Reddit mentions: The best binoculars

Edit at the top for the OP - Don't buy a telescope until you're committed to the hobby. If you live in the US go to a local star party whenever you have the chance. People will be more than happy to let you take a quick peek through their scopes and explain what you're looking at. Before you buy a scope, get acquainted with the hobby by getting a simple star chart, you can pick those up for $10 online. And then buy these binoculars Those are the gold standard for people just starting out. They're only $50 and they're great. On the off chance that they are mis-collimated just call their customer service line and they'll walk you through how to fix it. It's not the big deal some people make it out to be. They have a nice wide field and they're great for learning the sky. The seven sisters are amazing through them as is the moon, and they're just powerful enough to see Albireo clearly. On a dark night you can also see the Orion Nebula (although small) and see the full disc of Andromeda as well as all the Galilean moons around Jupiter.

Books:

The Backyard Astronomers guide

Turn Left at Orion

Websites:

• Astronomy Cast - Start at episode one and just work your way up. Probably the best astronomy podcast in existence.
  
  
• Universe Today Run by Fraser Cain of Astronomy cast
  
  
• Star Stryder - Dr. Pamela Gay's blog
  
  
• APOD Gorgeous photos and explanations to go with them.
  
  
• Centauri Dreams - For when you want to dream big... but not necessarily realistic.
  
  
• EarthSky - Science news with an Astronomy slant
  
  
• SpaceWeather - Shit about the sun
  
  
• Zooniverse - Participate in real science
  
  
• Space.com - All space all the time.
  
  
• Planetary Society - More awesome space stuff
  
  
• Citizen Sky - Little more advanced but another way to contribute.
  
  
• AAVSO - Learn about variable stars and contribute to the cause.
  
  Phone apps: (If you have an android phone)
  
  
• Google Sky - Augmented reality app that shows you exactly what you're looking at.
  
• Satellite AR - Will show all satellite passes above you in real time. Also augmented reality.
  
• SkEye - Similar to google sky but with much more detail
  
• Heavens Above - Find satellite passes, Iridium flares, ISS passes, all sortable by date, time, location, and luminosity.
  
• Where is IO - A great Jupiter map for figuring out which moons you're looking at when observing Jupiter
  
• Star Odyssey - A great tool to find data on stars. Like a mini encyclopedia about star targets.
  
• Telescope Calculator Lite - When you get a scope, you can input all variables and get specs for your scope and eyepieces. Great tool for the field.
  
  Must have programs for your computer:
  
  
• Celestia - Can do anything but the learning curve can be discouraging. Amazing program once you learn the basics.
  
  
• Stellarium - The most essential amazing amateur program ever created. Look up any star, constellation, asterism, messier object, etc etc etc, then see what it will look like through your exact telescope at any time of night. INCREDIBLE and essential program.
  
  
• Virtual Moon Atlas - Unreal program for lunar observing. Love it. Love it. Love it.
  
  That should keep you busy for awhile.
  
  Edit: Can't believe I forgot Cloudy Nights Pretty much the most comprehensive Astronomy forum on the web.
  

Getting your first scope is so exciting! I'm very much an amateur and casual observer myself, but my dad and I have been into astronomy for about four years now.

First, I recommend looking into some space/astro societies in your area, there's Tacoma Astronomical Society and Rose City Astronomers in my area for example! Each club has different resources, but they can be super helpful. You can meet locals and see if they have resources you can rent- like telescopes, or books and whatnot. It's saved me a dime or two. Sometimes they have online forums too. I also highly recommend going to star parties, it's where I've learned the most! You can see other people's set ups, ask loads of questions, and get a better sense for what you might want. We did this for about 6 months before getting our first scope, and before that we nabbed a pair of nice binoculars .

Now, you have to consider, when you get a scope you aren't just getting a scope. You're probably getting filters, eye pieces, protective gear, batteries, red lights, etc. etc. and then probably a tool box to carry all of this- which you might want to customize with foam or something to keep everything safe and tidy. It's an Investment. Now, looking at jupiter and saturn won't require much, but eventually you might want to look at the moon (needs filters), or special eyepieces that let have more magnification, or there's even filters that let you see some colors, etc!

I, personally, would highly recommend getting a manual (specifically, Dobsonian *) scope for your first one- not computerized. Learning the sky and it's constellations is part of astronomy, and having to find stuff yourself is really helpful- and rewarding! Plus, computerized scopes require pretty hardy batteries, especially if you want to take it out to darker skies which usually means more rural aka no plugs. They also require certain stars to be be visible to be able to calibrate. Manual scopes require no plugs, no consistent power source, and no learning computer programs-NexStar can be a pain imo, some reading required (plus Jupiter and Saturn are pretty easy to spot with the naked eye anyways). Plus it's fun being able to point out stuff to friends just by knowing where a few stars are. We only got a computerized equatorial mount (meaning it tracks objects) when we wanted to try out long exposure astro- photography. This 8in dob was our first scope, and I still love it- it's the go-to (Craigslist, amazon used, and other shops are worth a gander too).

*I'm 99% sure dobsonian and newtonian telescopes are the same, except for the mounts they're on (newtonian is tripod, dobsonian is a base that can move up down and in a circle)

Also, I consider Sinnott's Sky Atlas a must!

Lmk if you have any questions!

(Edit: sorry if this is repetitive- reddit says there are four comments, but isn't letting see me them atm.)

Hello again,

you can still get 0.965" eyepieces at ebay or surplusshed, but they are either not good, expensive, or both ;-)

These kits are very common, and while it does not seem expensive, the eyepieces have a small apparent field of view, are not of good quality, and the shorter ones have short eye relief.


Scopehed1 on ebay has a $7.49 diagonal, and moderate shipping. A 20mm or 12.5mm cheapo eyepiece 0.965" costs $3.49. Don't get one shorter than 9mm, as this telescope can't handle more magnification.


A 0.965"<>1.25" diagonal and two or three decent eyepieces (e.g. Plössl $8-$17 in China, $15-$30 in the US) or gold-line ($25/$35 each) would be the better alternative.

Two eyepieces are the absolute minimum I'd get.

But - For $100 you might already get a better (used) telescope with accessories.

Does the telescope still have a finder? A diagonal?

 

Binoculars- The Celestron Cometron 7x50 are nice budget binoculars. Of course they won't perform like $200 binoculars, but they can be nice to with and are a no-brainer to just throw into the trunk/back-pack/suitcase. Review, Amazon.

 

If you can see the milky way, there will be a lot visible already :-)

For constellations, visual is the way to go. For a bunch of galaxies and nebulae, binoculars are great.

7x50 are nice under darker skies. 10x50 have a smaller exit pupil and work better under some light-pollution, but 10x already isn't as comfortable holding free handed over a longer period of time.

 

Even a 60mm telescope will show things binoculars can't: E.g. the rings of Saturn, some double stars, some nebulae.

 

Links on what to expect in different apertures

 

Do you have any sort of magnifier laying around, e.g. one like these, google Cardboard VR lenses, microscope eyepieces...? You can use them as crude eyepiece which can still be a lot of fun for the moon.

 

New, there are some telescopes in the $100 range. Skyscout, Skyscanner (sometimes <$80), 70az - but at around $200, the telescopes will show a lot more and offer better quality in general.

Again, aperture is key. While it can be fun to start with around 3" aperture (and many here did), a 5", 6" or even 8" aperture shows so much more. What was invisible or faint blobs, will show a bit of structure (e.g. the spiral structure of galaxy M51, the Cassini division of Saturn's rings all the way through...).

Just to mention it, the xt6 is currently available used/refurbished ("2nd") for $225. Usually I recommend the AWB Onesky or similar table-tops. And of course the z8, which comes with so many accessories and a large aperture, it's the best deal out there currently. Such a telescope can last a life-time and is somewhat manageable. ;-)

 

Long story short - perhaps get some binoculars, and probably the best tool -> "Turn left at Orion" (or Nightwatch, or Simple stargazing, or...). And a dim-able red light to preserve night vision better. An app can work too (but a back-lit display can cause issues -> dim red transparency).

Clear skies!

I don't know much about the tunnels, but I'm sure others do. Check out other local parks, big and small, to find places you like [Winton Woods, Sharon Woods, Mt. Storm, Ault Park, etc).

Take The Cake [Cafe+Bakery] in Northside has a chalkboard menu, so every day the food is different, but awesome. (I'm biased towards this place. Others will say MELT, etc)

If you like music, be sure to keep track of all the local venues, big and small.

• 20th Century Theater, Madison Theater, etc
  
• Memorial Hall, Music Hall
  
• Northside Tavern, Mayday, MOTR, Drinkery, Neon's, Mockbee, (is BunkSpot still open?)
  
• US Bank Arena, Riverbend, Bogarts, etc
  
• Contemporary Art Center also has the occasional concert
  
  Arcade Legacy is popular amongst redditors, they moved to Cincinnati Mills Mall, haven't checked out the new location yet, but they have $10 all you can play, plus a large selection of music and games that are very reasonably priced.
  
