Why Use Binoculars?

In a nutshell, binoculars will give you the best view possible of objects, such as the Andromeda Galaxy and the Pleiades Cluster, that are simply too large to be seen in the field of view of most telescopes and act as a ‘rich-field telescope’ giving wonderful views of the Milky Way (see Figure 3.1). They are usually more compact and weigh less than a telescope system and so can be taken abroad when the luggage allowance precludes a telescope. They are great things to have in any case! The standard parameters of a pair of binoculars are pretty obvious, but there are a few less obvious features that can be quite important, as we will see.

Magnification

This is the first number given in the basic specification of a pair of binoculars. Typical numbers are 8 and 10. One might think that the greater the magnification the better – but this is generally not the case. The greater the magnification, the smaller the field of view will be (as described later) but, perhaps even more important, the more the image will appear to jump about. Unless the binoculars are to be mounted on a tripod or are image stabilized, a magnification greater than 10 is not to be recommended.