Barska 15x70mm X-Trail Binoculars

[ManOnTheMoon (Matt)]

I bought these brand new from the states for $112 delivered instead of paying the AU$300 price tag that they retail for here.
The first thing I noticed was that they were abit more light weight than I had expected which is good as they are easy to hold up at the night sky without your arms getting tired to quickly. They produce a very good sharp image ( the Moon looks fantastic with all its creaters etc and it looks so close ) Mars appears as a big red dot and I can see so many more stars now in the milkyway. These work well for people like me who live in more builtup area's with light pollution with their eye exit pupil of 4.7mm. A tripod is a must because of the magnification. The tripod is quite small only about 30cm high but I place it on a table outside and sit back in a chair when Im looking at the stars but a bigger tripod maybe 1m high would be alot better with these binoculars. Overall Im very happy with these Binocluars they are great value with a big magnification and clear sharp image!....Now I just need the learn some star charts so I now what Im looking at and what to look for!

[dannat (Daniel)]

matty, i would recommend you find a 1.8mt tripod if you can..also you might sit in an outdoor deck chair or similar to look at the moon.
i'm also glad you didn't pay 300 for them..there are a number of "brand names" in Oz, which go for 3-5 times more than the US price - when they really are entry level binos - some retailers here expect premium prices

I'm glad you're happy, 15x70 is a sweet spot for binos IMHO. when you look at stars how sharp are they to the edge

[ManOnTheMoon (Matt)]

Hi there. When I get the focus just right all the stars are pretty much sharp and crisp. But right on the very edge of the view all the way round they are alittle bit fuzzy but just abit. Good enough for me to learn my way around the sky before getting a telescope later on.

[dannat (Daniel)]

virtually all binoculars have fuzzy outer edge stars..even a $1000 pair, donot be put off be me asking how much of a fuzzy area there is..its the fault of a fast achromat lens to have outer edge distortion of stars - it is very difficult to get rid of

[ManOnTheMoon (Matt)]

Thanks for your advice on getting a tripod. I was just outside now looking up at the sausepan I think its called Im not sure. The decided too look at the two stars that make up the handle and the bottom one is not one but about 5 or so bunched up together and it looked like there was a faint cloud covering them. Is that a galaxey or am i just seeing a passing cloud infront of them?

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Hi ManOnTheMoon,

Here is a good star chart that I found in IIS. If you have access to an A3 printer it is best:

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~zs3t-tk/atlas/atlas.htm

A planisphere is also an invaluble item to help learn your way about and plan sessions in advance. I've had mine for more than 20 years and I still use it. This one is also from an IIS link to a good DIY planisphere:

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~zs3t-tk/...lanisphere.htm

I agree with dannat. If you can get yourself a sturdy, taller tripod, your use of the binos will be more efficient. Try local second hand markets. They don't need to be new, just robust. Take your binos along to check that what you find can deal with the binos mounted onto them.

Binoculars are a great tool. I always have them handy. At home in Sydney I need them to overcome the light pollution to find stuff. At a dark site, they too help locate items in a complex star field.

Mental.

[dannat (Daniel)]

what you are looking at is called orion - or orion's belt, the cloudy thing is called m42 or the great orion nebula..nebula are usually star forming regions of gas -though there are a couple of different types. binos reveal often what look like a star is in fact 2,3 or 4 or 5

apart from a star chart, i regularly use skymaps.com - they have a souterhn hemisphere sky map each month, with a list of binocular objects to locate - was terrific when starting out

also i would download & install stellarium to a computer..it is a simulator star map

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Originally Posted by ManOnTheMoon

Is that a galaxey or am i just seeing a passing cloud infront of them?

You were looking at a tiny, tiny area of the Milky Way galaxy. The 'saucepan' is a part of the constellation Orion. It lies within the milky way. Actually, one of the two major arms of the Milky way is called the Orion Arm, of which our solar system lies in.

