New here, simple query..

Hi there, I am looking for advice. What specifications would anyone
suggest for Binoculars capable of making sense of the stars? I would
like to see more than I can with the naked eye...
I live in the North of England. Not good conditions. I can't even make
out the Milky Way!
Thanks for reading.

"Tulpa" wrote:

Hi there, I am looking for advice. What specifications would anyone
suggest for Binoculars capable of making sense of the stars? I would
like to see more than I can with the naked eye...
I live in the North of England. Not good conditions. I can't even make
out the Milky Way!

Unless you are going to invest in a sturdy tripod for them I would
suggest a light pair of field glasses - something like a 7X50. The
bigger you can get the second number (which relates to the light
gathering capabilities) the better. Anything heavy will tire you out
pretty quickly and your hands will start to shake - especially when
looking at a high angle. Despite owning two scopes I probably spend
more time looking at the heavens with my field glasses!


Eugene L Griessel

I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend upon my
friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!

Thanks Eugene, I had been looking at 10x50's.. and I do have a good
tripod. I'll see what Amazon can offer! Pentax seem to attract good
reviews. I can't stretch to Nikon or Zeiss at the moment!

Tulpa wrote:
Hi there, I am looking for advice. What specifications would anyone
suggest for Binoculars capable of making sense of the stars? I would
like to see more than I can with the naked eye...
I live in the North of England. Not good conditions. I can't even make
out the Milky Way!
Thanks for reading.

Here's an OK primer (with lots of adds :-p )

http://tinyurl.com/33gnyq

the complete URL:
http://www.telescope.com/content/lea...avIDs=19,22,29

Another useful article:
http://skytonight.com/equipment/home...inoculars.html


Shawn

Thanks Eugene, I had been looking at 10x50's.. and I do have a good
tripod. I'll see what Amazon can offer! Pentax seem to attract good
reviews. I can't stretch to Nikon or Zeiss at the moment!

You might want to check out the Orion Senix. 10X50 Wide-Angle - $99

http://www.telescope.com/jump.jsp?it...rID=823&KICKER

Although I have not personally used them, guys in my club suggest them
on a regular basis. They claim they are worth every penny.

I use my 10X50's more than my scopes by a long shot. I have several
pair. One that stays in the truck. If I find myself traveling down a
dark road at night, you can bet as sure as the Pope is Catholic that
I'm going to pull over and check the perimeter.

I do not have a tripod. I do tire. I do have a reclining lounge chair
that I lie in for long duration observing. The armrest are at just the
right height so that when I'm relaxing, in the reclined position,
looking up, the binoc's are even with my eye balls.

Keep the following in mind:

1) In nights that you plan to observe, give you eyes 15 to 30 minutes
to fully dark adapt. It can mean the difference between seeing and not
seeing.

2) Once your eyes are dark adapted, avoid white light at all cost. A
fraction of a second glimpse can set you back another 15 to 30
minutes.

3) If light is necessary for star chart or planisphere reading, then
use red light. A red LED light is preferred, but a regular flash light
with red filter will due. Red cellophane and rubber band can be
wrapped over the end of a regular flashlight in a pinch.

Also, check out the below link to Ed Ting's article in Sky & Telescope
on "How to - binocular astronomy"

http://skytonight.com/howto/howtoequipment/3389576.html

Errol
pasnola.org

On Feb 13, 7:04 am, "Tulpa" wrote:
Hi there, I am looking for advice. What specifications would anyone
suggest for Binoculars capable of making sense of the stars? I would
like to see more than I can with the naked eye...
I live in the North of England. Not good conditions. I can't even make
out the Milky Way!
Thanks for reading.

Image stablizing is nice if you can afford the extra cost.

On 13 Feb, 12:04, "Tulpa" wrote:
Hi there, I am looking for advice. What specifications would anyone
suggest for Binoculars capable of making sense of the stars? I would
like to see more than I can with the naked eye...
I live in the North of England. Not good conditions. I can't even make
out the Milky Way!
Thanks for reading.

Hi there Tulpa, Lidl were doing some Bresser/Meade 10x50's for £9.99.
Put them on a cheap tripod and you will see enough to keep you going
for months. Bigger is better but then harder to hold steady, Over 60mm
really needs a tripod or mount of some kind. Try your local AS, they
may have instruments for loan.
jc

Hi there Tulpa, Lidl were doing some Bresser/Meade 10x50's for £9.99.
Put them on a cheap tripod and you will see enough to keep you going
for months. Bigger is better but then harder to hold steady, Over 60mm
really needs a tripod or mount of some kind. Try your local AS, they
may have instruments for loan.

I think all binos - even small/light ones - work better for astronomy when
mounted. I love the Tiny Titan sold by www.burgessoptical.com - we have
built the kit as well as copied it.

Dennis

On 13 Feb 2007 04:04:02 -0800, "Tulpa"
wrote:

Hi there, I am looking for advice. What specifications would anyone
suggest for Binoculars capable of making sense of the stars? I would
like to see more than I can with the naked eye...
I live in the North of England. Not good conditions. I can't even make
out the Milky Way!

Hi Tulpa, I don't know what you mean by "capable of making sense of
the stars." Any pair of binoculars will show you more than you can
see with the naked eye.

In my opinion something in the 7x35 to 10x50 range would be a good
place to start with a pair of binoculars.

I use 8x42, 20x80 and 25x100 binoculars from a much darker site than
you have. Each of these binoculars have their own specific strengths
and weaknesses. Each gets used from time to time; but currently (and
this changes from time to time) my most used binoculars are the
20x80s. Least often used are the 25x100s.

Depending on the object(s) being observed, different binoculars will
do the job best. No single binocular can do everything better than
any other pair of binoculars. For this reason, many of us own more
than one pair of binoculars.

