BinocularSky

The 9th Anniversary edition of the Binocular Sky Newsletter is ready. As well as the usual overview of DSOs, variable and double stars, this month we have:

* Ice giants in the evening sky
* An appulse of a type that may have spawned a legend  image)

* A winter online astronomy event to lift the lockdown blues

I hope this helps you to enjoy these long winter nights with your binoculars or small telescopes.

To pick up your free copy, just head over to http://binocularsky.com and click on the Newsletter tab, where you can subscribe (also free, of course) to have it emailed each month, and get archived copies.

Binoculars are very personal things, it seems. I used to have a Naturesport (10x50) - just didn't get on with it at all (I preferred the Fieldmaster), And I'm not a great fan of the Nikon Aculon either. But other people love both. I've also heard that some people like dew-and-debris magnets (aka mirror-mounts) as well 🙂 .

1 minute ago, Krum40 said:

Ah, yes - late night - I made a mistake I meant i can get  Opticron Adventurer T WP 12x50. I will check the open box

12x50 is a bit too much to hand-hold, and also less bright than the 10x50.

12 hours ago, Krum40 said:

I can't find the Opticron Adventurer II WP 10x50 that Mr. Tonkin so highly recommends.

Ah, that could be because the binocular I so highly recommend is the Opticron Adventurer T WP 10x50, not the II WP 🙂. It's temporarily out of stock at FLO (link in the review to which you hyperlinked), but if you go to that page, they currently have an "open box" one at reduced price. Absolute snip!

@happy-katlink to Bob: https://www.britastro.org/dark-skies/enquiries.php

Direct link to PDF version: https://www.britastro.org/dark-skies/pdfs/CfDS_booklet_Rev07.pdf

Now here's another potential - and very scary - ALAN harm that came to light very recently: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7511708/

On your blurb for #29 (Dark Red) you could add:
* Use as an alternative to a Moon filter to enhance contrast (especially near Full Moon) and improve sharpness.

Almost nobody believes this until they try it 🙂  - essentially, a #29 is a narrow band-pass filter, so it almost totally eliminates the effects of chromatic aberration anywhere in the optical chain.

I've attended this talk; it is excellent!

In your price range there are exactly two 10x50s I'd be confident in recommending:  Opticron Adventurer or Olympus DPS1.

On 30/10/2020 at 17:57, mark81 said:

Thanks Steve, lots to look forward to.  I've never viewed planets with bins before, but must give it go this month... And I'm sure we'll have clear skies for the meteor shower... 😏

Binos aren't really the instrument of choice for planets, but they do at least enable you to detect Uranus and Neptune, and some of the asteroids when they get bright. And, as @happy-kat implied, you don't need much to see the Jupiter's Galilean satellites, or Titan for that matter. I've even seen Callisto with these freebie (at Astrofest a few years ago) cardboard and plastic 2(?)x25 opera glasses:

If you want to find out why people near Chippenham are particularly favoured next week, you'll need to see the latest edition of the Binocular Sky Newsletter 🙂. As well as the usual overview of DSOs, variable and double stars, this month we have:

• Two grazing lunar occultations
• Four Mira stars near maximum
• Ice giants in the evening sky
• A meteor shower with bright persistent trains
• Elan Valley Dark Sky Day (online)

I hope this helps you, especially those of you under lockdown, to enjoy these long November nights with your binoculars or small telescopes.

To pick up your free copy, just head over to http://binocularsky.com and click on the Newsletter tab, where you can subscribe (also free, of course) to have it emailed each month, and get archived copies.

Sad to read this. Adam, if you're  reading this thread, all the very best for the future!

On 26/10/2020 at 19:45, DaveL59 said:

Most of my bins are <1980's of japanese manufacture (full size and micro) and so single coated and BK7,

My sister (who is a wildlife pro) still has the CZJ 8x30s that our dad gave her in 1968. She prefers modern roofs for work nowadays, but took these the last time we went back to Zimbabwe. Still really lovely for astro!

+1 for a parallelogram - the one in my avatar is the AstroDevices one with 20x80s; it wouldn't struggle with 25x100s. Only problem is that it's too easy to doze off during a long session, they are so comfortable to use 🙂

Re BaK-4 prisms and fully multicoated optics: https://binocularsky.com/binoc_minefield.php

On 09/01/2013 at 13:33, Damo636 said:

I plan to use these mostly on the monopod with a modified reclining lounger. When I say modified, I mean I have big hole cut in it right between my legs to allow the monopod to fit through

I did the same (OK, melted a hole with the soldering iron). Then I discovered that the binos were just as steady with the monopod going down the side of the lounger - that's when I realised that monopods don't need to be vertical to work. 🙂

Re @ollypenrice's "nodding" the scope: a similar technique that I have found to be useful with a scope of a mounted binocular is to give it a sharp tap with my fingertips or gloved knuckles while using averted vision - the shiver can reveal things that were hitherto invisible - and they remain visible.