  MPMF Indie Summer Series is going on now. Every Friday on Fountain Square there's live music, 3 bands each night, and sometimes they have really good tunes. My highlights from last year were Pomegranates and These United States.
  
  If you like stargazing, or just want to be able to see stars, I recommend Stone Lick State Park. It's about 50 minutes East of Cincy, and the park is a dark sky site, so there's not much light pollution and you can see the sky much better than you can in the burbs or the city. I've got a pair of these Celestron binoculars, you can see some incredible stuff on a clear night.
  
  That's all I've got off the top of my head. Cheers!
  
  
  *Edit: Final Friday's in OTR/Cincy, most of the galleries have stuff going on [wine & cheese], same thing with a lot of the bars. Second Saturday in Northside is the same deal. Going to gallery openings is fun because you can feel fancy, see some good art (sometimes), and drink free booze.

Just did a bunch of binocular research last year. I was looking for a pair for similar things as you, though mostly stargazing and hiking. Personally, I wound up buying a pair of Pentax PCF II 10x50s, which are waterproof, well-built, steady, sharp, and ~$150.

8x vs 10x is a personal thing. I'd heard people say 10x was harder to hold still, but I found the difference there to be negligible and the extra magnification very nice to have. I'd go to a store and try out models that come in both magnifications (e.g. comparable 8x and 10x Nikons or something) to figure out which you like more and what you can hold steady comfortably. The field-of-view difference is there, sure, but again it's a matter of taste; to me, 5º for my set vs 6.5º for some others wasn't a deal-breaker.

It sounds like you're leaning towards mostly daytime use, which makes things a little easier, because the other big variable with binoculars is the exit pupil (= objective diameter / magnification), which controls how much light gets to your eyeballs. For the same magnification, a bigger objective size gives you more light-gathering power at the expense of more size & weight (& cost, usually). As an example, "standard" 7x35 binoculars have an exit pupil of ~5 mm, which is a good balance of weight and dusk-time visibility. 7x50s, on the other hand, sometimes get called "night glasses" because they're so much better at gathering light than your eyes that they really bring out detail well in crappy lighting. If you're going to be using these exclusively during the day, you could get away with a 4mm exit pupil, but I'd consider something larger if you're thinking about astronomy use or if you might be attending night-time games (especially poorly-lit high school or collegiate games).

So, in your 8x vs. 10x case, that means your choices are really 8x40 and 10x50 in a 5mm, or 8x56 and 10x60 in a 6mm. There's lots of good pairs in all of those categories; I'd skip the 7mm-exit-pupil pairs, since they get heavy fast at 8x or 10x. Generally you get better quality at a lower price point with porto-prism binoculars than roof-prism pairs, so that's a consideration, though the Monarchs are consistently well reviewed (they were also above my own price-point). Nikon does make a very-well regarded pair called the Action Extremes, though. I'd also look into Pentax and Oberwerk models. Oh, and if you wear glasses, make sure you get something with adequate eye relief so you don't have to pop your glasses or shades on and off every time you want to use the binoculars.

Good hunting! =)

Light pollution will nail you no matter what equipment you've got unfortunately. You're better off travelling out of the urban areas to darker skies.

Astronomy binocs can be pretty big and heavy. Imo you're just as well off with a pair of decent "non astronomy" 7x50s or 10x50s. 7x50s will give you wider views, nice for big stunning vistas. 10x50s will get you more power but they're right on the edge of being okay to hand hold - at that magnification you are better off with a tripod.

The binocs I use (and love) are the Pentax PCF WP II 10x50. I've got them mounted on a regular cheap video camera tripod by way of a Barska adapter.

I would also recommend a camping mat that you can roll out on the ground. Sometimes it's nicer to just lie on your back without the tripod.

As for what you'll see, binocs up to 10x50 are really only any good for bright clusters like Pleiades and the beehive and for some decent lunar views. The brighter DSOs like the Orion nebula and Andromeda will be visible as faint, fuzzy, monochrome smudges. On a good clear dark night you might make out Jupiters 4 main moons as tiny specs extending in a line from the brighter "star" that is Jupiter, but you won't see detail in Jupiter such as banding or the red spot without something much more powerful.

I'll just point out that you can get these Celestron 10x50 binoculars for under $20 right now on Amazon (US).

I wouldn't normally recommend them, but they were my first pair of binoculars (I just started stargazing last year) and they opened my eyes to astronomy. They have many shortcomings in comparison to more expensive pairs, but for a beginner like me who just wanted get a hands-on experience with 10x binoculars without spending hardly any money, these performed much better than their price tag may suggest.

If you like what you see through them, you'll want to upgrade pretty soon as even spending only around $80 can get you a vastly superior visual experience (as well as better features like longer eye relief, which is especially good if you wear glasses like me).

This could be a good option if you're not sure what you want and just want to try something out, learn what you like and don't like, and go from there. Good luck!

> I have a tiny little step ladder that would perfect and folds nicely

Great! And you can also use that stepladder to sit on, since you'll rarely be using the scope when it's fully vertical, however, having somewhere to sit on is a great way to increase your stability and enhance the observing experience. And stepladders happen to be one of the quick-and-dirty solutions I suggest around quite often.

> I'm so glad you mentioned binoculars! I didn't even think about that but it is such a great solution. Any tips on binoculars?

Well, it depends on your budget. Basically, the best 7x50 bins you could afford. Something like Celestron Cometron 7x50 if you're super tight on budget, or Nikon Aculon A211 7x50 if you want a more durable set that'll last you for longer. There're a lot more options, these are just the two that immediately came to my mind :)

Binoculars are also great aid to have aside the telescope as well. you can use them to plot star hopping route, or just look at objects that would be otherwise too large to fit into telescope's field of view.

Unreal Developer's Kit. It's Epic's game engine, free to download, but if you sell any games made with it, you either have to purchase a license or give epic a percentage of all profits.

As far as telescopes go, if you can look to go to some sort of star party first to get an idea of what does what. A lot of people opt to start off with a good set of binoculars until they get their celestial body finding chops to a point that they can get the full enjoyment of the more expensive stuff.

This was my first star gazing purchase

The club I'm a part of has an observatory in a park with a 16 inch telescope. Those will run you about 10,000 USD. Portability is also a big issue, especially if you live in a city. A lot of people opt to buy an 8inch scope after the binoculars, as its a good improvement, and is still manageable size wise. Those will cost closer to the USD $500 range not including the costs of different eye pieces you'll need. I really recommend looking into a local club if interested, they can really help out, and you can test the equipment so you won't have to go into it blindly. Also there are other directions you can go into - some members are into solar astronomy, others radio astronomy and some are more interested in astrophysics than star gazing.

i hear you, friend. i think the library is a great idea. even if you don't check anything out, it would be fun just simply browsing the stacks.

i'm really glad you mentioned you're into space. i'm a bit of a space geek myself (highly recommend /r/astrophotography). easily one of the best purchases i made last year was sky watching binoculars. i don't know anything about your budget, but they are relatively cheap for what you can see with them (described towards the end of this paragraph). these are 15x70, meaning they have 70mm lenses so they can gather a lot of light, and objects are magnified 15 times, so they appear 15 times larger in the binos. the downside to 15x magnitude is holding them by hand means the image will shake a bit - it's doable by hand, but it helps to hold them but rest the lens-end on something like a chair to hold them steady (a tripod would be best if you have one or can buy one, but i have simply laid on the ground outside and basically used my face to keep them steady while looking straight up). anyway, i can reliably see 3 to 4 of jupiter's moons with these. now, they are pinpoints of light in the image, but you can definitely see them and see how they are all in similar planes. saturn becomes oblong because of the rings, you can almost see the gap between the body and the rings. shadows in the craters at the moon's terminator are visible. depending on where you are, you can see the general shape of the gases of the orion nebula (m42, or messier number 42).

anyway, i kind of rambled here but if you're into space, 15x70 binos are an excellent place to start before diving into the telescope world. happy to provide more info if needed.

Rule of thumb is avoid cheap refractors. With refractors you need top notch optics to get good results, and you will never find them on cheaper ones. Don't be fooled by the magnification number, 300x magnification is useless when your optics cannot produce good results to begin with. It's just a cheap trick they use to impress beginners


Your best bet, with a 200€ budget is to get a good pair of binoculars, something around 15x70 and a tripod. If you still want a telescope, what you need is a reflector. Check out the dobsonians in Amazon, they're great and pack a lot of power for what you pay for, best bang for your buck as a beginner. Example: Orion 8944 SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DDW9UW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_DsWCCb75RADY1

Telescopes are one thing where price does really matter though, it is advised to spend as much as you can on one, because quality and results obtained exponentially go up the pricier they are.

