Bins

On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 10:29:54 -0000, plutonic wrote:

I've started stargazing with 8 by 30 bins from a boot sale - and when I
sneak out at night it's been so chilly that with my shaky hands if I
focus on a star I get seriously wavy lines. So I can cure the warmth
factor, but how much stronger should my bins be for viewing.
I get so intrigued when folks post here about seeing Mars or a Saturn
ring.
Also - kind souls can you direct me to basic starter urls for newbies.
I've got myself a 'Philips Stargazer Pack with Star Chart, Planisphere
and nice piccie of Patrick Moore - but I really need some basic urls too
to get started.
Hope you can help.

Kay

You need about 20x minimum (through good optics) to see Saturns rings
clearly separated from the planetary disk. Even so, the image is still
tiny. I'm basing this on the view through my Miyauchi binos with the
20x eyepieces installed. Magnification without good image quality
won't help you see any better.

ChrisH

UK Astro Ads: http://www.UKAstroAds.co.uk

"plutonic" wrote in message
t...
I've started stargazing with 8 by 30 bins from a boot sale - and when I
sneak out at night it's been so chilly that with my shaky hands if I
focus on a star I get seriously wavy lines. So I can cure the warmth
factor, but how much stronger should my bins be for viewing.
I get so intrigued when folks post here about seeing Mars or a Saturn
ring.
Also - kind souls can you direct me to basic starter urls for newbies.
I've got myself a 'Philips Stargazer Pack with Star Chart, Planisphere
and nice piccie of Patrick Moore - but I really need some basic urls too
to get started.
Hope you can help.

Kay

Consider getting some sort of support for the bins. If they have a tripod
attachment (often located on the end of the hinge point of the bins) or you
can get a bracket to attach to the bins. Try bracing yourself against a
wall or something to get some support.

Martin

Martin wrote:
Consider getting some sort of support for the bins.

A broom, or mop, upside down, makes a very good emergency support. The
bins rest on the soft bit. If you want to make it really hi-tech, secure
them together with some bungees.

Best,
Stephen

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Thanks very much for the advice. Tonight for the first time I seemed to
see tons of other fainter stars with the naked eye - it seems the more
you look the more you see. I like the idea of using the broom for
recreational purposes. Thanks all.

Kay

plutonic wrote:
it seems the more you look the more you see.

Indeed. Patience is one of the most valuable optical aids. :-)

Best,
Stephen

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+ Stephen Tonkin | ATM Resources; Astro-Tutorials; Astro Books +
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"Stephen Tonkin" A broom, or mop, upside
down, makes a very good emergency support. The
bins rest on the soft bit.

That's a really nice low tech idea, respect sent.

Matt

Matt wrote:
That's a really nice low tech idea, respect sent.

I should make it clear that it is not original to me (although I did
discover it independently g).

Best,
Stephen

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+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
+ Stephen Tonkin | ATM Resources; Astro-Tutorials; Astro Books +
+ (N51.162 E0.995) | http://www.astunit.com +
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

I am also using "bins" (7X50s, )with very good results especially if I get a
clear sky (frosty, cold etc), there are a series of Patrick Moore's books I
would recommend Stargazing (astronomy without a telescope) is one there is
also one about using "bins" which I used. But I just got hold of a copy of
Starrynight Backyard, it is very good. I am going to use to help me find the
"stars" now.
"plutonic" wrote in message
t...
I've started stargazing with 8 by 30 bins from a boot sale - and when I
sneak out at night it's been so chilly that with my shaky hands if I
focus on a star I get seriously wavy lines. So I can cure the warmth
factor, but how much stronger should my bins be for viewing.
I get so intrigued when folks post here about seeing Mars or a Saturn
ring.
Also - kind souls can you direct me to basic starter urls for newbies.
I've got myself a 'Philips Stargazer Pack with Star Chart, Planisphere
and nice piccie of Patrick Moore - but I really need some basic urls too
to get started.
Hope you can help.

Kay