Can I see Saturn's rings with 10x binoculars?

Question

I am really into astronomy, and for my last birthday, my parents gave me a pair of 10x binoculars. I want to see Saturn's rings more than anything else in the sky, though there's a lot more I want to see. I recently read that one needs at least a 25x telescope to see the rings, but a book I borrowed from the library says one would need a telescope or a good pair of binoculars to get a good view.
So I'm really confused right now. Would someone please tell me if my binoculars will work? I would appreciate it.
Thanks!

Answer 1

Binoculars are great for looking at nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies, but don't have enough magnification to show much on the planets. Mounting them on a tripod will help a bit. Many binoculars have a tripod socket hidden in the joint between the two halves, under a little cap.

A few years ago, I did an experiment to see how much magnification was needed to see Saturn's rings. I found that 25x was about the minimum, and even then Saturn was really tiny. 100x is a much better power to see the rings well, although they will still look tiny. With my largest scope I usually use 300x on Saturn for very satisfying views.

The person who suggested going to a star party held by an astronomy club had a very good idea. This will give you a chance to look through a number of different telescopes. A good telescope will cost between $200 and $300, for example a 6" Dobsonian reflector.

Answer 2

20x is enough to barely make out the rings of Saturn, assuming your eyes (and the binoculars) are sharp. You will certainly be able to see M31 (Andromeda galaxy). In a dark sky you should be able to see a number of the brighter galaxies, such as M51, M81, and M82. You won't see any detail to speak of - that takes a large (12" - 18" aperture) telescope. Binoculars like those are great for scanning the summer Milky Way. You will find all sorts of interesting objects in the Sagittarius-Scorpius region of the sky. Binoculars of this size need to be tripod-mounted for best results. You can take pictures through the eyepiece, but I'm not sure how much you'll see. The magnification is too low for planets, and unless you use a tracking mount and long exposures, or stack a lot of short exposures, you won't gather enough light for deep space objects.

Answer 3

Saturn Binoculars

Answer 4

I have owned a wide range of telescopes and binoculars; and, the rings of Saturn can usually be seen clearly at 35-40x. Under that maginification the planet will appear very tiny, but it will be sharp and round and the rings will appear as a distinct ring. Even with 20x80mm tripod mounted binoculars the magnification is just not enough to separate the ring from the planet. You would see that it is a planet, an oddly shaped one, but that is about as far as you will get.

BTW, any 50-60mm scope, can easily show you the rings of Saturn, even most terrestial spotting scopes.

Answer 5

You have no chance in seeing the rings of Saturn even with the best 10x50 binoculars you can buy.

You would need at the very least a telescope of 70mm aperture at a magnification of 50x on a decent mount.

For a good view you would need an aperture of at least 8" (a reflector) and good optics on a good mount.

Sorry to disappoint you, but 10x50 binoculars can still show you great wide angle views of the sky at night which would not be possible with the naked eye.

Answer 6

A lot of people (including me, when I first started astronomy) judge "what you can see" with what the magnification power is. Actually, this isn't the case. The real factor is how big the lenses are at the front of the binoculars, which then determines the max magnification before things get fuzzy.

Look on the label of your binoculars to tell you what your lense size (aperture) is in mm.

15-20mm(mini-binoculars: You won't see much at all, you might make out an extremely small oval shape

30-35mm:(Regular sized binoculars): You might make out the outline of Saturn

50mm (Large binoculars): Yes you will be able to make out the rings. Don't expect much though, Even with this size you won't make out any detail.

Just to let you know, if you life in mid-northern latitudes (USA, Can, UK) Saturn is up in very early morning hours, before dawn, far upper right of the bright planet Venus.

Hope this helped

Answer 7

Your question's been answered. So, short of an excellent quality telescope, your folks gave you the best start they could in astronomy. Binocs have a wide field, so you can see big (relatively) sections of the sky.

To supplement your binoculars, buy a good book of star charts and/or a star-hopping guide. An excellent book with both is Nightwatch by Terence Dickinson. This will continue to be useful if you get a scope in the future.

Answer 8

Generally speaking, I find that:

Almost any telescope, even a cheap crummy one, will give a decent resolution of Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus when they are visible in the sky.

Almost no binocular will give you planetary views. I have some excellent binocs (15x70) but they do not help see planets. I use the binocs to see more stars and the moon.

You need to get a telescope to see the planets. And then it will still be very difficult and frustrating at first.

Answer 9

Saturn is non-stellar in my 7x50 binoculars, and is a tiny oval in my 20x80s. Seeing anything beyond that requires a telescope.

At this time of year the Pleiades and the Orion Nebula are much better binocular targets.

Addendum: binoculars are a hoot, and are an excellent way to explore the sky and learn your way around. They're just not the best for planets.

Answer 10

You are prob right on the edge of seeing anything. Your problem is going to be in controlling the jitter. Check the web for an astronomy club nearby. They have star parties where they set up their telescopes, everyone setting up to view something different. Then you can get a great tour of the universe.