My suggestion would be to get a pair of nice binoculars, and if you like what you see thru them in the night sky (completely dark, away from City lights preferably) save up for a nice telescope. I've seen quite a few deep sky objects with just these cheap Olympus 10x50 ones, in completely dark skies. Olympus Trooper 10x50 DPS I Binocular (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AKGX3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HIWCCb36S5DK2

Good luck!

Honestly if your set on a $200 telescope the onesky or z130 best options. You may want to start with a pair of binoculars and tripod (for extended viewing) to help you get familiar with night sky. Binoculars are best value when starting in this hobby and unlike most beginner scopes you'll never outgrow them.

Zhumell 12x70 good for the price a bit large to be held by hand work best with tripod. I use bushnell 10x20 for quick viewing sessions light so easy to move from object to object.

I recommend starting with binoculars rather than any of those scopes also inside viewing no good with either. IMO to get the experience you want from having a telescope you'll have to invest in something likeZhumell Z8. That's why starting with binos will help you better decide if investing in a telescope is for you.

Here's the thing about optics for astronomy. The reason that we can't see stuff isn't because it's very far or small, but because it's very dim. To see the most interesting things in the sky, you don't really need to zoom, but just collect more light (effectively make your pupil larger). It's also comparatively much less expensive to make a larger light collector than it is to make something with a lot of zoom. Zoom is good for looking at the moon or Jupiter. Light buckets are better for everything else, like galaxies or nebulae.

So my advice to you is to look at 2 options. 1st is a "dobsonian telescope" which is basically a big tube with a concave mirror at the bottom to direct something like 12" of light into your 1/4" pupil. $3000 is more than you need, and many people actually just build them, because the mirror to eyepiece alignment is the important part and the rest is just for making it easy to aim, adjust and transport. The 2nd thing which I recommend you can do inexpensively right now is to buy some astronomy binoculars and a basic camera tri-pod to mount them on. With these you'll be able to find tons of stuff. Most of the stuff you'll look for with 12" dob scope, but just with less definition. These are the ones that I have and they're great!

I just recently got into birding and wanted a cheap pair of binoculars for a trip I took to Panama. I ended up with these from amazon for just about 30 dollars. I am sure there are tons of issues with them that someone with more experience would notice, but they work great for me. Focusing is really easy and the clarity honestly seems nice. One problem I had in a humid climate was fogging, but once I was out in the field for about 15 minutes, the fogging actually went away.

I plan on upgrading soon, but I am glad I got this cheaper pair to make sure I would even enjoy the hobby.

It kind of depends on how deep your going to get into it. If your just sniffing about astronomy for the first time, then go for it. It's 42 bucks and you can sell it at a yard sale if you don't like it, you might actually turn someone on to astronomy with it

If you think you actually might want to get into astronomy as something of a hobby, go with binoculars first, good ones are a bit pricey but you can do some excellent viewing with them, I started with and still use these

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN

These are excellent and not to heavy so your shaking all the time, but give great views, in dark skies I've gotten all four gallelian moons and a couple of Jupiters equatorial bands

And of astronomy ends up not being for you, you have a great set of binoculars for the upcoming zombie apocalypse

Edit-hey I just promoted a celestron product, can I get a hook up ???

Works with iphone 4/4s/5, and I'm assuming 5s. Here are the links to the items:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003N7NQOY
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BTBPCWA

The fit is a little loose on the eye piece but a thin layer of gorilla tape around the eyepiece made it perfectly snug. The focus works flawlessly and between the scope's focus and zoom, and the phone's focus and zoom, it makes for a great image.

I had this idea to help relieve the eye fatigue I get after spotting someone for a while - the eye relief on spotters under a few hundred bucks is generally not the best. It works great!

Are you open to refurb options? They could save you some money in the long run. I'll assume no for right now.

AVR - Yamaha RX-V377 or Denon AVR-S500BT for $250. The Denon adds in Bluetooth if that is something important to you. However, you can't go wrong with either one.

Speakers - I would look at a 5.1 set since you're starting from scratch. That would give you a 5.1 right away meaning you would get all five surround speakers and a sub included. Since you're in an apt I think a sat set would be fine. I would look at these sets.

• Yamaha NS-SP1800BL $120 a entry level set but a great place to start. Keeps you well under budget.
  
  
• Dayton Audio HTP-3 $200 This set comes with a Dayton 12" sub so make sure you have room for it. If not they sell the same set with either the 10" or 8" sub too.
  
  
• JBL Cinema 510 $150 nice set with small sats and a small 6.5" sub. Great for small spaces but if you move to a bigger place you might have to upgrade at least the sub.
  
  You could also get a prepack which is an AVR and speakers in one package. The Yamaha YHT399UBL $350 is a good example of this.
  
  Don't forget the following when you order.
  
  
• Optical cable $6 to hook up the TV/cable box to the AVR.
  
  
• HDMI cables $8 to hook up the AVR to the TV and dvd/brp ect to AVR
  
  
• speaker wire $10 needed to hook up the speakers in the Dayon set. Not a bad idea to get in case the wires that come with the sets are not long enough for where you want to put your speakers.
  
  
• Subwoofer cable $12 needed if getting the Dayton set as I don't think this comes with the sub cable.

The one I referenced above will cost more then people would expect to pay. But you will get excellent optics, the two most common eye pieces, and it will be small enough to easily take with you in the trunk of most cars. I bought the 8-inch version, and while I love it, I wished I had gotten the smaller one. There is no reason the one linked above or one like it could not last you the rest of your life.

Now if 270 is a bit too much you can check if there is a telescope store near you, most sell used scopes on consignment.

Or binoculers are a good alternative. The one linked should last the rest of your life. Will proved decent views of the heavens, and can be used by a nosy neighbor as well.

A third alternative is a good spotting scope. Through my brothers you can see Jupiter and its moons. For Binoculers and Spotting Scopes you will need a tripod for the best views.

Differences in these options.
Through the scope with a good night, and the right eye pieces you should see Jupiter's Major cloud bands and maybe the Red Spot. as well as all Galilean Moons and sometimes others. In the right conditions you will see Saturn's Rings and the Cassini division.

Binoculars and a spotting scope should yield views similar to OP's photo.

I already have all of this set up except for the XB1. Right now the switcher just goes into the TV. I've had it for about a month so I'll tell you my experience so far.

First off, here's the switcher I got. It's $87 but it's on sale for $34.99. That's why I got it all now, I couldn't pass that price up. Installation is really easy. In the picture you can see there are 5 numbered ports that you plug the devices into. There's one port for output. And, of course, a power input. The front has 5 LED's, one for each input. Whichever input you use is the LED that is currently lit. Also there's an LED to indicate that it's on. What isn't shown is the remote (I don't know why). It's very small. I'd say about 3"x2"x1/4". It takes one of those round watch batteries. It only has 8 buttons- 1 for power, 5 for inputs, 1 with a left arrow, 1 with a right arrow (for quick input switching). The IR detector is on the front next to the LED's. The switcher is black, so it blends in. It was very easy to set up and use, this coming from a guy that knows nothing about wiring things or any of that. If you can install a game console into a TV, you can install this thing. Basically, plug all your devices into the inputs via HDMI cable (if your device doesn't have one, look for an HDMI out port on it or a converter for the device). Then, plug an HDMI cable from the output of the switcher to the input of your TV and you're done. Just turn on your cable box, for example. Let's say it goes to input 1 on the switcher. Put the switcher on input 1, and the TV will show the picture. What I've been finding is if I have my cable box on in input 1, and I turn my xbox 360 on (in input 2), the switcher will automatically switch to input 2. However, when I turn the xbox off, it doesn't automatically go back to input 1 which is weird. Also, the LED's on the front are bright. I'm not kidding, it was somewhat blinding. Especially since the remote has to be pointed directly at the box, so you can't exactly hide it. I put a piece of black paper over it. It's dark enough to dim the light, but thin enough to still show what input I'm on. These are just some things to consider.

All in all, I love it, and I can't wait to use in on the XB1. It'll be great.

TL;DR: Mine was on sale for $35, but regularly is $87. No, setup is a breeze, even for a guy like me who knows nothing about wiring. If you can hookup your game console to your TV, you can hook up one of these.

EDIT: I'd also like to point out to anyone wondering, there's no lag caused by this at all. It's just like the XB1 passthrough. It doesn't do any upscaling of definition or anything like that.

Celestron Nature DX 8x42's

$139. Ok so $39 over, but I've been super impressed with these. Good value, easy to adjust, durable, portable, lightweight & compact.

Heavier, bigger bin's made me fidgety, ornery & exasperated to the point of not even using them. Stumbled on these & have been pretty happy with them. They were on backorder for entirely too long, but in hindsight, the wait was worth it.

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-71332-Nature-Binocular-Green/dp/B00B73JONS

I would like to point this out:

>And don’t settle for a 99% partial eclipse just outside the path. “There’s no comparison between partial and total solar eclipses when it comes to sheer grandeur and beauty,” Michael Zeiler, longtime eclipse chaser and creator of the Great American Eclipse website told Universe Today. We witnessed the 1994 annular solar eclipse of the Sun from the shores of Lake Erie, and can attest that a 99% partial eclipse is still pretty darned bright!

