will i be able to see stars and other planets?
2007-06-14 05:56:25 · 7 answers · asked by darek9870 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnification
2007-06-14 06:01:57 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The stars will appear brighter and you'll be able to see more of them. But they'll still just look like little dots. Try looking at a star cluster like the Pleiades--that looks pretty spectacular with binoculars.
You'll be able to see the same planets you can see with your naked eye (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn). They will all look brighter. If you hold the binoculars very steady, you may be able to see Jupiter's four big moons, and Jupiter may appear as a very small disk. You may possibly be able to see Venus as a crescent (if it's in that phase). Mercury, Mars and Saturn are likely to appear only as dots.
You will probably also be able to see Uranus and Neptune; but since they are much dimmer than the other 5 mentioned, you really have to know where you're looking in order to tell them apart from the surrounding stars. They'll look like dots.
If you hold the binoculars steady, you should be able to make out some craters on the moon. The best time for this is when the moon is in its 1st quarter or last quarter phase, because that's when the shadows are sharpest.
2007-06-14 06:18:30 · answer #2 · answered by RickB 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Think of Binoculars as a very wide-angle Telescope. With a magnification of 7X you will be able to see some details on the Moon and you will be able to see the disks of Jupiter and Saturn, but they will be tiny.
Where Binoculars really shine is to look at features too big to be seen in their entirety in a Telescope. Deep Sky objects like the star clouds in Sagittarius, The double star cluster in Perseus, the Pleiades etc. put on a real show in Binoculars. Sagittarius is coming up in the southern sky now and will be up most of the summer. The farther south you are in the US, the more spectacular the view. But even here in Upstate New York it is still quite a show. Go explore the sky. A good Star chart or one of the Free Planetarium Programs will help you find things. One of the most popular freeware Programs is "Hello Northern Sky". "Stellarium" is another one.
Adolph
2007-06-14 06:23:30 · answer #3 · answered by Adolph K 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Several years ago, while attending a ''star party'' at Joshua Tree National Park, I spied the Gallelean Moons of Jupiter, and the Andromeda galaxy w/ binocs. No kidding. We were at about 2000 ft altitude, and background ''light polution'' was low.
2007-06-14 06:59:56 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They will not do much for planets but they will put on a real good show when turned to the milky way, and they are great for viewing the moon.
2007-06-17 07:22:21 · answer #5 · answered by johnandeileen2000 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
jupiter and saturn. not well though. nothing to see when looking at stars.
2007-06-14 06:02:23 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
a naked girl taking a bath two miles away
2007-06-14 11:40:23 · answer #7 · answered by doom98999 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