Stargazing with Binoculars - A beginners (first) review

[jgs001]

I recently got started with Astronomy, after many occasions gazing upwards wondering what I was looking at. After reading many posts on various forums, I invested in a cheap pair of binoculars and started looking around. At this point a generous chap sent me a copy of the above book to help get me started.

The book starts out with a quick introduction about the benefits of binoculars for Astronomical use and indicates that rather than being just a poor mans telescope they actually have a very useful place in the kit of most astronomers. Continuing with useful hints on how to use and locate objects in binoculars, (whilst this might sound easy, to a beginner, not used to looking at star's and other objects that leap out when using an optical instrument, it can be very tricky) and that sometimes, binoculars need mounting to.

There is then a short section about learning the sky, and how the view changes over time. The authors have provided some low detail star maps, showing the main constellations looking north and south for each month of the year from both the northern and southern hemisphere. The maps have a simple guide in how to use them and what to look for and have been taken from Stellarium. There is also a brief synopsis on the naming conventions for stars within a constellation starting from the brightest.

The book then proceeds to provide some specific targets that can be found using binoculars for each month of the year, and usefully for a beginner, an indication of what you might expect to see through your binoculars when looking at each object, both as photo's and sketches. The monthly guide contains targets for both northern and southern stargazers, so I will admit that I skipped some of the objects I realistically have little or no chance of seeing in the near future. The guide is also interspersed with useful information about the types of objects seen and how they are created, when they are mentioned in the text.

There is a guide to the solar system, including a warning and information about being very careful if the sun is to be viewed. The book contains a simple guide to targets on the moon and what to expect to see. The planets are also covered in less detail with best times and locations in which to see them over the next few years. There is also a brief section on Asteroids, Meteors, Comets and Satellites.

There is a pretty comprehensive section on Binoculars in general, what the terms mean, what are considered to be useful for Astronomy etc. This section goes into quite some detail on the different types of Binoculars, how to choose a pair, what to look for when choosing a pair, guidance on determining if a pair that you are interested in is good or has a defect within the mechanical or optical systems. There is a list of some Binoculars with an approximate price bracket for each (no detail, but rather comparing to other retail items, such as small compact digital cameras etc).

The book concludes with details on how to use Binoculars effectively. Starting with the basics on setting up for interpupilliary distance, focusing, setting the dioptre setting and so on. There are details on the various mounting methods, be that on a tripod or using a fence as a quick rest, backed up by example photographs showing how others have used Binoculars. There is a section on solar viewing, this has warnings about how dangerous this is without taking suitable precautions, and then proceeds to detail a number of options for viewing safely. The book concludes with a section on the magnitudes that you can expect to see with various binocular sizes, suggestions on sketching what you have observed and some guidance on estimating the field of view.

All in all, I found this book to be a very useful and informative guide to get me started. The expectations of what can be seen are clearly set out, therefore as a beginner, there is less likely to be big disappointment, when looking at the Orion Nebula say, and only seeing a few wisps as opposed to some of the glorious photographs that have been taken. The details on how to find your way around the sky, the objects to look for each month of the year and how to mount/steady the binoculars for viewing are extremely useful. The book is also small enough that it can be used as a pocket guide in the months to come.

I would recommend this as a very useful starting point to anyone looking to start Astronomy as a hobby, as by combining this with a normal pair of Binoculars will get someone up and running without a significant outlay of expenditure, enable someone to experience the sense of satisfaction at finding something that you just can't see with the naked eye, and help learn their way around the night sky and what the beginner would most like to look at before taking the plunge and deciding on which scope to invest in. Equally, as the book starts out, the Binoculars are going to stay with you even when you have really expensive equipment so this, in my opinion provides a solid grounding for moving forwards.

[Albireo380]

An excellent and comprehensive review John. Thanks.

I agree with you, a good pair of Bins has an important place in observing. I still use my Bins every time I am out under the stars.

Tom

[jgs001]

Tom,

Thanks for the comments. I'm not certain I have a "good" pair of Bins optically or mechanically (now I've read that book and know how to tell ). However, they work and get used a lot, therefore by that definition I guess they are a good pair. However, they got me started and I can always upgrade them to something a lot better in time. My next purchase will however be a scope, watch for the questions in the new year .

[philsail1]

Yes, a very good review John. Sounds like a good book - especially for beginners.

I agree with everyone esle, that a good pair of binoculars are a must when out observing the night sky. They can also be a very useful accompaniment to a telescope.

Regards,

philsail1

[astroeddie]

Hey,

And my sketch of open cluster IC 4665 is on page 90.

Nice little book to learn the skies with binoculars.

Eddie H

[thing]

Great and comprehensive review. I would imagine virtually everyone here has a set of binos. I use mine all the time. Don't worry about your binos being cheap, if you use them a lot they are priceless.

[jgs001]

Nice one Eddie. Thing, thanks, I'm not up to 3 pairs.... cough...

[Stu Skywatcher]

This is a very good review of this excellent book. I got it as a Christmas pressie and it has really launched my stargazing and helped me to understand lots.

I got mine as part of a four pack starter kit, with it came a planisphere, a star chart and a pair of Praktica 10 x 50 binoculars.

The planisphere is really too small at 5.5" to be of much use to me (reading glasses required!).

The star chart (Phillips) is good although the blue background colour makes it difficult to read. I have had to go over the constellation lines with a thicker pen to make them more easily seen. Tho this could be down my own shortcomings in the eyesight department!

However, since installing Stellarium I don't seem to be reaching for the star chart much anymore....... It has made both planisphere and star chart redundant, what a fantastic bit of software.

The Praktica bino's, whilst being good to get me started, I am now getting a bit frustrated with! I am hardly qualified to do a review, but, I seem to having trouble with continualy having to re-focus (main focus and dioptre) and I'm not sure that the alignment (collimation?) is correct .

So, I am now looking to upgrade the bino's after only having them for 3 or 4 weeks. Still not sure what to go for, I quite like the sound of the Strathspy 10 x 50 marine - Bak-4, fully coated lenses and prisums', waterproof and nitrogen filled. More research needed

[Syntarsus]

I have Stargazing with Binoculars too. I have to say at first I wasn't too sure about. I think this was down the fact that I couldn't see most of the objects mentioned so it was a bit frustrating. I think I now realise that this was in part down to having very poor quality bins (7dayshop ones) and secondly I don't think I had much appreciation for just how much light pollution messes up the sky.

I still dip in regularly and now find it a really nice book. I like the fact it tells you interesting info about what you're looking at. For instance yesterday I learned that Sirius, known as the dog star, is where the phrase dog day afternoon comes from. Apparently when it was out in the day time in ancient Greece they believed that it added to the heat of the sun making it a very hot day. The book is full of tidbits of information like that so that it's certainly not made redundant by Stellarium or a Planisphere.

Still struggling to find stuff in there but with new, bigger, bins on the way and understanding that light pollution is the real cause of my frustration I'd definitely recommend this great little book.

[Mr Q]

For those interested in an awesome atlas for binocular observing, it can be downloaded at the link below. It was for sale some years back but now a free download. Get it while it lasts!!Touring the Universe through Binoculars Atlas