CTGB Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 Hello, Hope you're all safe and well. Complete novice here based in South West Leicestershire. Always been interested in the night sky but never really pursued my curiosity enough for my liking. Looking to learn and see a bit more with like minded people. Speak soon Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Glafnazur Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 Hi and welcome Chris, I'm pretty new to the group too although I've been doing astronomy for years. There are a lot of knowledgeable people on this site and they are really friendly and helpful so if you have any questions I'm sure someone will be able to help 🙂 Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTGB Posted May 21, 2020 Author Share Posted May 21, 2020 Thanks for the welcome, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+RonC Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 Welcome Chris, do you have any astro equipment yet?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTGB Posted May 21, 2020 Author Share Posted May 21, 2020 Hi RonC, Thank you, hope all is well. No equipment yet; i've been trying to do some research, which, for a beginner, is an absolute minefield - I THINK, i'm going to start with a pair of binoculars and I have read some decent reviews of a Nikon Action ex 10x50...not sure if you're familiar with this and have any input? I have a Huawei P30 Pro phone, which takes a pretty mean night time shot of the sky for a phone! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 Hi Chris and welcome on board. 🙂 A good pair of 10x50 binocs is a great start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottletopburly Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 Welcome chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 Hi Chris, a warm welcome to the forum. Have a good mooch round and make yourself at home. As mentioned, feel free to ask questions, someone might know the answer. Enjoy your stay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckstar Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 Hi Chris, welcome aboard. You can't go wrong with a pair of 10x50's, we've all got a pair of bins in our arsenal. Don't rush into buying a scope. We do meet up when we're not in lock down, either near Wymeswold or out near Belper which I know maybe a bit far for you, but the skies are good, and once we start to meet again you would be welcome to come along and have a look at some kit to see what you might want. There are so many different combinations for different results, as you say, it can be a mine field and you don't want to waste your money. When you are ready shout up on here and you'll get plenty of good advice. As Baz said, ask any questions and you will usually get an answer, or sarcasm😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philjay Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 Welcome Chris. Binos are what I recommend for starting out with Astronomy, 10x50s will show you a lot. Couple them with a book such as turn left at orion and your good to go. There are plenty of phone apps out there that are also good, Skysafari for one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 Hi Chris a warm welcome to the EMS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTGB Posted May 22, 2020 Author Share Posted May 22, 2020 Hi guys, Thanks for the warm welcomes. As mentioned above, I am looking at purchasing my first binoculars. I understand the spec figures (10x50 - 10 x magnifying and 50 is the aperture etc), but what I would like to know, in your experiences, is it worth paying the extra small amount for the same brand but purchasing a 12x50, or even 16x50 pair instead? I think these will be larger, and from what I have read, MAY create dimmer images, but i'm really not sure how exactly my viewing experience would differ if I opted for the alternative sizes. Am I best just sticking to 10x50? Is a tripod definitely required for the large spec ones I have mentioned? Thanks in advance Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 The larger the aperture, the fainter the objects you should be able to see. The larger the magnification, the more difficult it will be to see them unless you've got very steady hands! For handheld use my personal preference would be for aperture over magnification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Glafnazur Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 I got my first binoculars when I was in my teens, they were 8 x 40. I had them for over 20 years before buying a pair of Celestron Skymaster 15 x 70. It is definitely the best way to learn the night sky. Whatever you get you'll find a decent monthly binocular tour in the Sky at Night Magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 A pair of 10x50's will give you a nice wide field for looking at constellations (e.g. M45, M42), asterisms (e.g. Brocchi's cluster), the moon, planets (e.g. Jupiter and it's moons), and some deep sky objects are best viewed in binocs (e.g. M44). As you get going in the hobby, you'll find it's not just all about magnification, but more to do with light gathering, width of view, and quality of glass. You'll discover that picking the right instrument for viewing a particular object is more important than magnifying power. Any reasonable pair of 10x50's will give you lots to do, but do come to a meeting and try out other sizes and other instruments before you blow too much cash blindly. When the lockdown's over you'd be welcome to try out my 15x70's, 25x100's, and 10x42 (IS) bins. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bino-viewer Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 Welcome Chris. Hopefully bump into you at a meet (Wymeswold) someday, hopefully fairly soon ? I'll bring my binocs if you want to try them out. I have 7x50s (best optics) and 10x30 is and 15x50 is. Is means 'image stabilised' and for me they have basically rewritten the 'binocular rulebook' Brantuk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTGB Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated everybody. Once lockdown is over I am definitely up for the meets. Wymeswold really isn't far from me at all so that sounds ideal; looking forward to it. So I took the plunge today and bought myself some 10x50's....seems like a good starting point based on advice and some online reading....would definitely be worth comparing them as you guys have said with some alternative specs when we get the opportunity. At least I wild be able to show up mildly equipped! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Glafnazur Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 Nice one Chris, all you need now is some clear skies, usually the purchasing of any new astro equipment comes along with a good 2 weeks of crappy weather 🌧️🌧️🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTGB Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 16 minutes ago, Glafnazur said: Nice one Chris, all you need now is some clear skies, usually the purchasing of any new astro equipment comes along with a good 2 weeks of crappy weather 🌧️🌧️🙂 Only 2 weeks?! 😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+bryand Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 Most of my early binocular use was afloat, and I could never hold a pair of 10x50s still enough to be useful. I found a monopod an effective and portable support. There is a useful online newsletter for binocular astronomy which you can subscribe to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTGB Posted May 24, 2020 Author Share Posted May 24, 2020 10 hours ago, bryand said: Most of my early binocular use was afloat, and I could never hold a pair of 10x50s still enough to be useful. I found a monopod an effective and portable support. There is a useful online newsletter for binocular astronomy which you can subscribe to. Thanks, Bryan, will look into this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now