There is, however, an easy way to give both eyes an equal opportunity for observing - binoculars. I’ve talked to many sky watchers who have apologized for only having binoculars. Apology not needed, as there are many great night-sky objects viewable through binoculars, and there are many types of binoculars dedicated for astronomical work.
Binoculars gave me my first view of the entire Pleiades Cluster, one of the most beautiful open clusters in the sky. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the brighter stars formed the shape of a poodle. I couldn’t help but laugh.
In the dark skies of Hawaii I was able to observe some galaxies with a modest pair of binoculars that are difficult, if not impossible, to see in the light filled night sky of Suburbia even with a large telescope and filters. If you happen to be camping in a park far from city lights, binoculars are a great choice.
The Moon reveals a vast topographic wonderland through binoculars, and there are hundreds of lunar objects observable. Take this example from my journal of October 16, 2005:
“The full moon looked positively three dimensional with the binoculars, and the brightness was intense. It looked more vivid than any photograph I’ve ever seen of the moon.”
Among open clusters there are many which can be observed with binoculars. Whether it’s the ghostly clusters of M52 (the Scorpion Cluster) and M37, or the spread out Pleiades and Hyades clusters, they are a visual feast through binoculars.
A number of globular clusters are observable. Here is an example from my journal of December 12, 2004 from The Big Island, Hawaii:
“The Omega Centauri Globular Cluster (Caldwell 80 (NGC 5139)), observed with 15x70 binoculars, was amazingly large and extraordinarily bright. The Centauri Globular Cluster is the most luminous of all globulars, with the light output of a million suns! It was positively spectacular through the binoculars, giving an almost surreal, three-dimensional depth to the object!”
Doubles are also very nice through binoculars, which do a fine job of bringing out the subtle color variations.
For comets, binoculars are my preferred viewing instrument. If the comet has a tail, binoculars allow one to see most or all of it. Take this example from my night sky journal of March 7, 2006:
“I drove about ten kilometers west of my home with my 25 x 100 binoculars to get far enough from city lights to give me a better view of comet Pojmanski (C2006 A1). I had hoped to catch a glimpse of its tail, and what-do-ya-know, I was successful! The comet was found east and somewhat south of Altair in the constellation Delphinus. The tail, moving to the west-southwest out of the comet’s head, was magnificent, like a faint, greenish laser beam shining off the comet. In fact, it looked something like a single ray of an aurora borealis.”
Binoculars are also great for planetary observing. They are handy for flushing Mercury out of an early morning or early evening sky, and Uranus and Neptune can be observed with binoculars. The rings of Saturn with its largest moon, Titan, and the four Galilean moons of Jupiter, as well as cloud bands on Jupiter, can be distinguished.
So if you’ve got a pair of binoculars sitting around, it would be wise to find a book on observing the night-sky with binoculars as there are several books dedicated to the subject, with an enormous list of objects that can be viewed. Also, you will need to get a tripod to hold the binoculars in place, then you can let both your eyes feast on the beauty of the night-sky!
©
Article &
image Dr. Robert Agnew 2008/2009
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