Bino Surprise

[Paul73]

I gave my new Binos their first proper run out last night. Pentax PCF WPII 10x50’s. These are normal mid range £160 binoculars. Built like a tank but the image is very sharp indeed. This not a technical evaluation of kit performance, but is a surprised comment on the joy of viewing with a decent pair of binos.

Joy is the right word. It is a wonderful thing to be freed from the constraints of the 1.5° widest fov of my Dob, or the mediocre image of the viewfinder tethered to the scope.

Once settled back in a comfy chair an infinitely flexible massive window on the cosmos opened up (5°). A turn of the head and a new constellation appears, familiar but massively detailed. It is like having super vision. The brighter DSO's jump out at you. This is really odd as they are obviously a lot fainter and less detailed than through the scope, but this really doesn't seem to matter. It is a different kind of observing; almost like watching a bird in the wild vs studying it in an aviary.

Navigating around the sky is an absolute doddle given the wide fov. I had a whale of a time!

For the list lovers. Highlights included:

M22, M8 Lagoon Nebula, M31 Andromeda (obviously), M13, Double Cluster, Owl Cluster (fainter) and a few nice wide doubles.

Although, I naively hoped for M51 but it was a pretty much full moon! This may be my eyes playing tricks, but the binos seem to cope really well with the LP from the moon. These may well become my observing tool of choice when the moon is big.

Lastly, I turned them on the moon. Sharp, detailed, perfect (except for the carnage wrought by a 1,000 impacts - but you know what I mean).

Then did the same at 200X through my Dob and lingered a while :)

Thanks for reading.

Paul

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Great report! Binocular astronomy is a great and relaxing way to scan the heavens. When people ask me what kit they should get to get into astronomy, I always ask them if they have any binoculars. If they have a half-decent pair, I always suggest they use them first, before investing in anything else

[Paul73]

Great report! Binocular astronomy is a great and relaxing way to scan the heavens. When people ask me what kit they should get to get into astronomy, I always ask them if they have any binoculars. If they have a half-decent pair, I always suggest they use them first, before investing in anything else

I guess that I got that one the wrong way round! Mind you, the scope was a post pub ebay "accident" that turned out rather well.

BTW - the 20mm MV is working very nicely. Thank you.

Paul

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I guess that I got that one the wrong way round! Mind you, the scope was a post pub ebay "accident" that turned out rather well.

BTW - the 20mm MV is working very nicely. Thank you.

Paul

There is no wrong way round in this hobby (except the way many Newtonians are displayed in shops ). Glad the MV20 is to your liking

[Mark at Beaufort]

Nice report Paul. I agree with you on the pleasures of binocular viewing. Although I have several scopes I sometimes prefer just scanning the sky with binos. If you get the chance try some Vixen SG2.1x42 binos - the amount of sky that can be seen is amazing.

Like you I went binocular observing last night using the Vixen binos and some 20x80 large binos - wonderful night.

Paul it sounds that your Pentax quality binos is a great purchase.

[John]

Great report 

The simplicity of just getting out under the stars with a pair of binos is hard to beat sometimes. They can often go quite "deep" too - I've seen brighter galaxies quite clearly with 10x50's and even manged to spot the eastern segment of the Veil Nebula on a superb night last summer with 15x70's and no filters !

Sounds like these new Vixen 2.1x42's are rather innovative too 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Great report 

The simplicity of just getting out under the stars with a pair of binos is hard to beat sometimes. They can often go quite "deep" too - I've seen brighter galaxies quite clearly with 10x50's and even manged to spot the eastern segment of the Veil Nebula on a superb night last summer with 15x70's and no filters !

Sounds like these new Vixen 2.1x42's are rather innovative too 

Eastern and Western Veil can be spotted with 15x70s from really good sites

[Paul73]

Eastern and Western Veil can be spotted with 15x70s from really good sites

I hadn't even considered trying the Veil. It might be a bit beyond my back garden skys. But, I guess that we are talking the ultimate in portability!

On reflection, I think that I read somewhere that holding an OIII in front of the eyepiece works quite well.

Paul

[Stu]

I hadn't even considered trying the Veil. It might be a bit beyond my back garden skys. But, I guess that we are talking the ultimate in portability!

On reflection, I think that I read somewhere that holding an OIII in front of the eyepiece works quite well.

Paul

I've never managed to succeed with the 'filter in front of the eye' trick, but have seen the eastern veil in 15x50's from a dark site.

The North American nebula is another nice one but needs a very dark and transparent sky

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ak47]

i have also found out that many DSO are visible with binos and make a nice view, even tiny globulars can be clearly seen as grey spots, if you know what you are looking for.

i think i like my 10x50 even better then my telescope as a grab n go setup... because you are literally grab them and go watching! without the hassle of a mount, eyepieces, cooldown etc... 

[Jim Smith]

I enjoy using binoculars too. For me, switching from naked-eye to telescope viewing is sometimes too much of a leap. It's almost like what I see in the telescope is not obviously related to the unaided view.  Using binoculars "fills in the gap" so that I can truly appreciate what I am looking at and where it is.