Binoculars and an Astronomy question

[Dingo]

These may seem like odd questions but I'm still going to post them :-)

Binoculars---What is the least powerful binoculars you need to decently see anything or whatever the answer is to the next question ?? in the skies . Even if the Jewel Box is just a smudge under the Southern Cross. Thats how least powerful, I am talking about.

Astronomy-- If I was to tell a few people who own binoculars{ assuming these ppl have the Least powerful binoculars } to have a look at something in the sky, what would be the best thing to tell them to look at ?

I ask these ,as Since it's Intl. year of Astronomy, I am going to challenge some people to look for things and discover what is out there. :-)

Dingo

[erick]

About 7x I expect. That is my least powerful pair and I started with these. I could make out the moons of Jupiter and recognise the shape of the Jewel Box. Can also make out craters and mountains at the terminator of the Moon. Those would be three recommended targets.

[Robh]

Karl,
I assume the binoculars will be hand held, so I would suggest a magnification of 7 to 10. Higher magnification will produce a noticeable shake in your field of view. Like telescopes, the bigger the aperture the more the light-gathering capacity. Most people own a 50mm pair but a 60mm or 70mm is better. The weight of larger sizes make the binoculars hard to keep steady for long.
You can see a lot with a decent pair of 7x50 binoculars.
e.g. Check out the craters on the moon.
Scan the Milky Way in general, especially the region from the Southern Cross to the False Cross.
View nebulae like the Orion Nebula and Eta Carina Nebula.
Search for open clusters like M6, M7, M41, M44, NGC 2516 and the Southern Pleiades.
Find globular clusters like omega Centauri, 47 Tuc, M22.
Look for wide doubles or binaries like alpha Librae that look like one star to the naked eye.
However, if you get too specific they will need guidance and maps.
Regards, Rob.

[Chippy]

I second the idea to scan around in the vicinity of the Southern Cross. Easy to do with binos, and lots of nice objects to view around that region in particular. 10x50's would be my pick for starting out.

I love my 15x70's but they're not possible to hand hold for long. Either way its good if you can steady yourself against a wall or post. You can hand hold for much longer (and keep the view steadier) that way.

[Rokketboy]

My first experience, and only so far is with a pair of 7x50 binos.
My favourite targets were the moon, southern cross/jewel box, Southern Pleiades and Omega Centauri. You dont see much with Omega Centauri, just a glowy smudge in light polluted skys, better in dark sites. I always liked the Pleiades though, beautiful.
Im about to buy a new pair of binos when I buy my scope. I found the 7x 50 pretty comfortable to hold for long periods, I may go to 10x50s but any bigger , a tripod is the way to go I think.
As far as least powerful possible to see anything, any pair of binos will allow you to see so much more than with your eyes. Even a little pair of 8x25s are better than nothing. Once someone has started strolling around the stars with a little pair of binos, more tham likely , their curiosity will be piqued.

[glenc]

I would go for 10x50s.
Here are some prices http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-11.htm

[HolyWars]

This thread has given me some great tips as I currently have a pair of 8x40's while I wait for my 8" dob to arrive. Each night I go out and scan around the southern cross/ pointers area as it is right above me between the trees in my courtyard. As I am in a light polluted area, I cant really make much out but I work in central vic so I will be staying at my brothers in Seymour for a couple of nights this week. Given these tips I will be attempting to locate the Jewel Box cluster in particular. Wish me luck :thumbsup:

[ngcles]

Hi Dingo, Holy Wars & All

10x50mm binoculars are a fantastic choice for hand-held, all-round astronomy use. I've had a pair for 35 years and they're still my most used binocular, though the 15x70s are catching up now I've got a proper mount for them.

10x50s are light enough to hand-hold yet the magnification gives a field you can hold reasonably still and the 10x magnification makes for a slightly darker field than the 7x50s, but still giving a good-sized field. A nice balance.

If you go much bigger than 10x50s you'll need a tripod or mount to put them on to hold them steady.

If you are using the 8x40s for the moment, attached is a .pdf of a map showing the area between Crux and the Eta Carinae area -- one of the best areas (if not the best) to scan with binoculars.

See if you can id NGC 4755 (Jewel Box), IC 2602 (Theta Carinae cluster), NGC 3532, NGC 3766 and NGC 3114 (unlabelled on the chart, mid-right at about 10hrs and -60 dec) for starters. And then of course is The Eta Carinae complex.

How powerful do you need to see the Herschel's Jewel Box (NGC 4755)? Well 1x6mm will do -- it can be seen as a small haze surrounding Kappa Crucis naked-eye from a reasonably dark site.

