napoleon's Hat) near Arcturus in Bootes. It's an interesting asterism at 47x with my 8" dob. I also checked out Struve 1825, a double on the other side of Arcturus. I was able to split it ok at 120x. The primary is quite a bit brighter than the secondary and only 4.4" apart. Haze moved in about midnight and obscured all but the brightest stars of Bootes.
In memoriam: my el-cheapo red-dot sight bit the dust and fell apart. I'll have to get another as it was extremely useful. I'm reduced to sighting along the strip of wood I used as a mount for it!