Howard,

I remember your thread and I revisit the Cone with 18" (113x, Hß) last week under the perhaps best skies in Europe - at the top of Roque de los Muchachos/La Palma. Transparency was divine (M 81 easy with naked eye, which head nebula conspicuous with a 8x30 binocular). Without knowledge of the exact position I promptly saw the Cone as 5' long dark region. Direct vision. I was a little bit shocked because of the simplicity of the view. In the past I always thought it was a question of aperture but now I thought it is the pure transparency.