BINOCULARS:

An Essential Tool for

Backyard Astronomers
The capabilities of binoculars as astronomical instruments are often
underrated by backyard astronomers, especially beginners. They wrong-
headedly purchase a telescope without ever turning binoculars to the
night sky, thinking that only a telescope can truly reveal the cosmos.

by Terence Dickinson

BINOCULARS CAN REVEAL A MULTITUDE OF OBJECTS COMPLETELY INVISIBLE TO THE

NAKED EYE: NEBULAS (STAR-FORMING REGIONS), WISPY REMNANTS OF ANCIENT

SUPERNOVAS AND STAR CLUSTERS RANGING FROM BRIGHT STELLAR SPLASHES TO DIM

PATCHES OF STARLIGHT. MORE CHALLENGING ARE THE GALAXIES, GREAT ISLANDS OF

STARS LIKE OUR MILKY WAY GALAXY THAT DOT THE VOID OF DEEP SPACE.

CASUAL VIEWING: Binoculars are convenient to

With practice, you can detect several
dozen galaxies up to 30 million light-
years from Earth. Just think about it: For
30 million years, the galaxy’s light has been
on its way to Earth, finally ending its
journey by entering the eyes of a curious
observer. Not bad for humble binoculars.
Easier quarry for beginners are star clus-
ters in the nearest spiral arms of the Milky
Way. These range from naked-eye collec-
tions of stars like the Pleiades to such glitter-
ing jewels as the Double Cluster, in Perseus,
or M7, in Scorpius. Easier still are the moons
of Jupiter and the cratered landscape of
the Moon. Hundreds of celestial sights are
available to observers with binoculars,
enough to keep a backyard astronomer
busy for years. Far from being a substitute
for a small telescope, binoculars are your
indispensable wide-field partners in the
exploration of the universe.
One further advantage: Using two eyes
for celestial viewing allows you to see more.
Your body is more comfortable, and the
brain is at ease receiving messages from
both eyes. When observed with two eyes,
objects at the threshold of vision register
as real, whereas one-eyed detection produces
fleeting and uncertain cerebral messages.
Binoculars are, in essence, miniature
telescopes—a pair of prismatic spotting
scopes reduced in size and linked together
in parallel for handheld viewing with two
eyes. The prism system has a threefold pur-
pose: reducing the length of the optical
system by folding the light path; reducing
the overall weight; and, finally, producing
a right-side-up image for convenient ter-
restrial viewing.
There are two basic types of prism
binoculars: porro prism and roof prism.
Roof prism binoculars have straight tubes
use whether you are dressed for a winter’s
night or sailing the summer skies in the com-
fort of a child’s inflatable boat. The brightest
“star” in the main photo is Jupiter. The fine
binocular star cluster known as the Beehive, or
M44, is halfway from Jupiter to the top edge.
and are generally smaller and more ex-
pensive than porro prism models of other-
wise equivalent optical size. Porro prism
binoculars have the familiar humped, N-
shaped light-path design. All binoculars
have two numbers engraved on the body,
such as 7x50, usually near the eyepiece
end. The first number is the mag-
nification (the “x” means magnification,
or power), and the second number is the
diameter of the front lenses in millimetres.
Thus 7x50 means 7 magnification and
50mm-diameter objectives (main lenses).

