gracefully stepping into amateur astronomy.. HELP! :)

dear sky watchers,

i'm planning to get my hands on a relatively inexpensive 15x70
binoculars (to be handheld or mounted on my photo tripod). The reason
I've settled on binoculars and not a scope is for extreme practicality
and the least amount of fuss (not to mention minimal cost); My only
reluctance is that the views might not be interesting enough through
binoculars and prematurely kill this interest :-) please
comment/advise.

- I have absolutely no previous experience in astronomy.
- At the moment I can't go to the local astronomy club due to time
constraints.
- I'm not familiar with the night sky - I can identify the major
constellations alright, but that's it. I don't know how to use a star
atlas.

Would you please recommend a good book that would familiarize me with
the structure and (especially) movements of the night sky and
hopefully the use of start charts? I've been eyeing the book "Turn
Left On Orion" as it sounds as if might fit the bill, but would it be
any good with the binos I'm planning on getting?

Thank you,
Moe

Moe wrote:

dear sky watchers,

i'm planning to get my hands on a relatively inexpensive 15x70
binoculars (to be handheld or mounted on my photo tripod). The reason
I've settled on binoculars and not a scope is for extreme practicality
and the least amount of fuss (not to mention minimal cost); My only
reluctance is that the views might not be interesting enough through
binoculars and prematurely kill this interest :-) please
comment/advise.

- I have absolutely no previous experience in astronomy.
- At the moment I can't go to the local astronomy club due to time
constraints.
- I'm not familiar with the night sky - I can identify the major
constellations alright, but that's it. I don't know how to use a star
atlas.

Would you please recommend a good book that would familiarize me with
the structure and (especially) movements of the night sky and
hopefully the use of start charts? I've been eyeing the book "Turn
Left On Orion" as it sounds as if might fit the bill, but would it be
any good with the binos I'm planning on getting?

Thank you,
Moe

Moe,

Welcome to a great hobby! I think you are wise to start with
good binos, but unless you're built like a governor of California
(can you believe it? Elect one pro wrestler governor, and the
whole office goes to hell), you'll need at least a camera tripod.
If you have some spare cash (couple of hundred bucks or more),
you might look into a parallelogram mount for the binos. (Check
out Orion's online catalog at www.telescope.com; but don't buy
until you comparison shop.)

Also at the Orion site you'll also find monthly star charts that
you can print off and use outside. There are also free and cheap
virtual planetarium and star chart programs. One of the best
(albeit maybe over-complex to start with) is Cartes du Ceile.
It's free, it's expandable, and it's considered at or near the
top, even considering software you pay for. Did I say it's free?

I've cross-posted this to sci.astro.amateur. That's the place
for serious discussion of this stuff, and the folks there are
both knowledgable and friendly. Sci.astro, while inhabited by
the occasional astronomer, is more the place you'd come for
weirdness and abuse.

Good luck, and clear, dark skies,

Tom McDonald

Movement is a tough one, unfortunately. The computerware (Where Are The
Stars, in my case) I thought would be a good place to learn about movement;
but I never figured out the software sufficiently. I think it requires time
and patience most importantly. To this day, I wish I could look to the
northwest at high noon and realize what constitution is roughly there; but
not quite.

I might recommend Ru:kl's _Constellation Guidebook_ to know whats' out
there.

Moe wrote:

i'm planning to get my hands on a relatively inexpensive 15x70
binoculars (to be handheld or mounted on my photo tripod). The reason
I've settled on binoculars and not a scope is for extreme practicality
and the least amount of fuss (not to mention minimal cost); My only
reluctance is that the views might not be interesting enough through
binoculars and prematurely kill this interest :-) please
comment/advise.

There is a great deal to see with binoculars like that, but as far as
"extreme practicality" goes they're likely to be quite heavy and
awkward to use. Make sure they have an adapter for a tripod, because
you'll need to use one to observe comfortably for more than a couple
of minutes at a time (unless you pay top dollar for a
super-lightweight pair). Even better than a tripod, especially for
looking upward (unavoidable in astronomy!), would be a parallelogram
mount designed for use with a chair.

- I have absolutely no previous experience in astronomy.
- At the moment I can't go to the local astronomy club due to time
constraints.
- I'm not familiar with the night sky - I can identify the major
constellations alright, but that's it. I don't know how to use a star
atlas.

Would you please recommend a good book that would familiarize me with
the structure and (especially) movements of the night sky and
hopefully the use of start charts? I've been eyeing the book "Turn
Left On Orion" as it sounds as if might fit the bill, but would it be
any good with the binos I'm planning on getting?

Most likely; I'm not familiar with _Turn Left at Orion_ but I've
heard it praised, and the "star-hopping" techniques alluded to by the
title are ideal for binocular observing. Another highly recommended
introductory book is Terence Dickinson's _Nigh****ch_, which I do
have; it includes good basic background information of the sort you
seek, as well as a couple of dozen charts including notes relevant to
observers with binoculars or small telescopes.

--
Odysseus

(Moe) wrote in message . com...

dear sky watchers,

i'm planning to get my hands on a relatively inexpensive 15x70
binoculars (to be handheld or mounted on my photo tripod). The reason
I've settled on binoculars and not a scope is for extreme practicality
and the least amount of fuss (not to mention minimal cost)

If you want minimal fuss, I recommend strongly *against* 15X binoculars.
For best results, such binoculars need to be mounted, and mounting
binoculars is actually harder (and costlier) than mounting a telescope.

Instead, I strongly recommend something in the 7x35 to 10x50 range,
which can be hand-held easily. They also have a wider field of view
than 15X binoculars, which will definitely come in handy. And they
will be much more useful for terrestrial viewing. I own both 7x35
and 10x50 binoculars, and use both frequently. 8x40 might be a
nice compromise.

Alternatively, you *could* jump right in with a telescope. I
recommend binoculars if:

* You live in a reasonably dark place.
* Learning the sky is a high priority.
* You are of a contemplative bent.

I recommend a telescope instead if you want gee-whiz views of the Moon
and the planets, which binoculars won't give you. With the two most
gee-whiz planets now well-placed in the sky (Saturn and Jupiter),
telescopes are particularly attractive.

Since decent 10x50 binoculars can be had for under $100, buying both
binoculars and a cheap scope might be the best way to go. Or a
not-so-cheap scope if you are *sure* you want to get into astronomy
and you have the money to spare. Binoculars really work best as a
complement to telescopes, not a replacement.

- I have absolutely no previous experience in astronomy.
- At the moment I can't go to the local astronomy club due to time
constraints.
- I'm not familiar with the night sky - I can identify the major
constellations alright, but that's it. I don't know how to use a star
atlas.

Would you please recommend a good book that would familiarize me with
the structure and (especially) movements of the night sky and
hopefully the use of start charts?

There are a number of excellent beginner books. Nigh****ch, by
Dickinson, is probably the most common recommendation. Binocular
Astronomy, by Crossen, works for beginners and is particularly
strong on binocular viewing. Also great discussions of star lore
and of the science behind what you are seeing.

I've been eyeing the book "Turn
Left On Orion" as it sounds as if might fit the bill, but would it be
any good with the binos I'm planning on getting?

TLO is a wonderful book, but it is definitely oriented toward a
telescope owner -- in specific toward the owner of a small scope.
I would *not* recommend it for binocular use only.

I hate to toot my own horn, but my employer (Sky & Telescope) is
coming out with a new magazine Night Sky specifically oriented
toward beginners. You could try that too.

- Tony Flanders