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Binocular Stargazing

Stephen Saber

Stargazing can be enjoyed using any binocular. It can be enjoyed even more with binoculars when fully dark-adapted and viewing from a moonless site far from any city lights. The following is a collection of my thoughts on choosing and using binoculars for stargazing, some reviews, and 150 doublestars to enjoy. A wealth of deepsky targets suitable for binos can be found in the Astronomical League Observe Program lists.

First, an important warning:

DO NOT EVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN, EITHER WITH YOUR UNAIDED EYE OR THROUGH A TELESCOPE OR BINOCULARS, UNTIL YOU ARE THOROUGHLY FAMILIAR WITH THE SAFE METHODS OF OBSERVING THE SUN. DO NOT EVER LEAVE A TELESCOPE OR BINOCULAR UNATTENDED SO THAT A CHILD COULD POINT IT AT THE SUN. PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE OR BLINDNESS COULD RESULT.

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Among other factors, choosing binoculars is about trade offs between magnification, aperture, weight, field of view, eye relief, coatings, and price. Personal preferences are as individual as our eyesight. Go with the binos that satisfy the most important of your own preferences in these areas.

Choosing a size is literally a matter of desired perspective. Various powers and fields shed new light and aesthetics to our celestial treasures. Different instruments for different moods. Several years ago I had the opportunity to view the night sky thru 2.5x opera glasses. IIRC, the FOV was 20-25°. Felt more like bionic-vision than bino-vision. Quite an interesting experience. Saturn and the lunar detail seen at 30x is always equally as compelling.

10x50s are a recommended first binocular for stargazing. It is the highest magnification that most can hold relatively steady without a tripod while still providing a comfortably large field of view and exit pupil. If buying for a child I would suggest a smaller, lighter 7×35 or 8×40.

I’ve had a good track record and would recommend ordering from major online dealers such as Orion, Garrett, and Oberwerks, but buying locally or driving to avoid shipping mishaps is always preferable. Good communication and a solid return policy are marks of a reputable online dealer. Outdoors and hunting supply stores have been known to carry a decent variety of quality instruments. As with scopes, starparties are also a great place to try out and ask about a variety of binoculars. The local astroclub may even have some renters to audition.

SPEAKING OF AUDITIONING BINOCULARS:

SHAKE IT Make sure nothing is loose or bouncing around inside.

LOOK AT IT Make sure there are no scratches or cracks on the glass or body. At arm’s length, look for round, unobstructed circles of light thru the barrels and eyepieces. Quality BAK4 glass is recommended. Is there a center-focus adjustment? Are they tripod-adaptable if needed?

MESS WITH IT Make sure the caps are tight. Make sure the main hinge, focuser, and other adjustments all move smoothly, securely, and with no play.

NOW, LOOK THRU IT If there’s a right diopter dial, close your right eye. Use the center-focus dial for your left eye. Now close your left eye. Use the diopter to focus the right eye. Can you move the hinge to create a nice, circular image? Can you see the entire field comfortably? Does the image bulge-out or bend-in excessively at the edges? A flat, focused image across most of the field is best. Is there excessive false color in the field of view. For handheld use, will you be able to hold the image fairly steady for minutes at a time? Are the barrels properly aligned? Slowly alternate closing and opening each eye. The image should merge smoothly.

ASK ABOUT IT Make sure there is a satisfactory guarantee and return policy.

Any binocular that passes these tests to your approval should provide an enjoyable ride under the stars.

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CONGRATS ON THE NEW GLASS

Okay, Saber. I’m dark-adapted in the middle of a moonless cornfield away from city lights with my new 10×50. Now what?

Fortunately you read this ahead of time and brought a red flashlight, S&T’s Pocket Sky Atlas or a planisphere, Harrington’s Touring the Universe through Binoculars or printouts from the AL bino target lists linked above, a blanket or recliner, bug spray or extra clothes, and maybe a sketchpad and pen. Or forget all that and just randomly cruise the night sky at your leisure. There is no wrong way to enjoy the stars. Note: It’s always a good idea to bring something else along that’s unique to stargazing. I once had a lengthy encounter (more lengthy than usual anyway) with the Illinois State Police while getting ‘back to basics’ in the boonies armed with only an 8×40. On this occasion, without even a star atlas or red flashlight to lend credibility, they had a very hard time believing I was simply stargazing. That I look more like a convict than a cosmologist didn’t help matters. But they eventually decided there were no houses close enough for me to be planning any pillaging or plundering, and left me to my claimed business with the stars.

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BEFORE WE GO ON

Receiving any collimated, mechanically-sound binocular with sufficient eye relief/ipd/diopter adjustment while showing minimal false color and pinpoint stars across 75% of the field rates as a very good purchase. There’s no shame in returning an instrument that doesn’t meet these basic requirements. Even though some companies inspect and pack their products better than others, we always roll the dice when mail ordering precision optics. Fortunately the odds are on our side. Of my 25+ online bino purchases only 2 have been untweakable returns. I should also mention that the world of binoculars, in actual use, is far from an exact science. Specification and mechanical variances are common, even among the same models. Bino experiences and assessments also vary with the individual and visual acuity. In short, try not to let the quest for a perfect binocular take precedence over your enjoyment of the night sky. Keep this in mind as we dig a little deeper.

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MAGNIFICATION/SIZE/FIELD

With binoculars, magnification has a much higher performance emphasis than aperture. The preferred AVI (Adler Visibility Index: Mag X Sq. Root of Aperture) yields the following values:

7×35 40 8×40 50 7×50 50 10×50 70 10×70 85 12×50 85 15×70 125 15×80 135 20×70 165 20×80 180 25×80 225 25×100 250 30×80 270 30×100 300

From this basic list of sizes we see that while a darker sky can easily compensate for 10-20mm of aperture, it barely competes with an instrument offering a 5x larger image scale.

More magnification = More stars, less field, less steady for handheld use. Less magnification = Fewer stars, more field, more steady for handheld use.

Darker sky = Many more stars. This is also important to remember as we cannot take advantage of any binocular’s full aperture until our pupils dark adapt and open to at least match the bino’s exit pupil (aperture/mag).

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BANGIN OFF A THE BRICKS

A brick wall can tell us alot about our binoculars. Preferably mounted and from at least the minimum focus distance, a bino’s magnification and degree of major aberrations can all be quickly field tested against this common building pattern.

Magnification

To estimate an instrument’s actual magnification, look through the left ocular with your right eye (or vice versa) while keeping both eyes open. The magnified view will be superimposed with the unaided view. Count the number of 1x bricks that traverse a single magnified brick. +/-0.5- 1.0x variances are not uncommon.

Aberrations

Spherical: Softness over entire field. None of the image will not come to a crisp focus.

Astigmatism: Horizontal lines will appear in focus and vertical lines out of focus, or vice versa.

Curvature: Periphery of field will appear in focus and center of field out of focus, or vice versa.

Coma: More noticable under the stars, the images show comet-like extensions increasing toward the periphery.

Distortion: Straight lines bend in toward the center of the image (positive/pincushion) or away from the center of the image (negative/barrel). Note: Minimal positive distortion at the edges is a good thing, and usually intentionally introduced. It helps sharpen up the inner field.

Chromatic: Images are blurred with false color at the fringes. In general, the higher the magnification, the more noticable the chromatic aberration.

Any excessive daytime aberration will also take its toll on the even more stringent proving grounds of the night sky.

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Eye relief and comfort at the eyepieces have always been the first dealmaker/breaker considerations with all of my bino purchases. I’ve auditioned several binos that, while wonderful in all other aspects, only offer an inaccessible 6-9mms of ER. Extraneous eye relief, OTOH, is a comparatively much easier issue to deal with. While eye placement can be more critical, extending the eyeguards or cups is usually all that is required. Most would agree that extra ER is preferable to not having enough.

Without eyeglasses a minimum useable eye relief (ER minus lens recess) of 10mm is recommended. Those who wear glasses often require at least 16mm to take in the entire field. There are a few more caring dealers that go so far as to relate the actual useable eye relief. Otherwise, the following rules of thumb tend to apply: No ER spec mentioned: Embarrassingly and/or painfully short. ER mentioned: Subtract 2-6mm for recess. ‘Long eye relief’ mentioned but not qualified: Roll the dice.

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Few binoculars are completely unaffected by false color on Luna and the brighter celestial targets. Outside of using expensive apo glass, chromatic aberration in binoculars tends to come with the fast f/r territory. Increased magnification generally amplifies any apparent CA.

Full multi-coatings (FMC) decrease internal reflections and increase night sky contrast. IME, this contrast also increases the appearance of CA on the bright stuff. Standard fully-coated (FC) binos often show less false color at the expense of increased internal reflections. As there are maybe a handful of celestial sources out of billions that might create offensive CA, most will opt for the reduced reflections and better contrast provided with FMC or MC (multi-coated) models.

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While a binocular’s exit pupil is not unimportant, it is often overrated. Darker skies, higher magnification, and superior AR coatings can all more than compensate for any loss of image brightness due to a smaller exit pupil. Larger exit pupils often have the advantage of more forgiving eye placement, but sufficient eye relief again plays an important role in the amount of vignette and attaining optimal eye position. Smaller ExPs also stop down eye pupil aberrations which commonly increase toward the periphery.

City vs Rural

Binos gulp in lots of skyglow along with the stars from the city which wreaks havoc on our pupils’ dilation and dark adaptation. Smaller exit pupils will stop down the magnified peripheral skyglow which at least gives our cones a better signal to noise ratio for detecting detail, but any build up of rhodopsin is still largely inhibited. After scanning the bright city skies most have lowered their binocular to find a naked eye circular field of bleached rhodopsin waiting for them (or in one eye after viewing at the scope). Closing our eyes to get a semblance of decent DA back is futile as any rhodopsin build up will scatter soon after we raise the bino to start another round. That we’re not also fighting our own physiology is why dark skies provide us with a dramatic increase in detection above what might be academically expected.

3-5mm exit pupils are fine from any LVM. Try 5mms and up from very dark sites for better performance. Even if the nok’s ExP exceeds our own under rural skies, the unused incoming light is at least not detrimental- and even allows more room to maneuver behind the eyepieces.

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One should expect a mechanically sound and collimated mail order binocular whether they’ve paid 500 dollars or 50 dollars. Unless you’re an accomplished tinkerer, attempting a DIY prism alignment via the tiny adjustment screws also runs the risk of voiding any warranty by accidentally scratching or otherwise damaging the instrument. There’s also the possibility that the prisms are fine, but the barrels are poorly aligned. Mail order and precision optics will never mix, but my advice is to return the binocular when possible and ask for overnight shipping on a properly inspected model.

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I’m not a big tripod fan, but it is a necessary evil for getting the steadiest views and detail from any binocular. Mounted binos also allow increased resolution and detection of targets as much as 2 magnitudes fainter than those seen in freehand views.

