I Want To Buy A Telescope Or A Good Pair Of Binoculars, I’m A Beginner?
Sunday, September 27th, 2009 at
9:31 am
I've never had a pair of binoculars and I've never even looked into a telescope.
I'm very interested in astronomy/space, I really want a telescope or a great pair of binoculars.
If this is my first time, should I just start out with binoculars?
I was thinking about getting these maybe:
http://www.binoculars.com/binoculars/bird-watching-binoculars/10x50nikonactionextremeatb.cfm#ReviewHeader
Also, any other tips you can give me? Thanks
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It’s a smart idea to start first with binos. Reason? First, with binos, you are more-or-less forced to learn the night sky by observing and star charts/maps. Once you have a solid knowledge of the stars and their positions, you won’t need to rely on a telescope with a “go to” or GPS. Being able to identify stars with the naked eye is a great asset. Especially if you decide to later buy a Dobsonian-type scope that will require some star-hopping on your part. Second, suppose you lose interest in this? If you bought a telescope for a few hundred bucks, you’ll be trying to sell it on ebay or it will be sitting in your garage collecting dust. However, if you lose interest and have only invested in binos, then you can always use those binos for other things (like the football or baseball game!)
Binoculars are indeed a great way to start out. Personally, I prefer something 8×60’s or 10×80’s. You get more light to your eyes and a little more resolution. Also, if you wear glasses, check for eye relief. this is the distance between the eyepiece to your eyes. Wearing glasses adds to that distance.
Then, if you can make one or know someone who can – construct a parallelogram mount to hold the binos. This removes you from having to hold the the binos and makes for a better viewing experience.
It really depends on how serious you are. If you think this is a hobby that you’ll want to keep up with, get a telescope. If it’s space that you’re interested in, it’ll be easier to view through a telescope. If you wanted to “just start out with binoculars” that would kind of mean that you would sooner or later upgrade to a telescope. Just go with a telescope right away, but it doesn’t have to be anything too fancy. http://www.telescopes.com/telescopes/refracting-telescopes/celestronskyscoutscope90telescope.cfm?source=pjn&subid=19373
My favorite all-round binocs are a pair of Orion 9×63 Little Giants. However, for serious double star splitting and globular cluster watching, I use my Orion 16×80s. I have owned a pair of Nikon Action 7×50 binoculars, and they’re OK. The Action Extreme line is somewhat better, so those binoculars should be all right, though I recommend the Orion Scenix as the best 10×50 available.
The best binocular star atlas I’ve seen so far is Sky & Telescope’s “Pocket Sky Atlas” by Roger W. Sinnott, available through Amazon.com.http://www.amazon.com/Sky-Telescopes-Poc…
10×50 binoculars would be just fine to start out — also get a copy of Turn Left at Orion — and a monthly star chart from http://www.skymaps.com
Also try to locate a local Astronomy club and attend their meetings and star parties….. and ask lots of questions.
Clear Skies!
maybe too!
because it cost them money, companies don't want to do that
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