BINOCULARS:
Why You Need a Pair

Of all of the accessories carried by the modern amateur astronomer, by far the most useful has to be binoculars. There are a number of reasons why they're the go-to item in every amateur astronomer's toolbox.

One of the first reasons is that binoculars offer stereo vision. Unlike when squinting through a telescope, both of your eyes are engaged. For most people, it's easier to see that way.

Second up, and right behind, is the fact that binoculars are a 'point and shoot' type of product. You want to see what's over there? Then point the binos at it. It's that simple.

Third, binoculars offer a wide field of view and generally good light-gathering characteristics. Surprisingly enough, many astronomical objects cannot be seen by the naked eye because they are too faint, not too small. Binoculars make a vast collection of objects accessible.

With binoculars, you can rapidly sweep a portion of the sky for interesting sights. You'll spot a lot of clumps of stars; you might see a couple of planets; and there are plenty of faint fuzzies within the reach of binoculars.

Binoculars are a great way to familiarize yourself with the night sky. They bring so much into visual range; for example, nearly all of the "faint fuzzies" mentioned last week look fantastic in binos.

In terms of what to look for, you'll want a pair of 7x50s or 10x50s. (The first number refers to the image-multiplying power; the second refers to diameter of each objective lens, in millimetres.)

If your hands shake a bit, go for the lower power. It's not worth trying to get a consistent view through 10x50s.

If you get yourself binoculars, also get a good star chart of some description. Most show all of the brightest stars, and a fair number of faint fuzzies to get you started.

For a flashlight, might I suggest you go with red. Red light interferes less with the night vision you pick up in dark surroundings. That becomes more important when you're dark-adapted, believe me.

When I go out to observe, even with a telescope, I keep my binos within easy reach.

You don't have to spend much; even a cheap pair is better than nothing. Avoid plastic lenses; they suck. Most decent binoculars have glass lenses.

Once you get a pair of binoculars, use them to familiarize yourself with the night sky. There's plenty to see, especially in a dark sky. Try to minimize sources of glare--streetlights, domestic and industrial lighting, etc.

A word to the wise: in densely-populated areas, standing outside with a pair of binoculars is sure to arouse suspicion. People just imagine the worst, and they just know you're spying on them. You may need to seek a location from which you can observe undisturbed.

When you get a pair of binoculars, first make sure you're using them the right way round. The big lenses go in the front, and you look through the little ones--and it's amazing how often Hollywood gets that simple fact wrong!

There are two extremely-valuable adjustments to be made to a pair of binoculars. First off, the spacing between the lenses can be varied, to match the spacing between your eyes. Looking through them, you should see two overlapping circles, and any objects should be converged, if not actually in focus.

Second, most binos have an independent focuser for the right eyepiece (because most people's eyes are just a bit different). The idea is to use the tilt bar on top to achieve sharp focus in the left eye; then use the adjustment to get matching results in the right eye. Generally, you need only rotate the eyepiece to use this feature.

The nicest thing about binoculars is that they are compact and can go anywhere. They last forever (I've got a pair that's twenty years old; they'll be good for another thirty to fifty years; probably they'll outlast me.)

Binoculars: an essential piece of kit.