Quote:
Originally Posted by Terranova
Hi Alex. Some great info again. Thank you. Last night I used my vanguard hunting binos which are 10x42. I could see mars ok but I'm still trying to get a handle on what is where...also thanks to a motorcycle accident 25 years ago, I have a permanent hand tremor so regardless of the binos I choose I'll need some sort of stabilisation. Maybe 7x50 might be a better choice???
Cheers
Adrian
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Hi Adrian,
I wouldn't advise the 20X60 Pentax you mentioned below. I had the 16X60 Pentax pair and the field of view was too narrow (though very sharp), and the 20X60's field is narrower. I gave the 16X60s to my wife who found them okay for bird watching. If I found them frustrating to use (and I have 30 or 40 pairs of binoculars) I think a beginner would find them very frustrating.
As you have a pair of Vanguard 10X42 hunting binoculars - you are set. I have three pairs of 10x42s and I love using them. They'll show you most of the brighter nebula, globular clusters, open clusters in the sky, and the Andromeda galaxy. 10X50 binoculars are meant to be able to show up to 50 galaxies at a very dark sky site (can't say I've been that successful) but your 10X42 pair would show less, though I suspect there would be five to ten you could see.
As you have shakiness issues, you may try getting a cheap tripod and tripod adapter. I always mount the binoculars backwards so as not to have the tripod arm hitting my chest. You will obviously get a steady image with the tripod on the ground. But I also find that holding the tripod itself up and against my chest, gives me steadier views than just holding the binoculars themselves, because of the extra mass of the tripod.
The biggest problem is what star charts to use for your 10X42s. I was lucky, coming across an old book called Astronomy With Binoculars by James Muirden. The back of the book had charts of the sky which only had deep sky objects marked that could be seen with 7X50 to 10X50 binoculars - and that kept me happy for years.
Most charts or atlases I've seen lately have way too many objects marked on them, which a beginner would find frustrating, as he or she wouldn't be able to see most of them. But maybe someone else here has found something that would suit you.
That said, if the binoculars wind up not suiting you, I always recommend a short tube refractor with say 80 to 100mm diameter and 500mm focal length. These are fine for wide field views of the sky, will still remain useful even if you get a bigger telescope, they don't cost that much, and if you find the hobby isn't for you - you will still find it useful for terrestial viewing when you add an erecting diagonal.
Regards,
Renato