On 20/10/2020 at 00:07, deniamnet said:

Hi fellas, sorry if this question is a copy of what's been asked before, so I am going to jump into stargazing journey and looking for a great binoculars around $200. I've read that the magnification must be at least 10x and that the Porro prism is better than the Roof prism. I really like Vortex Crossfire HD 12x50 but it has the roof prism. Any experience with those for stargazing? Which binocs would you recommend? I've also been looking for Celestron Skymaster series but reviews were so-so. Thanks for your input! 

@deniamnet I'm a bit late to the party here... 🙂

The whole Porro/roof thing is oft-misunderstood. In general (ie not always) at any given price-point, a Porro will have better optical quality than a roof, largely due to the difference in precision with which the prisms must be made. The Vortex Crossfire is one off those that is pretty close to the "not always" category, but I wouldn't get the 12x - very difficult to hand-hold steadily. The 10x50 is much better - brighter, and wider field of view. I've been very impressed with Vortex binoculars (and not just because of their tramsferrable lifetime guarantee)

I reviewed it (in a comparison of six different 10x50s around the same price) for Sky at Night mag a couple of years ago; this is what I wrote:

Quote

The Vortex Crossfire is a good example of how modern manufacturing processes have narrowed the gap in optical quality between Porro- and roof-prism binoculars of similar prices. The 6.1° field of view is on a par with the Porros and it is flat enough that we could keep Albireo split into two components over the central 90%. Colour rendition was excellent: not only do deeply coloured stars seem vibrant, but the subtle differences between similarly coloured ones are easily visible as well.

The focus is smooth and precise, and the short-hinge design leaves more room for your fingers, making the binocular very comfortable to hold. There is enough eye-relief to allow you to observe with spectacles if you need to. The objective lens-caps are tethered to the screw in the adaptor bush in the hinge, so they become untethered if you mount the binoculars. Apart from that, the only other niggle is the high minimum interpupillary distance (60.5mm), which is an inevitable feature of the roof-prism design used for 50mm aperture.

I think you're wise to pass on the Skymasters (the Skymaster Pro, though are very much better).

Also mentioned above are the Nikon Action Extreme 10x50 and the Opricron Adventurer T WP. My review of the Adventurer has just gone live on AstroGear Today: https://astrogeartoday.com/review-opticron-adventurer-t-wp-10x50-binoculars/ and the Nikons were part of the same comparison review as the Vortex:
 

Quote

From the moment you take these binoculars out of their lightly padded case, you will notice that they ooze quality. They have a robust feel in the hand, and everything – hinge, focusing, twist-up eye-cups – works smoothly with just the right amount of stiffness to prevent accidental readjustment. The eyepiece rain-guard is tethered, and the objective caps can be secured to the binocular strap to prevent mislaying them.

They are just as impressive under the stars, which snap to focus anywhere in the central 85% of its 6.5° field of view, giving a bright, crisp, contrasty image. Colour rendition and control of false colour are both very good. There is just enough eye relief to enable spectacle-wearers to see the entire field of view. We found them to be well-balanced and hence relatively easy to hold steadily, and the chunky lugs on the right eyepiece dioptre adjustment make it very easy to adjust, even when we wore thick gloves. The rubber armour does not get slippery when it is dew-wetted.

I hope that helps: Bottom line is that you'd likely be happy with any of these.

On 12/10/2020 at 17:54, WJC said:

Great to be in touch here! I hope you and yours are all well.

Thanks, Bill - yes, we're all well. I've just come out of retirement (yes, in my 8th decade! 🙂 ) and accepted a post as Dark Skies Advisor to the local International Dark Sky Reserve. Been volunteering for ages, but it's good to be useful!

Keep well, my friend.

Hey, @WJC - good to see you on board here! (I missed your posts where you posted pages from your books, or I'd have cottoned on sooner).

47 minutes ago, John said:

almost a subtle lightening of the background sky.

That's exactly it - it's not so much an "object" as what you describe.

39 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

I find it easier to spot it initially in binoculars

Same here.

Celestron do a RDF rail that clips onto the central bar for their Skymaster Pro series. If you do go the GLP route, probably the best way is a weaver or picatinny rail and a GLP gunsight. (Not exactly sure how to fit the rail to the bar, though - but you can get them with all sorts of barrel adaptors.) 

The latest October edition of the Binocular Sky Newsletter is ready. As well as the usual overview of DSOs, variable and double stars, this month we have:

* Four Mira stars near maximum
* Ice giants in the evening sky
* A lunar challenge

I hope this helps you to enjoy these lengthening nights with your binoculars or small telescopes.

To pick up your free copy, just head over to http://binocularsky.com and click on the Newsletter tab, where you can subscribe (also free, of course) to have it emailed each month, and get archived copies.

I got a dozen Opticron AdventurerT WP 8x42 for outreach (when I could do it!) - ideal for 8-yr olds. My review of the 10x50 version is here - the 8x42 is of identical quality.

Great news. This is one reason I chose Opticron for my dozen hand-holdable outreach binoculars.

+1 for https://opticalrepairs.com/