See Where You’ve Never Even Been
Instruments to expand your sight.
As you search for the best buy in telescopes and binoculars, you will find that there is no “best” of either for every person. Your lifestyle and interests will determine the specific kind of telescope or binoculars that are best for your situation.
Telescopes
Power is not always the most important factor in deciding which telescope to purchase. In fact, it is the light-gathering ability, aperture, that will determine how much you will be able to see. Some inexpensive scopes claim huge power, such as 450x or 575x, yet the brightest and sharpest images are found at lower powers, 25x to 50x.
If you are just exploring the entrance into amateur astronomy, a small, high quality refractor scope with an aperture of 60mm to 80mm is a great starter scope. Those scopes work well for viewing the moon and larger planets, but if you want to look deeper into space, you will want a 90mm to 100mm refractor scope.
More serious amateur astronomers will want a reflector scope for both planetary and deep-sky viewing. A good beginner scope for observing galaxies and nebulas is a 6″ reflector scope in the mid-$300 range.
You will also want to purchase an appropriate mount for the particular type of telescope you choose.
Binoculars
Selecting the right binoculars for your use is equally diverse. Again, your personal preference and needs will determine the type of binoculars you choose.
Going “cheap” is not always the best decision when you purchase binoculars, for price is often the indicator of the quality and effectiveness of the lens.
Binoculars are often divided by size represented by full-size, mid-size and compact binoculars. These sizes are often catagorized in the following way.
Full-Size (40mm and larger objective lenses)
- best for low-light situations
- provide steadier images and a wider field of view
- for serious wildlife viewing and for use on boats
- generally too big and heavy for backpacking
Mid-Size (30-39mm objective lenses):
- moderate size and above-average light transmission
- good all-around choice for wildlife and sports use
- still a bit heavy for serious backpacking
Compact (less than 30mm objective lenses):
- lightest, smallest binocular option for backpacking
- most useful during daytime outdoor activities
- not comfortable during extended periods of use
Binoculars are identified by two numbers, usually written such as 7 X 35. The first number is the magnification which tells you how much what you are looking at will appear to be magnified. For instance, an object 100 yards away seen through a magnification of 7 will appear to be 100/7 yards away. That is, it will appear through the binoculars to be about 14 feet away if you didn’t have the binoculars.
The second number gives the diameter of the objective lens in millimeters. The objective lens is the one furthest from your eyes. This determines how much light is gathered by the lens. The larger the lens, the more light that can be gathered, thus the brighter the object will appear.
The best way to choose the binoculars that are right for your situation is to try them. Make sure they are comfortable to carry, look through and keep up to your eye for extended period. Decide what you can spend, then try the different models to you find the ones best for you.