For handheld use one can create a human tripod by resting both elbows on a support (car, railing, etc.). Some find more braced stability when using heavier instruments. Observing prone or in a recliner is often recommended. Holding big binos closer to the objectives can also provide more comfortable ergonomics.

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why binoculars…

It’s the grab n’ go freedom and wide fields. It’s the increase in depth perception and signal strength (on-axis and peripheral). It’s the effortless navigation, straight thru viewing, and more natural extension of our own eyes. My first serious glass was a giant binocular. One would still be hard pressed to find me basking under the stars without 80mm guns at my side.

what am I getting into with larger/hi-mag binoculars?

You’re getting into more weight/tripod use, less steady freehand views, less field, and possibly more obvious CA (amplified by magnification). Fortunately this all takes a back seat to the increase in resolution, detail, and exponential bombardment of stars.

10x vs 15x…

For stargazing purposes I’d go so far as to say 15x70s are becoming the new 10x50s- especially in light polluted skies. Certainly a popular next step up. 15x can be a shaky ride, but not beyond some measure of adaptation. The case could be made that 15s show so much more that we want/need to see it even steadier. Apparent shake at higher mags is also amplified by the smaller fov. With practice freehanded stability with 15x70s is not beyond a good deal of improvement, but tripod-mounted (or image stabilized) noks will always offer the best views at any power.

dealing with dew…

Storing binoculars in a secure garage or vehicle has been my best dew prevention. The less change in temperature they have to endure, the better. Or simply buy more binos. Maybe tool around with a different power/fov while the other bino defrosts.

saturn thru binos…

I’ve seen the ring gaps thru 10s and 15s at favorable inclinations. Not what I’d call a crisp image, though. At 25x I start looking (in vain) for Cassini’s. Oohs and ahhs from the public thru 30s, plus Saturn’s four brightest moons on a good night.

‘ruby’ coatings…

Not recommended under the stars and not to be confused with anti-reflective (AR) coatings. This gimmick reduces daytime glare by filtering the red spectrum- which only provides darker, dull images at night.

nokking venus…

Magnifications necessary to show the phases of Venus can change rapidly. While 30x will reveal the phase at most any aspect, the thin but large crescent’s orientation near inferior conjunction can be detected naked eye. Glare and bad seeing are minimized by catching our sister planet at its highest elevation in the daytime sky.

why dangle…

WA (wide angle) models are always desirable, provided the extra field is free from excessive aberration and sufficient ER allows access to the full field.

galaxies thru binoculars…

Hunting most galaxies with binos is limited to being an exercise in detection and judge of sky conditions. Yet I still find the repeated mere validation of their continued presence through modest glass to be an amazing aphrodisiac. At the other size extreme, dark site excursions through the thick arms of our Milky Way and across the Big and Little Magellanics are binocular nirvana.

on zoom binos…

Not recommended for those primarily interested viewing the night sky. Fixed-power binoculars (up to ~20x) offer up to a 50% wider view than zoom binoculars set to the same magnification. Decreased optical precision due to the difficulty of keeping the zoom elements of each eyepiece in perfect syncronization, and difficulty to handhold at higher magnification are other disadvantages.

jove thru binos…

I’ve detected the two main bands at 15x at larger oppositions. Much more obvious at 20x. At 25x, band asymmetries are often detected. At 30x I have detected the SEB break occupied by the GRS (no detail).

if vs cf…

Individual focus designs do not use a focuser bridge and are ideally less prone to defocus when we press against them. IFs also provide better waterproofing. A personal preference to stargazers aimed at infinity, but not a popular choice for various and repetitive distance refocusing during daytime use. A majority find center focus/diopter focusing to be adequate and most convenient.

binocular/bv summation…

While no formula can cover the additional physiological gains of using both eyes, an effective aperture increase of 140% is a good place to start (e.g., 70mm noks rival 100mm scopes). Binoviewers, for all their wonder, cut the EA in half before a summation formula is applied, resulting in appreciable light loss thru apertures under 8″.

spec vs effective aperture…

Manufacturers love to skimp on prism size to cut production costs. This generally reduces effective apertures by 5-10% which also tweaks other specs like mag and fov. Lay your bino flat on a table or mount pointed several inches from a wall. Shine a flashlight thru an eyepiece and measure the projected circle of light to find the noks effective aperture. I’ve yet to meet an effective aperture that hasn’t been ’rounded up’ to the advertised diameter.

getting into the (handheld) zone…

The best way to steadily hold your binocular is another subjective preference, and may vary by size, weight, and ergonomics of the instrument. But more important is the time and experimentation one puts into reaching their own acceptable stability. Striving for handheld stability is also excellent precision exercise for the eyes. Getting in the ‘heartbeat-limited’ zone takes patience and practice, but many can eventually become capable of useable, detailed stability almost out of the gate. Darker skies (more stars) are again recommended here for the increased reference points to accelerate coordination.

hi-mags for steadier views…

Freehanding the stars with 20x (or higher) binoculars takes practice and patience to keep the views even marginally worthwhile. In the end, alot depends on how much stability we’re willing to sacrifice. The point is that we can and do get better at it as the thousands of coordinating neurons and fast twitch muscles involved adapt.

In addition, the more intense eye/brain/reflex ‘training’ at higher magnifications can also pay off when gearing down to freehand views at lower power (IS binos excluded). One of many reinforcing experiences with this happened just a few nights ago. After about an hour of casually picking off Messiers with a 20×80 I went back to my vehicle to warm up and wait for the sky to turn. A Marathon-virgin 11×56 was in arm’s reach and I decided to revisit my accumulated treasures with the more modest but eager glass. Excellent wider field views aside, the relative image steadiness now rated just this side of mounted (caffeine and below zero wind chill notwithstanding). The increased handheld stability was notably more than just that which might be expected. Whether this effect is initially only perceived or enhanced by experience and adapted skill, it seems IME an exercise worthy of merit for increasing stability with more commonly handheld magnifications. (Even 15x views become easier to steady after roadtripping with 25-30x noks for awhile.)

A loose analogy to this hi-mag training might be taking practice swings on deck with a ring-weighted baseball bat. Spend 20 minutes or so with a hi-mag nok in a/your favored braced position on a big, busy target (Luna and Pleiades work well) before dropping down in power. The actual physical/coordinative gains are cumulative, but even the expected stability difference can be enhanced out of the gate.

Another good reason to buy that first hi-mag binocular as well.

*as always ymmv*

for those unaware…

There’s more to binocular alignment than prism screws. The machining and matching grooves of the barrels must also be precise (and the objective itself for that matter). The angle tolerance of the barrels can be even more strict than those of the prisms. I cite a recent example of a friend, fed up from tinkering with his bino’s prism screws, who gave me his non-refundable 20×80 stating, ”If you can fix em, you can have em”. The dizzying view was indeed so far out of alignment that it soon proved to be beyond the screws’ adjustment capabilities. I had another of my 80mm noks nearby and swapped barrels with the troublemaker. The image merged perfectly. Only one of the barrels was bad. The donor 80mm, however, was throwing a fit over its painful, unexpected handicap. My solution? Spinning both 70mm barrels from one of my more expendable 15x instruments onto the former 20x troublemaker. Again, the image merged perfectly, and I have a light-weight hybrid 20×70 for my efforts. Of note, the three binos mentioned are all different brands yet compatible at the hip. Also, there are limits to barrel-swapping on a number of fronts (which I plan on exploring) that in this case were not exceeded. The moral of the story is simply that binocular misalignment is not always in the prisms. Another good justification for keeping a well-stocked arsenal of binoculars, too.

the c word revisited…

If cranking the prism screws more than half a rotation either way doesn’t solve an alignment problem, I’d start looking somewhere else. Recently I found another related potential culprit in the crossbracing assembly of applicable models (ironically the feature intended to reinforce proper collimation). A simple thing really. It’s the brace’s bolt connecting the objectives. If it’s loose or not tightened at the barrels’ optimal distance the binocular loses collimation. In my case it was a fairly easy fix. When the bolt is loose/loosened it allows some play between the fat ends. Gently pushing them in or out while viewing will show whether the objectives (hopefully only laterally) need to be locked closer or farther apart. Note: check that the connector at the bar’s other end is also secure. FWIW, this 80mm nok, purchased from one of the big 3 for $189, attained conditional alignment with the barrels locked 30mm apart. It’s a good bet that the bargain priced counterparts are at least as susceptible.

I’m not especially advocating this repair approach. In fact, I recommend sending such an instrument back and asking for a properly inspected model to be mailed asap with free overnight shipping. But in this case it was a quick fix, the bino remains aligned, the song remains the same, and we have another fun insight into the wonderful world of miscollimation.

one person’s miscollimation is another’s elation…

I remember one starparty visitor who brought his own 7×50 binocular which he insisted was easily revealing the four separate main component stars of Orion’s Trapezium (a feat requiring the visual acuity of the Bionic Woman). A suspicion was confirmed as I looked through the horribly misaligned barrels. Everything had separate components. The kaleidescopic view made me nauseous, but the excited man was perfectly content to continue with his ‘bonus’ abundance of stars.

quickie field conversions…

ft/1000yds:

example: 262 = 5.0° TFOV (ft divided by 52.5)

m/1000m:

example: 88 = 5.0° TFOV (m divided by 17.5)

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SELECTED BINOCULAR REVIEWS

Garrett Optical 20×80 UL

The Zach Attack 20×80 UL exudes both quality and elegance. One would also be hard pressed to find better packaging for their mail orders. High marks for smooth, secure mechanics and excellent field sharpness. Unbridled from its pedestal, these 80mm stallions also make for a sweet ride during casual freehand excursions.

[My fetish for freehanding big glass often gets the better of me. Mounting (or using image-stabilized) binoculars is always recommended for the steadiest image, especially at higher magnifications]

I did find two notable spec discrepancies that may or may not be specimen specific; The listed TFOV (3.2 deg) and ER (16mm) respectively measured closer to 3.0 deg and 14mm. Neither variances were dealbreakers for me.

Fast shipping and GO’s personal service accentuated this satisfying $179 transaction.

Oberwerk 20×80 Standard (vs GO 20x80UL)

Dead heat with the GO 20x80UL for performance, mechanics, FOV/ER (both still shy of spec), and coatings. I found this interesting as the two *look* very different. At 15″/38cm, the Obie is some 3″ longer with a leaner appearance. The increased length changes the ergonomics noticably but not detrimentally. After adjusting my hand placement along the barrels I find the two equally comfortable for handheld use. Also despite the longer focal length, both binoculars show comparable field sharpness (85-90%) and daytime/lunar chromatic aberration (not fatal, but present).

Both models are highly recommended.

