|
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.
|