SingAstro

Hi guys, since i don't own any equipment and not been to any ob sessions.
was thinking that i should invest some money on a reasonably fine pair of binos.
So, was thinking what would it really look like thru a pair of binos...and
ofcourse they do come in different appature and magnification levels.
Hence what is a recommended type of a moderate priced+performance bino to use in our local skies?
Thank you.

Hi,
The picture you shown is a very bad example of what you'll see... Basically, you won't be able to see that type of image even you use a big scope in Singapore.

Anyway, what type of bino depend on your budget and personal preference... Some may find using those big, straight through bino hard to use even on a tripod, but some may not. Some may be able to hand held a 50mm bino or a bino with high magnification for long without problem, some may not (arm not that strong and neck pain).

Here are some personal suggestions:
1) If you are new to observation, I suggest you get those very wide-angle binocular as it'll help you find your way around the sky easily.
2) If you observation in Singapore, you might want to get a bino with exit pupil smaller (aperture / magnification) than 7mm. A bino with a 7mm exit pupil will work very well in dark site, such as Mersing, but when use in most area in Singapore, the sky background will not look dark... thus reduce the contrast of the object. This is due to the light pollution of Singapore.
3) Don't get a bino with too high magnification or too heavy if you intend to use it hand held... unless you got very strong arm and neck.

Anyway, if you are looking for a low cost, hand held bino, you can take a look at those 8x40 bino, such as the Nikon Action 8x40. Although the view are far from sharp to the edge, it give you a very wide angle, quite light weight and not expensive... list at around S$118 on Nikon website... in another word good value.

Have a nice day.

LoL you will hardly be able to see crab nebula in Singapore, even though I wish so much to witness it with my own eyes. Well, the other kind of nebula you CAN see is the orion nebula. Through a bino it will look similar to zoom 3 although you can forget about seeing colour.

Hi,
By the way, which software are you using to generate the above M1 nebula image and chart?? The 2 bright stars on your M1 nebula shouldn't be there... M1 nebula don't have any bright stars as near as those 2 in image.

Have a nice day.

how i wish telescope can see wat u see in the program.. but it wont..

which software are you using to generate the above M1 nebula image and chart??

im using Stellarium 0.9.1

hi....so apart from the Nikon Action 8x40(can't find it in lucky plaza)...r there any other recommendations...think i saw a Nikon Action EX 7x35 & Nikon Monarch 8x42. how r those for astronomical use? And does the variation of different ˚ stated on the binos matter alot? like example 7˚ , or 9˚. which is better for handheld use?

Hi,

codenamejag wrote:hi....so apart from the Nikon Action 8x40(can't find it in lucky plaza)...r there any other recommendations...

You can try those camera shop in Peninsula plaza and Funan Centre. You can also try to contact robin from staropticsscientific.com. I think he had some Vixen and William Optics binoculars for Astronomy.

codenamejag wrote:think i saw a Nikon Action EX 7x35 & Nikon Monarch 8x42. how r those for astronomical use?

Nikon Action EX series are waterproof and fog-free with nitrogen gas filling version of Nikon Action series. The Nikon Monarch series are higher grade than Nikon Action EX series. The aperture for 7x35 bino might be too small for astronomical use. Nikon Monarch 8x42 is a very good binocular and a good choice if you can afford it.

codenamejag wrote:And does the variation of different ˚ stated on the binos matter alot? like example 7˚ , or 9˚. which is better for handheld use?

That's the field of view for the binoculars. The magnification and weight are the main factor for hand held use... usually not the field of view, but larger field of view make finding object easier.

Below is some links about binocular for astronomy:
http://www.singastro.org/web/mediawiki/ ... Binoculars
http://www.universetoday.com/2008/04/15 ... astronomy/
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/howto/ho ... 89576.html

Anyway, just do a search on your search engine and you'll find lots of website about binocular for astronomy.

Have a nice day.

After reading the other threads and the links to some website, i feel that the Nikon Action EX series particularly the 8x40 would be a gd option. Thanx weixing for the links about bino for astronomy...were really useful.

Right now there's another doubt. Like telescopes... do binos require a dry box for storage? Wat is a gd way to maintain and store a bino?

All optics devices will need dry box for storage as our climate is perfect for fungus. If $$ is a concern, get a $20 plus dry box with silica gel, otherwise, get a small digicabi or a used one which Arief is selling one.