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Orion 30×80 MegaView

Out of the box, as expected, the 30s are physically very similar to Orion’s 16×80 with a couple of exceptions. The slightly heavier weight (just under 6 lbs.) is a product of the center rod bracing the bino lengthwise, along with the adjustable captive weight-balancing pedestal that couples directly to a tripod. Another elegant and functional addition are the extendable thick rubber dewshields at the end of each barrel. Even when retracted they make for excellent bumpers to protect the objectives while bringing the total outside barrel diameters to 92mms. Deploying the dewshields also takes the full height of the formidable and solidly constructed instrument to 14 inches. The trademark leather-textured surface of the main body complements an efficient and attractive all black design. The supplied hard case is nice, but the MegaView and I would feel more secure with a thick, foam-lined aluminum case to protect its crucial collimation during transport. While the snug fit of all four eyecaps was a plus, I wouldn’t trust the suprisingly thin neckstrap provided with supporting the bino’s substantial bulk. (These token neckstraps are thrown in for completeness’ sake. Very few people would enjoy being repeatedly jabbed in the chest with that pedestal.)

The fully-multicoated instrument reflects deep blues and greens at the business ends and yields the perfect circles of an unobstructed light path at the lenses. The hinge, center-focus, and diopter all adjusted smoothly, securely, and with no play. I’ve actually come to expect this from Orion. I now own four of their binos and, if not top-of-the-line optically, their consistant mechanical quality has been very commendable. The good-sized 20mm eyepiece lenses also sport 14mms of eye relief. This is close to ideal for me, although probably a bit short for eyeglass wearers to take in the entire field.

I’m a nitpicker for collimation, and 30x binos leave little room for error, especially after a 3-day FedEx journey. So I was immensely relieved to receive these MegaViews in fine alignment. Aberration tests did reveal slight but noticable pincushioning across an otherwise very sharp (to about 80%) field. There was an expected and substantial amount of false color on high-contrast daytime objects and our moon attributed to the high magnification (for 5 bills it’d be nice if they’d spring for some apo lenses), but it was no more offensive than the inherent chromatic aberration found in some comparably fast 80mm short-tube scopes at lower powers. And for me the CA took a backseat to the increased resolution, wealth of additional stars, and depth of detail seen on Luna under the night sky.

The 50% jump in magnification from 20 to 30x seems even more significant than that noticed between 10 and 15x power binoculars. Catching our moon at the right illumination, Clavius’ arched quintet of inner craters are obvious and distinct. Orion’s Trapezium splits cleanly and effortlessly into its 4 major components and, while Cassini’s seems just out of reach, a well-resolved Saturn presents a crisp disc and ring system. Jupiter’s main belts are prominent and on the verge of showing structure. Despite their relatively small 2.7mm exit pupil and Luna’s gibbous interference, the MegaViews still gathered a respectable conglomeration of stars while previewing the Double Cluster, Pleiades, M46/47, the Auriga clusters, and M35. I eagerly anticipate watching them gobble up these treasures and more under a dark sky and plan on letting them run wild thru a moonless Messier Marathon this spring. Upon receiving their Solar filters, I’m also looking forward to my enhanced views of our sun’s daily activity. While the 30x80s are advertised as having a 2.3 degree field, I could almost- but not quite- squeeze Orion’s belt stars within the fieldstop yielding a more accurate and happily accepted 2.5 degree field. This yields an AFOV of 75° and is indeed one of the widest views I’ve experienced. The porthole effect reminds me of Naglervision (albeit without the superior field edge sharpness). A tripod is, of course, required for unwavering views with this instrument. Any generic but heavy-duty model should work fine. My ProMaster 6600 bought at a local camera store provides more than sufficient support.

First Impressions verdict: Four out of five stars. While pricey, they are only $20 more than the 15x80MVs, solidly built, mechanically excellent, and ready to mount without an adapter. The beneficial and protective extendable dewshields are a welcome feature. It loses points for heavy CA on Luna, Jupiter and the brightest stars. But aside from the lack of color correction on those targets, the 30×80 MegaViews give rewarding and impressive binocular views of our moon, brighter planets, and the many Messier-class nightsky treasures.

*****

Glass At A Glance: Pentax 20×60 PCF WPII

$169 from amazon.com instrument arrived promptly, well-packaged, mechanically sound, and in fine collimation

bak4/fmc/no light path interference dimensions 9.0×7.75″ weight 45oz/1275grams ipd 57-72mm/ lens diameter 18mm center focus/clickstop diopter exit pupil 3.0mm eye relief 18mm useable min focus 8m spiral clickstop eye relief adj no eyeguards nitrogen filled/weather resistant very sturdy construction sleek black rubber armored housing

tfov 2.4° (spec 2.2°) field sharp to 95+% [comparable to orion 15×63 mini-giants] minimal positive distortion afov 44° (spec) afov 48° (adj) restricted but not necessarily a dealbreaker. no serious tunnelvision, but more than i’m used to. false color: present but minimal ergonomics: easily handheld for casual obs (tripod is always recommended for steadiest views)

purchase motivations: compulsive interest comparison to 20x80s

notes: the obie 20×80 std trumps the pentax in tfov/afov/depth of field and image brightness. the pentax 20×60 has the edge in overall field sharpness and color correction along with being much smaller and lighter. the plentiful ER is overkill to take in the smaller fieldstop perimeter but i doubt any eyeglass wearers would complain.

tip of the day: WP noks may be WP on the inside, but the outside surfaces are still at the mercy of fog and condensation. storage in a secure garage or vehicle is recommended to keep all optics as close as possible to ambient temps and humidity

bottom line: five star transaction and instrument highly recommended with caveat of potentially restrictive tfov/afov

*as always, ymmv*

*****

Minolta 8×40 Activa WP

Cruising the net for a quality complementary wide field instrument led me to this $110 gem from the Minds of Minolta. With BAK4 prisms and longer eye relief, the fully multicoated and weatherproof Activa series is an impressive upgrade from their venerable Deluxe (Classic) line of binoculars.

Out of the box, the all black rubber-armored Minolta is a class act, including a very nice soft-lined case and deluxe neckstrap. Weighing in at a well-balanced 27oz., it first reminded me of a less bulky and more ergonomic version of the Orion UltraView. The Activa’s hinge, focus, and diopter adjustment (which lightly clicks into place at small increments) is smooth and secure. The caps also all fit securely. A single cover takes the place of dual lens caps. In lieu of roll-back eyeguards, the Activa is equipped with soft rubber twist-lock eyecups to customize eye relief. Rather than spiraling freely, the eyecups again securely click into place over four incremental positions. Very handy. I’m not a big fan of optics being shipped in a thin layer of styrofoam peanuts, but the Activa and its collimation managed to survive the UPS journey unscathed. The very bright and vivid daytime, stellar, and Lunar images show negligable false color across nearly the entire 8.2° (spec and measured) field of view. Only the slightest pincushioning was detected over an otherwise very sharp (to 85%) field. Noticable prism interference at the exit pupils is limited to a slight diagonal flattening at 1 o’clock (L) and 11 o’clock ®. While the eye relief is long (spec states 18.5mm), the moderate lens recess tweaks the usable ER closer to 16mm. Wearing thin sunglasses I could still comfortably take in the entire field stop with the twist-locks fully retracted. A generous 22mm lens diameter, interpupilary range of 58-72mm, and plenty of room to gaze around the field contributes to the comfortable eygernomics. In addition, I find the 65° apparent FOV very acceptable and immune to any tunnelvision. Those in the market for a full featured, well-constructed, and sharp looking binocular under $150 will not be disappointed.

UNDER THE STARS

I spent an enjoyable 2 ½ hours breaking in the 8×40 under mag 5 skies, running the latter third of the marathon Messiers and brighter NGCs. Early impressive observations of note included the Coma cluster, Messiers 3, 5, 13, 12, 10, 4, ic4665, ngc6633, and doublestars alphaLib, epsilonLyr, nuDra, and omicronCyg. A very pleasing tour through the Summer Triangle was highlighted by Cr399, M27, and hints of the North American and Veil nebulae. A slow, climactic cruise down the Sagittarius Arm’s main drag followed through Messiers 11, 26, 16, 17, 18, 24, 23, 25, 21, 20, 8, 7, and 6. All were easily identified, resolved to various degrees, and found flowing over the expanse of about 3 binocular fields. The Messier cottonball globulars 22, 55, 15, and 2 also stood out beyond simple detection. Uranus and Neptune were also spotted about a degree from, respectively, 4th magnitude suns lambdaAqr and iotaCap. The gas giants soon ushered in our waning crescent moon in close conjunction with Mars. A handful of satellites and a couple of stray meteors also joined this session’s festivities. After a northeast sweep thru the rising stars of Cassiopeia and a low, early season preview of M31, the Minolta and I called it a night. Generously rating the transparency 8/10, the Messier globs and OCs were all at least obvious while the dimmer galaxies and nebulae hid behind the early summer haze. As anticipated, the aesthetic context of a 8+° field and effortless starhopping was a fair compromise for the sacrificed brightness and resolution of my larger instruments. As a former obsessed fuzzy hunter and long-time big bino enthusiast, this 8x session made me realize how little time I spend seeing more of the celestial forest through the trees. Always refreshing to throw a different perspective into the mix. I would also recommend an 8×40 as an excellent first binocular for beginners learning their way around the night sky.

To sum it up: A small price for alot of field and alot of fun.

*****

Barska X-Trail 30×80

A Big Brown Truck arrived with my new toy earlier this week. Coddled in bubble-wrap within its hard-case, the 30x Barska survived the trip without a scratch and in fine collimation…

I could stop there as, for $139, my expectations had already been met. But as the audition progressed, I became increasingly pleased with the performance of these bargain Giants. So here we go.

Vital Stats

Max Dimensions: 13″x9″ Weight: 4.3 lbs. Min Focus: 49 ft. All black, streamlined, soft and smooth rubber housing. Extremely ergonomic and well-balanced. Aroma: Confidential (Sorry, Kenny.) Lifetime Limited Warranty

Mechanics: Hinge, focus, and diopter motion secure with no play. Caps all secure. Easy-to-adjust pedestal stays secure along center bar. BAK4 Prisms (round exit pupils, no light path interference). Coatings: MC. Despite various specs and speculation, the objectives do indeed present healthy bluish-green reflections thru its black-baffled barrels. Lens and prism paler blue reflections, however, indicate single-coatings on some surfaces. Optics (daytime): Very bright images. Moderate pincushioning. Very well color-corrected. Minimal off-focus purple fringing.

