Astronomy Using Binoculars
Although they are not as appealing as a telescope, a good pair of binoculars are an excellent alternative, and will enable you to establish whether or not astronomy is for you without needing to go through the expense of buying a telescope. Binoculars are easy to use, they are light, and they are versatile.
As with telescopes, binoculars come in different sizes. As with telescopes, the bigger the aperture (the diameter of the objective lens), the more light can be captured and therefore the brighter objects will appear. But, again as with telescopes, the bigger binoculars are, the heavier and more difficult they are to handle.
10 x 50s are generally accepted as being an ideal size for day-to-day astronomy. 10 x 50 means that the binoculars have a magnification of 10x and an objective lens diameter of 50mm. A pair of 10 x 50s provide a field of view of about 6 degrees, which would allow you to see enough sky to span 12 moons (the moon covers about 0.5 degrees of the sky). A pair of 7 x 50s will provide a slightly larger field of view than a pair of 10 x 50s, but the magnification is not so good.
For larger binoculars it is advisable to use a tripod as this will prevent your arms from becoming tired, and will also avoid the image from jumping about. In fact, I have a pair of 8 x 30s, and it is pretty much impossible to hold them steady enough to be able to view an object such as a planet without the image bouncing around all over the place.
Binoculars provide a great addition to your astronomy tool kit, and are great when you want to quickly span the sky, darting from one object to another. I have three pairs (10 x 25s, 8 x 30s, and 10 x 50s), and I find a use for all three.
About The Author:About the Author: John Dixon documents his astronomy exploits in his blog www.MyAstronomyBlog.com. He also maintains a bookkeeping software application called MyBookkeepingManager.
Recent Articles On This Topic
Planet Observing - An Astronomy Beginners Primer
Here are a few tips on viewing our neighbors in the Solar System.
Astronomy Using Binoculars
Although they are not as appealing as a telescope, a good pair of binoculars are an excellent alternative, and will enable you to establish whether or not astronomy is for you without needing to go through the expense of buying a telescope. Binoculars are easy to use, they are light, and they are versatile.
Astronomy Eyepieces
The purpose of an eyepiece is to magnify the focused image, and different eyepieces can be used to give different magnifications and fields of view. You will need to experiment with different ones to find the best one for a particular application.
What To Look For In A Telescope Mount
Although when anyone ever thinks about astronomy they automatically think about the telescope, it is also important to have a good mount and tripod.
Is The Sky-Watcher Explorer The Right Telescope For Me?
The Sky-Watcher Explorer 130P is aimed squarely at the beginners market. It is a relatively cheap (about £200) telescope that will provide a good introduction to telescope astronomy.
What Is The Significance Of A Telescope's Focal Length?
All things otherwise being equal, slower focal ratios produce less aberrations, but in many designs, a faster focal ratio produces a more compact telescope, meaning there is always some sort of compromise.
Calculating The True Field Of View Of A Telescope Eyepiece
One of the things that originally puzzled me when I first bought my telescope was the business of apparent field of view and true (or actual) field of view.
Three Types Of Telescopes - Astronomy 101 For Beginners
Of the many types of telescopes, a good starting price for a beginner telescope will be around $400.00.
New Telescope Eyepieces Will Improve Even The Finest Telescopes
Should I Change My Eyepiece? Now that you have bought or perhaps have been given a new telescope, you're thinking about making it even better. One the first things new telescope owners usually replace are the telescope eyepieces.
Refractor Telescopes Vs Reflector Telescopes
If you are interested in purchasing a telescope, you have probably heard about refractor and reflector telescopes. However, you might be unaware as to the differences between the two and which one you should choose. The following will discuss both of these telescopes in more detail.
Navigation