10 SKYNEWS March/April 2003

 Dozens of combinations exist, from tiny
6x16 to 25x150 monsters. Predictably, there
are advocates of every combination of size
and magnification for different purposes.
But the chief factors to be considered when
selecting binoculars for astronomy are opti-
cal quality, weight, magnification, objec-
tive-lens size and, of course, price. There
is usually a good reason why one binocu-
lar is three times the price of another,
even though they might look the same
on the outside.
SELECTING BINOCULARS
Acceptable-quality binoculars for astron-
omy can be purchased for about $150.
First-class glasses are $300 and up. For con-
noisseurs of fine optics, the sky’s the limit.
Price is a major guide in this competitive
market. Although zoom binoculars (variable
magnification) may be attractive for day-
time viewing, most experts say that they
don’t meet the more stringent optical-
quality standards required for astronomy.
Weight is important too. I recommend
forgoing ruggedness for light weight.
Astronomers tend to use their equipment
in low-impact environments, so “armour”
cladding or “military specs” only add extra
baggage. A good weight to aim for in a
binocular is 22 to 32 ounces (625 to 900
grams). Most people can hold this weight
long enough for a satisfying observation
before returning to an arm’s-down position.
In this weight category are the 8x40, 7x42
and 8x42 glasses traditionally used by
birders. Consider these sizes as the mini-
mum for astronomy; if you already own a
pair, they could serve perfect double duty.
Ideally, the objective (front) lenses of
astronomy binoculars should be as large
as possible for producing the brightest
possible image. But because the glasses are
handheld, the weight is limited to what
can be hoisted to the eyes. Fifty-millimetre
binoculars tend to be the largest size that is
convenient to hold for any length of time.
In the 50mm size, you can choose
from 7x50, 10x50, 12x50, 16x50 and 20x50.
Higher power means better resolution
(that is, more detail), but it also means
more stringent optical-quality standards
to produce good images. More important,
though, is that higher magnification
amplifies the inevitable jiggling caused
by handheld operation. This factor alone
limits binocular magnification for hand-
held astronomy to 10x. Thus the most
popular sizes are 7x50 and 10x50. For those ten comes down to personal preference.
who prefer somewhat smaller and lighter The diameter of the circle that can be
glasses, the 7x42 and 8x42 sizes are rec- seen through binoculars is called the field
ommended. of view. This is often expressed in the
All other things being equal, aren’t the number of feet that span the field when
10x50s the obvious choice over the 7x50s? viewed from a distance of 1,000 yards (or
All other things are never equal. Aiming metres at 1,000 metres). Thankfully, this
and observing through binoculars at night awkward nomenclature seems to be fad-
is much easier for some people than for ing in favour of the more convenient
others. In general, 7x50s are easier to use angular diameter in degrees. For conver-
because the eyepiece illumination (called sion purposes, one degree is equivalent to
the exit pupil) is wider and the field is 52.5 feet at 1,000 yards, or 17 metres at
typically wider. In many cases, however, 1,000 metres. Most 7x50 binoculars have
the choice between 7x50s and 10x50s of- seven-degree fields; 10x50s, typically six
BINOCULARS 101: A MATTER OF OPTICS
Two types of binoculars
All modern binoculars are instantly distin-
guished as falling into one of two cate-
gories: porro prism (left) and roof prism
(right). The two examples shown here are
7x50 (porro) and 8x40 (roof). Personal
preference plays a large role in selecting
one over the other, but quality glasses of
both types perform very well in astronomy.
PORRO-PRISM SYSTEM
Inside look at the prism system
Other than the fact that light follows different
paths due to the prism design, the main differ-
ence between the two designs is that roof-
prism models are more compact than the
porro-prism style. But they are also generally
more expensive. Personal preference is often
the final arbiter.
ROOF-PRISM SYSTEM
Adaptability and flexibility
Most binoculars today are designed with
soft rubber eyecups that fold down for
observers wearing eyeglasses. Some
models prove to be more comfortable
than others in this mode, so it is wise to
test before buying.
The binocular tripod adapter (at right) is
an L-shaped accessory bracket that
screws into a hole at the front centre of
the glasses. Often a threaded cap
conceals the threaded hole. Look for it,
because not all binoculars are readily
tripod-adaptable.
SKYNEWS March/April 2003 11

