2006-11-04 05:13:56 · 10 answers · asked by sofiarose 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
It seems like there's a couple every year, so I'd guess somewhere around a hundred comets visible with hand-held binoculars in average skies. Space.com lists 11 naked-eye comets from 1950 to 2000.
2006-11-04 07:18:02 · answer #1 · answered by injanier 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
10x50 binoculars are essentially a couple of 2 inch refracting telescopes with a magnification of 10x. If you were to hold them very steady at a time when the rings of Saturn were wide open (unlike now unfortunately), then I reckon you might well see Saturn as a distinctly squashed disk. You wont resolve the rings clearly as you would in a small telescope but at least you will see that there is definitely something different about the shape of Saturn. Just as Galileo did back in 1610. The Moon of course is a wonderful sight in any optical equipment. With your 10x50s you will see many of the larger craters and various mountain ranges - espeically around first or last quarter. There are also the rich starfields of the Milky Way and the four brightest moons of Jupiter to follow as they orbit around the planet.
2016-05-21 23:17:30 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
To be candid, it's not a matter of binoculars--it's a matter of "dark skies".
I saw Hale-Bopp when living in a metropolitan city in Mexico. Very unimpressive, because of light pollution.
Recent visible comet: I didn't even try--I needed to be in a high mountain area w/o all the light pollution.
It's kinda sad what amateur astonomers have lost in the past 50-100 years.
2006-11-05 00:07:46 · answer #3 · answered by charly 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There have been dozens. There is one that is almost naked eye visible right now, comet Swan. The site http://www.skyhound.com/sh/comets.html
lists 3 binocular comets in the sky tonight.
2006-11-04 05:29:02 · answer #4 · answered by Pretzels 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I suppose that depends on how powerful the binoculars are.
As a guesstimate, I'll say 3-6.
2006-11-04 05:21:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I saw Haley's comet from my space ship.
2006-11-04 05:15:47 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There was Hale-Bopp in 1997
Halley in 1986
West in1975
Kahoutek in 1971...
must be loads of others
2006-11-04 05:24:43 · answer #7 · answered by zoomjet 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
More than I care to remember
2006-11-04 06:11:39 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
absolutely loads of them.....keep looking.
2006-11-04 05:23:37 · answer #9 · answered by Fudgie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hundreds
2006-11-04 20:57:06 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