Eygernomics

FOV: 2.1° (spec) 2.2° (measured) AFOV: 63° (per spec) 66° (adj) F/FSR (Field to Field-Stop Ratio): Average. No tunnelvision, but not a spacewalk either. Field-stop is well-defined. Eye Relief: 10mm (spec) 9mm (useable. recess is slightly less than 2mm, and I’m feeling generous) Lens diameter: 20mm Exit Pupil: 2.7mm IPD: 58-72mm Comfort: Very good. Long, soft roll-back rubber eye cups. Vignette: Minimal. Eye positioning is more forgiving than expected.

My favored useable eye relief is in the 12-14mm range, so the Barska is tighter than I prefer (any less would be painfully tight). Not recommended for eyeglass wearers, I would estimate at least a 50% loss of field.

Under The Stars

Pinpoint star images out to 75% of field. Minimal violet fringing on Jupiter and Vega (substantially less CA than my $500 MegaView). Main Jovian bands are distinct, showing both color and hints of texture. Negligable false color at Luna’s limb; our waning gibbous moon is splendidly detailed.

Versus Orion 30x80MegaView

For another $350, the MV provides 4mm more eye relief and a significantly larger AFOV (fieldstop is nearly peripheral). These are two important qualities for me and worth the extra cost. YMMV. The MV also provides an additional .3° TFOV, and includes extendable dewshields. Except for the above, the sleek and lightweight Barska 30s not only challenge the heavier MV’s optics, mechanics, and quality build, but do so with better color correction (the trade-off, as expected, is increased internal reflections around the bright stuff).

Handheld Use

I spent ten straight minutes standing and another 30 on my back enjoying a relaxed freehand crawl across the available constellations. Very liberating. At just over 4 lbs, they simply do not feel like Giants.

Bino Forum edicts require me to reiterate that a tripod or IS is always recommended for more serious bino-target study. Following that, the Barska’s mounting requirements are minimal; any tripod rated for even 5 lbs will suffice.

Summary

Aside from an incurable giant bino fetish, I also wanted to occasionally share 30x binocular views with the public without putting my more valuable MV in harm’s way. The Barska X-Trail 30×80 will serve this purpose with flying colors. More bang for 139 bucks than I expected. If the MegaView drives like a Cadillac, then the Barska handles more like a sports car. Recommended with the caveat of potentially restrictive eye relief.

*****

Glass At A Glance: Oberwerk 11×56

$99 from bigbinoculars.com instrument arrived promptly, well-packaged, mechanically sound, and in fine collimation

bak4/ fmc/no light path interference height 7.75×8.0″/19.7×20.3cm weight 36oz/965grams ipd 56-72mm/ lens diameter 20mm center focus/diopter exit pupil 5.1mm eye relief 17mm useable min focus ~10m soft rollback eyeguards

tfov 6.1° (spec 6.0) field sharp to 85% coma free field 5.5° nominal positive distortion afov (spec) 66° afov (subj) v good. not a spacewalk but no tunnelvision. fieldstop is well-defined false color: present but minimal ergonomics: no complaints; it’s 11x at just over two lbs. easily handheld for casual obs. perhaps a bit large for children. as fortune would have it, the image scale and tfov fall about halfway between my 8s and 15s.

purchase motivations: compulsive interest additional outreach noks to pass around it was kevin’s turn to get my money

tip of the day: this bino only rates a soft case. with these cases i habitually cut and pop enough bubblewrap to surround the bino lengthwise before sliding it in the case for storage and transport (protection and keeps the caps on when taking it out)

bottom line: five star transaction and instrument highly recommended

*as always, ymmv*

*****

Barska 15×70 X-Trail: Big Bang For The Buck

I really didn’t need another binocular. I have plenty of binoculars, actually. Among them is a perfectly wonderful 30×80 Barska X-Trail. But I was ready to take one for the Forum team after reading a few recent Barska horror stories, and was fully prepared to pull a broken string of parts out of the box when my 15x70XT arrived.

I found the Barska 15s on sale at Amazon for $49 and haphazardly pulled the trigger. If this negligent, impulsive purchase wouldn’t get me a lemon then nothing would. *professional stuntman. do not try this at home* Three days later a big brown truck delivered another perfectly wonderful specimen. Well-packaged, collimated, and mechanically sound. Includes soft case, neckstrap, table tripod, adapter, and cleaning cloth. Looks great next to its 30x big brother, too.

Vital Stats

Max Dimensions: 11″x8.5″ Weight: 2.8 lbs Min Focus: ~50 ft Design: All black, streamlined, soft and smooth rubber housing. Ergonomic and well-balanced for its size. No center pedestal. Center focus. Prisms: BAK4 (round exit pupils, no light path interference). Coatings: Fully coated/light blue reflections at both ends

Optics (daytime): Very bright images. Very good color-correction across a flat, relatively wide FOV. Minimal pincushioning; it could actually use a little more. There’s a subtle center field softness compared to my instruments with higher positive distortion.

Eygernomics (measured)

FOV: 4.4° AFOV: 66° F/FSR (Field to Field-Stop Ratio): Very Good. No tunnelvision, but not a spacewalk either. Field-stop is well-defined. Lens diameter: 20mm Exit Pupil: 4.7mm IPD: 56-72mm Comfort: Very Good. Long, soft roll-back rubber eye cups. Eye Relief: 18.5mm (useable). Vignette: Minimal. However, without eyeglasses the eyeguards must be extended to achieve the proper viewing distance. I always leave the eyeguards extended anyway and take this in stride, but it may be more important to others.

Under The Stars

Pinpoint star images out to 80% of field. Negligable false color at Luna’s limb. Our waning gibbous moon is splendidly detailed and star colors are vivid. The Pleiades, Double Cluster, and Orion Nebula are beautifully framed.

Versus 15×63 Orion MG

I’m not quite comparing apples to apples here. Both have comparably long eye relief and pleasing eygernomics. Both also provide comparable brightness; the Barska’s extra aperture helps compensate for the Orion’s better coatings/contrast (the XT’s exit pupil is also a half-millimeter larger). The Orion is much lighter, more compact, and has the edge in ergonomics, while the larger and heavier Barska provides an extra .5° FOV. The Orion shows almost no internal reflections (FMC) but an increase in chromatic aberration on Luna and the brightest stars/planets. These trade-offs all come down to personal preference.

Handheld Use

Weighing-in at less than 3 lbs, I manually swept the night sky standing for a half-hour before even realizing that I’d manually swept the night sky standing for a half-hour. A very liberating and enjoyable ride.

The Barska’s mounting requirements are minimal; any tripod rated for even 5 lbs will suffice.

Summary

My best mid-power bino investment for the price. For those that can handle occasional internal reflections better than false color, I would easily consider the Barska 15x70XT as one of the best mid-power instruments available under $100. And a steal at $49.

Highly recommended with the standing caveat to buy from a reputable dealer that will personally check the mechanics and collimation prior to shipping. Buy and test locally if possible.

*****

[as good of place as any to put this. enjoy.]

Observing Under the Influence: The Apogee 18×50 Beer Bottle Telescope

I got the sweetest lil’ early stocking-stuffer for this Christmas. Apogee’s famed, novelty 18×50 BBT. I’m having a blast with it. The following may or may not be considered my review.

Vital Stats

Primary Mirror: 50mm Magnification: 18x (fixed) Focal Length, Ratio: 235mm, f/4.7 Max Dimensions: 8.5″ x 2.5″ Weight: 10 oz. Min Focus: 8 ft. Price: $21.95

Apogee Transaction Rating: 4/5. Prompt delivery and good communication. Despite arriving undamaged, the inner packing did not surround the product.

Out-Of-Box: Very nice heavy-nylon black case. Includes shoulder strap and cleaning cloth. The scope is green (I haven’t decided which shade yet), more rugged than expected, and, coincidentally, shaped like a beer bottle- including the eyelens cap which pops on and off. A dribble-hole along the main tube doubles as a quarter-inch adaptee for possible tripod mounting.

Coatings: Fully Coated optics (decent blue tint from each end).

Eygernomics: In this specimen, the field of view is a pleasantly-flat, correct-image 3.5°, and coma-free out to 75%. No on-axis astigmatism detected. Negligable false color. Nominal pincushioning. Exit pupil is 2.7mm. Apparent field is an adequate 63°; Fieldstop is sharp. No tunnelvision, but not a spacewalk either. But you have to get *to* the FOV first. I found the 5mm lens recess to yield a useable eye relief of about 5mm. In addition, the eyelens diameter is a mere 12mm. This inconvenience is only offset by the lack of an eyeguard and ability to shove the tapered neck right into your eyeball.

Ergonomics: About what you’d expect. It’s about as comfortable as holding an empty beer bottle up to your eye can be. Using both hands and adopting a Master and Commander pose is almost irresistable.

Will I Look Silly Using It: Not if you’re alone. At night. But seriously, most folks would probably just pity what would appear to be a pathetic drinking problem. Add an eyepatch (to view comfortably with both eyes open) and passersby might start charitably tossing coins at you as well.

Will I Feel Silly Using It: There’s a good possibility (“But I don’t wanna be a pirate…”). Using the BBT is kinda like owning a moped; fun to ride, but you don’t want your friends to see you with one.

Mechanics: The secure caps are made of hard plastic. The smooth and secure focusing is attained by rotating the top half of the bottleneck.

That’s about it for mechanics.

Nothing rattling around inside. The velcro on the cool, black case also performs admirably. Mounted on an EQ2, my only complaint was having to listen as my nearby StarMax was laughing its aperture off.

Storage: In its cool, black case. The mini-scope doesn’t match anything in the house. Did I mention the weird shade of green?

Viewing from a dark, transparent sky is, of course, recommended- and does alot to compensate for the lack of aperture and relatively small exit pupil. The BBT also tests ones true starhopping mettle. At 18x, it’s a shaky handheld ride until you put in some practice. I happen to love the challenge, and even plan on competing in next spring’s Marathon with it. Alone. Stay tuned.

For a $20 novelty astro-gift, the Apogee Beer Bottle Telescope actually has alot to offer as a practical stargazing instrument. I can only hope the already-suspicious Illinois State Police that frequent my favorite rural site show the same appreciation (after I’m forced to take a breathalyzer test).

Happy hunting, and Cheers.

*****

Kronos 26×70: Requiem for Eye Relief

An ongoing quest to discover more relatively lightweight and inexpensive high power binoculars led me to audition the Kronos 26×70. At $199, they will not break the bank. At 3.7 lbs (1.7 kg), they are certainly lightweight. Unfortunately, insufficient eye relief spoils an otherwise favorable test drive.

