Hand held instruments for star gazing.

[Guest]

When I mention hand held equipment for stargazing. You could be forgiven for suggestion binoculars. You would be correct. My 7 x 50 binoculars give bright views of the night sky. In an attempt to improve on the 50 mm binos For brightness I have tried using my 75 mm Opticron spottingscope. It is steady when handheld. Good at daytime viewing. But disappointing viewing the night sky.  70 mm binoculars give brighter views than the 50 mm binos. But they have to be mounted on a tripod. I once had a 66 mm William's Optics refractor with a two inch 20 mm eyepiece. This surprisingly allowed steady views when hand held. It was comfortable le for star gazing. There are times when the binoculars come out for easy star gazing sessions. Mostly in the Summer when sat in a lounger. But I would like an instrument that is easy to hand hold but give better views than my current binoculars.

[AlexK]

Edmund Scientific Astroscan is an unbeatable instrument in that category. I'm taking mine even into carry-on only "expeditions". The most notable one being the Totality of 2012 in Australia, where I spent 6 nights with it on the top deck of the rocking in the South Pacific scuba diving boat anchored at the Great Barrier Reef discovering Southern sky goodies for the first time. Its ball mount is perfect on your laps when in the chair, recliner, or just on the grassy ground, as well as on your chest with the shoulders straps adjusted right when standing upright. Or you can throw a trivial plywood ring (or even some glass/aluminum jar) underneath and have it perfectly mounted on a table or on the ground beside your sleeping bag. When I've added the static eyepiece holder for my 100 deg AFOV eyepieces it became even more amazing in the hands due to the possibility to hang it lower on the chest for better stability:

With 100 deg AFOV it's like having the starry sky everywhere: above and below you.

Edited January 25, 2021 by AlexK