What is a good pair of astronomy binoculars?
I am looking for a nice pair of binoculars for my astronomy class. I would like something with a nice size aperture maybe within the price range of 40-50.00. Thanks! (a link would be nice)
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for 40-50 you can find a Galileo brand telescope with tripod. That is what I have used. Just about any pair of binoculars will work fine, but i prefer the extra power the telescope affords.
I was able to pick up 10×50 binoculars at a sporting goods store for $25. Cheap binoculars appear to differ from expensive binoculars in two ways. First, they’re slightly more fragile. Treat them like fragile glass artwork (which they are) and they’ll last decades. Second, they often lack any kind of close focus. So my 10×50′s can focus across the house (maybe 40 feet). My $450 8×42 binoculars let me focus on my own knees. Handy for butterfly watching. Not very interesting for astronomy. Buy some cheap ones. Save your receipt. Look at stars as soon as you can, to check that you’re not seeing double images (an alignment check).
But I find that 10x binoculars are difficult to hand hold. You’ll need a tripod, and an adapter. I was able to get an adapter for $8. I already had a very nice tripod ($250).
I find that 8x binoculars can be hand held. So that’s what i recommend. Nothing wrong with 7×35′s, especially if they’re already at the bottom of your closet.
I keep not finding really good deals online.
http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=binoc_field_sport/~pcategory=binoculars/~product_id=09337
http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=binocular_standard/~pcategory=binoculars/~product_id=09487
10 X 50′s are usually the best for astronomy. You can find lite well made ones for not too much money. You should not see double images when looking through them. Bright point sources of light should not show colored rings around them and should appear the same all the way across the field of view.