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Showing results for tags 'binocular'.
Found 26 results
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While the solar observing specs are on back-order I decided to have a go at making some binocular solar film filters, so ordered an A4 sheet of the Baader solar film and downloaded the Baader instructions. While the translation may have lost out on one or two small things it was very easy to follow the guide to build my own objective filters using the film and some white card. The view through them is better than I had imagined, there is some granularity visible (like a gradient around the edges of the sun giving it a spherical appearance) and right now I could see three large areas of sunspot activity. The colour is white as advertised, with shades of grey and black. I could just make out the branches of a tree that were close to the sun, probably just their shadow I could see as they blocked some of the sun's energy. As per the instructions, I held both filters up to the bright daylight to check for any pin [removed word] holes before using them with the binoculars. They are a snug fit for sure, no chance of them coming off once they are firmly pushed on. [can't believe the profanity filter removed a word meaning to make a small hole with a pin!] These fit my 8x42 Bushnells, I'm sure a larger pair of binoculars would show an even better view. I may attempt to make one for my 102 refractor with the remaining portion of the A4 sheet. All I need now is a safe piece of tupperware to carefully store these in. Would be interested to see what others have made with solar film.
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The latest edition of the Binocular Sky Newsletter is ready. As well as the usual overview of DSOs, variable and double stars, this month we have: Several lunar occultations, including one of AldebaranComet Catalina now visible in the morning skyMeteors from Asteroid 3200 PhaethonA mini-review of Vixen's SG 2.1x42 binocularI hope you find it useful. To get your (free!) copy, go to http://binocularsky.com and click on the newsletter tab.
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Hello All, I am new to this forum and find this forum extremely useful. I have gone through almost all the threads requesting advice on the binoculars for stargazing and hopefully I will not frustrate someone for this additional thread. I live near San Francisco, CA, USA and in my early 30s. I am planning a trip to Bryce Canyon in 2 months. That place is supposed have very less light pollution and is recommended for Astronomy/Stargazing. I have bought the Sky Safari 5 android app to get me started into astronomy and hopefully I will continue this as a hobby for a long time to come. I have decided to buy 10x50 bins and have found few of these below that are in my sub $99.99 range. I am looking for the best value for the $$ in this range. I will be carrying them in flight and will not be able to baby sit them. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/421389-REG/Bushnell_120150_10x50_Legacy_WP_Binocular.html - $84.99 - BaK-4 - Fully Multi Coated - Waterproof - Fogproof https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/917674-REG/celestron_71424_10x50_cavalry_binocular.html - $89.95 - BaK-4 - Fully Multi Coated - Waterproof - Fogproof - Nitrogen Filled https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1086598-REG/celestron_71362_10x50_landscout_binocular.html - $74.95 - BAK4 - Fully Multi Coated - Waterproof - Fogproof - Nitrogen Filled http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/binoculars/trooper-10-x-50-dps.html - $69.99 -($20 coupon) - BK-7 http://www.telescope.com/Binoculars/Astronomy-Binoculars/Orion-Scenix-10x50-Wide-Angle-Binoculars/pc/-1/c/5/sc/72/p/9333.uts - $102.99 - BAK-4 - Multi Coated (Considering because I read some reviews about quality optics and wider field of view) Please let me know your recommendations, if you have any. Thanks a lot -
I'm happy owner of 25×100 CELESTRON binos, i want to know : a) is really an improvement to use grey filter for lunar observation ? b)is it possible to screw filter on these oculars ? Thanks for your help.
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Hi! My 8x40 has no click-stop eyecups, to avoid adjusting the eye relief I set it with O-rings. Protect the lens, clamp the binoc, slide the O-ring down a cone; if the O-ring has been stretched too hard and has to break, it will do so one or two days later, you'll find its corpse hanging around the eyepiece barrel. Otherwise these have been there for at least two years. I have no large O-rings left, that's why I'm showing this with a rubber band instead.
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The latest edition of the Binocular Sky Newsletter is ready. The nights are getting longer so, as well as the usual overview of DSOs, variable and double stars, this month we have: * Several lunar occultations, including a (somewhat tricky) graze of HIP 38975 for observers in Eire and the north of England * Uranus and Neptune are now observable in the evening (as well as the morning) * Ceres and Vesta are difficult, but back! * A mini-review of the Levenhuk Sherman PRO 10x50 binocular To grab your (free!) copy, or to subscribe, log on to http://binocularsky.com and click on the Newsletter tab
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At last! A bit of weekend reading for y'all at http://binocularsky.com/binoc_reviews.php Summary: Darned nice binocular. Big, flat, bright field. Weighs less than the Helios Apollo 15x70.
