On Aug 4, 9:11*am, wrote:
Hi,

I have recently bought a pair of Nikon ATB Monarch *8x42 binoculars
mainly for outdoor use and wildlife observation (I live in East
Central Florida) and I realize that these are less than ideal for
observing stars or planets and that something like a 10x70 *(or more)
would be better. * Still, *since I have three kids which I am
homeschooling, a green laser and a decent astronomy program on my
computers (Kstars) I was wondering what I could do with the binoculars
I have. *Is 8x42 really useless for night sky observation on can I see
some planets besides the Moon? *What else, if anything, can one
observe with such low power bins?

Many thanks for any pointers!

M.

PS: Any chance of seeing the Space Station?



I have the same binos -- purchased them for birding but use them for
astronomy. Last night, I checked out most of the objects around
Saggitarius -- M20, M22, M23, etc. Had no problem with any of them.

Get this book:

Binocular Highlights: 99 Celestial Sights for Binocular Users (Spiral-
bound)
by Gary Seronik

You can purchase the book on Amazon.com or from Sky and Telescope.

The space station is a naked-eye object -- when it's visible, you can
watch it coast across the sky.