ASTRONOMY 101: BINOCULARS

Despite having a couple of sizable telescopes my favourite piece of astronomical equipment is still a humble pair of binoculars that I bought at a car boot sale for under 5GBP!  They are portable, light and easy to use on cold, damp but clear nights!

My 10 x 50 Super Zenith binoculars bought for 5GBP second hand.
 With a Field of View (FOV) of 5.5 degrees they make for fantastic
views of open star clusters and some of the brighter deep sky
objects such as M31 The Andromeda Galaxy and M42, the Great
Nebula in Orion.

And they are all you need to get the ‘wow’ factor from a selection of objects that are annoyingly just beneath naked eye visibility in this month’s night sky. From a reasonably dark location in the Northern Hemisphere binoculars will bring the Andromeda Galaxy into view, along with the star forming nebula in the hunter’s sword in the constellation of Orion after dusk.

The moons of Jupiter will magically appear, as will a multitude of star clusters.  Paradoxically, some objects actually appear more spectacular through binoculars than through a telescope, due to their large field of view. The Seven Sisters or Pleiades is an example of this, and binoculars show that there are many more stars in the cluster than just seven!  The Moon is stunning at any time with its craters such as the magnificent Tycho and Copernicus.  Binoculars will give you great views of the lunar Mare or Seas such as the Sea of Tranquility where men first landed in July 1969!

ENJOY THE PASSION, BEAUTY AND JOY OF THE SEVEN SISTERS

The beautiful Seven Sisters or Pleiades star cluster in the constellation of Taurus, complete with labels marking the main stars visible to the naked eye. Credit: Anglo-Australian Observatory/Royal Observatory, Edinburgh.

byANDY FLEMING

There are certain objects in the night sky that paradoxically and almost counter-intuitively appear much better with the naked eyes or with ordinary common or garden binoculars rather than expensive telescopes. One such object still visible in the early March evening sky after dusk that also defies even the most appalling city and urban light pollution is the Seven Sisters or Pleiades open star cluster. With a prominent place in ancient mythology, it's perhaps one of the most popular astronomical targets for the beginner... after all most youngsters are either taught about this beautiful cluster of stars at home or at school. Some may also be familiar with the constellation from its appearance on the badge on the bonnet of Japanese Subaru cars: the manufacturer was named after the constellation.

Infact, The Pleiades cluster, otherwise known as Messier 45 far from containing the six or seven stars seen with the unaided eye actually contains hundreds, with many more becoming visible through binoculars. For those in the northern hemisphere, the cluster is above and to the right of Orion the Hunter as one faces south in the constellation of Taurus the Bull.