Equipment for The Amateur Astronomer: Good Binoculars For Astronomy

October 27th, 2009 by Gary Nugent

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Astronomy binoculars and telescopes and other astronomy equipment and accessories are the core of amateur astronomy.

A quality pair of binoculars is what introduced me to the pleasures of night sky observing quite a few years ago and it was a couple of years later that that graduated to a telescope.

That was one of the department store 60mm telescopes we’re all warned about, but my folks didn’t know any better, and to a 12-year old kid, it opened up the universe.

Astronomy Binoculars

Binoculars have a role to play in astronomy. Good binoculars for astronomy cost less than a telescope and are an excellent entry point for someone familiarising themselves with the night sky.

They don’t provide the same magnifications as a telescope (but magnification isn’t everything) but binoculars do show a much wider field of view which makes it easier to navigate across the sky.

Because of this wider field of view, you also get to see the ‘big’ picture. And, because you’re using both eyes, there’s less strain on your eyes.

Binocular viewers are available for telescopes and those who use them (even though they cost a couple of hundred dollars and you need two eyepieces for each one) swear by them (rather than at them!). However, since these are a piece of specialised equipment, they will cost more than a pair of binoculars.

A typical pair of binoculars will be 10×50s (front lenses 50mm across, with a x10 magnification). More powerful models are available – and these are classed as “astronomy binoculars”. 20×60s cost from $150 upwards and you can get 20×80s for as little as $90 (yes, cheaper than 20×60s).

Binoculars for astronomy are quite heavy and you can tire easily pointing them skyward for any length of time. Also, because of their higher magnification, any shake in your hands will also be magnified and stars will bounce around in the view.

If you plan to look at the sky for extended periods, you’d be advised to use a tripod with a binocular adaptor. This lets you securely mount the astronomy binoculars on it and easily point them around the sky without strain.

Binoculars are also great for looking at large scale celestial objects such as comets. Looking at the Moon through 20x binoculars brings it close enough to see landscape features but also, you’ll see it in three dimensions, something a telescope can’t do as you only look though one eyepiece instead of two.

Astronomy binoculars for beginners are available from a wide range of manufacturers: Barska, Zhumell, Celestron, Meade, Canon, and Pentax.

Serious amateur astronomers may want to invest in top-brand models from Nikon, Vixen, Kowa and Fujinon. You can expect to pay between $1,000 and $5,600 depending on the make and model. Why would anyone want to pay that kind of price for a pair of binoculars? They’re the best piece of equipment for hunting for comets for one. The 3-D view they give makes you feel like you’re out in space. The better models use interchangeable eyepieces so you can change the field of view and magnification.

Conclusion

You can start using a pair of binoculars much more quickly than setting up a telescope so if you have very changeable weather where you live, they’re probably a better option for sky viewing. Naturally, binoculars go into your luggage a lot more easily when you’re travelling allowing you to view the sky from your holiday destination with ease.

All in all, astronomy binoculars are a much better option for casual viewers because of their portability, usefulness as both daytime and night time instruments and the fact that they are cheaper than a decent telescope.

As with almost everything else in life, you get what you pay for. There are binoculars that cost under $10 (being cheap in every sense of the word) and other specialised binoculars for astronomy which cost in excess of $5,600. My experience says you will need to spend at least $90 for a pair of binoculars that are worth owning, but $140-300 is a more common price range for good astronomy binoculars for beginners.

Gary Nugent has been creating astronomy software for over 10 years and his popular Night Sky Observer site features many astronomy facts. You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.