{"id":873,"date":"2014-08-26T00:35:19","date_gmt":"2014-08-25T22:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/freebook.fernglas-astronomie.de\/?page_id=873"},"modified":"2014-08-26T00:35:19","modified_gmt":"2014-08-25T22:35:19","slug":"why-a-pair-of-binoculars","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/freebook.fernglas-astronomie.de\/?page_id=873","title":{"rendered":"Why a Pair of Binoculars?"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most common questions asked by every beginner in astronomy is: Which telescope should I buy? At least in public observatories or local astronomy clubs, the answer is almost always: Do you already have a pair of binoculars?<\/p>\n

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Telescopes and Binoculars aren?t competitors but perfect companions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although binoculars are relatively inexpensive and can be found in many households, not many people think of them as a tool for observing the sky. Instead, most are fixed on buying a very large telescope \u2013 and expect wonders from these expensive devices. The view through a large telescope can give a very impressive glimpse at the universe, but it is nothing at all like the beautiful images which we all know from astronomy magazines, newspapers and illustrated books. These images are the result of long exposure times and were captured by very experienced amateurs. The camera was often locked on an object for many hours and attached to equipment that is in the five digit dollar area. However, the eye can collect light only for about a twentieth of a second. It is therefore almost impossible to see colors even in the largest telescopes. There are usually only faint hues of color, or none at all. But everybody knows these pretty pictures, so the first look through a telescope at a deep-sky object is usually disappointing \u2013 even the most famous objects which experienced observers perceive as striking and rich in detail are only a faint nebula in the eyes of a beginner.<\/p>\n

However, observing is an art that can be learned \u2013 practice makes perfect. But if the first view is through a low cost department store telescope with a shaky mount, using the highest magnification (which shows an almost black image), then the telescope moves very quickly to the closet or attic. But, also perfect and correspondingly expensive telescopes that may even have a computer control cannot guarantee success. Even in these scopes many objects are anything but flashy, even if the telescope will move to them error-free. If you rely entirely on the computer and do not know where an object is located in the sky, you will find it hard to know if you really have the desired object in the field \u2013 or whether it is located just outside of the small field of view.<\/p>\n

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Most comets are large, but inconspicuous objects which are best observed with binoculars \u2013 like comet Neat (C\/2001 Q4) in this image from May 19th, 2001.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The narrow field of view is the biggest drawback of many telescopes. Some of the most beautiful objects \u2013 be it our neighboring galaxy (the famous Andromeda Nebula M31), a splendid star cluster like the Pleiades, a gaseous nebula such as the North America Nebula, or even a bright comet \u2013 are simply too large to be fully visible in a telescope. If you also make the mistake of increasing magnification, they will become totally unobservable \u2013 the high magnification darkens the image, and the great advantage of the telescope (its ability to gather more light than the naked eye) is lost. Therefore, telescopes are often used with low magnification, which also reduces the image errors. These include aberrations of the optics as well as the disturbances in the atmosphere that are responsible for the twinkling of stars. This air turbulence is also magnified, so in bad nights the star will jump wildly through the field of view at high magnification.<\/p>\n

To fully exploit the potential of a telescope, you have to be familiar with the sky as well as with the characteristics of your equipment. There are many different accessories which can not only increase the telescope\u2018s performance, but also the cost. But, to find out which accessories are worth the money, you usually have to compare them with each other.<\/p>\n

Anyway, the biggest disadvantage of a telescope is its size \u2013 a good telescope disperses easily in three large boxes (one for the telescope, one for the mount and one for the tripod) and a smaller case for eyepieces and accessories. These must all be carried to the observation site.<\/p>\n

A pair of binoculars with a tripod, however, can easily be carried by one person or be stored permanently in your car.<\/p>\n

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A lunar eclipse can be observed with the naked eye, but binoculars show more details.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are several reasons why a good pair of binoculars is not only popular with experienced users, but also a good choice for beginners.<\/p>\n