BINOCULARS
There are many sizes and makes of binoculars available and it is with these that a good buy can give you many years of use and pleasure. But beware, a bad buy will leave you disappointed and frustrated. Binoculars make an ideal first instrument for a newcomer to astronomy and in many respects are a far more effective purchase than a small cheap telescope. They do not have to be large and powerful, though if they are the benefits of portability and ease of use will diminish.

Binoculars are usually classified according to their optics. For example; 7 x 50 or 10 x 40. The first figure is the magnification factor and the second figure is the size (in mm) of the objective lenses. The larger the first figure, the greater the magnification, but at the expence of a smaller field of view. The larger the second figure, the more light is gathered by the binoculars and therefore fainter objects become visible.

In my own experience 7 to 10 times magnification is the optimum you should look for in a pair of binoculars for general use. The objective lenses should be between 40mm and 50mm. Anything less and the light grasp may be insufficient, anything greater and (apart from the additional expence) the binoculars will start to become too heavy to easily hold by hand. Many binoculars suitable for astronomical use start in the 7 x 40 to 10 x 50 bracket. If you do decide to buy something larger, say 10 x 70, you will almost certainly have to consider mounting them on a tripod - they will be difficult to hold by hand. Up to 20 times magnification may be considered in a set of binoculars but again, a tripod will become a necessity. In any event do find out if the binoculars have the facility to be tripod mounted - not all of them can!

Almost any pair of binoculars will show you far more stars than can be seen with the naked eye. On the whole binoculars are particularly well suited to wide field views of the night sky and have the advantage of being portable and simple to use. A lot of interesting and useful astronomy can be done with binoculars alone. In fact, some views of the night sky are best appreciated with binoculars and in many respects they often make a better purchase and will out-perform a small cheap telescope. I still regularly use a set of 10 x 50 binoculars I bought over 15 years ago and it is this size of binoculars that I would recommend.

Binoculars will bring into view the brighter star clusters, galaxies and nebulae. They can be used to help locate an object with a telescope, identifying the chosen target before bringing the telescope to bear on it. Bright variable stars, comets, satellites and large scale night sky features are all well suited to observation with binoculars. The bright planets can also be spotted in twilight with binoculars so overall they are a useful instrument for both the beginner and the experienced astronomer.

Variable magnification or 'zoom' binoculars may be considered but these are going to be very expensive if you want a reasonably good set. The reader is advised to be cautious of zoom binoculars unless they are exceptionally well made and bear a well known, reputable brand name, Even then they may not be reliable, bear in mind that fixed magnification binoculars are simple - zoom binoculars have more to go wrong with them!

Another thing worth looking out for on a pair of binoculars are the eyepieces themselves. They will often come with 'eyecups' that can fold down for use with spectacle wearers. Also, the right hand eyepiece may have an adjustment to compensate for users with slightly different focus in each eye. The main focussing 'wheel' adjusts the overall focus for the binoculars but the separate eyepiece adjustment is used where the users eyes have a slightly different focus between them.

There are several outlets where binoculars may be purchased, some of these can be found on the Links page. Also, general information about binoculars (and detailed information about telescopes) can be found on the Choosing and using telescopes and binoculars page.

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BOOKS
Books are an invaluable addition to any astronomer's list of equipment. While there are many active observers all over the world there is a growing band of what may be called 'armchair astronomers'. Of course, almost every astronomer will become armchair-bound if it is cloudy outside!

Astronomy will almost always form a small section in your local bookstore and library but that would imply that there are very few books available on the subject - far from it, astronomy is quite well represented as a science. But what to buy or look at? This is a difficult area to advise about but almost any publication penned by Patrick Moore or one that has his name to it will be worth reading. And he has written a lot of books on the subject!

For the beginner, a publication worth looking out for is Philips's Astro-Box. This is a 4 part kit that comprises: 'Stargazing with a telescope' (book); 'Star Finder' (book); 'Philip's planisphere'; and 'Philip's Star Chart' - all in a boxed set, value £19.99 (when seen just a few weeks ago). The titles speak for themselves and the planisphere will come in very handy. The star chart is also useful and is an improved version of the one I bought many years ago. More about these last two items further down the page. At that price, the Philips's Astro-Box is a good purchase that will provide much useful information and the planisphere will certainly be a useful tool for years to come.