All black and all business, the Kronos’ leather-textured surface and design is very attractive. The enclosed certificate of authenticity and specs were written in Russian as well as English. Along with the Russian font on the casing, I imagined feeling quite comfortable using these on the deck of the Red October. I was mildly surprised that the 26×70 only rated a basic nylon case. Included was a somewhat undersized single-stem adapter that could be screwed onto a tripod at one end and clamped around the hinge at the other. But for mounted use I would probably opt for a standard steel L-adapter. On the plus side, all four protective lens caps kept a tight fit despite my semi-violent attempts to shake them loose. Mechanically, I gave this unit a split-decision. The hinge was quite rigid and reluctant to flex, while the individual focus on both eyepieces was somewhat slippery and unsecure. The bino’s objectives are multicoated, and gazing down the barrels reveal a pinkish-purple tint. Tight circles of an unobstructed light path greeted me at the lenses, but then, any prism interference would be an unforgivable design flaw with the already limited exit pupil. Perfectly merged terrestrial and stellar images showed the barrels to be in solid alignment. While I could make out the smallest cracks in neighboring chimneys, there was a substantial but not fatal degree of pincushioning. Chromatic aberration was very tolerable, with only minimal green and red boundaries seen around high-contrast objects and the available lunar crescent. The Kronos’ specs cite a 2.5 degree tfov, but I managed to squeeze Orion’s belt within the fieldstop, yielding a more accurate 2.7 degrees. Stars remain pinpoints across 85% of the field. Apparent field- by no means narrow- is still somewhat optimistic for the adjusted 70 deg quotient. A lack of full multcoatings is evident in the overall brighter background, but with the abundance of additional stars pulled in at 26x this is more easily forgiven. In the minority and/or acclimated from cutting my teeth on 6 lb. Orion Giants, I found the comparably lightweight Kronos’ to be an ergonomic handheld ride despite the high magnification (translation: 99% of the population will need a tripod). Luna is wonderfully large, sharp, and intricately detailed. Jove reveals two distinct and structured bands, while Saturn shows a tiny but crisp disc and ring system. I also did not find the relatively small 2.7mm ExP to be a hinderance. Astronomically, the forte of these noks is not to track down diffuse fuzzies, but rather to enhance resolution and detail on Luna, the planets, clusters, and globs. The Kronos does this well. Although I don’t wear glasses, I still prefer a generous amount of eye relief. Listed at 9mm, I was more wary of the actual usable ER. It was a bad gamble. First, the lenses are recessed about 2 millimeters. In addition, the stubby eyeguards extend 6mms and cannot be rolled back. In other words, they were too short to be very useful at blocking peripheral light but long enough to decrease the already short ER. By masochistically wedging the eyepieces into my sockets I could take in the entire field stop. Comfortably and without brushing my eyelashes on the lens I could see maybe a third of the total field. I had thoughts of removing the eyeguards and replacing them with winged models, but ultimately felt the lack of ER would be a constant source of frustration. This was unfortunate as I was otherwise pleased with the Kronos’ performance, weight, and price. With even 10-12mms of eye relief, however, the Russian Giants would’ve been keepers. But as they say, Вы не можете выиграть все их (you can’t win ’em all).

*****

Glass At A Glance: Orion Giant View 25×100

$349 from telescopes.com instrument arrived promptly, well-packaged, mechanically sound, and in fine collimation aluminum case for transport bak4/ fmc. orion does not skimp on coatings- there is barely any reflection at the business ends. height 17.1 in weight 10.1 lbs individual focus/integral mounting post exit pupil 4 mm ipd 61-72mm eye relief 17 luxurious useable mms. i’m happiest with 12-14mms of UER plus a few more to take advantage of leaving the eyeguards out to block peripheral light. the orion does not disappoint. the large 20mm eyelens diameters contribute to the excellent viewing experience. editorial: i pay to see the field stop, even if the outer fov is just for context. those designing noks with 9 or less mms of ER should be subjected to viewing the fieldstop regardless of ocular bone damage or disfigurement. i keep imagining a think-tank of designers intentionally ignoring every new models’ ER specs and, for entertainment purposes, creating a betting pool as to the final distance outcomes (“okay boys! who had 11mms?”). close focus 100 ft soft rollback eyeguards tfov 2.5° (spec ) field sharp to 80% coma free field 2.0° nominal positive distortion afov (spec) 63° afov (subj) v good. not a spacewalk but a substantial view relative to the limited tfov. fieldstop is well-defined false color: present but minimal ergonomics: braced on my elbows-tripod or reclined, the increased weight actually serves to help stability when held near the objectives. (a heavy-duty tripod is required for best detection and detail) purchase motivations: giant bino addicts must have at least one 100 mm horse in their stable. it’s the law. high mag handheld training, especially as a warm-up session before powering down to lower mag noks. after spending 15-20 minutes with the 25×100- regardless of the actual physiological stability increase- views thru my 15s and 20s certainly feel lighter and seem steadier. often reaching ‘heartbeat-limited’ stability. bottom line: 10 lbs of heaven five star transaction and instrument highly recommended *as always, ymmv*

*****

Glass At A Glance: Zhumell 20×80

$99 from binoculars.com instrument arrived promptly, well-packaged, mechanically sound, and in fine collimation hard liner in leather case

bak4/fmc (spec). this specimen is a tongue-in-cheek fmc; multicoated obj/fully coated prisms and lens no light path interference height 13″x9″/33cmx23cm weight 4.4lbs/2.0kg ipd 56-72mm/ lens diameter 20mm exit pupil 4.0mm eye relief 16mm useable min focus ~20m center focus/pedestal/center brace soft rollback eyeguards

tfov 3.2° (spec 3.2°) field sharp to 75% coma free field 2.5° negligible positive distortion (just this side of neutral) afov (spec) 64° afov (subj) no tunnelvision but not as panoramic as spec might suggest. fieldstop is well-defined false color: present but minimal ergonomics: handholdable for casual use and hotdogging at star parties, but tripod is recommended (any standard camera/video tripod will suffice).

purchase motivations: see what all the fuss is about second Z20x80 subsequently purchased as donation to local astroclub’s rental program

tip of the day: along with ideally helping preserve collimation, the lengthwise bar on crossbraced models can be held as a vertical support for freehand viewing (sliding the pedestal all the way forward). the opposite hand steadies the horizontal and controls focus. the bar also makes a convenient carrying handle for out-of-case transport

bottom line: five star transaction/four star instrument recommended bang for the buck purchase weak afov and outer field sharpness compared to the obie and garrett counterparts but still qualifies as an adequate instrument for general stargazing.

*as always ymmv*

[note: the barska 20x80xt auditioned rates a nearly identical review. also see ‘a tale of four 20s’]

*****

Orion 15×63: A Mini-(Giant) Revelation

I’d lugged my 16x80s around for over 10 years. Freehand or mounted, I’d never given a second thought to their 5+ lb. mass. In fact, I’d always related the healthy bulk of these giants as a sign of their powerful optics and construction. So my first thought upon hefting the mere 41 ounces of the Mini-Giants from their hardcase was, “Are they serious?” They are. The relatively light weight is nicely balanced along an 8 3/8″ sleek and streamlined body. (Actually, the Mini-Giant series appears to be the revamped FMC big brothers to the popular Orion Scenix line of binoculars.) As advertised, they are easily hand-holdable for several minutes at a time. Although tripod-adaptable, I doubt I would ever have to use them mounted. Still suspicious, I thought there must be some trade-off (specifically, prism interference) to this contoured design. But there was none. Full circles of light greeted me at the lenses and not a millimeter of obstruction was present while gazing down the black-baffled barrels. The hinge, focuser, and diopter adjustments all moved smoothly and securely with no play, and, although I’m very sensitive to collimation, I still slowly alternated closing and opening each eye to find the merged image in perfect alignment. Aberration tests also showed no excessive pincushion or barrel-effect across the 3.9° (measured) field, and color-correction is confined to minimal slivers of green and red on high-contrast daytime objects and Luna. I’ve never put too much faith in AFOV specs, and the MG is a good example why. A pleasantly wide apparent field belies the modest 58° (adj) quotient. Serious field distortion/coma is limited to the outer 5% of the field, and only really noticable if you go looking for it. There is no lunar ghosting, and our moon’s entire terminator is sharp with detail. The Orion Nebula, Pleiades, and Double Cluster are all amply framed with pinpoint star images. All very impressive. I just kept waiting for ‘the trade off’ and, aside from losing 17mm of aperture and half the weight of my 16x80s, found none. Also, as advertised, the Mini-Giants have plenty of eye relief (18mm useable). Highly recommended for eyeglass wearers. However, without glasses, the eyeguards must be extended to achieve the proper viewing distance without vignette. I always leave the eyeguards extended anyway, and can live with this, but it may be more important to others.

Again, I’d lugged my 16x80s around for over 10 years. They’ve been with me through 30 states, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. They’ve witnessed many comets, occultations, and eclipses over their lifetime. Mounted, they’ve impressed hundreds of starparty guests and friends with their size, power, and optics. They rock. And I would never let them go. And they will always remain mounted near my scope for public viewing. And I’m not just saying this because they’re giving me the evil-eye while I’m writing this.

Nevertheless, in summary, I recommend the excellent optics and lightweight ergonomics of the Orion 15x63s (at around $200) as a competitively-priced alternative to many of the much heavier and tripod-dependent giant binoculars in this magnification range.

*****

150 Doublestars For Binoculars Stephen Saber

Given a magnified visual acuity of 150″ a 10x binocular will potentially split doublestars with separations as close as 15″ (150/10), and 5″ at 30x. Doubles with equal or near equal mags are easier to blackline than those with a significantly brighter glare from the primary. Color interpretations are often subjective for several reasons including sky conditions, color sensitivity, contrast effects, and aperture. Equally impressive in low power scopefields, this collection of brighter targets for northern observers is arranged by constellation and decreasing separation. Pocket Sky Atlas chart references are included.