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My regular news-sheet for binocular observers, the Binocular Sky Newsletter for August 2012, is now available: http://binocularsky.com/newsletter/201208.pdf There is also a printer-friendly version: http://binocularsky.com/newsletter/201208p.pdf -
I have a pair of 15x70 binoculars but due to neck problems I am struggling to use them even when tripod mounted. I am thinking of making a mirror mount but I don't know if they are any good? Can someone please advise me on which mirror I need, size and thickness, fixing method etc.? Do they suffer from dew problems in the UK and if so is there an effective way around this? If anyone could advise me on this it will be very much appreciated. Thanks
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Last night, having a look around with my 7x50s I was looking at M31, and could clearly see it as an elongated patch, not just the star-like core. Now I was thinking, Sidgwick says that an extended object like M31 cannot appear brighter telescopically than with the naked eye, and I get his math. With my old eyes, and under my less-than-dark skies I'm probably not even getting the full exit pencil of my 7x50s. Therefore, does this mean that I *should* be able to see M31 naked-eye given that it won't appear with greater contrast in the bins than by eye? As they say in examinations, please read the whole of the question before anwering, I'm not asking: "Should I buy bins with a smaller exit pupil"; Possibly, but not just now. "Should I buy a dob"; No, I'm 90% imaging, and don't like alt-az anyway. "Should I move to a darker site": Yes, it's on my to-do list.' If I *could* see M31 naked-eye that would mean I had Bortle 7 skies rather than the borderline 8 that I've assumed. Time was, I *could* see M31 naked-eye in Acton, even further in to London .
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Just in from 30 mins out the back picking clear spots twixt the clouds. Just had to get some starlight!!! Canon 15x50 IS binoculars. MW easily visible from Perseus through to Scutum. Much mottling with dark dust clouds. M26 and M11 and lovely Scutum star cloud and dark nebulae. Barnards 'E' in Aquila. M71, Brocchi's Cluster. A quick branch off to M!3 and M92 in Hercules. M27 aside the Cygnus Rift. NA nebula prominent and the Eastern Veil a faint arc. M39 a triangle and the long dark 'rift' leading towards the Cocoon. Caroline's Cluster, M52, Pacman, NGC 147, M103, NGC63 in Cass, 'cluster central'. M31, 32 and 110. M33, a smudge. M15 a gem in Pegasus. Double cluster and Kembles Cascade a favourite. The stars and objects seemed especially alive tonight Wallowed in the splendour. Hope y'all get your fill of the universe soon! Cheers Paul
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Hello every one .i am from pakistan and i am totaly new to astronomy .i have bought celestron astromaster 76eq .after visiting various forum i have came to realize that i also should have binocular i want u guys to help me following issues 1. I live in lahore,pakistan in the night only some of stars are visible with naked eyes like jupiter ,saturn ,mars,moon,vega and some others so ll my telescope ll be able to show deep sky thing nubale and cluster ?is it worth buying a good binocular for particularly my area? 2. I am planing to buy binocular ,should i buy expensive one(keeping in mind that is live in lahore,pakistan) 3.which binocular u guys will sugest ?i will order it from england as getting things in pakistan is dificult so upgrading frequently is not possible here it is too expensive 4. If i should buy a bino ,what other things i should order along .like filters lens etc . -
I've just posted a review of the Levenhuk Sherman PRO 10x50 in the Reviews section of http://binocularsky.com TL; DNR version: A lot of very nice features, and nice general binocular for occasional use for astronomy, but better suited to terrestrial. * Pros: Very good control of false colour, ergonomically very good, well-fitting tethered caps, multi-position eye-cups, easy to use/adjust with thick gloves. * Cons: Poor control of stray light, field curvature.
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Hi, Does using binocular cause any eye pain? I used one binocular it was good but it caused some eye pain so I returned it...
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The February 2016 edition of the Binocular Sky Newsletter is ready. As well as the usual overview of DSOs, variable and double stars, this month we have: * Several lunar occultations, including a graze of 64 Cet * Two asteroid occultations * A mini-review of the Helios Stellar II 10x50 binocular I hope you find it useful. To get your (free!) copy, go to http://binocularsky.com and click on the newsletter tab.
