Celestron 10x50’s - first session. Advise wanted!

[WolfieGlos]

A few years before Covid, my wife’s Uncle gifted me a pair of binoculars shortly before he sadly passed away. They’ve been sat in our drawer ever since, and having taken up astrophotography for the last few years, I found them over Christmas and was surprised to see that they are Celestron 10x50’s “Up Close”.

They are basically brand new, no scratches or marks but one of the front caps is a little loose. Anyway, with the first clear skies for a long time, I decided to give them a whirl tonight (handheld) and was quite surprised at just what I could see through them. It was a rather short session, panning between some of the brighter star clusters and objects, before giving up due to the cold and wind making it difficult to keep them steady, but M31 was just visible as was M42. 

I have been thinking about getting a scope for observing, but these were a nice find and having never observed previously it was a really nice introduction! 

Not knowing a lot about this side of the hobby, are these binoculars suitable for night sky observing? Would I see more with a better or larger pair? Any advise or pointers appreciated 😊

[Nakedgun]

~

My experience indicates that many do not realize the tremendous number of objects observable in the night sky with binoculars. Obviously, local sky conditions will put up boundaries to the range of possibilities, but this is great opportunity for you to pursue this avenue.

There are online and book resources for binocular astronomy which can be helpful for this aspect of our hobby, and readers here will, I'm sure, post them up. Some of these provide insight as to what one can expect from a given mag/aperture combo as a way of whittling down your choice(s).

10x50s make a great weapon, in my view, if you have just this, allowing one to go deeper than the popular 7-or-8 power wider field units, while also giving the prey enough context to be appreciated.

If skies are light polluted with fewer waypoints, I find a 6.5x32 extra-wide field helps to get to the area more easily, then use 10x50s to take in the item. If more perception is needed, a 15-or-16 power glass can be brought to bear without too much additional trouble with regard to size/weight.

 

https://binocularsky.com/index.php

https://shopatsky.com/products/binocular-highlights-second-edition

Keep us posted. 

Good luck.

 

 

.

 

 

[RobertI]

I agree with @Nakedgun, 10x50 should be great, but I have no knowledge of that particular model. I’m assuming the “up close” refers to them being able to focus close up, which I imagine is all about the mechanical design rather than any different about the optics. How did the image look, was it in focus for most of the field of view?

[Stormbringer]

10x50 is a good size for stargazing easily handheld and amazing what can be seen 

yes you can see more and have better images with higher powered bigger aperture binoculars but 10x50 is an excellent size to start with 

[Gonariu]

I have the Celestron Upclose G2 10X50,  bought about ten years ago, I payd it 69 euros and I liked it; I didn't understand whay they why they fell apart.

[WolfieGlos]

Thanks all.

9 hours ago, RobertI said:

How did the image look, was it in focus for most of the field of view?

Certainly in the middle of the view where I was looking, I didn't take much notice across the FOV to be fair. It's supposed to be clear later tonight with reduced winds so I'll have a look.

4 hours ago, Stormbringer said:

10x50 is a good size for stargazing easily handheld and amazing what can be seen 

Quite right, I was surprised at just how much I could see ! 

[BinocularSky]

I reviewed this for S@N about 8 years ago (seem to be a later incarnation of yours). 10x50s are great for astronomy and, despite its limitations, this is OK as an entry level model. If you're enjoying it, you can always upgrade later.

[WolfieGlos]

6 hours ago, BinocularSky said:

I reviewed this for S@N about 8 years ago (seem to be a later incarnation of yours). 10x50s are great for astronomy and, despite its limitations, this is OK as an entry level model. If you're enjoying it, you can always upgrade later.

Hi Steve,

Thank you for that, and I note your review notes the caps are quite loose - and so are the ones I have! I have found that the caps seem to fit better on one side than the other, but I wouldn’t trust them out and about.

Poor weather has stopped me trying them out much since my OP, and even though tonight was clear earlier…with a Full Moon of course. Although I was able to spot two of Jupiters Galilean Moons to its NW - which I see are Europa/Io (almost on top of one another) and Ganymede.