A few other books often in stock in high street bookshops (well, they were the last time I looked) worth considering are: Philip's Guide to the night sky; Stargazing and Exploring the night sky with binoculars; the Data Book of Astronomy; the Yearbook of Astronomy all written by Patrick Moore. A particularly nice coffee table book is the Atlas of the Universe also by Patrick Moore. Be warned, this last book is big and heavy but in my opinion worth every penny and makes an excellent reference source as well as providing many hours of reading pleasure.

A reference book I have which has provided me with years of useful reference and reading is: Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook - 19th Edition, edited by Ian Ridpath. Over the years I have found this to be an almost indispensible astronomy book - I have 2 copies; one for home, one for outside when observing! This has 16 sky charts along with notes about interesting objects on each chart. The remainder of the book is packed with information, observing tips and more.

The other book I frequently use and read is The Guinness Book of Astronomy by Patrick Moore. It has detailed sections on almost everything to do with astronomy. Planets, stars, galaxies and more are all well covered with charts, tables, pictures. It is one of the most compact yet detailed books on astronomy I have seen. Another publication, available in hard or soft back, is Philip's Astronomy Encyclopedia, edited by Patrick Moore, is one on the best A-Z's of astronomy I have yet to see, my copy is in almost daily use!

However, it may be regarded that some of the many astronomy books available may be too expensive for your taste. This is where your local library can come to the fore and libraries should always be considered if you desire reading matter but do not wish to buy.

Lastly, the Links page of this website has a books section which may provide you with on-line sources of reading material.

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CLOTHING
This in an item frequently neglected by astronomers, both beginners and the experienced. You cannot observe happily if you are uncomfortable and this is especially so in winter. So, dress to keep warm and bear in mind that even in summer it can get damp and chilly at night. If you are standing on cold ground, try and stand on something to insulate you. Better still, wear sensible footwear and socks. Experience has taught me that the feet are often the first thing to go numb and although there are a few things which will make you give up for the night (such as weather), cold feet will almost certainly deter all but the hardiest observers.

When it is cold outside, apart from the feet, the other parts of the body to first feel the cold are the head and hands. It would seem that your head loses a disproportionately high amount of heat for its overall size. Almost any hat will counter this!

Hands very quickly lose their heat and go numb in cold weather. In a word, or words... Gloves or mittens!

In a way this advice would seem to state the obvious but the amount of times I've seen people observe with less than ideal clothing indicates that the weather/clothing issue is frequently ignored by many observers. To date I've yet to hear an observer complain that it is too hot...

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COMFORT
Perhaps the issue of comfort comes under the heading of clothing but there are a few things to consider here. If you are observing the sky in general (such as constellations or looking for meteors), or using binoculars, it may be as well to sit on a chair. This sounds silly but why stand when you can sit? Deck-chairs are well suited to meteor observing for example. How about a blanket to lay or sit on? It could come in handy if you get cold too!

What if you are going to be outdoors for several hours? Or all night even? A warm (or cold) drink and a snack while you are out can make observing more pleasurable. Get your flask and sandwich box stocked up... Yet more things to consider.

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LIGHTING
Bright lights will not help you to observe. Bear in mind that the eyes take several minutes to adjust to the dark. Looking at a bright light source will immediately destroy any dark adaption you may have attained. It can take over 30 minutes to be fully restored, although the difference will be apparent in less than a minute.

So, how do you see a star chart for example? The best solution is any lamp which is well shaded and of low power, better still if it has a red filter. (You could cover a torch's lens with red plastic for example.) Red light (unless of high brightness) does not overly harm night vision and there are several ways to achieve this. Some torches are commercially available with red lenses fitted. Red glass paint could be applied to the lens of a torch. Or you could buy (or make) a lamp using red LED's. These have the advantage of being cheap, reliable, with low running costs (LED's have a very low power consumption).