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I've been looking for a cheapo solution to attach the cheap and ubiquitous red-dot finder to my Celestron 20x80 but didn't like the official clip thing that Celestron sells. Bad reviews complaining of it easily snapping, and to me, overpriced. After much research and counting of pennies, I went for this all steel, no-snap solution, costing a whopping £6.90 (with free shipping). From the top: 1 x 20mm Dovetail to 11mm Rail adapter. £2.69 with free shipping. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/20mm-Dovetail-to-11mm-Rail-Mount-Weaver-Picatinny-Rail-Scope-Mount-Rail-SA089-P15/32800225228.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.b0d14c4dzyuqK1 1 x Picatinny/Weaver 20mm Rail Base Adapter (used to attach scopes to rifle barrels) . £5.11 with free shipping https://www.aliexpress.com/item/20mm-Picatinny-Weaver-Rail-Mount-Base-Adapter-Tactical-Hunting-Rifle-Gun-Scope-Mount-Converter-Laser-Sight/32792605686.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.b0d14c4dzyuqK1 1 x bit of thick plastic to act as a shim. Anything will do. -
The latest edition of the Binocular Sky Newsletter is ready. As well as the usual overview of DSOs, variable and double stars, this month we have: Several lunar occultations, including one of AldebaranComet Catalina now visible in the morning skyAsteroid Vesta in the same part of the sky as Uranus and NeptuneA mini-review of the Helios Stellar-II binocularI hope you find it useful. To get your (free!) copy, go to http://binocularsky.com and click on the newsletter tab.
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September's Binocular Sky Newsletter is ready. We have the usual overview of DSOs, variable and double stars and, as the nights get longer, more lunar occultations of bright stars, including a couple of grazes on the morning of the 5th as the Moon passes through the Hyades. To grab your (free!) copy, head on over to http://binocularsky.com/ and click on the Newsletter tab.
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Seems to have come round again very quickly! The latest edition of the Binocular Sky Newsletter is ready. Despite the short, not-very-dark nights, as well as the usual overview of DSOs, variable and double stars, this month we have: * χ Cyg is brightening nicely * Neptune and Uranus are now becoming observable * We have the grand total of 3 observable lunar occultations To grab your (free!) copy, or to subscribe, log on to http://binocularsky.com and click on the Newsletter tab
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Inspired by Steve Tonkin, http://binocularsky.com I put together a monopole for quick reaction viewing with my 15x70 Skymaster binoculars. I did have a standard camera mount which I adapted. 1. get a wooden batten approximately eye height in length. (Ideally this should be high enough to allow you to look directly up with your attached binoculars - you can incline the pole to view nearer the horizon) 2. Drill a hole near one end. 3. Insert a bolt and secure with a nut. 4. Attach your tripod via bolt through the carrying handle. (alternatively you can attach it with a cable tie) It provides a remarkably steady mount for scanning the sky. John
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Whilst browsing on Gumtree on Friday evening just gone I came across an unexpected find of an Orion Paragon plus binocular mount & tripod for sale. Been looking for something way better than my old camera tripod to hold my bins, especially for looking near at zenith. Hadn't planned for any extra further expense in my Astro budget this month, but these were just too good to miss out on. The pictures showed them in excellent condition, and well looked after (thanks Allan ), and even though it meant a long journey to go down to get them I went down yesterday to go collect them. After getting delayed around the M25 to get to where they were on the south coast, the journey although long was well worth it. Here are a few picc of them in the garden with my 15x70 bins attached. Also plan on using them with my 7x50 Marines too. Very pleased with the new mount, and all working well. Now just need the next clear night to enjoy them. Be great to have a wobble free view through my bins of the night sky!
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There is an asteroid occultation on 2013 April 30 that will be visible from parts of the UK. See http://www.astrosurf.com/eaon/Cartes/April%202013/22185_Stiavnica_3UC251-097751.htm 50mm or larger binoculars recommended.
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As the poor weather and short nights are limiting my observing projects, I have been busy finishing a heavy duty aluminium and stainless steel parallelogram mount for my large 100mm APM binoculars. Here is a summary description of its build: http://refreshingvie...rammount.htm�.� It has been derived from a wooden version that I built last summer. I plan to give away the wooden model to a fellow SPOG astronomer who wants to do some bino observing while his camera is capturing photons on the scope. The parallelogram mount is an extremely comfortable to observe the night sky – the eyepieces really do seem to float in front of your eyes. If you are observing at the zenith, simply push the binos higher or if you are looking at the horizon, simply lower them down. This really does make a refreshing change from my Newtonian where the eyepiece remains where it wants to and I have to crick my neck down to meet it!! I have yet to use it for serious astronomy as the awful weather and long summer days are getting in the way. That being said, I have managed a few sessions at dusk scanning the brighter stars against a blue sky before it gets properly dark. To put the mount through its paces, I have had great fun tracking numerous airliners and high flying birds. The mount moves with ease across the sky with wonderfully smooth and controlled motions in pan and tilt at all altitudes. It is quite something to see high altitude airliners in detail from the ground as they slowly cross the sky! This mount is clearly going to be a pleasure to use once the observing season starts up again. This setup is definitely a keeper and will be used my observatory and under the dark skies of Salisbury Plain.
