Telescopes | Binoculars | Astrophotography Binoculars Binoculars come from the words "bi-ocular". An ocular is an instrument which is attached to a telescope to magnify the image. Thus, a pair of binoculars are two of these magnifying instruments. The good thing about binoculars and why people often but 7X50 or 10X50 models for Astronomy is because of its wide field of view and thus can cover large star clusters like the Hyades and Beehive that a telescope cannot. Notable comet hunters use mega 22X binoculars mounted on heavy duty tripods to find comets as the magnification at this level would also magnify the vibration, hence the tripods. Buying Binoculars A worthwhile and cost investment is a 7X50 binoculars and a steady tripod. The combination is particularly useful for sweeping the star fields of the sky. A good pair of binoculars from reputable manufacturers costs about $300 and a $70 tripod allows stars of up to magnitude 8 or 9 to be seen. Binoculars are better than telescopes in that their wide field of view allows large objects of interest to fit into the lenses with ease; a telescope would be harder to aim at a star cluster or nebula. Telescopes | Binoculars | Astrophotography
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