BINOCULAR
SHOWCASE
Here’s a list of some of the
celestial objects that binoculars
can reveal:
• In a dark, moonless sky, ordinary binoculars can
pick up more than 100,000 stars, compared
with the 3,000 or so visible to the unaided eye.
• Star colours are more evident with binoculars
than without, ranging from blue to yellow to
rusty orange.
• Any night that the planet Jupiter is visible, two
to four of its large moons can be seen close
beside the brilliant planet.
• The planets Uranus and Neptune are easy targets
with binoculars when you know where to look.
• The Andromeda Galaxy, a huge city of stars larger
than our entire Milky Way Galaxy, is plainly visible
as an oval smudge near overhead in autumn and
early winter for northern-hemisphere observers.
• Star clusters of exquisite beauty, such as the
Pleiades and Hyades, are seen in their entirety
in binoculars, whereas most telescopes
(because of their smaller fields of view) can
show only portions of them.
• On the Moon, at least 100 craters and moun-
tain ranges, as well as subtle shadings on the
flat plains that 17th-century astronomers
thought were seas, are all evident.
• Planets hidden in twilight glow are most often
first detected by sweeping with binoculars.
• Earthshine on the Moon (the faint illumination of
the Moon’s nightside) is greatly enhanced by
binoculars.
• There is no better instrument than binoculars
for watching a lunar eclipse, for monitoring a
planet’s motion through a constellation over
weeks or months or for observing a bright comet.
degrees. Some models offer a wider field
of view than do these standards, which
is nice in theory, but it often comes at
the expense of optical quality.
Binoculars that are designated as
wide-angle or ultra-wide-angle can have
8-to-12-degree fields of view. Invariably,
though, these models have severe optical
distortions around the edge of the field,
which is usually not objectionable in
everyday terrestrial use. In astronomy,
however, when all the stars in the outer
field resemble comets or seagulls, there is
no advantage. I think the effect spoils
the aesthetics of the view. Seeing sharp
stars across the field is like looking
through a porthole into the universe,
but when stars turn into blobs at the
edge of the field, it is like looking at the
heavens through a glass ashtray.
Binocular users who must wear eye-
glasses for correction of astigmatism or
who prefer to keep their glasses on while
observing will benefit from so-called
high-eyepoint binoculars. These have over-
sized rubber eyecups that, when folded
down, provide the extra space for eye-
glasses. Achieving the high eyepoint re-
quires larger and consequently more
costly eyepieces, but as the population
continues to age, accommodation for
eyeglasses in binoculars is becoming
more common.
BINOCULAR TESTS
When examining binoculars in the
store, look through them at a sign or
something with sharp details. The central
area of the field of view should be pin-
sharp, with no evidence of fuzziness, false
colour or double imaging. Many glasses
with perfectly acceptable image sharp-
ness in the central region of the field
quickly lose their definition toward the
edge. I generally rate binoculars unaccept-
able if the image grows fuzzy less than
50 percent of the way from the centre to
the edge. This testing will also reveal
other potential problems, such as a blue
or green colour fringe—called chromatic
aberration. One problem you do not have
to worry about is distortion, the bending
of straight edges as they are moved
through the field. In astronomical view-
ing, distortion is hardly noticeable.
If, after using the binoculars for a few
minutes, you feel eyestrain and for some
reason have to “force” the images to
merge, the binoculars are probably out of
collimation, which means that the two
optical systems are not precisely parallel.
This is the main item to watch for when
purchasing used binoculars. All it takes is
one accidental dropping of the binoculars,
and collimation can be knocked out. It
requires professional attention to repair.
Viewing brilliant point sources on a
black background is the most rigorous
test of optics. In the centre of the field, a
bright star should show near-pointlike
imagery, with small, irregular spikes
emerging from the bright central point.
The fewer spikes seen the better, but the
important thing is that they must be
symmetrically arrayed around the point,
with no obvious flaring in any one direc-
tion. If you find there is flaring and you
normally wear glasses, put them on and
see whether the asymmetry disappears. If
it is still there, the binoculars are likely at
fault and should be rejected.
RECOMMENDATIONS
After testing dozens of binoculars from
many manufacturers and evaluating the
comments from my college astronomy clas-
ses, I rate the Bausch & Lomb 7x50 Legacy
glasses as the best value for astronomy for
under $200. That’s why I selected them as
one of the few products that SkyNews sells
directly to our readership.
For those looking for 10x50s, I recom-
mend three nearly identical models, all
in the $350 range: the Vista marketed by
Orion Telescopes, the Ultima by Celestron
and the Adlerblick by Carton Optics of
Japan. All are exceptionally lightweight for
50mm binoculars and are excellent general
astronomy glasses.
For those seeking binoculars of excep-
tional quality, check out the top models
of 7x42 or 8x42 roof prism binoculars
from Leica, Zeiss and Nikon or Swarovski
(8.5x42). These superb glasses—all in the
$1,000 range—are designed for birders
who want the very best. For birders who
cross over into astronomy, they are worth
serious consideration as the optimum
dual-purpose binoculars.
I urge anyone in the market for new
binoculars to handle and compare as many
brands and models as possible before buy-
ing. The brands and specific models men-
tioned in this article are available in
Canada through the astronomy optics deal-
ers that advertise in SkyNews. ■