Do yourself a favor and make the short trip up to the Nashville area where you can see "Totality" for up to 2 minuites and 40 seconds.

I also recommend a good pair of solar sunglasses and maybe a good pair of binoculars with a solar filter.

Do not ever stare directly at the sun without protective gear on

It appears a tripod isn't a necessity, but certainly makes for better viewing. Here's an Amazon review discussing this fact:

>My first night out under dark skies with these binoculars was a terrific experience. In ninety minutes of observing I had great views of M36, M37, M38, M44, M50, easily saw the Trapizium in Orion's nebula, saw the Andromeda galaxy and it's companions streaching across 75% of my FOV. It had taken me two observing sessions with my 5" reflector to find M33, with the Binoculars I found it in two minutes, M81 and 82 were also easy.
>
>All this and I don't even have a tripod yet. I may well spend more time with the 15 X 70's than I do with my telescope.

Since you mentioned stars, do you live in an area where a telescope would make sense? Even if you have some light pollution, as long as you're not right in a city, you can see a ton with good binoculars or a fairly affordable telescope. (I live within walking distance of a big mall with obnoxious lighting and can still see plenty from my yard.)

Check out r/astronomy first since I'm pretty new at that whole hobby, but I have binoculars from Celestron (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007UQNTU/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awd_teQ4wbX0HFY8W) and it's absolutely breathtaking how many stars you can see. The guide Night Watch is a good side gift to go along with it, although there are tons of free apps (I like Google sky map) that work well, too.

You can't go wrong with a Dobsonian in the 6"-8"-10" range. At the lower end they'll be less expensive and more portable, but at the higher end you'll be able to see more.

http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Dobsonian-Telescopes/Classic-Dobsonians/pc/1/c/12/13.uts

I have an Orion 8" Dobsonian. They also sell Intelliscope models that will assist you in finding objects. I like finding things on my own, by star-hopping, but it takes a little patience and experience. These books will help:

http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Left-Orion-Hundreds-Telescope/dp/0521153972

http://www.amazon.com/NightWatch-Practical-Guide-Viewing-Universe/dp/155407147X

I recommend getting one with at least two eyepieces, or at least one eyepiece and a Barlow, so you'll have a choice of magnifications.

And whether or not you get a telescope, a pair of binoculars is a good thing to have. 7x50s are nice and easy to use without a tripod. 10x50s will show you a little more but are a little harder to hold steady. Anything larger and you'll probably want a tripod for them. I have 10x50s and am considering getting these:

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN

Having been at it all of two months may I recommend:

1. Free Monthly Skymap
   
2. Bookmark and learn to read the Clear Sky Chart. I'm basically look at the top four colored lines. Darker the better.
   
3. Pick up a small red flashlight to protect your night vision as you read your skymap.
   
4. Check out a light pollution map for your area. It may depress you some but you learn about local places to seek out as a stargazing location.
   
5. I picked up a basic set of stargazing binoculars at the recommendation of others. Isn't a telescope but does a lot. Was a $35.00 investment.
   
6. Find a local astronomy club. Although they seem to be lightly meeting over summers they will provide a ton of guidance. I haven't visited one yet, I have to wait till fall until they meet again.
   
7. I'm assuming you know about the pending Total Solar Eclipse on August 21st as well as the Perseid Meteor Shower Peak on Aug 12?
   
8. When I use my star maps, find the Big Dipper and move from there. Learn to find the North Star using that as a landmark.
   
9. Personally I see myself leaning more on the "Sky Guide", "iCSC", and "Sky Live" apps and let the others sit. Most apps allow you to turn on a red light night vision mode in settings.
   
10. Scope out places where you can let your night sight adjust. I found a neighborhood that is under construction about 1 mi away where streetlights are not up yet.
    
    Like I said, I'm only at this a month or two but really enjoy it. People here are amazingly helpful.
    
    Ah, as a side note - I tossed all this in a backpack that I can grab and go or can leave in my car if see an opportunity.

There are several different issues here.

ISS moves pretty quickly on the sky. You either need binoculars (as cheap as $29 ) and a steady hand, or a telescope with tracking complex enough that it can track satellites - those are not cheap.

Furthermore, all that tracking and stuff is money not spent on the optics, so while that telescope can pull this neat trick of following the ISS on the sky, it's not that good of a scope otherwise (for the money you spent).

A good general purpose telescope would be something with a very simple mount, no motors, no bells and whistles, but a good and large primary mirror. Basically, a Dobson or some other simple alt-az mount. Yes, there are good beginner scopes at $100, if you know where and how to look - for that money you get around 100mm (4") of aperture, good enough. For 150mm (6") or 200mm (8") aperture you need to spend around 3x more.

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=beginner_scopes/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=09541

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=HP_ProductZone1/~pcategory=HOMEPAGE/~product_id=09814

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=08942/

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=08943/

The bigger the aperture, the more stuff you see.

Here's an older post, the context was different (OP was looking for a general purpose beginner scope) but some info may be useful:

http://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/eeltj/telescope_question/c17jkxm

I got a set on a cruise on The Love Boat back in 77 (still have them) they are like this and they were decent.

Back in Jan in Hawaii and purchased something simular to these and they are very nice. Almost the same view and smaller, therefore easier to take with you. Think of that consideration when purchasing. Are you going on excursions, can they get wet, what do you want to see.

Our trips have been in late Aug and mid Sept, so we missed out on most of the wild life.

The set I got in 77 was taken with us on our second cruise and they were very good, but the optics in the new smaller one are better.

I guess it comes down to what you are hoping to get a closer look at; Slower items like scenery or whales are not at problem. Birds are another issue.

You definitely don't need to spend multiple hundreds of dollars for your first pair of binoculars. Consider these Celestrons as a similarly-priced alternative - actually, I'd probably choose these since they are tripod-adaptable without having to resort to a clamp. Astronomy can be a money-hungry hobby so the money you save now can be used for a tripod later. Your priority should be learning to use the binoculars really well. You should feel comfortable using the focus wheel, the diopter, setting the interpupillary distance for your eyes easily, and of course scanning the sky with increasing accuracy as you learn where things are. Seeing things is also a skill that requires practice, which sounds kinda funny, but as you start to learn which objects are where and return to them over and over you'll develop observing skills that will increase the efficacy of your binoculars. Spending a couple hundred more bucks won't get you any closer to that; the only thing that will is time invested in the hobby.

You should know that binoculars can get very expensive very fast, like everything else in this hobby. Later, if you want to upgrade your binoculars, you can go for stuff like these 25x100s and eventually binocular telescopes. But that's a long way off, and $50 and a field guide will have you well on your way. I suggest taking a look at the Astronomical League's observing challenges and setting some goals for things to look at with your binoculars. That way you'll have a sort of structured curriculum to try out while you get used to using them.

> I feel like telescopes should be one of those things people can rent for a day, like a kayak.

Well, kayaks are pretty hard to break, while telescopes are pretty fragile. Kinda like renting an iPhone for a day.

If you want a cheap entrance to the hobby, look at getting a pair of Celestron Skymaster binoculars. You can pick up for under $60 and they are great for looking at many objects. You can easily identify the moons of Jupiter with them.

I had Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 for a couple of years, first impressions were immense, really enjoyed them for what they are.

If you're completely psyched about Astronomy, you should probably get them and the tripod too of course. Mind that you will have to buy a metal bracket as well, as the plastic one which comes with these binos is too wobbly.

On the other hand, if you think you'd need more versatile pair of binoculars, try these 10x42 Nikons, better quality, more versatile, bright and sharp. There're a bit bigger ones at 10x50 , but 10x42 is enough for Astro use as well. They're more lightweight , so you can hold them steady without a tripod, unlike 15x70 Celestrons. Very travel friendly indeed.& since i bought them i never looked back , and stopped using Celestron whatsoever.

Have fun!

I got my space-loving ex these binoculars for stargazing and he really loves them. I also got him a print of the heart and soul nebula, if she has space (heh) for art on her walls. I think this goes with her interests and is also pretty lovey-dovey (heart and soul!). I used the hq image from NASA and got a poster made through a company in the UK (I'm sure there are other companies who do the same with good prices).

How much magnification a set of binoculars has (i.e.: power) doesn't always correlate to the price. For astronomy, the second number for binoculars is the one that will be more expensive in your 20x50, since it refers to the diameter of the lenses on the end. The larger the diameter of the lenses on the end, the more light they can catch, and often the more expensive and heavy they are.

You could also try getting two pairs, the one that has 20 times magnification for when you want to be closer, and a 7x50 for when you want an overview binoculars (I have these cheap ones), they work ok. The other guys are right, if you want to zoom in you're going to need to be able to steady those 20x50 binoculars.

