This column was provided by San Benito resident and amateur astronomer David Baumgartner as part of a local series on astronomy. Lea este articulo en español aqui.
So why would anyone even want to search the heavens using binoculars with all the huge telescopes, exotic equipment and accessories that one has at their disposal today? Why even bother with binoculars with those light, easy to handle, wide field, store anywhere and less expensive binoculars anyway? I guess I just told you why.
And don’t forget one of the best reasons to use binoculars, two eyes are definitely better than one when it comes to viewing the skies. Your power of resolution and the ability to see faint objects are improved dramatically when using both eyes. Next time you are out in your back yard on a clear night try this test. Cover one eye and notice what faint stars you can see. Then uncover it; you can actually see more stars with both eyes than you can with one. They say (not really sure who “they” are, but they seem to know an awful lot) you can see about 10% more when viewing with two eyes.
I often have classes from different schools come by to visit and look through my telescope. I usually start out by showing them the sky with my 20X80 binoculars first. Here they are standing in line waiting to take a peek through the binoculars when all the time they are thinking to them self, why are we bothering with this when we could be looking through the big telescope?
Well, they do eventually get to use the big one. But I must admit, I get just as many “wow, look at that” from the kids looking through the binoculars as I do from them looking through the scope. The best advantage the binoculars have over a large telescope is the large area the binoculars can cover in one view. Take the Andromada Galaxy for instance; this is the farthest object we can see with the unaided eye, lying some 2.2 million light years away. I can’t even begin to get the entire galaxy in my view with the large telescope, the object is just too big. But with the binoculars I can see the Andromada Galaxy in its entirety. And what a sight it is.
There are many other fascinating things to see through the binoculars, such as open star clusters, the moon, planets and so much more. With my 20X80’s I can see four of the moons of Jupiter. And our moon, why it almost looks like you can reach out and touch it.
What about the sun? You are now saying to yourself, is he crazy? But yes, the binoculars are a fine instruments for viewing the sun. However, before looking at the sun, take this warning: Do not look directly at the sun, not even for an instant! Without proper safety precautions, permanent eye damage, and even blindness, can result.
The best and easiest way to view the sun is to use your binoculars to project an image of the sun onto a piece of white cardboard. It is fun to check daily to see the movement of the sun spots as they circle around the sun’s surface.
You understand now that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to enjoy the evening skies. If you don’t have a pair of binoculars, maybe your dad has a pair he might let you use, or maybe a friend. Who’s ever they belong to, make sure you take care when using them, or you may not get the chance to use them again.
So there you are. Two eyes are better than one, along with portability, affordability, and the ease of operation makes binoculars a vary simple and enjoyable tool to use when viewing the heavens.
Clear skies.
August events
Aug. 19: Full Moon
Aug. 20: Moon passes 0.5° north of Saturn
Aug. 21: Moon is at perigee (223,815 miles from Earth)
Aug. 21: Moon is 0.7° north of Neptune
Aug. 25: Moon passes 4° north of Uranus
Aug. 26: Last Quarter Moon
Aug. 27: Moon passes 6° north of Jupiter
Aug. 27: Moon passes 5° north of Mars
You must be logged in to post a comment.