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Choosing for Astronomy
Astronomical observation requires similar light gathering characteristics to that of bird-watching as ensuring that you are able to gather the maximum amount of useful light to your eye is a must. But where lower magnification is essential for handheld use field of view, for the tracking of moving objects, is of little or no importance.
Typical good, hand held power ranges for Astronomy are 7x42, 7x50, 8x40, 8x42, 9x63, 10x42, 10x50, 12x50 and 15x70. Higher magnification, for example 20x80, 20x88, 20x100 and 20x110, should only be used in conjunction with a good, heavy duty tripod, All of these sizes combine the best light gathering ratio's with the maximum useable magnification.
Although you are unlikely to be stargazing whilst on a long country walk, the weight of your binoculars will still be important when you consider that you will often be holding binoculars above your head for extended periods of time. After several minutes, the ache building up in your muscles will cause your hands to shake and thus make clear observation more difficult.
Once again, if you are in any doubt about your choice of binoculars, please call us for a more detailed discussion. As before, do not buy zoom binoculars for astronomical use as they do not gather enough light for night time observing sessions and are generally of poorer optical performance than comparable fixed focal length binoculars.
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