Andromeda psa 2/3

56 0156+3715 5.7, 6.0 @ 190″ 59 0211+3902 6.5, 7.0 @ 16.6″ gamma 0204+4220 2.3, 5.5 @ 9.8″ stf79 0100+4443 6.0, 7.0 @ 7.8″

Aquarius psa 76

94 2319-1327 5.3, 7.3 @ 13″ 107 2346-1840 5.5, 6.5 @ 6.6″

Aquila psa 65/66/67

15 1905-0402 5.5, 7.2 @ 38″ 57 1955-0814 5.8, 6.5 @ 36″ stf2654 2015-0330 6.0, 7.5 @ 14.2″ 5 1847-0057 5.5, 7.5 @ 13″

Aries psa 4

30 0237+2439 6.6, 7.4 @ 38.6″ lambda 0158+2336 4.9, 7.7 @ 37″ gamma 0154+1918 4.8, 4.8 @ 7.8″

Auriga psa 12

stf698 0525+3451 6.5, 7.5 @ 31.2″ stf764 0541+2929 6.5, 7.0 @ 26″ 14 0515+3231 5.1, 7.4 @ 14.6″ stf872 0616+3609 6.9, 7.9 @ 11.3″ 41 0612+4843 5.0, 7.0 @ 7.7″ stf918 0634+5227 6.5, 7.5 @ 4.7″

Bootes psa 42/44/53

mu 1525+3723 4.3, 6.5 @ 108″ s656 1350+2117 6.8, 7.3 @ 86″ iota 1416+5122 4.9, 7.5 @ 38″ stf1850 1429+2817 6.0, 7.0 @ 25.6″ kappa 1414+5147 4.6, 6.6 @ 13.4″ xi 1451+1906 4.7, 7.0 @ 6.9″ stf1835 1423+0827 5.1, 7.6 @ 6.2″ pi 1441+1625 4.9, 5.8 @ 5.6″

Camelopardalis psa 11/12/31

11/12 0506+5858 5.4, 6.5 @ 180″ s436 0349+5707 6.5, 7.3 @ 58″ 32 1249+8325 5.3, 5.8 @ 21.6″ 1 0432+5355 5.7, 6.8 @ 10.3″

Cancer psa 24

b584 0840+1933 6.9, 7.2 @ 45″ iota 0847+2846 4.2, 6.6 @ 30″ stf1245 0836+0637 6.0, 7.2 @ 10.3″ zeta 0812+1739 5.6, 6.0 @ 5.9″ phi2 0827+2656 6.3, 6.3 @ 5.1″

Canes Venatici psa 32

17 1310+3830 6.0, 6.2 @ 84″ alpha 1256+3819 2.9, 5.5 @ 19.4″

Canis Major psa 27

h3945 0717-2320 5.0, 5.8 @ 26.8″

Capricornus psa 66

beta1/2 2021-1447 3.4, 6.2 @ 205″ omicron 2030-1834 6.0, 6.5 @ 21.9″

Cassiopeia psa 1

oss26 0220+6002 6.9, 7.4 @ 63″ stf3053 0003+6605 6.0, 7.7 @ 15.2″ eta 0049+5749 3.4, 7.5 @ 12″

Cepheus psa 71/73

delta 2229+5825 3.9, 6.3 @ 41″ stf2840 2152+5547 5.5, 7.3 @ 18.3″ beta 2129+7034 3.2, 7.9 @ 13.3″ xi 2204+6438 4.4, 6.5 @ 7.7″ stf2816 2139+5729 5.6, 7.7, 7.8 @ 11.7″, 121″

Cetus psa 6

66 0213-0224 5.7, 7.5 @ 16.5″

Coma Berenices psa 45

17 1229+2555 5.3, 6.6 @ 145″ 32/33 1252+1704 6.3, 6.7 @ 95″ 24 1235+1823 5.2, 6.7 @ 20.3″

Corona Borealis psa 53

zeta 1539+3638 5.1, 6.0 @ 6.3″ sigma 1615+3352 5.6, 6.6 @ 6.2″

Corvus psa 47

stf 1669 1241-1300 6.0, 6.1 @ 5.4″

Cygnus psa 62/63

31 2014+4644 3.8, 7.0, 4.8 @ 107″, 338″ 16 1942+5031 6.0, 6.2 @ 40.0″ beta 1931+2758 3.1, 5.1 @ 34.4″ 61 2107+3845 5.2, 6.0 @ 28″ stf2486 1912+4951 6.6, 6.8 @ 7.9″

Delphinus psa 64

s752 2030+1925 6.6, 7.0 @ 106″ gamma 2047+1607 4.4, 5.0 @ 9.1″

Draco psa 41/52/61

16/17 1636+5255 5.4, 5.5 @ 108″ 39 1824+5848 5.0, 7.4 @ 89″ oss123 1327+6444 6.7, 7.0 @ 69″ nu 1732+5511 4.9, 4.9 @ 62″ omicron 1851+5923 4.8, 7.8 @ 34.2″ psi 1742+7209 4.9, 6.1 @ 30.3″ 40/41 1800+8000 5.7, 6.1 @ 19.3″ stf2452 1854+7546 6.6, 7.4 @ 5.6″

Equuleus psa 75

epsilon 2059+0418 6.0, 7.1 @ 11″

Eridanis psa 16/17

55 0444-0848 6.7, 6.8 @ 9.2″ 32 0354-0257 4.7, 6.2 @ 6.8″

Gemini psa 25

20 0632+1747 6.3, 6.9 @ 20.0″ 38 0655+1311 4.7, 7.7 @ 7.1″

Hercules psa 52/54/55/65

37 1641+0413 5.8, 7.0 @ 70″ kappa 1608+1703 5.3, 6.5 @ 28″ 100 1808+2606 5.9, 6.0 @ 14.2″ 95 1802+2136 5.0, 5.1 @ 6.3″ alpha 1715+1423 3.5, 5.4 @ 4.7″ rho 1724+3709 4.6, 5.6 @ 4.1″

Lacerta psa 72

8 2236+3938 5.7, 6.5 22.4″

Leo psa 34/35

alpha 1008+1158 1.4, 7.7 @ 177″ tau 1128+0251 5.0, 7.4 @ 91″ 83 1127+0300 6.2, 7.8 @ 28.5″ 54 1056+2445 4.5, 6.3 @ 6.5″ gamma 1020+1951 2.2, 3.5 @ 4.4″

Lepus psa 16

gamma 0545-2227 3.7, 6.3 @ 96″ h3780 0539-1751 6, 9, 8, 8 @ 89″, 76″, 129″ s476 0519-1831 6.2, 6.4 @ 39″

Libra psa 57

alpha 1451-1602 3.0, 5.0 @ 231″ shj179 1426-1958 6.6, 6.6 @ 16″ stf1962 1539-0847 6.5, 6.6 @ 11.9″

Lynx psa 23

5 0627+5825 5.3, 7.9 @ 96″ 19 0723+5517 5.6, 6.5 @ 14.8″ stf958 0648+5542 6.3, 6.3 @ 4.8″

Lyra psa 63

epsilon1/2 1844+3940 5.0, 5.2 @ 208″ beta 1850+2948 3.5, 7.0 @ 46.6″ oss525 1855+3358 6.0, 7.7 @ 45″ zeta 1845+3736 4.3, 5.9 @ 44″

Monoceros psa 25/26/27

zeta 0809-0259 4.3, 7.8 @ 67″ epsilon 0624+0436 4.5, 6.5 @ 27″ beta 0629-0702 4.7, 5.2 @ 7.3″

Ophiuchus psa 54/56

rho 1626-2327 5, 8, 7 @ 151″, 156″ s694 1752+0107 6.9, 7.1 @ 82″ 53 1735+0935 5.5, 7.5 @ 41.3″ 61 1745+0235 6.2, 6.6 @ 20.6″

Orion psa 14/16

delta 0532-0018 2.5, 6.5 @ 52.6″ theta2 0535-0525 5.0, 6.5 @ 52″ shj49 0459+1432 6.0, 7.5 @ 39.4″ stf747 0535-0600 4.8, 5.7 @ 35.7″ 23 0523+0333 5.0, 7.1 @ 32″ stf855 0609-0230 6.0, 7.0 @ 29.5″ sigma 0539-0236 4.0, 8.8, 6.5, 6.6 @ 11″, 13″, 42″ iota 0536-0555 2.8, 6.9 @ 11.3″ theta1 0535-0523 6.7, 7.9, 5.1, 6.7 @ 8.8″, 13.0″, 21.5″ lambda 0535+0956 3.6, 5.5 @ 4.4″

Pegusus psa 74/75

stf2841 2154+1943 6.4, 7.9 @ 22.3″ stf2978 2308+3249 6.3, 7.5 @ 8.4″

Perseus psa 12/13

57 0433+4304 6.1, 6.8 @ 116″ stf331 0301+5221 5.3, 6.7 @ 12.1″

Pisces psa 5

77 0106+0455 6.8, 7.6 @ 33″ psi1 0106+2128 5.6, 5.8 @ 30″ zeta 0114+0735 5.6, 6.5 @ 23″ 35 0015+0849 6.0, 7.6 @ 11.6″ 65 0050+2743 6.3, 6.3 @ 4.4″

Sagitta psa 64

bu139 1913+1651 6.5, 7.5 @ 113″ theta 2010+2055 6.5, 7.4 @ 84″

Scorpius psa 56

nu 1612-1928 4.3, 6.4 @ 41″ beta 1605-1948 2.5, 5.0 @ 13.7″ xi 1604-1122 4.8, 7.3 @ 7.6″

Serpens psa 55/65

stf1919 1513+1918 6.7, 7.6 @ 23.9″ theta 1856+0412 4.6, 4.9 @ 22.1″

Sextans psa 34

35 1043+0445 6.3, 7.4 @ 6.8″

Taurus psa 14/15

21/22 0346+2432 5.6, 6.4 @ 168″ eta 0348+2406 2.9, 6.3 @ 117″ hvi98 0416+0611 6.3, 7.0 @ 66″ chi 0423+2538 5.5, 7.6 @ 19.4″ stf401 0331+2734 6.4, 6.9 @ 11.3″ 118 0529+2509 5.8, 6.6 @ 4.8″

Ursa Major psa 31/42/43

stf1831 1416+5643 6.6, 7.1 @ 108″ 65 1155+4629 6.5, 6.7 @ 63″ stf1415 1018+7104 6.7, 7.3 @ 16.7″ zeta 1324+5456 2.3, 4.0 @ 14.4″

Ursa Minor psa 51

alpha 0231+8915 2.0, 9.0 @ 18.4″ pi1 1529+8027 6.6, 7.3 @ 31″

Virgo psa 47

stf1627 1218-0357 6.6, 6.9 @ 20.1″ 54 1314-1849 6.5, 7.2 @ 5.3″

Vulpecula psa 75

stf2769 2111+2409 6.5, 7.5 @ 17.9″

*****

*image credit: space.com*

saber does the stars at http://saberdoesthestars.wordpress.com

c14 is awesome! (saber does the stars vol. 2: the index catalog) at http://c14isawesome.blogspot.com

