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Posted on April 1, 2006 by Stacey Poppen | Posted under Shopping and Product Reviews
Explore The Sky Looking Through Binoculars
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Inexpensive binoculars can provide you with some terrific views of the moon and many of the constellations. Have you ever wanted to get a good look at the Milky Way? Or perhaps you want to examine those moon craters? Too often binoculars get missed as a great choice for viewing the night sky. It's a common mistake to think you have to have a telescope. Of course a telescope is a great choice but you do have options and your binoculars are one of those options. And when it comes to versatility they can't be beat. In fact your binoculars can actually provide viewing that is superior to your telescope. They have right side up viewing and a wide field of view. You don't have to be an expert to use them and you can take them anywhere you go with little effort other than slinging the neck strap over your head. They also don't require the more complicated process of setting up that a telescope does. Nor do you have to cool down the lenses before you do any viewing. So during a busy evening when you glance up and something catches your attention you can simply grab your binoculars and have a look with no hassle. Wait! There's one more important difference - price. If budget isn't a problem then why not rush out and buy that quality scope but if money is a bit tight then buying a good pair of binoculars is a smart move. It's also a great idea if your kids are showing interest in astronomy but you don't yet want to spend a lot of money. Your binoculars are also much more versatile. Heck you aren't just limited to night skies. You can watch the birds, planes, boats, and automobiles. You can follow that beautiful butterfly across the yard or get the license plate of that hot shotter. There are a few things you should know before you rush out and buy those binoculars. You need to consider the aperture which is the diameter of the front lenses. The larger the diameter the brighter the image is and for astronomy you need at least a 40 mm. 35 mm and less is terrific for day time viewing but at night they won't let enough light through. Aperture is easy to locate - it's the second number in let's say 8x50 which means 8 times the power and an aperture of 50. If your magnification is up around the 10 range you will not be able to hold them steady so you'll need to invest in a tripod. You also need to consider the exit pupil which is the width of the light beam as it leaves the eye piece. To calculate simply divide the aperture by the magnification. As your eyes adapt to the darkness your pupils will dilate so more light can be let in but as we get older our eyes aren't able to do this as well. You need to take this into consideration as you get older. If you are over 40 your pupils dilate only to about 5 mm so that's the largest exit pupil size you should look at. See now that wasn't so hard was it? Are you reading to view the sky looking through binoculars? About The Author: Stacey Poppen has been a professional writer and is in the industry for last 10 years. He has developed a website at http://www.scopedirect.com. Visit the website to learn more about scope |
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