Also just to make sure, if you're seeing a super bright planet in the early evening that's Venus. Jupiter won't rise until 10:25pm right now. When you're looking at Jupiter through the 20x50 binoculars you should be able to see a small bright white disk and the four Galilean planets at tiny white dots. I don't know if you'll be able to see much detail on Jupiter itself.

I know they sell them at the Tower of London, but I’d imagine they’re priced up for tourists. I got one there of pretty good good quality, but if you’d rather buy online they’re pretty cheap on amazon

Dude, like the other used said, a good pair of binoculars are much better than low end telescopes. You get better optics, and larger aperture. The only place where binoculars might lag is magnification. That being said, I own a pair of Celestron 15x70 which I'd recommend to anyone in a heartbeat. They're brilliant to get started with, not much set up involved(except collimation, that's easy but), and I even managed to get a glimpse of saturn's rings recently!

Thanks for the advice! I'm leaning strongly toward binoculars right now - the person doesn't have any experience stargazing, just a very, very strong interest, so I was thinking I could afford binoculars and that could be a good introductory gift (plus some of the books already recommended here on stargazing).

I asked another reddit user this, but I'm looking at these two binoculars. Is there one you would suggest over the other? (I'm relying on reviews and doing my best to look up what these specs mean in terms of performance, but any thoughts would be greatly appreciated).

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-71018-SkyMaster-20x80-Binoculars/dp/B0007UQNTU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334868191&sr=8-2

And

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334868191&sr=8-1

This was my first pair and honestly they are pretty great for the low price point. Magnification typically runs in 7x, 8x, 10x, and sometimes 12x, so these binoculars are on the lower end. However, I think this is a great thing for beginner birding because you can more easily get a bead on fast-moving birds. The paddle makes it easy to quickly focus, and for $30 you won't be devastated if something happened to them. I've actually taken these on bird walks and found that, with a little patience, you can keep up with the birders carrying $500+ binoculars just fine.

You need an Edmunds Astroscan. I don't think there's any other contender for this category. It's surprisingly steady and comfortable to use and you can even sit cross-legged and plop it directly in your own lap. It'll give you great views on a dark night, and the thing is so easy to use that anyone who is with you will be able to use it.

You might also consider a set of astronomy binoculars. I have a pair of Celestron Skymaster (15x70) and they're just about perfect for observing Messier class objects and planets, though looking at the full moon through them is a blinding experience. :-P

But seriously, you can't go wrong with that Astroscan.

Here you go! My $50 pair.

Large, Crisp and bright enough that the moon's terminator can be seen to ripple with the relative depth of the terrain. Also, will amaze you during the day - I had no idea there were that many birds in the sky at seemingly all times!

However, don't expect the planets to be more than bright blobs. For that kind of detail a telescope is the only way to go. These Binocs are good for watching animals/people other things at great distance though.

This helmet looks bad-ass xD

ANd you may pick anything from my US/UK lists if I'm lucky enough to win :P

I love Kevin

Could you give a few examples of "higher end astronomy binoculars"?

I got a set of Celestron Upclose G2's from a friend and I'm pretty happy with them, but I'd like to know where I might go next. Should I get an even better set of binoculars, or should I just go straight for the telescope?

After realising there is a solar eclipse not too far (10h drive) from me in 3 weeks time I figured I should do something about it.

Only I have never photographed the sun before and I would appreciate some advice.

I googled around but other than "use a filter" I couldn't find anything specifying what I should do to get a successful image.

First things first, my tools.

I will be using my DSLR, Pentax K-5, due to the remote locations needed I can't carry a telescope.

I have a selection of lenses ranging from 17-50 F2.8, 50 prime F1.7, 18-135mm F3-5.6 and this is my longest, Sigma 70-300.

I also have a doubler so it doubles the focal length and also a 10 stop ND filter.

One thing I have looked for is a filter, not finding a specific lens filter but this stuff.


My questions are:

1. Should I by something like this 500mm mirror lens?
   
   
2. Is that filter material the right stuff if I attach it to a lens?
   
   
   
3. What is the actual technique of getting good focus, exposing the image? do I take lots and stitch them? do I take long exposures? do I bracket each shot my a couple of stops? I have a small window to get this right and dont want to cock it up!
   
   Thanks for reading

that's under ideal conditions, mind you. several good options are:
Stellarvue F50 finder (it accepts regular telescope eyepieces.) with a camera tripod.http://www.stellarvue.com/stellarvue-9x50-top-rated-ra-correct-image-finder-scope-matte-black-f050m2/

the Orion GoScope 80 http://www.telescope.com/Telescopes/Beginner-Telescopes/Orion-GoScope-80mm-TableTop-Refractor-Telescope/pc/-1/c/1/sc/21/p/102008.uts

and binoculars. Nikon makes some excellently priced sets. The advantage of binoculars is that you use both halves of the brain to process the images. they can also be tripod mounted.
https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-8246-ACULON-10x42-Binocular/dp/B00B7LQ8ES/ref=pd_sim_421_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00B7LQ8ES&pd_rd_r=08PF11GBC7W6JT8H1KNS&pd_rd_w=CPHRe&pd_rd_wg=Sb47e&psc=1&refRID=08PF11GBC7W6JT8H1KNS

Tell her you're getting bored with her and this is the only way to save your marriage...

In all seriousness though you could start with a pair of 10x50 binoculars. They're actually a lot of fun and will give you an idea of whether or not you'll have continued interest. Or as others have said you could check out an astronomy club first.

I use these - https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Falcon-10x50-Angle-Binoculars/dp/B000051ZOA/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=10x50+binoculars&psc=1&qid=1572970529&sr=8-4

Edit: Also a nice pair of binoculars are a lot of fun on their own on a dark night, so you'll end up with binoculars and a scope in the end. There are much nicer binoculars out there as well. I used to have a pair of Nikon, but the image was honestly so close to these that I returned the Nikons.

There are some great links on the side about choosing a first scope. Your best bet would be to buy some binoculars first and learn the night sky. You'd be surprised how much you can see with something like this, and you'll still use them when you move up to a telescope. As far as telescopes are concerned I see these recommended again and again for beginner scopes.

If you are in the USA or Canada this might be useful for satellite watching. There are apps for this on smartphones too (iPhone and Android).

http://www.spaceweather.com/flybys/

A good pair of binoculars can really be useful from a dark location (not just for satellites).

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/tags-on-product/B00008Y0VN

Using both of your eyes to view the night sky is much more satisfying. Binoculars are a great addition even if you plan on getting a standard telescope. Try to resist the urge to get higher and higher magnification powers. These become much more susceptible to shake and are more difficult to aim. The lower power options, 10x to 15x, will allow you to take in a larger expanse of the night sky.

You'd be surprised how awesome a decent set of binoculars can be for just starting out. Throw them on a tri-stand and star gaze away. Doesn't have to be super expensive to get some results.

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-71008-SkyMaster-25x70-Binoculars/dp/B003AM87Q4/ref=sr_1_5?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1479672679&sr=1-5&keywords=binoculars+celestron

Even in the middle of the city, we look up and see all kinds of stars we cant see with the naked eye and our minds are pleasantly blown.

Story Here

I'm pretty excited for the lunar eclipse tonight. I live on the West Coast so it's not too late for me. But my dad has these binoculars which work awesome, and I really want to see the shadow creep across the moon. I'm excited!

I wouldn't recommend the 127 EQ for anyone. The mount is too wobbly and it's just not a good scope in general. With that budget, just get a tripod and some really nice binoculars. You will get much better views with it. I personally have these binoculars. They are great, you can just spend hours looking at random portion of the sky just gazing in them. They also show things like the Orion Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, and the Pleiades really well.

Get a pair of good binoculars. You can do a lot of viewing with something cheap and easy as this. Make sure you have a tripod, so you can stabilize it, since it is a heavy binocular. You can use an L-bracket to mount it to a tripod.

Join a local astronomy club and attend a viewing night. In my local club, about 10-20 people show up and bring all of their gear. You can learn a lot about telescopes, mounts, optics, etc. by viewing the constellations through different types of scopes. Also, many clubs have a telescope lending library. I borrowed a 16" Dobsonian telescope and kept it for a month. I saw pretty much all of the Messier Objects with it and didn't have to spend $2000 for a telescope.

Some people are looking for suggestions. I second the suggestion and I have a pair of these that work well for me.

• Good reach (magnification) - suitable for most things I'll see with my 6" schmidt cassegrain
  
• Tripod attachment is important - for looking at just about anything, it's much nicer to have the stabilization of the tripod. Also, it's nice to be able to "point" them at something and have another person look through (last night I went out with my 3 year old daughter and showed her Venus and Mars - otherwise she would have needed to try to find them and hold the binoculars steady enough to be able to see them herself)
  
  (edit: formatting)

Celestron 71198 Cometron 7x50 Binoculars (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DV6SI3Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_vqUwzb0JS3Z19

If I were you, I'd find these on the Australian Amazon. You wont see any details on Jupiter and Saturn, but you can see many deep sky objects in relatively dark skies...star clusters and some galaxies. You'll also begin to learn the sky. Binoculars that are any bigger would be too heavy to hold steady and would require a tripod.

