New to this. What can I realistically expect with 10x50

[Philoz]

Hi there. 
First post, so bound to make a wally of myself. 
I am just starting out and have got a pair of Asah Pentax 10x50 binos on the way from a well known auction site. 
I have also purchased the excellent discover the night sky through binoculars book. 
I really just want to see something to make me go “wow”. 
we live in St Neots on the Cambs beds border and will mainly be viewing from a very small garden north facing that has a lot of tall trees on the east side. 
So my questions to the class are, what can I expect to see? I really want to see a planet or two and the moon, obs. But is it realistic to see anything else?

I was hoping to visit the local astronomical society yesterday but I’ll health has put pay to that. 
have I got a duff pair of binos?  They didn’t cost much so it doesn’t matter, be brutal. 
thanks in advance. 
Phil 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Philoz
Spelling!!

[Ben the Ignorant]

It depends A LOT more on your sky's quality than on your binoculars, but any 10x50 that's not defective will show you most of what a 10x50 can show. What is the magnitude of the faintest stars you can see with the eyes only from your village? (I'm assuming it's a village and I'm too lazy to check)

In a very dark sky a just acceptable 10x50 will show far more than what an excellent - I know because I own the APM 10x50 apo - one shows in a non-dark sky like what I contend with in my city. It will be easier to escape to darker settings after I get my next car in a few weeks but for now I limit my driving to the bare essential.

Say you see stars of the 5th or 5.5th magnitude at the zenith, that's quite good for a suburban setting, the 10x50 will multiply the number of stars and make the viewing rewarding.

However if it's no better than 3rd or 3.5rd mag the multiplication won't feel that impressive. Of course a larger binoc like a Celestron Pro 15x70 (140€ from First Light Optics) will improve the view without having to drive to darker places. But sky quality is the main ingredient, even with telescopes.

Hello and welcome, by the way. Your hope of being "wowed" is shared by everyone, regardless of gear and experience. 😀

Edited October 9, 2019 by Ben the Ignorant

[Nyctimene]

Hello and welcome from a German stargazer.

A decent 10x50 is the stargazers "Swiss army knife", well suited for a lot of wide field views, and an excellent grab and go tool.

Have a look at the Auriga clusters M 36, 37, 38; the Pleiades, M 35, the Orion nebula.

Download the monthly newsletter. by BinocularSky ("Observing - with binoculars").

Enjoy the journey!

Stephan

 

Edited October 10, 2019 by Nyctimene

[Kn4fty]

My 10x50s are super cheap and still give amazing views. There are times when I prefer the binos over any of my scopes. Expect some gorgeous wide field views. You'll see more than you'd think possible. Enjoy the exploration!

And remember to keep looking up!

Rob

[Dan_wirral]

Hi, I too was wondering what was accesable with my 10x50's I ended up looking around online and bought a couple of books. One being discover the night sky through binoculars and handbook of binocular astronomy. The latter has a huge list of targets, from groups of stars to doubles to star clusters. It goes through each of the constellations in both hemispheres.

I live in quite a heavily light polluted area and I have seen a whole host of things including, the Andromada Galaxy, M34 (a open star cluster) and the double star cluster in perseus. 

I now spend one night looking for things with my binoculars and then the next finding the same things with my telescope.

[NGC 1502]

 

+1 for the previously mentioned Binocular Sky monthly newsletter.  Take a look in the Observing Section - binoculars.

Welcome to SGL 👍

Ed.

[Criermike]

A monopod and Bino Mount will make everything so much more stable and wobble-free, and really improve the viewing experience

[Stu]

There is a useful monthly download on this site with binocular objects listed.

http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html

[mark81]

I use my 10x50s all the time and have enjoyed many of the Messier objects with them, but I always find myself going for the open star clusters.  The bigger the better obviously but don't be afraid to have a go at the smaller ones - you won't see much detail (if any) on the tiny ones, but just picking them out and learning your way around the sky can be real fun.

Enjoy.

[PeterW]

Good in the daytime too. The more you can stabilise them the better. http://binocularsky.com/binoc_mount.php has some cheap and effective ideas. Also lying on the ground works well, especially for looking straight up where the skies are darkest. Most plants are visible, so willl plenty of star clusters and a good number of nebulae/galaxies (depends on your light pollution and object finding skills). 
 

God luck 

PEter

[djpaul]

Binoculars are a great start in astronomy. 

I have a pair of 8x43 and 15x70 .

As said a mono pod would help keep them steady.

Or I find leaning against a solid object . Maybe the house or a shed depending where you are looking really helps keep the view steady .

For a super wide view of whole constellations the vixen sg 2.1 bins are great.

[Philoz]

Thanks for all the replies, I have signed up for the binocular sky monthly. 

Looking forward to getting the binoculars and for it to stop bloody raining!! 

 

[devdusty]

Hello. You will probably need a tripod for 10 x 50 binoculars ,

 Also it depends on your light pollution. If like me your naked eye magnitude is only 3 to 3.5 you will probably reach magnitude 6.5 with these binoculars.

Chrisa

[Philoz]

I have a tripod for my camera. It an ok one and will keep things steady.

light pollution, well we are very close to centre of the largest town in Cambridgeshire so we may be a little light polluted