Orion also contains one of the brightest gas nebula in the sky, The Orion Nebula, also called M42. This IIS link also contains a picture of the Horsehead Nebula. Unfortunately you need more than binos to see it:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=57886

If you would like to see two galaxies, try to find the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds towards the south. If the local light pollution is not too bad where you are, they look like two small puffy 'clouds' that don't move. Set your binos onto them. These are actually satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, orbiting our giant galaxy. They contain clusters and nebulae of their own where new stars are being born.

Near the Small Magellanic Cloud is 47 Tucana. It is a huge globular cluster that also orbits the Milky Way. Infact, scientists now believe it is the remant core of a long gone galaxy that was swallowed up by our own Milky Way! It will look like a brightish round patch of light, fading at the edges. In a telescope, 4" or bigger, it is an astonishing mass of pin point stars. Truely spectacular. There is only one brighter and larger globular cluster, Omega Centuri in the constellation Centurus, which surrounds the southern cross. This is one challenge for you to find with a star chart!

Your library would contain astro books, which would also have some type of star charts in them. Seek them out.

I can compile a short list of other objects for you to find if you like. All of which are observable in binos. Including other galaxies.

[ManOnTheMoon (Matt)]

I was looking at the southern cross last night also and I spotted a group of about 7-8 bunched up stars that formed a triangle sharp. What is that known as?

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

When you looked at the Southern Cross, was this bundle just below the left most star of the Cross? If so, then you found the little, but precious Jewel Box cluster. If seen through a scope, it looks like a collection of diamonds and rubies such are the colours and sparkle.

If you scan across to the right from the Southern Cross, you will come across another massive nebula, Eta Carina. It is also known as the 'Keyhole' nebula because the dark band that cuts through it looks like a keyhole set within the glow of the nebula and the mass of millions of surrounding stars.

The "Deep Space" imaging forum has many photos of Eta Carina and the Orion nebulae. Have a look at them.

Around the 'Keyhole', there are several incredibly bright and massive clusters. Many of these stars are blue giants, burning through their hydrogen stock at such tremendous rate that they make our Sun look very ordinary.

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

I took this link from wikimedia. It shows the immediate area around the Southern Cross, Crux.

The various objects are listed with their NGC number (new general catalogue). The yellow discs are Open Clusters, the round discs with a cross are Globular clusters. The red ovals are galaxies. Green blobs are nebulae and the round green blobs with an external cross are Planetary nebulae.

The Jewel Box is 4755.

Eta Carina is the huge green blob to the right of Crux. The two really big and bright clusters I mentioned near Eta Carina are 3532 and I2602, the Southern Pleiades, with 3255 another beauty.

Centaurus contains the biggest Globular Cluster in the sky, Omega Centuri, 5139. I can even see it as a faint, fuzzy 'star' from my home it is so bright. You can't mistaken its bright fuzziness in binos. Extraordinary in any scope 4" and over.

With your binos, have a shot at the galaxy 5128, also known as Centaurus A. It is an edge on spiral galaxy that resembles a hamburger in appearance. You will definately see it in your 70mm binos. I've seen it through a 30mm finder, though at a dark sky. 70mm binos should reveal it in Sydney skies. Have a shot.

The star closest to us, other than the Sun, is in Centaurus- Alpha Centuri, also known as Rigel Kentaururs and Rigel Kent. It is actually a tertiary system, meaning that it is not one star, but three that orbit around eachother. The two brightest can be easily seen as even a modest little scope should be able to 'split' the aparent single star. The third member of the group is very faint and is actually very close to the boundary with Crux, if I remember correctly. It requires more specialised maps to find and identify. Alpha Centuri lies 4.3 light years from us. The Sun is 8 light minutes.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...rus_charta.png

[ManOnTheMoon (Matt)]

Hey thanks your your help mate ill check them out if its clear tonight. I just went and bought a book called Astronomica. Its a excellent book full of so much info and has heaps of star maps