If you then find this is a hobby you want to pursue further, save up enough money to buy a reflector between 130mm and 200mm.

The binoculars can and would still be used for spotting and quick views. I use these binos all the time along side my telescope.

Also, if there is a local amateur astronomy club, join and go to their star viewing parties.

I don't know much about rental services, and there are very few truly cheap (<100$) telescopes that this sub would recommend for you. Have you considered a good set of binoculars? They can be much cheaper, still great quality, excellent for sweeping along the spine of the Milky Way and you can use them for daytime terrestrial viewing as well.

I own a pair of 10x50s, but often people recommend going a little less than 10. I've always been intrigued by how cheap these are:

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-71198-Cometron-Binoculars-Black/dp/B00DV6SI3Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1499258675&sr=8-3&keywords=astronomy+binoculars

But I'm not sure if they have hidden drawbacks over the ones closer to the 100 dollar mark.

I would invest $50-100 in a good pair of binoculars before you invest even more in a telescope. Telescopes are much more stable and customizable (namely in terms of changing the eyepieces/magnification), and you'll be able to pick out details like the rings of Saturn which you won't get from binoculars. However, they require a larger investment, more setup time, and are not nearly as portable (a big deal if you want to do some stargazing on a hiking trip). They're also just more complicated to use, at least at first.

A few years back I purchased some Skymaster 15x70 binos. They are quite powerful and work well on a tripod. However, there have been systemic issues with the lenses falling out of alignment over time. This can be fixed by adjusting a few screws (you can Google it), so if you don't mind a bit of mechanical work I can recommend them.

The problem with binos is that you'll never be able to hold them steady enough to study things. You'll need a tripod and mount.

Nevertheless, enjoyable viewing can be had with a good set.

Here's what I'm working.

Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 $75
https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN/

70-Inch Pistol Grip Tripod with Bag $55
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-70-Inch-Pistol-Grip-Tripod/dp/B01LQX0P8Q

Total Cost ~$140 shipped

This is slightly more costly than most decent starter scopes.

Celestron 127EQ PowerSeeker Telescope ~$133
https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-21049-127EQ-PowerSeeker-Telescope/dp/B0007UQNKY

If money is of little object, get a basic scope and the binoculars I stated earlier. You'll enjoy having both capabilities and it will help you hunt down objects. Also fun for people who come with you to have something to do while you work the scope.

I will say that binoculars get uncomfortable if you're not laying down, or sitting naturally and even then it can get tiresome on the eyes and neck. Nothing beats a telescope imho. You can learn the sky and develop good habits just the same.

I'm a huge space geek myself. Here are some of the things my gf has given me as presents that I've loved: Lego Space Shuttle http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Spaceport-60080 (it's above your price range but they do have a smaller version); Metal Art Apollo Lunar Lander http://www.amazon.com/Fascinations-Metal-Earth-Laser-Model/dp/B00JMQR448 (they also make a Mars Rover version); Celestron Binoculars http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN (great for checking out the moon, stars & planets - I would also suggest a tripod to go with it). Hope those help!

Solar filters are specialized filters that block out most light (something like 99.99%). But the Sun is so bright, that the remaining 0.01% of light is more than enough to take the kind of picture I took.


If you look up the companies Baader or Thousand Oaks Optical, you'll be able to find solar sheets that they sell. They also sell specific filters for telescopes and cameras but those are expensive.


For my project, I purchased this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DS7SCBQ


It's manufactured by Thousand Oaks Optical and it's pretty sweet! You might have trouble ordering them in such short notice though :( Good luck!

this is a great DIY book:
http://www.amazon.com/Yourself-VISUALLY-Astronomy-Richard-Talcott/dp/0470343826?ie=UTF8&keywords=teach%20your%20self%20astronomy&qid=1465437802&ref_=sr_1_sc_2&sr=8-2-spell

astrophysics uses a lot of "classical mechanics", pretty advanced mathy stuff. But you'll get to that slowly. If you want to start now, try to get to Calculus as fast as you can. Calc and Trig are pretty damn important in astrophysics.

More important to have fun, learn everything you can (math doubly so), and maybe buy some binoculars to really learn the night sky. You can get a pair of 70mm binoculars (Celestron) on amazon for about 50 dollars now. Incredible deal.

Scratch that, they're 68 dollars. still an incredibel deal. http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-71008-SkyMaster-25x70-Binoculars/dp/B003AM87Q4?ie=UTF8&keywords=celestron%20binoculars%2015&qid=1465437970&ref_=sr_1_2&s=sports-and-fitness&sr=1-2

Just don't drop them, they cannot be collimated (meaning, if you drop them, you may knock the lenses out of alignment, and there are no adjusters to fix it).

Btw, these are the binos i have, they are very good and well suited to what you need (well regarded in the astro community) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0000AKGX3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_03alyb4PQB7H9

They are listed at quite a high price right now, I'd expect them to half in price on blackfriday or the holidays. Use camelcamelcamel to set up a price watch. :)

As an armature astronomer my self this is good advice OP. You will want something big lenses in the front (aperture) to collect lots of light and you want good optical quality so you can see as much detail as possible. I recommend something with a prism built in. I have these and they work great.

Start with some binoculars. I started with these for $60 on amazon. However, you might want to get a tripod to help with steadiness.

Use them and learn the sky. Get the book Turn Left At Orion. It teaches you to read the sky and star jump.

Once you do that for a while, the start reading about telescopes. Then decide what you want to see and which one you need to get. There is a huge variety. Don't buy something right away though, unless you're filthy rich.

I am thinking of getting binoculars. I have never owned a telescope but I was told that a good pair of binocs will be better for a beginner like me. Which ones do you have or would suggest?

I was thinking of getting this http://amazon.com/dp/B004GX094Y. Are they decent enough to get a view you're talking about?

My other question is that do you go to a place with low light pollution for viewing?

Try these... At 25x you will see the moons of Jupiter, nice crater detail on the Moon, and excellent wide field views of deep sky objects. I have a pair of 20x80 and use them more than my 12" Meade Lightbridge. IMO this is the best place to start with a limited budget.

Honestly, in reasonably dark skies you can see truly extraordinary things with binoculars. I've done a fair bit of astrophotography, but these days with very few exceptions I'm looking through binoculars. But you need astro binocs, not some random binocular. Regular binoculars have apertures that are too small - everything looks dark. I own and use these and only these -- Celestron 25x70s for 65 bucks. It comes with a thing to connect it to any tripod, so you don't have to hold it. If you don't own a tripod, you can get one on Amazon for 15 bucks.

Clear skies!

In reality, the binoculars are literally two small refractor telescopes:)

Consider getting some good binoculars if you're a beginner. Million times easier to use, cheaper, you can explore much quicker, wider field of view. I find it a much more intuitive way to explore!
I have a pair of these - http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00008Y0VN which are perfect for starting out.

I got it on Amazon... $58 plus shipping. Very good quality, fits nice, just needed to put some foam in the top.

Edit: Here is the link on Amazon Price went up a bit. Must be getting popular.

I recommend the Celestron Nature DX 8x42. They're only $140 (price has dropped a lot) but they're very high quality. They're multi-coated and waterproof / nitrogen-filled for anti-fog. It's the best bang for your buck, imo.

Also, this webpage has some good tips for the beginning birder near the end; especially check out the diopter tip for binoculars.

Get a nice set of binoculars, these are good and inexpensive:
https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B006ZN4TZS/ref=acr_search_see_all?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Trust me on this. Many want to start with a telescope, and I did myself, but the scope I got I outgrew quickly and now these are my go to. Get to some dark lands and whip these bad boys out and you will be astonished all you can see with them. It's like having a telescope in your hands that you can hang around your neck.

Once you get the hang of space and what's out there to view, then get a telescope. But start with some good nocs. You wont be sorry.

Clear skies!

I have these as well and paid about $30 for them used. Excellent binoculars. OP I recommend getting them with the tripod you linked. The binocular adapter that comes with it isn't very good you may want to buy another one. I got this one for like $10:https://www.amazon.com/BARSKA-AF10546-Binocular-Tripod-Adaptor/dp/B000BYH8EQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1479749705&sr=1-1&keywords=binocular+tripod+adapter

I have been using Olympus 8x40 since 5 years now for casual birding and I love them. I just checked Amazon, they sell them for $64. If they're in your budget, I highly recommend them.

https://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Trooper-8x40-DPS-Binoculars/dp/B0001M3612

I bought these from amazon. They're pretty amazing and not too bad for looking at the stars. The orion nebula blows me away every time.