If you do use a white light to see your way in the dark do make sure that it is well shaded and of low output. Whatever the output and colour of the lamp you use, never point it at anyone, especially anyone observing - you'll get no thanks - but you will get complaints!

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MAGAZINES
Astronomy is quite well represented by several magazines. There are 3 publications that I frequently buy which are usually in stock at your local high street newsagent. Astronomy Now, a UK publication; Astronomy, and Sky and Telescope, the last 2 being American publications. All are published monthly and are priced at £2.85 for Astronomy Now, £2.95 for the other two. There are other astronomy magazines avaialble but it is these three that seem to be routinely stocked by newsagents

All three of these are available on-line and links to them can be found Links page.

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PLANISPHERES
These are especially useful. In essence, they enable you to work out what's up there at any given time. They are easy to use and readily available in high street book stores. Many astronomers find them indispensable and despite 30-odd years of star-gazing I still use mine today. They can cost as little as £5 or as much as £25. Most high street bookstores sell the planispheres made by Philips and these come in two sizes. In my opinion the larger of two is the best and still only costs about £10. Both are made of plastic and if well treated will last for years. One I bought over about 15 years ago is still in use today.

Planispheres are generally made of two plastic discs, one over the top of the other, the two discs rotate relative to each other. What you do is line up the date and time on the outside of the discs and an oval window shows what the sky should look like at any given time. In any event, instructions for their use is typically printed on the rear of the planisphere.

One word of warning though, be very careful to ensure that you buy a planisphere that is designed for the latitude you plan to use it in. For example, my own planisphere is marked '51½° North' which will work well enough for my own location (a little short of 51° North) but other latitudes are catered for by other designs. If this means nothing to you the planisphere will also be marked with something like 'Northern Europe' as a further aid to knowing if it will work for your location.

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STAR ATLASES AND CHARTS
Star charts and atlases may be of particular interest to you and there are several to choose from.

Widely available is Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook by Ian Ridpath with excellent reference sections and 16 star charts. High street bookstores often have in stock The Cambridge Star Atlas by Wil Tirion the 20 + maps within are especially well drawn and each map has a list of interesting objects attached to it. Both of these books retail for about £25. Sky Atlas 2000 (also by Wil Tirion) at about £35 contains 26 beautiful large scale maps and is to be recommended to the more serious observer.

These and many other astronomical publications are available from several outlets, some of these can be found on the Links page.

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TELESCOPES
When first becoming interested in astronomy thoughts will almost certainly centre on buying a telescope. Binoculars should always be given consideration as a first instrument to buy but if you do decide that you want a telescope there are many considerations to bear in mind. Cost will be the main deciding factor here. The bigger, the better in terms of light grasp - but at a cost! Do not expect stunning views from a small, cheap 60mm refractor and be very sceptical of some makers claims of magnification. Most of the equipment seen in department stores and home shopping catalogues for example (even in reputable camera shops) is best treated with caution or avoided.

In brief; small refractors are very portable and easy to use but good, large refracting telescopes are very expensive. Be sure of your enthusiasm and wallet since your outlay could easily be thousands of pounds. Reflectors are cheaper (per inch of aperture) but over a certain size (and they can get quite big) they may require a complex mounting (and possibly a building to house it all in).

There is a saying that the only thing worse than a bad telescope is no telescope at all. This may be true but there are probably many potential astronomers who have had and will have their interest spoiled through a poor purchase - buyer beware!

Detailed information about telescopes is beyond the scope of this page but further far more detailed information can be found on the Choosing and using telescopes and binoculars page.

Finally, there are several outlets where telescopes may be purchased, some of these can be found on the Links page.

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ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
This page was written at the suggestion of Matt Myatt, a Society member, and mirrors a document often given to new Society members and members of the public visiting our observatories and meetings. It is by no means exhaustive and should you feel that there is something I have not covered on this page please let me know.

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© Derek Haselden & Solent Amateur Astronomers 2005