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saberdoesthestars · 7 years

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Concordiem Borealis by Stephen Saber This collection of DSOs and doublestars unifies the Astronomical League’s Messier, Bino Deepsky, Caldwell (the 76 most northern), and Double Star targets as well as the RASC’s 110 Finest NGC Objects (90 of which are Herschel 400s). Three doubles I couldn’t live without are also included. Designed with those tackling the Observe Programs in mind, the overlapping entries have been omitted- leaving a treasure chest of 400+ gems for northern observers. Grouped by constellation, the basic data and corresponding Pocket Sky Atlas chart follow each entry. ANDROMEDA obj/type/mag/radec/psa M31 GX 3.5 0043+4119 03 M32 GX 8.2 0043+4055 03 M110 GX 8.0 0041+4144 03 C28/NGC752 OC 5.7 0158+3743 02 C23/NGC891 GX 10.0 0223+4223 02 C22/NGC7662 PN 9.0 2326+4236 03 gammaAnd DS 2.3 0204+4222 02 AQUARIUS M2 GC 6.5 2134-0047 77 M72 GC 9.4 2054-1230 77 M73 AS 9.0 2059-1236 77 C55/NGC7009 PN 8.0 2105-1120 77 C63/NGC7293 PN 7.5 2230-2046 76 zetaAqr DS 4.3 2229-0001 77 94 Aqr DS 5.3 2319-1328 76 AQUILA NGC6709 OC 6.7 1852+1022 65 NGC6781 PN 12.0 1919+0634 65 57 Aql DS 5.8 1955-0814 66 ARIES NGC772 GX 10.3 0200+1903 04 gammaAri DS 4.8 0154+1918 04 lambdaAri DS 4.9 0158+2336 04 AURIGA M36 OC 6.0 0537+3408 12 M37 OC 5.6 0553+3233 12 M38 OC 6.4 0529+3550 12 NGC1893 OC 7.5 0523+3324 12 NGC1907 OC 8.2 0529+3519 12 NGC1931 CN 11.3 0532+3415 12 NGC2281 OC 5.4 0650+4103 23 C31/IC405 EN — 0517+3416 12 thetaAur DS 2.7 0600+3713 12 BOOTES C45/NGC5248 GX 10.2 1338+0851 44 NGC5466 GC 9.1 1406+2830 44 deltaBoo DS 3.5 1516+3319 42 iotaBoo DS 4.9 1416+5122 42 kappaBoo DS 4.6 1414+5147 42 epsilonBoo DS 2.5 1445+2704 44 muBoo DS 4.3 1525+3723 42 piBoo DS 4.9 1441+1625 44 xiBoo DS 4.7 1451+1906 44 CAMELOPARDALIS NGC1501 PN 13.0 0408+6056 13 C7/NGC2403 GX 8.4 0738+6535 21 NGC2655 GX 10.1 0857+7811 21 C5/IC342 GX 9.1 0348+6807 11 Stock23 OC 6.5 0316+6002 11 Kemble1 OC 4.0 0358+6306 11 1 Cam DS 5.7 0432+5355 12 32 Cam DS 5.3 1249+8325 21 CANCER M44 OC 3.1 0841+1957 24 M67 OC 6.9 0851+1147 24 C48/NGC2775 GX 10.3 0911+0700 24 iotaCnc DS 4.2 0847+2846 24 zetaCnc DS 5.5 0812+1739 24 CANES VENATICI M3 GC 6.3 1343+2821 44 M51 GX 8.4 1330+4710 43 M63 GX 8.6 1316+4159 43 M94 GX 8.2 1251+4104 43 M106 GX 8.3 1219+4715 43 NGC4111 GX 10.8 1208+4301 43 NGC4214 GX 9.7 1216+3617 43 C26/NGC4244 GX 10.2 1218+3746 43 C21/NGC4449 GX 9.4 1229+4403 43 NGC4490 GX 9.8 1231+4135 43 C32/NGC4631 GX 9.3 1242+3229 43 NGC4656/7 GX 10.4 1244+3207 43 C29/NGC5005 GX 9.8 1311+3700 43 NGC5033 GX 10.1 1314+3633 43 alphaCVn DS 2.9 1256+3819 43 CANIS MAJOR M41 OC 4.5 0646-2045 27 NGC2359 EN 11.0 0719-1313 27 C58/NGC2360 OC 7.2 0718-1538 27 C64/NGC2362 OC 4.1 0719-2457 27 epsilonCMa DS 1.5 0659-2858 27 h3945 DS 5.0 0717-2318 27 CAPRICORNUS M30 GC 7.5 2141-2309 77 alphaCap DS 3.6 2018-1233 66 betaCap DS 3.4 2021-1447 66 CASSIOPEIA M52 OC 6.9 2325+6138 03 M103 OC 7.4 0134+6044 03 NGC129 OC 6.5 0030+6017 03 C17/NGC147 GX 9.3 0034+4833 03 C18/NGC185 GX 9.2 0039+4823 03 NGC281 EN 7.0 0053+5640 03 C13/NGC457 OC 6.4 0120+5823 03 C8/NGC559 OC 9.5 0130+6320 01 C10/NGC663 OC 7.1 0147+6117 01 C11/NGC7635 EN — 2321+6115 71 NGC7789 OC 6.7 2357+5647 03 IC289 PN 13.1 0311+6121 02 Cr463 OC 5.7 0148+7157 01 Stock2 OC 4.4 0215+5916 01 Mark6 OC 7.1 0230+6039 01 Mel15 OC 6.5 0233+6127 01 Tr3 OC 7.0 0312+6315 01 etaCas DS 3.4 0049+5749 03 iotaCas DS 4.0 0229+6724 01 sigmaCas DS 5.0 2359+5545 03 CEPHEUS C2/NGC40 PN 11.0 0013+7235 71 C1/NGC188 OC 8.1 0045+8523 71 NGC6939 OC 7.8 2032+6040 61 C12/NGC6946 GX 8.9 2035+6011 61 C4/NGC7023 CN 7.0 2101+6812 71 NGC7129 RN 12.0 2141+6608 71 NGC7160 OC 6.1 2154+6238 71 NGC7235 OC 7.7 2213+5719 71 C9/Sh2-155 DN — 2257+6237 71 betaCep DS 3.2 2129+7034 71 deltaCep DS 3.9 2229+5825 71 xiCep DS 4.4 2204+6438 71 Struve 2816 DS 5.6 2139+5729 73 CETUS M77 GX 8.8 0243+0001 04 C56/NGC246 PN 8.0 0047-1150 07 C62/NGC247 GX 8.9 0047-2043 07 NGC936 GX 10.1 0228-0107 04 C51/IC1613 GX 9.3 0105+0207 05 gammaCet DS 3.5 0243+0314 04 COLUMBA C73/NGC1851 GC 7.3 0514-4003 18 COMA BERENICES M53 GC 7.7 1313+1807 45 M64 GX 8.5 1257+2138 45 M85 GX 9.2 1226+1808 C M88 GX 9.5 1232+1422 C M91 GX 10.2 1236+1427 C M98 GX 10.1 1214+1451 C M99 GX 9.8 1219+1422 C M100 GX 9.4 1223+1546 C NGC4274 GX 10.4 1220+2934 45 NGC4414 GX 10.3 1227+3110 45 NGC4494 GX 9.9 1232+2544 45 C36/NGC4559 GX 9.9 1236+2755 45 C38/NGC4565 GX 9.6 1237+2556 45 NGC4725 GX 9.2 1251+2527 45 C35/NGC4889 GX 11.4 1300+2755 45 Mel 111 OC 1.8 1225+2600 45 24 Com DS 5.2 1235+1823 45 CORONA AUSTRALIS C68/NGC6729 EN 9.7 1902-3657 69 CORONA BOREALIS zetaCrB DS 5.1 1539+3638 53 sigmaCrB DS 5.6 1615+3352 53 CORVUS C60/NGC4038 GX 10.7 1202-1855 47 C61/NGC4039 GX 13.0 1202-1856 47 NGC4361 PN 10.0 1225-1851 47 deltaCrv DS 3.0 1230-1631 47 CYGNUS M29 OC 6.6 2024+3834 62 M39 OC 4.6 2132+4828 62 NGC6819 OC 7.3 1942+4012 62 C15/NGC6826 PN 10.0 1945+5032 62 C27/NGC6888 EN 7.5 2012+3822 62 NGC6910 OC 7.4 2023+4049 62 C34/NGC6960 SN — 2046+3045 62 C33/NGC6992-5 SN — 2057+3145 62 C20/NGC7000 EN 6.0 2059+4422 62 NGC7027 PN 10.0 2107+4216 62 NGC7063 OC 7.0 2125+3632 62 C19/IC5146 CN 10.0 2154+4718 73 betaCyg DS 3.1 1931+2758 62 31 Cyg DS 3.8 2014+4644 62 61 Cyg DS 5.2 2107+3845 62 DELPHINUS C47/NGC6934 GC 8.7 2034+0724 64 C42/NGC7006 GC 10.6 2102+1611 64 gammaDel DS 4.5 2047+1607 64 DRACO M102 GX 10.0 1507+5544 42 C3/NGC4236 GX 9.7 1217+6928 41 NGC5907 GX 10.4 1516+5619 42 NGC6503 GX 10.2 1749+7009 61 C6/NGC6543 PN 8.8 1759+6638 51 muDra DS 5.7 1705+5428 52 nuDra DS 4.9 1732+5511 52 psiDra DS 4.9 1742+7209 51 16/17 Dra DS 5.4 1636+5255 52 40/41 Dra DS 5.7 1800+8000 51 ERIDANIS NGC1232 GX 9.9 0310-2035 17 NGC1535 PN 10.4 0414-1244 17 32 Eri DS 4.8 0354-0257 17 55 Eri DS 6.7 0444-0848 16 FORNAX C67/NGC1097 GX 9.2 0246-3017 06 GEMINI M35 OC 5.1 0609+2420 25 NGC2158 OC 8.6 0608+2406 25 NGC2371/2 PN 11.0 0726+2929 25 C39/NGC2392 PN 9.9 0729+2055 25 alphaGem DS 1.9 0735+3153 25 deltaGem DS 3.5 0720+2159 25 HERCULES M13 GC 5.9 1642+3627 52 M92 GC 6.5 1717+4307 52 NGC6210 PN 9.0 1645+2348 54 alphaHer DS 3.5 1715+1423 52 deltaHer DS 3.1 1715+2450 54 kappaHer DS 5.3 1608+1703 55 rhoHer DS 4.6 1724+3709 52 95 Her DS 5.0 1802+2136 54 HYDRA M48 OC 5.8 0814-0549 26 M68 GC 8.2 1240-2648 47 M83 GX 7.6 1337-2954 47 C59/NGC3242 PN 8.6 1025-1838 37 C66/NGC5694 GC 10.2 1440-2632 46 N Hya DS 5.8 1132-2916 36 LACERTA NGC7209 OC 7.7 2205+4630 73 C16/NGC7243 