Why I love bins...

[Miranda]

On a whim you can decide to grab your bins and a book or two and jump in the car to a quiet dark spot, even in this misty night you know you will see something.

Sitting on the edge of the carseat I can start panning around the apparently boring black sky with my bins and being blown away by out of nothing there appears M45 in all her beautiful glory.

And just sitting out in a field, with my bins just looking at how wonderful the Universe truly is. Marvel between what I can see with my naked eye (black) compared to the bins (tiny sparkly stars).

After an hour or so out there in the apparently misty boring sky I see such marvels as planets and convince yourself you can see their planets (well, in my case Jupiters planets), stars, M45 (always a stunner) and seeing parts of constellations I've not seen before, not to mention hearing the owls, and the odd badger, the stillness of the night and soaking it all in.

That is why I love bins. Drive, look, point and look, work out what you are seeing, awe and wonder.

And home again before you die of cold or lack of tea.

That is why I love bins.

[cotterless45]

Yep, last time out in the New Forest I just lay back on a blanket and was amazed to see so many clusters and nebulae by eye and through a pair of 7x50 binoculars. The very simplicity of just enjoying the dark sky made this memorable.

Best of all was the almost smokey Milky Way winding through Cassiopeia right across the sky. A scan with the bins showed how packed the star fields were,

Nick.

[SteveNickolls]

Thanks for the post Miranda, I totally agree about the value of binoculars. I have seem far more and learn most using my binoculars (both 10x50's and 15x70's) than with my SCT. Although the views of the double cluster in Perseus is superb in the SCT I find myself more and more using my binoculars for observing.

I hope you have many more night of discovery with your binoculars!

Cheers,

Steve

[Space Dragon]

Same with me Steve, when I'm out with my SCT, I spend hours on the Double Cluster, as I'm sure a lot of people do.

But I really enjoy the freedom of bins and have just ordered a pair of TS Marine 15x70s. Never really read a bad word about them, maybe the 2.5kg weight, but with a bit of practice....

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

The TS Marine is the same as my Helios Apollo: superb! Best bins I have ever used. It is lovely to sit outside and just scout around. I actually think the double cluster is better in my bins than in my SCT

[jimmyjamjoejoe]

I had my scope outside for 2 hours lastnight and spent about 1.5 hours of it with the bins. If it werent for the cracking planetary views, i'd sell the 200p and get an apollo 15x70.

[SteveNickolls]

Same with me Steve, when I'm out with my SCT, I spend hours on the Double Cluster, as I'm sure a lot of people do.

But I really enjoy the freedom of bins and have just ordered a pair of TS Marine 15x70s. Never really read a bad word about them, maybe the 2.5kg weight, but with a bit of practice....

Thanks Space Dragon, it's good to know I'm not alone spending ages just gazing up at the double cluster, all the little triangles and horseshoe shapes made up from faint pin point stars, so dainty. We are going to Skye later in the year and it will be fascinating using binoculars under deep dark skies.

Cheers,

Steve

[ronl]

Nice post Miranda, I agree with everything you say, bins are pick up and go, no setting up, unless you use a tripod as I do, gives a nice steady view, I take my bibs everywhere even when on holiday, we travel a lot and have been to some great dark sky places, that's what matters with bins, don't get many here on the Wirral.

Clear Sky's and all the best

[Space Dragon]

Thanks Space Dragon, it's good to know I'm not alone spending ages just gazing up at the double cluster, all the little triangles and horseshoe shapes made up from faint pin point stars, so dainty. We are going to Skye later in the year and it will be fascinating using binoculars under deep dark skies.

Cheers,

Steve

I know what you mean, the horseshoe and the triangles, I've yet to look at it from really dark skies.

We lived on Skye for a while a few years ago but at the time I didn't have a scope or even bins.......jeez, the opportunities I missed, still kicking myself.

[JonF]

Great post Miranda, I love bins too. I've got several scopes, but I still love my 10x50 bins. I really like them for just popping out into the garden in the evening, maybe just for 15 minutes or so, having a nice look around the sky before going back in for a glass of red. I also have some 15x70s and 25x100s, which are both great, but have to be tripod mounted, and I actually get more enjoyment out of the 10x50s.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I actually use my 15x70 more than the 10x50, but then I can use my 15x70 for quite a while without tripod.

[Damo636]

Nice post Miranda & I totally agree with everything you say. I've only recently jumped on the binocular bandwagon with my 15x70, but they are used almost every session.

[BinocularSky]

Lovely post, Miranda: would make perfect back-cover blurb for a book on binocular astronomy!

[Miranda]

Well you write another book Steve, I'll do your blurb

Although after last nights gazing disaster I do feel that bins should have GoTo mounts (although I do think its cheating lol)

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Well you write another book Steve, I'll do your blurb

Although after last nights gazing disaster I do feel that bins should have GoTo mounts (although I do think its cheating lol)

My bins go to any position I point them. Is that cheating?

[BinocularSky]

Well you write another book Steve, I'll do your blurb

Now, there's a plan!

Although after last nights gazing disaster I do feel that bins should have GoTo mounts

You could try Skeye.

[Miranda]

Hi Steve,

Yeah I downloaded Skeye the other day, still learning how to use it and how to see anything with all the options and ads in the way (Pay for an app?? mon dieu!).

In fact, the peak of my grumpy session last night was when I had convinced myself I was looking at one thing, and then afterwards when I got fed up of cloud I checked with my phone to see what I was seeing and the app said something completely different.

Course, the app is right and Im wrong. I blame the clouds

[BinocularSky]

Course, the app is right and Im wrong.

Not necessarily -- if the magnetometer in the phone has not been reset, the app can be way out.

But you're right about blaming the clouds -- I find it as near as dammit impossible to orientate myself if I can't see star-fields. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!

[JamesF]

Not forgetting that a pair of binoculars can go just about anywhere you do.

James