I'm looking for a good pair of binoculars...?

Question

I am very very interested in constellations and planets, and I'm sleeping over at my best friend's house, out in the country, this Monday. Now that it's March, it's a good time to find Leo the Lion, which I am dying to see.

Another thing I want to see is the planet Saturn. I read in a book from my library that with a good pair of binoculars you can see its rings.

Well my brothers & dad & I went to Target today and looked at binoculars while we were at it. We found some but they were meant for observations in the woods and things like that. We also looked at a smaller pair in the National Geographic kids' section which said it was for any outdoor adventure. Do these include stargazing?

I don't know what size would work for me. I know what the numbers mean, maybe 8X60? I have a telescope at home but it makes stars look like the moon. I don't want that.
Does anyone have information? I would appreciate it.

What I mean is, I'm looking for a pair I can by at the Target near me. Please, simply tell me if field binoculars will do the same for stargazing, and what size is best.
Thanks!!

Answer 1

Seeing the rings of Saturn takes about 30x minimum, which is impractical for a hand-held binocular. You might be able to tell it's not quite circular. Hand-held binoculars will show you Jupiter's four large moons, as well as lots of other interesting sights.

The second number in a binocular spec is the diameter of the objective (front) lens, in millimeters. For astronomy, bigger is definitely better, because a bigger lens will let in more light and so show you fainter stars and things. The first number is the magnification or power. Anything more than 10 tends to be difficult to hold steady. Many people find something like 8x40, 7x50, or 10x50 works well for both stargazing and daytime use. Pick something small enough to hold easily though - 8x60 might be a bit on the heavy side. Compact binoculars with 20 or 25mm objectives can be used but will be a lot dimmer under the stars.

Don't buy binoculars with "ruby", deep orange, or other anti-haze coatings. These are for daytime use only and will be a lot dimmer than other binoculars at night. "Anti-haze" is not the same as "anti-reflection" - all binoculars should have some form of anti-reflection coating. The best binoculars will be labeled "fully multi-coated". Also avoid fixed focus binoculars - they're apt to be permanently unfocused for stargazing, and your eyes will either work harder or be unable to focus through them.

Whatever you buy, check them for alignment. If you can't fuse the two images into one, or if they make you feel crosseyed, return them.

As for your telescope, if it makes stars look as big as the moon there's something wrong. Maybe it's not coming to focus. You should be able to see the rings of Saturn easily with even a small telescope.

Answer 2

EBAY!!!!