The tent is pretty useless unless you are only interested in a tiny spot of sky. The mirror isn't an observatory at all, just a way to kinda be lazy and decide you'd like to look through the imperfections of a non-optically-polished surface while looking at the sky. It'd honestly be easier just to inflate a small kiddy pool and lay back in it to support your head. (Binocular astronomy is really awesome, by the way. Buy a $50-$70 pair of wide-aperture binoculars and a copy of Left Turn at Orion, and you'd be floored by all the cool stuff you can see at night!)

The shed-looking observatory is pretty standard, it's one of a number of roll-away model observatories, of which this one is my favorite. Wide, shallow, plenty of room, plenty of sky. The one in the instructable is a bit tall and cuts off a ton of sky unless you're using a schmidt-cassegrain on a tall tripod, but if you're using a Dobsonian (which pivots much closer to the ground than a SCT), you've lost most of the sky.

I got these a few weeks ago and they've been great.

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317308265&sr=8-1

I was able to see jupiter's moons, and even caught a very faint glimpse of M31 (Andromeda). I was finally able to check out the moon during Halloween and the detail that I could make out exceeded my expectations. While it was pretty small even through the binoculars for the first time looking at the moon actually felt like looking at a piece of land, for the lack of a better term, rather than a white ball in the sky.

Note you'll need a tripod for this because it is quite heavy (3 pounds) and there is no way you will be able to hold it steady.

You may want to get a good pair of binoculars first. This will allow you to see if you like it, and you can use the binoculars for other purposes.

Read more here and here. Maybe try a pair like these.

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1543074895&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=15x70+binoculars&psc=1

I got these before they stopped shipping to Aus, amazing for the money, can see the moon clearly! ( in AUD plus delivery around $120)

Looking to upgrade to 25 x 100 even more powerful.

> For casual observing with binoculars, check out the Celestron Cometron.

You mean these, at $33? https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-71198-Cometron-Binoculars-Black/dp/B00DV6SI3Q

My thoughts: Buy 3 pairs and share them with strangers I encounter? Most the people I stand next to in Jax Beach seem to not understand why I'm standing there looking south - and I show them the live video broadcast on my phone and countdown. There is a social aspect of people not realizing they could see it. The 1:30am launches have really been cool in this regard. it's like RocketMan GO!

It seems like I already have that adapter? Is that the same one that came with this package?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GX094Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01

Thanks for all your help.

Looks like $45 USD for the helmet, the sword could run you from $10 to $150, depending on how realistic you want it to be, and if it is metal or not. The shirt could just be a white sheet sewn into a that shape, kinda like a burlap sack. For the bible, you can probably get one for free from your local AA meetings, or maybe a motel nightstand. I would say total around $80 bucks if you want a sword that's not literally a children's toy, and if you can put in a bit of the effort yourself for the shirt.

To be clear, everything you see with the naked eye is not a star. You can see galaxies too, and if you know what you're looking at, nebulae. Take a pair of high powered binoculars out some night and it's like you've never seen the sky. Better yet, get a pair of these. You won't be disappointed.

If you're going real cheap(almost disposable), Celestron Upclose, or anything that's 1)not zoom, and 2) not ruby coated. Better yet is preferabley fully multi-coated with BaK-4 Prisms. Optics is one area where more money can definitely buy you much better veiws.
But really one sweet spot is the Nikon Action Extreme 10x50 for $130(but NOT the plain Action).
Nikon AE 10x50

You might also consider the $15 Galileoscope.

Celestron 71018 SkyMaster 20 x 80 Binocular

If you want to save money you can go down to 25 x 70, or even the 15 x 70. I personally own the 20 x 80s but have heard good things about the smaller sizes.

The 20 x 80s have a built in mount. But you would need one for the other sizes. The good thing is you can buy them, try them out and return them if you aren't happy through Amazon. At least in the US.

Thanks for the feedback. So between the trailblazers which are waterproof and 10x25, for like $76, and these other Nikon Aculons, is there a marked difference? Would you still recommend the trailblazers for my purposes?

I have a pair of these and like them just fine. Not sure if these were the ones mentioned in the previous thread, but the "somewhat heavy"" and "best with a tripod" descriptions would apply to these.

I paid less than $70 for the Celestron 15x70's. They're worth it for the price, but you'll need a tripod to get the best out of them.

For those who use them with the included tripod adapter, you can remove the flex and make it stiffer by filling the side gaps with epoxy.

Get binoculars. Celestron 15x70's in particular.

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN

They're a good value and you can spend your time learning the night sky first with a book like this

https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Left-Orion-Hundreds-Telescope/dp/0521153972/ref=mt_spiral_bound?_encoding=UTF8&me=

or this.

https://www.amazon.com/Binocular-Highlights-Revised-Expanded-Celestial/dp/1940038448/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1526757470&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=binocular+astronomy+book

Both of those scopes would pretty much qualify as "toy" telescopes. The Celestron is fine as a spotting scope, or for birding. It will let you see the moon quite a bit better, that's about it. The other won't work as a terrestrial scope as it flips the images upside down, and again it won't show you much in the sky.

Neither one will be any good for taking photos. Taking astro photos is tough, complicated and generally pretty expensive (think $1,000 to start) although it can be done cheaper if you're handy and know what you're doing, but not for any less than $500 US probably as a bare minimum. Forget get about that for now.

Rather than wasting money on a lousy telescope, I'd buy him a decent set of binoculars for comparable money. Here's a nice pair, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-8-40-DPSI-Binocular/dp/B0001M3612/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1415296493&sr=8-15&keywords=nikon+binoculars. Those will show him the moon, some star clusters and nebulae and can be used for lots of other uses such as birding. They're much higher quality and much more versatile than the scopes you're looking at and they're £55. I'd be thrilled to get a pair as a gift.

Yes, its the Olympus 8 x 40 DPSI , they seem like a good cheap option.

The best "telescope" in that range is a pair of binoculars. Anything else is more likely to cause someone to be turned away from astronomy.

These are $56 at amazon right now (normally $90). Get those and a decent tripod (the binoculars are a little heavy), and the total price should be well under 100 pounds.

I'm confused? You have an assignment to build a telescope to look at the sun, due in a few days? That is a weird assignment, can you please elaborate.

Building a telescope is usually a multi month deal. Do you have a primary mirror? Secondary? Eye pieces?

Or do you already have a telescope you would like to use to look at the sun?

Please be very very careful. Looking at the sun with a telescope can permanently blind you. There is a specialized material that is used for this. You can either buy a premade solar filter that fits on the end of your scope, or buy a sheet of this special material and make it into one yourself. I did this for the eclipse a few years ago and it was amazing.

Please do not try any other wierd method that does not involve this special material. You will go blind.

Here is a link to said material.

10"x10" Solar Filter Sheet for Telescopes, Binoculars and Cameras https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DS7SCBQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_pbm3DbZTD2RXM

I have [these] (https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-71198-Cometron-Binoculars-Black/dp/B00DV6SI3Q). They're nice, clear glass for pretty cheap (I linked Amazon out of convenience but you can find them cheaper) and work well for me out to 150 yards.

These tend to get a lot of praise as really good Binoculars for Astronomy. Thinking about buying a pair myself.

Nikon Action EX

Canon 70D & 100-400mm f/4-5.6 lens @ 400mm f/9 with a piece of solar film for all of the images other than the total eclipse. Shutter/Iso varied a little but between 1/500-1/1000 & Iso800-3200.

Removed chromatic aberrations and made some minor contrast/noise/highlight adjustments but the raw photos looked great right off the camera. They didn't need much- mostly a little cropping.

Taken from Crossville Tennessee

These are most good. Most good indeed.

That's a good suggestion. My first reflector was a 4-inch Mizar made in the Soviet Union and I had a fantastic time. You will have some leftover money to buy a pair of binoculars, how about this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-71008-SkyMaster-25x70-Binoculars/dp/B003AM87Q4/ref=sr_1_207?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1279393515&sr=1-207

Could I get your opinion on these? My area is as bad as it gets for light pollution so didn't want to blow too much on binoculars but these seem to have good specs at a good price.

I bought the Celestron SkyMaster Giant 15x70 Binoculars with Tripod Adapter for a Christmas gift to myself and the family. Although I've only used them once before wrapping them, for every star I saw with the naked eye (which is less than a dozen on a good night with all the light pollution) I saw at least two dozen more looking through these. And that was holding them with my shaky hands. They fit on a standard camera tripod.

Corrent me if I'm wrong but aren't the ones in your link the same as these?

Thanks for the link though, I think the detailed specifications just sold me on it. Being in Florida and planning on primarily star-gazing near a canal the water proofing definitely stands out to me. The lifetime warranty even more.

Awesome! Good on you for parenting and teaching the beauty of the natural world. If you've never tried stargazing with binoculars, I highly recommend it.