If people do develop an interest in doing binocular astronomy, there is a column devoted to it on the all-sky map page of Australian Sky & Telescope ... :whistle:


Best,

Les D

[HolyWars]

Thanks for the pdf ngcles. I will also have the PC on hand (me and the bro are gamers) so I will also have Stellarium to aid me. :thumbsup:

[troypiggo]

Fascinating and informative thread. I don't have any binoculars but am thinking about a pair to use while waiting for long exposures. I would mount them on my tripod, so some bigger ones wouldn't bother me. I have a spare (Manfrotto RS2) clamp plate that I could attach it to the 488RC2 ballhead on my tripod if the binos have a 1.25" female thread to connect the plate to.

What are the good and bad brands to look out for? Bushnells, Leica, Orion, Nikon, Gerber, Zeiss, Steiner, Southern Cross, Kowa, Meade, Pentax, Celestron, Williams Optics are most of the names I've seen. Any of those good bang for buck? Any a complete name-brand, overpriced ripoff?

[dannat]

If it was me personally I would not recommend jewel box for low power binos -(5-7x).i think it's a little small & dense in size .My favourites would be the
#open clusters(beehive, pleiades(too low now) ,hyades in Tau,IC2602 in Car
# the magellenic clouds( basically dwarf galaxy
# carina & orion neb areas
# moon
# pick out diff color stars eg betelgeuse (also contrast crux star colors)
#look for an easy double star,maybe gamma leporis - due to star color
# i prefer m41 to jewel box in smallbinos

Troy - as per your post what would be your budget apprrox..i have the 15x70ultra from AOE which is a terrific bang for buck medium bino(theyhave ind focus ep though). Do you want them for hand held at all?kowa ,leica, zeiss will cost you alot
I would look at pentax pcf, nikon AE, ultra from aoe or andrews,WO ed10x50,
The orion mini-giants from bintel are good i think..i don't really like the clestron/bushnell/meade binos but occasionally they make a really good one( i have celestron regals 10x42 which are excellent - but the skymasters from them can have QC problems andare in a lower leagure as per quality) . have not tried gerber's but have heard 1-2 reports of QC issues also.

[troypiggo]

My apologies about the thread hijack, but thought the OP would benefit from my questions as well.



Thanks for that. Budget? Just looking at some prices now and see the variations! Wow they get expensive! I'd have to say I'd like to keep it low hundreds, maybe $500 absolute tops - but would prefer to keep way under that.

[Miaplacidus]

Don't really know the answer, but 50 mm aperture is usually tops for hand held. If you are under thirty and have blue eyes get the 7x50. If you're over 35 or have brown eyes get 10x50. (You're trying to match the exit pupil size to your own pupils, the maximum diameter of which generally shrinks as you get older.)

Just another morsel for thought.

Cheers,

Brian.

[omnivorr]

Hi Dingo, I'd even suggest anything is worth a look in the knottier parts of the Galaxy.. even with a pr of 8x21's I've seen 'smudges' revealed as complexes of stars etc... a great thread idea for outreach in this IYoA !!!

Keep it up :)

[HolyWars]

So I went out, nice clear night but as usual littered with filthy light pollution, aimed my Binos at Mimosa in an attempt to find the Jewel Box cluster.....and got it within 15 seconds! It was more of a faint smudge with the conditions and binos, but its more then I expected too see from the city. Too add to that, I got a nice little suprise with a satellite passing straight through my fov. I cant wait to get to my brothers in the country tmrw night!:thumbsup:

Going to see if I can get Southern Pleiades soon :)

[GrahamL]

I've had a pair of meades 9x63 for a year now and find them great
http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=3512
Being roofs that bit of extra apperture dosn't add a lot of weight .

Yes they are usable hand held as the blurb there says ...they are a little
on the weighty side though .. daytime use I find a little false colur around the outer 10% of the field but its not to nasty .
Overall I think there worth the couple of hundred I got them for.
Take on board also most roof prisim binos start around this price and quickly jump up towards a thousand and behond so they sure arn't high quality
but do a great job for the price.

Oh I forgot they were reviewed here
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.php?id=76,319,0,0,1,0

[dannat]

some new research has disagreed with large exit pupil produces brighter sky, so 10x50 look like being better than 7x50 even if you're young
http://www.GarySeronik.com/?q=node/13
this link provides the info

[mark3d]

i recently found NGC 5139 by scanning around the southern cross with binocs. M42, jewel box and NGC 5139 are all only smudges until you get the 'scope out.

[seeker372011]

I second the 10 x 50 school of view even though I am an old f***t and exit pupil considerations would suggest otherwise

I own 10 x 50, 20 x 80s, 11 x60s and used to own a 7 x 50 till someone borrowed it--get most satisfaction with the 10 x50s

the 20 x80s are wonderful but cannot be used handheld

oh and there are some objects that look best in binos-M45(!!) M44 (!) and M46 and M47(!!!)
the double cluster (!!)-(in the northern hemisphere unfortunately). Probably heaps more