How To Get Started In Astronomy

New to stargazing? This article volition walk you through exactly how to choose and use binoculars for stargazing and astronomy. While many people spring straight from picking out constellations with their naked eyes to heart-balling galaxies through a telescope, they practise yous miss out on an entire layer of the night heaven that is simply attainable to binoculars. In the battle of binoculars vs telescopes for stargazing, both take their pros and cons, so don't assume that shelling out for ane of today's best telescopes is your only option.

In fact, some of the dark sky's most exquisite sights can only really exist appreciated through a pair of the best binoculars. You don't need to buy a pair of binoculars specifically for stargazing, but inside the pantheon of general-utilize options for nature-spotting and safari, there is a niche that's also perfectly suited to exploring the night sky.

When it comes to observing in the night you need to prioritise calorie-free-gathering over magnification. Here's everything you need to know nigh choosing the perfect pair of binoculars for you and your new adventures in the night sky, how to apply them, and what to point them at.

How to cull binoculars for stargazing and astronomy

Before you become looking for whatsoever pair of binoculars y'all need to sympathize two numbers: magnification and objective lens size. This is the master difference between astronomy-friendly binoculars and, say, the best binoculars for birdwatching. These specs are quoted every bit a combination of two numbers such every bit 10x50, which means they offer 10x magnification and an objective lens with a bore of 50mm. The bigger the numbers, respectively, the more magnification and – more crucially for night-time apply – the more light they let in.

You tin can detect specialist astronomy binoculars that offer lots of both, typically 20x80 or 25x100, but they are big, bulky and crave mounting on a tripod.

Which is why the best handheld binoculars for astronomy are 10x50. That's 10x magnification and a 50mm diameter objective lens to let lots of lite in, and all in a lightweight package that's easy to deport around and apply. For children, it's wise to go a little lighter and choose 8x42 binoculars. As a bonus, these sizes are besides perfect for serious wildlife watching and safari.

These are some of our favourite stargazing binoculars:

Celestron Skymaster Pro 20x80 binoculars review – our electric current peak stargazing selection, scoring a perfect 5 stars
Vixen SG 2.1x42 super-broad binocular review – for immersive, panoramic views of the dark sky
Canon 10x42L IS WP binoculars review – a pricier selection, but with incredible image-stabilisation tech

How to agree binoculars for stargazing and astronomy

How to choose and use binoculars for stargazing and astronomy

The 2 biggest complaints people accept nearly using binoculars for astronomy is that their artillery get tired and that the image always looks wobbly. Luckily, you lot tin limit both of those problems with some simple techniques.

To help preclude tired arms there are two ways of holding binoculars. If you're looking at something close to the horizon – such as the Moon, a planet or a bright star – identify your hands effectually the end of the barrels. That adds a lot of stability. If you're looking at something high in the sky put each hand's forefinger and pollex effectually the eyepiece and allow your head – not your arms – accept the weight of the binoculars.

Well-nigh beginners stick their arms out when holding binoculars, which makes them tired and causes the prototype to shake. As hot mammals with heartbeats and pumping blood nosotros humans don't e'er stay even so, and your binoculars magnify our own motion. Don't blame the binoculars! You tin limit your own shake by bringing your elbows into your ribcage and letting your torso take the weight. If you can find a wall to lean dorsum on you'll get an even steadier view.

Another technique that prevents tired arms and shake is to utilize a tripod. Some binoculars come up with a 1/4-inch tripod thread in their undercarriage and so tin can exist used natively with any photographic tripod. For others, yous may have to purchase an L-shaped tripod adaptor. For a free way of getting some stability, remainder your binoculars on an upturned broom, which functions every bit a monopod.

How to choose your first telescope

How to focus binoculars for stargazing and astronomy

Before y'all utilise a pair of binoculars you lot need to focus them to accommodate your own eyes. Get-go, remove the left-manus lens cap and adjust the main eye focus knob until you lot get a articulate view through your left eye. Now replace the left-hand lens cap and remove the right-manus lens cap. Adjust the knob around the right eyepiece until you get a clear view through your left eye. You're at present focussed for your eyes just (don't share them unless y'all have to!), and tin just use the centre focus knob to make adjustments.

How to aim binoculars for stargazing and astronomy

Don't pick up a pair of binoculars are randomly scan the nighttime sky in a scatter-gun way. Yous'll get completely lost and you lot'll quickly get frustrated. Instead, find the object with your naked eyes and simply bring the binoculars up in front of your optics without ever looking away. If you want to straight someone else to an object, don't say, "it's only adjacent to that star." Find the object, scan your binoculars down to the horizon and identify a landmark, such as a tree or a building. Then tell them to put their binoculars on that object and scan upwards until they reach information technology.

When searching for something in the night sky it's wise to piece of work in an ever-increasing circle in a screw-like motion. That way you're less likely to lose your way and more than likely to cover all of that patch of sky.

What to point your binoculars at in the dark sky

Although at that place are endless resources online for amateur astronomy, attempt to get for binocular-specific sights. Become yourself a book like Stephen Tonkin's Notice the Night Sky through Binoculars (opens in new tab) or Gary Seronik's Binocular Highlights: 99 Angelic Sights for Binocular Users (opens in new tab), which will guide y'all to specific stars, clusters, nebulae and galaxies that binoculars will afford the very all-time sights of. The deep sky is seasonal, then these guides work for an entire yr's observing. Highlights include the Pleiades open cluster, the stars effectually Orion's Belt and the Orion Nebula (January-March), the Beehive cluster (April-June), the Summer Triangle, Brocchi'south Cluster and the Dandy Hercules Cluster (July-September), and the Andromeda Milky way (Oct-December).

Planets and the Moon are far less anticipated for beginners. Study a Moon figurer for your location and yous can run across if our satellite is visible, and when. Most people call back a Full Moon is the best fourth dimension to observe, merely unless y'all take hold of it every bit it rises in the eastern sky – when it's a delicate orange colour – it can await flat. Take hold of information technology but afterward its New Moon phase for a slim Crescent Moon in the early evening western heaven.

For planets, await at planet-rise times for your location. Jupiter is the well-nigh impressive planet to look at in binoculars considering it'southward big, it'due south bright and you'll see its four behemothic moons Europa, Ganymede, Io and Callisto in a celestial dance around the giant planet.

Giving you a far wider field of view of the night heaven than any telescope, binoculars are piece of cake to bear, easy to use and will give you unbeatable views of a host of exquisite sights in the night heaven.