I have these, they're cheap and a pain in the ass to get focused, but once that's done they're incredible: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008Y0VN/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These are a pretty good deal: http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2Z2C05O0RA7A0&colid=2NQSDZMQCLGHE

https://www.amazon.com/SZCO-Supplies-Brass-Crusader-Helmet/dp/B007XP1ECS
This one is pretty good and also not that expensive.

Thanks, I ended up buying these binoculars:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EZZ5WM2/
alongside this tripod:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K8U2EBK
and the adapter listed in that thread. Hoping they all work out!

My girlfriend bought me these for my birthday earlier this year. I bring them everywhere I go - especially when I have the opportunity to escape the light pollution barriers of the cities.

I highly recommend downloading Stellarium for you computer, or Google Sky for the android phones. (I'm sure iPhone has something similar). With this tool, you have an interactive star map you can use from anywhere. You can even track satellites!

With high powered binoculars like mine, or larger Newtownian / Cassegrain scopes, my favorite things to look at in the sky are (you can use stellarium or google sky to find them):

• Jupiter and its moons (you can see 4 clear as day, but there are 64 in total!)
  
• Betelgeuse (top left corner red star in Orion)
  
• The Orion nebula (about where the right thigh is)
  
• The moon of course (you can get lost in all of the craters and shadows)
  
• Andromeda
  
• Pleides (M45)
  
• Omega Centauri

For the money (around $120) I don't think you can beat the Celestron Nature DX 8x42.

I really like these bins for the price. I think they won Best Binoculars Under $200 a few years ago.

You won't get a decent refractor at that budget. You could get a reflector, but they're not as robust as a refractor and probably not ideal for a 5 year old. They also don't look like a "traditional" telescope.
If you want to look at reflectors anyway, https://www.firstlightoptics.com/heritage.html is a good starting point.


A decent pair of 10x50 binoculars is a better idea. You can get a reasonable pair for about £50 - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/all-binoculars/opticron-adventurer-porro-10x50-binoculars.html or https://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-118760-Binocular-10x50-DPS-1/dp/B0000AKGX3 You can mount them on a camera tripod with an adapter - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/all-binoculars/opticron-l-type-binocular-tripod-bracket-adapters.html

I bought these for Xmas '11 Celestron SkyMaster 20x80

And tbh I'm a little disappointed, I wonder if I'm doing something wrong, because Mars for example doesn't look much different than a red bigger dot. It's pretty cool for the moon to be that big though!

Now if I can recommend one thing, like others have, is to buy a REALLY good mount, I got a cheap 30$ mount and it's really annoying, I cannot touch the lense one tiny bit or the entire thing vibrates due to the heavy weight of the binoculars.

I'd recommend binoculars. You can get these. I have these and even though I live in the middle of a city with 7 million people in it I enjoy looking at the night sky.

I'm on mobile, so my apologies for the terrible formatting. I bought Celestron 20 x 80 binoculars.

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-71018-SkyMaster-20x80-Binoculars/dp/B0007UQNTU/ref=asc_df_B0007UQNTU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241980329968&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=295537256250747200&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030158&hvtargid=pla-355937355830&psc=1

They are way bigger than I thought they'd be. Haha I'd recommend getting a tripod. I'm going to get one so I don't have to rely on my backyard wall! :)

Just standard HDMI cables, just made sure they supported ARC. The wall plates are basically just a female to female adapter. These are the parts I used.

HDMI wall plate adapters x 2

HDMI cables

Double gang wall plate kit

Speaker wall mounts

Generally everything else was just off the shelf at Home Depot.

Posters:

Chart of Cosmic Exploration

History of Space Travel

Cutaway View of a Space Shuttle peel and stick wall decals

NASA Saturn V Cutaway

Skylab Cutaway illustration

International Space Rockets

X-15 Cutaway

Smithsonian Milestones of Flight

Space Stations Poster

International Space Station Planet Earth

SpaceX Falon 9

Shuttle Atlantis & Mir Space Station

T-Shirts:

Spacex Falcon 9 T-shirts

SpaceX Kids T-Shirts

NASA Logo T-shirt

NASA KIds T-Shirt

Organizations:

Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)

Planetary Society

Tech

Get email or text alerts when the space station is flying over

NASA App

Star Walk App

Celestron SkyMaster

Celestron 71020 SkyMaster

Toys:

3D Laser Cut Models

Model Rockets (starting with easiest to make and launch) First Rocket, Second Rocket, Third Rocket, Forth Rocket, and Fifth Rocket.

LEGO City Space Utility Vehicle

LEGO City Space Port

LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V

Videos:

Huble IMAX

NASA: A Journey Through Space

Moon Machines or watch at YT - this series rocks.

NASA Live - Earth From Space

HOW IT WORKS: The International Space Station

SKYLAB : SPACE STATION I

The Mir Chronicles

Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission

The Space Shuttle

North American X-15

Events:

Total Solar Eclipse 2017

Meteor Showers in 2017

Vandenberg AFB Launch Schedule

Launch Schedule

Dark Sky Map People who have never been to a dark sky area do not think that it is worth the effort to see. People who have gone to a dark sky site are blown away by the amount of stars they can see with their naked eyes. Go on a trip to a dark sky area (dark gray on the map) on a moonless (new moon) night, here is a moon phase calendar.

very basic but these bushnell binoculars are actually free after rebate
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004SABB/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can get some pretty decent binoculars to look up at the moon or even planets. But if you decide to get serious and choose to get a telescope, I recommend nothing smaller than 6" telescope. This should get you started to explore the sky.

Some info here: http://www.telescopenerd.com/six-inch-telescopes.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN These get good reviews for their price-point. They are a bit large to hand-hold though. Look to add a camera tripod rated at 6lb+ to hold the binoculars.

http://www.telescopes.com/binoculars/astronomy-binoculars/celestronskymaster15x70binocularandtripodpackage.cfm Something like this kit.

I have soft restarted it from the menu. I have not powered it off by unplugging. As I menteiond, when I had the switchbox between the fire and the TV the resolution menu in the fire would tell me the display was not HDCP2.2 compliant. Once I removed the switch I replaced the hdmi cable with https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052SCU8U/ So there are only 4 devices hooked to the TV, HDMI 1 is the DirectvDVR which feeds through an Xbox one. HDMI 2 is the FireTV. and the Optical audio output is connected to a Vizio soundbar. Near as I can tell everything is correct, the FireTv just wont enable its menus.

From the manual;

> HDMI 2 (ver.2.0) – HDMI 2 houses a HDMI version 2.0 connection. Under
ultra HD 4K x 2K resolution this connection supports 60 Hz refresh rate and
HDCP 2.2. This HDMI also supports CEC (consumer electronics control)
function. HDMI connects to devices that use HDMI cable, such as Blu-ray or
HD DVD player, or HD cable / satellite set-top box. This connection port
receives pure digital audio and high definition signal through one single cable.
This port also can accept a HDCP video device for video.

>HDMI 1 (ver. 2.0 / MHL) – HDMI 1 houses a HDMI version 2.0 connection.
Under ultra HD 4K x 2K resolution this connection supports 60 Hz refresh
rate and HDCP 2.2. This HDMI also supports CEC (consumer electronics
control) functions. HDMI connects to devices that use HDMI cable, such as
Blu-ray or HD DVD player, or HD cable / satellite set-top box. This
connection port receives pure digital audio and high definition signal through
one single cable. This port also can accept a HDCP video device for video.

The amazon basics cable (at least in my country) only supports hdmi v1.4 which tops out at 4k 30fps, meaning that any higher frame rate content presumably isn't being played above 30fps? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#Version_1.4

I bought my son these for Christmas and they are surprisingly really good.

I started looking to get a telescope a while back and a lot of what i read is for beginners to start with some high powered binoculars rather than a telescope.

They are normally quite a bit cheaper, easier to use, and do a great job for a beginner to get the hang and feel for things. Then if you really like star gazing and want to get a bit more serious about it, start looking into a more expensive option.

What I ended up getting was the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1396379520&sr=1-4&keywords=star

Might not be the same model, but they were this brand and looked almost identical to those (I am at work and can not check to be sure).

https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Falcon-133410-Binoculars-Black/dp/B00004TBLW

Hey look, I just saved the US military like twenty million bucks.

Do you have prime?

I sure hope you do!

Also, It's too quiet in here! In fact, so quiet that I might launch a contest later, it's still undecided.

How about this, it's 65$ in US and 25x70. Bigger aperture means better light capturing ability. I guess this is not all purpose, it's astronomical binocular and it's heavy. I don't have one myself so really can't say about the quality.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003AM87Q4/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1479669954&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=celestron+binoculars&dpPl=1&dpID=313pkGWRIUL&ref=plSrch

Are these the ones you're talking about? They do sound nice, and well within the OP's price range at around $140:

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-7245-Extreme-Terrain-Binoculars/dp/B0001HKIK4/

(not an affiliate link, just being helpful!)

I got mine from https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007XP1ECS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 make sure to order from Sharp knives brother

Edit: you will have to untie the cushioning in the helmet if your head is like mine