Binos vs telescope for starting out

[mikeDnight]

Your binoculars are near perfect for learning your way around the sky. If anything, I'd suggest you try to mount them on a tripod, they will be far easier to use and you'll be amazed at what they'll show you when they are truly steady. Also, if you can somehow shield your eyes from any stray light by using a dark blanket, your dark adaption will be greatly enhanced. Binoculars are the perfect starter instrument, infact nearly all serious observers have a pair of binoculars as part of their kit, they are invaluable.

When I started out in astronomy over 35yrs ago, a pair of secondhand 12X60 binoculars were all I could afford. Sky & Telescope magazine had an article sent in by a reader who'd built himself a superb fork mount out of ply wood for his bino's (sometime between 1981-83). I copied his design and spent several very enjoyable years finding and observing the Messier objects as well as countless NGCs, and following every comet that came within range of my double barrelled 60mm refractors. I've still got my old Norton's Atlas which is littered with the pencil line plotted paths of all the comets I followed.

Another advantage is that you'll soon find you can pretty much find any object in just a few seconds, faster than most GOTO mounts. That will put you in the position of being able to invest in better quality optics when you eventually do buy a telescope, rather than having to spend money on a GOTO setup, as you will have an inbuilt GOTO of your own.

Mike

[MAN or ASTROMAN]

A very well reasoned argument for the use of Bins in Astronomy,Mike!

[Dazzyt66]

An obviously seasoned reply from Mike and as a newbie I thought I'd second the reasoning behind finding your way around. I think a GOTO has its place and has probably opened astronomy up to others that may get disheartened with trying to find things in the night sky.

For me, that is part of the fun[emoji6] I am nowhere close to some of the guys here who can find Mxxx just by looking up and pointing but I am now starting to find my way around in a basic sense which is very rewarding.

And yes, my first boyhood experiences of exploring the sky was with bins. When my dad got a pair of 20x50s in the 80's I was amazed at what I could see from a city (Birmingham) and while I mainly looked at the moon cos I didn't know what else to look for, that has stayed with me until now when I can start to really enjoy it and find my way around on my own, plus you can use bins at a moments notice! [emoji3]

Clear skies!

Dazzyt

Skywatcher 150P

FirstScope

[mikeDnight]

Thanks Dazzyt for offering an argument for GOTO which balances the equation. GOTO can obviously play an important roll in enhancing an observers enjoyment. When I started out of course there were no such options, so a beginner soon learned to use charts and star hop, and binoculars are the ideal instrument for this. Although I've used a number of GOTO's and owned three over the years, the only one I really got along with was the Paramount (not mine). I think my time using binoculars really helped me to become at ease under a starry sky and to feel most at home using a simple, uncluttered setup. Today I use a simple push-pull altazimuth mount as a grab and go and a Great Polaris mount with RA drive in an observatory. My love of binoculars has always remained, so much so that it has even had a bearing on my preferred choice of telescope. I still get a real thrill looking at the piercingly sharp, rich star fields provided by my 4" refractor.

Mike