OC 6.4 2215+4953 73 8 Lac DS 5.7 2236+3938 72 LEO M65 GX 9.3 1119+1302 34 M66 GX 9.0 1121+1256 34 M95 GX 9.7 1044+1139 34 M96 GX 9.2 1047+1146 34 M105 GX 9.3 1048+1232 34 NGC2903 GX 8.9 0933+2128 35 NGC3384 GX 10.0 1049+1235 34 NGC3521 GX 8.9 1106-0005 34 NGC3607 GX 10.0 1117+1800 34 C40/NGC3626 GX 10.9 1121+1818 34 NGC3628 GX 9.5 1121+1333 34 alphaLeo DS 1.4 1008+1158 35 gammaLeo DS 2.2 1020+1951 35 54 Leo DS 4.5 1056+2445 34 LEO MINOR NGC3003 GX 11.7 0949+3323 33 NGC3344 GX 10.0 1044+2452 35 NGC3432 GX 11.3 1023+3634 33 LEPUS M79 GC 8.0 0525-2433 16 HR1944 DS 6.4 0539-1751 16 gammaLep DS 3.8 0545-2227 16 LIBRA NGC5897 GC 8.6 1518-2103 57 alphaLib DS 2.8 1451-1602 57 LYNX C25/NGC2419 GC 10.4 0739+3852 23 NGC2683 GX 9.7 0853+3323 22 12 Lyn DS 5.4 0646+5927 23 19 Lyn DS 5.6 0723+5517 23 38 Lyn DS 3.9 0919+3648 22 LYRA M56 GC 8.3 1917+3012 63 M57 PN 9.0 1854+3303 63 betaLyr DS 3.4 1850+3322 63 zetaLyr DS 4.3 1845+3736 63 epsilonLyr DS 5.0 1844+3940 63 Struve 2404 DS 6.9 1851+1059 63 O.Struve 525 DS 6.0 1855+3358 63 MONOCEROS M50 OC 5.9 0704-0821 27 NGC2232 OC 3.9 0627-0445 27 C50/NGC2244 OC 4.8 0633+0452 25 NGC2251 OC 7.3 0635+0822 25 C46/NGC2261 EN 10.0 0639+0844 25 NGC2264 CN 3.9 0642+0952 25 C49/NGC2237+ EN — 0631+0503 25 NGC2301 OC 6.0 0652+0027 25 NGC2343 OC 6.7 0709-1040 27 C54/NGC2506 OC 7.6 0801-1048 26 betaMon DS 4.7 0629-0702 27 epsilonMon DS 4.5 0624+0436 25 OPHIUCHUS M9 GC 7.9 1720-1831 56 M10 GC 6.6 1658-0126 56 M12 GC 6.6 1648-0158 56 M14 GC 7.6 1738-0315 56 M19 GC 7.2 1703-2617 56 M62 GC 6.6 1702-3008 56 M107 GC 8.1 1633-1304 56 NGC6369 PN 13.0 1730-2346 56 NGC6572 PN 9.0 1812+0651 65 NGC6633 OC 4.6 1828+0634 65 IC4665 OC 4.2 1746+0543 54 omicronOph DS 5.4 1718-2417 56 36 Oph DS 5.1 1715-2636 56 70 Oph DS 4.2 1806+0230 65 ORION M42 EN 3.9 0536-0527 16 M43 EN 9.0 0536-0516 16 M78 RN 8.0 0547+0003 16 NGC1662 OC 6.4 0449+1057 14 NGC1788 RN — 0507-0320 16 NGC1973+ EN — 0535-0444 B NGC1981 OC 4.6 0536-0426 16 NGC2022 PN 12.0 0543+0905 14 NGC2024 EN — 0542-0151 14 NGC2169 OC 5.9 0609+1357 14 NGC2194 OC 8.5 0614+1248 14 betaOri DS 0.1 0515-0812 16 deltaOri DS 2.2 0532-0018 16 theta1 Ori DS 5.4 0536-0523 B theta2 Ori DS 5.2 0536-0525 B iotaOri DS 2.8 0535-0555 B lambdaOri DS 3.6 0535+0956 14 sigmaOri DS 4.0 0539-0236 16 zetaOri DS 1.9 0541-0157 16 Struve 747 DS 4.8 0535-0600 B PEGASUS M15 GC 6.4 2130+1212 75 C30/NGC7331 GX 9.5 2237+3427 72 C44/NGC7479 GX 11.0 2305+1222 74 C43/NGC7814 GX 10.5 0004+1612 74 epsilonPeg DS 2.4 2144+0952 75 PERSEUS M34 OC 5.2 0243+4249 13 M76 PN 12.0 0143+5136 13 C14/NGC869 OC 4.0 0220+5711 13 C14/NGC884 OC 4.0 0223+5709 13 NGC1023 GX 9.5 0241+3906 13 C24/NGC1275 GX 11.6 0320+4133 13 NGC1342 OC 6.7 0332+3722 13 NGC1491 EN — 0404+5120 13 NGC1528 OC 6.4 0416+5115 13 NGC1582 OC 7.0 0433+4352 12 Tr2 OC 5.9 0237+5559 13 Mel20 OC 1.2 0322+4900 13 etaPer DS 3.8 0251+5554 13 Struve 331 DS 5.3 0301+5221 13 PISCES M74 GX 9.2 0137+1549 04 alphaPsc DS 4.2 0202+0246 04 zetaPsc DS 5.6 0113+0735 05 psi1 Psc DS 5.6 0106+2128 05 65 Psc DS 6.3 0050+2743 05 PUPPIS M46 OC 6.1 0742-1450 27 M47 OC 4.4 0737-1431 27 M93 OC 6.2 0745-2353 26 NGC2440 PN 11.0 0742-1814 26 C71/NGC2477 OC 5.8 0753-3834 28 NGC2527 OC 6.5 0806-2811 28 NGC2539 OC 6.5 0811-1251 26 NGC2571 OC 7.0 0819-2946 28 kappaPup DS 4.5 0739-2648 27 SAGITTA M71 GC 8.3 1954+1848 64 SAGITTARIUS M8 CN 5.8 1804-2423 67 M17 EN 6.0 1821-1611 67 M18 OC 6.9 1820-1708 67 M20 EN 6.3 1803-2302 67 M21 OC 5.9 1805-2635 67 M22 GC 5.1 1837-2354 67 M23 OC 5.5 1757-1901 67 M24 SC 4.6 1817-1850 67 M25 OC 4.6 1832-1915 67 M28 GC 6.9 1825-2452 67 M54 GC 7.7 1856-3028 67 M55 GC 7.0 1940-3057 66 M69 GC 7.7 1832-3221 67 M70 GC 8.1 1844-3217 67 M75 GC 8.6 2007-2154 66 NGC6445 PN 13.0 1750-2001 67 NGC6520 OC 8.0 1804-2754 67 NGC6716 OC 6.9 1855-1952 67 NGC6818 PN 10.0 1944-1408 66 C57/NGC6822 GX 9.0 1945-1447 66 SCORPIUS M4 GC 5.9 1624-2633 56 M6 OC 4.2 1741-3213 58 M7 OC 3.3 1754-3449 58 M80 GC 7.2 1617-2300 56 C75/NGC6124 OC 5.8 1626-4041 58 C76/NGC6231 OC 2.6 1654-4148 58 C69/NGC6302 PN 13.0 1714-3707 58 betaSco DS 2.6 1605-1948 56 nuSco DS 4.3 1612-1928 56 xiSco DS 4.8 1604-1122 56 Struve 1999 DS 7.4 1604-1127 56 SCULPTOR C72/NGC55 GX 8.0 0015-3908 78 C65/NGC253 GX 7.1 0048-2514 07 C70/NGC300 GX 9.0 0055-3738 09 SCUTUM M11 OC 5.8 1852-0615 67 M26 OC 8.0 1846-0923 67 NGC6712 GC 8.2 1854-0841 67 SERPENS CAPUT M5 GC 5.8 1519+0203 55 deltaSer DS 4.2 1535+1032 55 SERPENS CAUDA M16 CN 6.0 1819-1347 67 IC4756 OC 4.6 1839+0527 65 thetaSer DS 4.5 1856+0412 65 SEXTANS C53/NGC3115 GX 9.2 1006-0745 37 TAURUS M1 SN 8.4 0535+2201 14 M45 OC 1.2 0047+2407 15 NGC1514 PN 10.0 0410+3048 15 NGC1647 OC 6.4 OC 0446+1905 15 NGC1746 OC 6.0 0504+2350 14 NGC1807 OC 7.0 0511+1633 14 NGC1817 OC 7.7 0513+1643 14 C41/Mel25 OC 1.0 0427+1600 15 chiTau DS 5.5 0423+2538 15 118 Tau DS 5.8 0529+2509 14 TRIANGULUM M33 GX 5.7 0134+3041 02 iotaTri DS 5.3 0212+3018 02 URSA MAJOR M40 DS 9.0 1222+5805 32 M81 GX 6.9 0956+6902 31 M82 GX 8.4 0956+6939 31 M97 PN 11.2 1115+548 32 M101 GX 7.7 1403+5419 42 M108 GX 10.1 1112+5537 32 M109 GX 9.8 1158+5320 32 NGC2841 GX 9.3 0923+5056 33 NGC3079 GX 10.6 1003+5539 33 NGC3184 GX 9.8 1019+4123 33 NGC3877 GX 12.0 1147+4727 32 NGC3941 GX 11.0 1153+3656 32 NGC4026 GX 12.0 1200+5055 32 NGC4088 GX 10.5 1206+5030 32 NGC4157 GX 12.0 1212+5026 32 NGC4605 GX 11.0 1240+6134 32 zetaUMa DS 2.3 1324+5456 32 URSA MINOR alphaUMi DS 2.0 0232+8916 01 VELA C74/NGC3132 PN 8.2 1008-4026 VIRGO M49 GX 8.4 1230+0757 C M58 GX 9.8 1238+1146 C M59 GX 9.8 1242+1136 C M60 GX 8.8 1244+1130 C M61 GX 9.7 1222+0425 45 M84 GX 9.3 1226+1250 C M86 GX 9.2 1227+1254 C M87 GX 8.6 1231+1221 C M89 GX 9.8 1236+1230 C M90 GX 9.5 1237+1307 C M104 GX 8.3 1240-1140 47 NGC4216 GX 10.0 1216+1306 C NGC4388 GX 11.1 1226+1237 C NGC4438 GX 10.1 1228+1258 C NGC4517 GX 10.5 1233+0004 45 NGC4526 GX 9.6 1234+0739 C NGC4535 GX 9.8 1235+0809 C NGC4567/8 GX 11.3 1237+1112 C C52/NGC4697 GX 9.3 1249-0551 47 NGC4699 GX 9.6 1249-0843 47 NGC4762 GX 10.2 1253+1111 C NGC5746 GX 10.6 1445+0155 44 gammaVir DS 3.5 1242-0127 45 VULPECULA M27 PN 8.1 2000+2244 64 NGC6802 OC 8.8 1931+2017 64 NGC6823 CN 7.1 1943+2319 64 C37/NGC6882-5 OC 6.0 2012+2630 64 NGC6940 OC 6.3 2035+2820 64 Cr 399 OC 3.6 1925+2011 64 ***** c76 (the northern jewelbox) in scorpius courtesy of sdss saber does the stars vol 2: the index catalog http://c14isawesome.blogspot.com all contents within are free use with author/website acknowledgement * * * * *

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