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Using some old binos


Nidgey86

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Hi all, long time lurker first time poster. 

I am looking to get into more astronomy and been looking up a fair bit more. I live in a bortle 4 area so think I should get some good darkness. 

 

I have some old 8x30 binnos that I have been using but looking at going for some 10x50s. My question is, will I see a good difference or stick with my oldies for a while? 

 

Thank you in advance 

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I have both 8 x 30 and 10 x 50 binos

you see a lot more in the 10 x 50 , great for scanning the sky for interesting objects , but they are a lot heavier and I tend to use then leaning on something if using them for any length of time.

For comet Neowise last year it was far far better in the 10 x 50

Also quality varies a lot so get a decent set , preferably ones you can try out.

 

Have you considered a small telescope , depends on how interested you are but Bortle 4 offers a lot to see and a small Dobsonian is not that much more expensive than a good pair of 10 x 50's but will reveal so much more.

 

the 8 x 30 are good for the odd walk up a hill however as they fit in a pocket.

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Hi thanks for reply. Yeah i bought a small telescope years ago...... Bit toy like I think was a cheapo from currys. I want to get into it/learn a bit more before I take that leap and invest in telescope. Reading things bino seems to be better for starting properly? 

 

Also I'm getting bortle 4 from the clearskys app, is that quite accurate? 

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You should definitely go for some 50mm either X10 or x7.. Loads of nice Messiers await you with a pair of 50mm under bortle 4 skies and laying back in a lounger and scanning the skies is great fun too...

.. I've found the lightpollution.com map to be quite accurate if I remember rightly...

Mark

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Use it find darker spots. Of course large scale council relighting may have altered things a bit. The actual darkness depends on various factors like the atmospheric condition. I find SQM values more use for brighter sites, bortle values depend on visual detecrion of certain features, best for separating already pretty dark sites.

 

peter

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Hi Nidgey86, and welcome to SGL👍.

You are wise to get into the hobby with binoculars, and while your 30mm pair will show a lot of stars, a 10x50 pair will show you a whole lot more, and objects such as the Pleiades cluster will be much more impressive.

If you intend to invest in a new pair, then before buying, look up this website: www.binocularsky.com - the site is run by Steve Tonkin, a member here on SGL, and you will find a wealth of information on how to select the best pair of binoculars for your needs, with some valuable reviews, photos etc and loads of information about binoculars and how they work, different types, etc.

Spend a few months learning the night skies and it will give you a great foundation on which to then build your search for a real astronomical telescope.

Good luck,

Dave

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1 hour ago, F15Rules said:

Hi Nidgey86, and welcome to SGL👍.

You are wise to get into the hobby with binoculars, and while your 30mm pair will show a lot of stars, a 10x50 pair will show you a whole lot more, and objects such as the Pleiades cluster will be much more impressive.

If you intend to invest in a new pair, then before buying, look up this website: www.binocularsky.com - the site is run by Steve Tonkin, a member here on SGL, and you will find a wealth of information on how to select the best pair of binoculars for your needs, with some valuable reviews, photos etc and loads of information about binoculars and how they work, different types, etc.

Spend a few months learning the night skies and it will give you a great foundation on which to then build your search for a real astronomical telescope.

Good luck,

Dave

Dave, 

Thanks for that, I will check out website. 

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