Nevertheless, it's probably best to start small (7x35, 8x42, or
10x50). The small binoculars will remain useful even after moving up
to larger binoculars.

Due to my darker sky, I use binoculars somewhat differently than
you'll be able to use them. The 8x42s are useful for planetary
groupings with or without the moon. They're the binocular of choice
for larger comets -- comets that are too large to fit entirely within
the smaller fields of view of larger binoculars. Sometimes I simply
scan the Milky Way with the 8x42s, or look for some of the more
prominent deep sky objects. These binoculars are also very practical
for most daytime applications.

I used to use the 20x80s almost always attached to a mount and tripod;
but now that I have even larger (25x100) binoculars I've begun using
the 20x80s more and more often handheld. I've been having a great
time using the 20x80s (handheld) to round up Messier and other deep
sky objects. From a dark site all the Messier objects can be seen
with 20x80s. In the past these binoculars have been used to make solar
and lunar observations as well as occasional comet observations
(mounted).

The 25x100s are big and heavy! I *have* used them handheld for a few
brief observations; but these binoculars really should be used with a
sturdy mount and tripod. As such, one of the big advantages of
smaller binoculars is lost with the larger 25x100s. I use a rather
large tripod and mount with them. They are about as portable and
'easy' to set up as a medium sized telescope! Nevertheless, they can
provide some outstanding views of many deep sky objects as well as
detailed views of the Moon. As with the other binoculars, the 25x100s
perform very well for observing comets, particularly those that are
small enough to fit entirely within the small, 2.33 degree field of
view.

My website:
http://www.rangeweb.net/~sketcher/index.html
and blog both contain some sketches made while observing with
binoculars (as well as telescopes).

It should be possible to use just about any pair of binoculars
advantageously for astronomy; but different binoculars possess
different advantages and disadvantages. Much depends on what you
expect to see with them. It's entirely possible that you'll be
disappointed regardless of the binoculars chosen. OTOH, you might be
very happy regardless of the binoculars chosen!!

What do you expect to see with binoculars from your location?
--
Bill
Celestial Journeys
http://cejour.blogspot.com

On 14 Feb, 17:00, W. H. Greer wrote:
On 13 Feb 2007 04:04:02 -0800, "Tulpa"
wrote:

Hi there, I am looking for advice. What specifications would anyone
suggest for Binoculars capable of making sense of the stars? I would
like to see more than I can with the naked eye...
I live in the North of England. Not good conditions. I can't even make
out the Milky Way!

Hi Tulpa, I don't know what you mean by "capable of making sense of
the stars." Any pair of binoculars will show you more than you can
see with the naked eye.

In my opinion something in the 7x35 to 10x50 range would be a good
place to start with a pair of binoculars.

I use 8x42, 20x80 and 25x100 binoculars from a much darker site than
you have. Each of these binoculars have their own specific strengths
and weaknesses. Each gets used from time to time; but currently (and
this changes from time to time) my most used binoculars are the
20x80s. Least often used are the 25x100s.

Depending on the object(s) being observed, different binoculars will
do the job best. No single binocular can do everything better than
any other pair of binoculars. For this reason, many of us own more
than one pair of binoculars.

Nevertheless, it's probably best to start small (7x35, 8x42, or
10x50). The small binoculars will remain useful even after moving up
to larger binoculars.

Due to my darker sky, I use binoculars somewhat differently than
you'll be able to use them. The 8x42s are useful for planetary
groupings with or without the moon. They're the binocular of choice
for larger comets -- comets that are too large to fit entirely within
the smaller fields of view of larger binoculars. Sometimes I simply
scan the Milky Way with the 8x42s, or look for some of the more
prominent deep sky objects. These binoculars are also very practical
for most daytime applications.

I used to use the 20x80s almost always attached to a mount and tripod;
but now that I have even larger (25x100) binoculars I've begun using
the 20x80s more and more often handheld. I've been having a great
time using the 20x80s (handheld) to round up Messier and other deep
sky objects. From a dark site all the Messier objects can be seen
with 20x80s. In the past these binoculars have been used to make solar
and lunar observations as well as occasional comet observations
(mounted).

The 25x100s are big and heavy! I *have* used them handheld for a few
brief observations; but these binoculars really should be used with a
sturdy mount and tripod. As such, one of the big advantages of
smaller binoculars is lost with the larger 25x100s. I use a rather
large tripod and mount with them. They are about as portable and
'easy' to set up as a medium sized telescope! Nevertheless, they can
provide some outstanding views of many deep sky objects as well as
detailed views of the Moon. As with the other binoculars, the 25x100s
perform very well for observing comets, particularly those that are
small enough to fit entirely within the small, 2.33 degree field of
view.

My website:http://www.rangeweb.net/~sketcher/index.html
and blog both contain some sketches made while observing with
binoculars (as well as telescopes).

It should be possible to use just about any pair of binoculars
advantageously for astronomy; but different binoculars possess
different advantages and disadvantages. Much depends on what you
expect to see with them. It's entirely possible that you'll be
disappointed regardless of the binoculars chosen. OTOH, you might be
very happy regardless of the binoculars chosen!!

What do you expect to see with binoculars from your location?
--
Bill
Celestial Journeyshttp://cejour.blogspot.com

Bill,

Thanks ever so much for the comprehensive reply!
I shall consider all your advice and probably plump for 10x50's in the
end..

As to what I may see, I was brought up in the West Highlamnds of
Scotland where very much more was visible. Whe I arrived in the North
East of England I remember being dismayed by the Sodium Light as well
as the generally grey cloud cover that still seems the prevalent
weather!
No more milky way.. Ho hum.

Richard.