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Dawn Session 12-30-17 JST Clear Skies at Last! AFTER NEARLY 2 weeks of cloudy to mostly cloudy skies, the weather forecasts and weather apps indicated clearing for several hours before / after sunrise. So, today being a Saturday, I could afford to climb out of bed at 4:30am and do some comparative viewing with my Celestron Skymaster 15x70 and recently- purchased Vixen Ascot ZR10x50 WP. I live in a suburban area halfway between Osaka and Wakayama, Japan and my balcony affords a view of the skies from the southeast to the southwest. I started out gazing up at Jupiter and Mars which were in close proximity. Just above Jupiter was a clear, bright dot seen in both pairs of binos. This turned out to be a combination of Ganymede and Europa. In my sleepy state I had forgotten to bring out my tripod and didn’t feel like going back inside to get it. At the 7 o’clock position just below Jupiter was Callisto. This was more clearly evident in the 15x70’s when I managed to hold them still for a few seconds at a time. Io was too close into the glare of Jupiter to make out in either pair of binoculars. Between Jupiter and Mars, Zubenelgenubi. The separation between Alpha 1 and Alpha 2 Librae was clearly evident in both 10x50 and 15x70. Just to the upper left of Zubenelgenubi was an arrow-head-like semi-circle consisting of 6 stars, only 5 of which were evident in the Vixens, though there was a hint of the 6th with averted vision. The 6th, which the Celestrons plainly showed is 8th magnitude HD131009 — 1,700 ly away (that sort of thing always blows me away). So, there are times when the extra 5x of the 15x70’s IS noticeable. Welcome to the Breakfast Show The main event of this session was catching a glimpse of almost simultaneously-rising Antares and Mercury. It was 4 degrees C when I began viewing but as dawn approached the temperature dropped another degree. It may or not be my imagination but the skies to the east and south seemed to sharpen. Just after 5:30am, my favorite star, Antares, peeked up over the hills to the southeast, sparkling red and blue. Soon after, slightly eastward came Mercury, at first, similarly sparkling with alternating colors before turning into a clear, whitish orb. What was particularly satisfying about this Mercury-rise, besides the fact that it’s been about 9 or 10 months since I last saw it, was the fact that the sky was still dark and I recently read that, “because Mercury is always close to the sun, it is usually only seen in the lighter skies of dawn or dusk and only rarely is it seen in darkness.” Cool - - a rarity! Around Antares, even as the sky continued to lighten, some of the main Scorpio stars were holding their own. Tau Scorpii to the south, sigma Scorpii to the northeast and i Scorpii to the northwest. Of course, higher up, Acrab, Dschubba and Pi Scorpii. To the left / east of Mercury, Sabik was easily seen in both pairs of binoculars. Then, I noticed that further eastward from Sabik, 4th magnitude Nu Serpentis had pushed beyond the roof of the house next door and was noticeable in both binoculars despite the creamy color of the sky. Antares and Mercury were still naked eye sights but beginning to fade. I continued to scan this section of the sky for a time until I noted that Nu Serpentis had disappeared while using the Vixen 10x50s. Shifting back to the Celestron 15x70s it was still there. It was nearly 6:30AM and quite light now. The crows that come to town from the nearby mountains every morning were cawing their approach. I directed the 10x50s at them and tracked a flock of five heading my way — and then, white planet Mercury appeared behind the 5 black birds in the otherwise silent surroundings. Pretty mystical ambiance but I had to get inside as my toes were aching from the cold. As you are aware, shoes are not worn indoors in Jap an but sandal-like slippers are used on balconies for such tasks as hanging laundry. So I was only wearing sandals for 2 hours in the cold. My arms and back were aching from holding the binoculars for the same time period (tripod you fool!) but it was worth it, IMHO.
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The Binocular Sky Newsletter for November 2013 is now available. In addition to the usual selection of good DSOs and Solar System objects to observe, in this month's issue we also have: * Three comets * Two asteroid occulations for the UK * Many lunar occultations (including one of Spica) * A selection of variable stars To grab your (free!) copy, go to http://binocularsky.com/ and click on the Newsletter tab. I hope you find it useful.
