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Can Binoculars Be Used For Astronomy

Date Added : February 9, 2011 | Views : 400

While not as attractive as a telescope, a good pair of binoculars are an excellent choice, and allow you to determine if astronomy is for you without having to go through the expense of buying a telescope. Binoculars are easy to use, that are light, and are versatile.



As with telescopes, binoculars come in different sizes. As with telescopes, the larger the aperture (the diameter of the objective lens), more light can be captured and therefore appear brighter objects. But, again, as with telescopes, binoculars are not as larger, heavier and more difficult to handle.



10 x 50 is generally accepted as an ideal size for astronomy from day to day. 10 x 50 means that the binoculars have a magnification of 10x and an objective lens diameter 50mm. A pair of 10 x 50 provides a field of view of about 6 degrees, so you can see the sky enough to cover 12 moons (the moon covers about 0.5 degrees on the sky). A pair of 7 x 50 will provide a slightly larger field of view that a pair of 10 x 50, but the increase is not as good.



For large binoculars, you should use a tripod as this will prevent your arms become tired, and also avoid the image to jump over. In fact, I have a couple of 8 x 30, and is almost impossible to keep them stable enough to be able to see an object as a planet without the image bouncing all over the place.



Binoculars provide a great addition to your toolbox astronomy, and are ideal when you want to quickly cover the entire sky, darting from one object to another. I have three pairs (10 x 25, 8 x 30, and 10 x 50) and find a use for all three.


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Article By: alan jacob


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