Telescopes vs. Binoculars. Night Sky Enthusiasts
Telescopes vs. Binoculars what should I buy?
It’s been a much-Googled question Telescopes vs. Binoculars during the pandemic, according to Sky & Telescope, which reports that telescopes are flying off the shelves.
This is great. It means that—since March—there’s been a surge in interest in the night sky during this pandemic.
It’s not surprising that people are investing in telescopes. They’re cheap and, hey, if you want to look at the night sky, you need a telescope. It’s just not true.
You see, telescopes are serious scientific instruments. Buying a telescope as soon as you develop an interest in the night sky is like returning from a zoo all excited about animals and investing in a microscope to study bacteria.
If you’re new to stargazing and the night sky, then a telescope is probably the worst thing you can buy—both for you and particularly for a child showing an interest in the night sky.
Promise me one thing: do not buy a telescope for a kid for Christmas and leave them to figure it out themselves. You need to do your research and know enough about how they work—including, crucially, how to set them up.Then you need to list ten things you want to show them a close-up of in the night sky.
If you don’t take the time to do any of that, then buying a telescope will likely turn their excitement into dust (literally, since many telescopes sit gathering it).
Some night sky enthusiasts will hate me for saying this, but buying a telescope when you start can be a huge mistake.
Stargazing and Amateur Astronomy
Stargazing and amateur astronomy are all about patience. There is no quick fix to knowing and navigating the night sky. It’s best done slowly—and getting a telescope comes down the road.
The internal discussion continues as to what is the best for beginner astonomers. Telescopes vs. Binoculars what is the best apparatus to invest in?
For all its worth here is my take on the decision of what to buy. Telescopes vs. Binoculars?So here’s why not to buy a telescope—and what you should be buying if you’re becoming a new stargazer.
1. Telescopes will not give you instant gratification
You’re now wandering into your backyard and looking at the stars. Hopefully, you’re beginning to recognize a few constellations. You’ve seen Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn this summer, and you fancy a close-up.
That all makes perfect sense, except that telescopes take you away from the night sky and get you involved in technology. A “go-to” telescope might persuade you that it can automatically slew to hundreds of must-see objects without you even knowing the night sky. Firstly, that’s wrong—you need to know your way around the night sky a little to align a telescope. Secondly, if you’re not going to take the time to learn about the night sky yourself, what are you doing? What’s the point?
2. Buying a telescope requires you to become a telescope-geek
Be prepared for a steep learning curve. Before you make a purchase, you need to know precisely what you want to see through a telescope. Then it would help if you learned the differences between reflectors and refractors, Dobsonians and Newtonians. Now consider the merits of mounts: alt-azimuth or equatorial? What about taking photos through a telescope? Can you use your phone with it?
If you’re a stargazer primarily because you’re a nature-lover, all of this isn’t very interesting. If you get past all of those questions—and, trust me, you need to if you’re going to get anywhere near the kind of telescope that actually might suit you—you then need to learn how to align it, how to use its various eyepieces, and how to fix problems. Astrophotography through a telescope is an expensive can of worms! If you want to learn how to take photos through a telescope, consider that before buying one.
Either way, there’s a good chance that within weeks you—and particularly a child—will have either gotten entirely bored of your new purchase or become a telescope-gazer instead of a stargazer.
Do you know about reflectors and refractors, Dobsonians, and Newtonians?
3. Telescopes are specific scientific instruments
There are three layers of the night sky. The first is the wide-eyed layer you can see with your naked eyes. The second is the stars behind the bright stars, a night sky you can only see with a pair of binoculars. Telescopes reveal the third. We’re talking far-off star clusters, faint nebula, and distant galaxies.Why rush? Be honest with yourself—have you mastered that first layer yet? If not, avoid buying a telescope—which is nothing less than an advanced scientific instrument—and take your time getting the most from your eyes; if you’re feeling flush, invest in some $50 binoculars.
4. Telescopes require patience
Seeing Saturn’s rings for the first time through a telescope is a landmark moment. I get that. So too, the moons of Jupiter and the craters of our Moon. At the moment, Mars is worth a look, too. All of that can be seen easily from any city.
However, after that, you’re into the realms of galaxies, nebula, and globular clusters that are difficult to observe even under dark skies, let alone in light-polluted cities. All require careful observations under specific sky conditions and using various observational techniques.
Moreover, meteor showers actively require you to put away your telescope.
Splitting double stars can be fun with a telescope, but stars look like stars. These are very distant points of light. Your 4-inch telescope is going to bring them a little farther away.
Telescopes require patience in aligning and setting up and for various seasonal sights to become visible, perhaps in many months. Be prepared to use a telescope only occasionally.A pair of binoculars will help you access a new night sky layer.
5. Get yourself a ‘mini-telescope’—binoculars!
For almost all stargazers, binoculars are a much better investment than telescopes.
You don’t need expensive, complicated equipment to investigate the night sky—just binoculars. A pair of 7×50 or 10×50 binoculars will give you as good a view as an entry-level telescope of anything in the night sky. They’re practically point-and-shoot. Sure, they can be wobbly, but there are ways around that. Some can be mounted on a tripod. If yours can’t, lean against a wall to steady your body and bring your elbows into your chest.
Through binoculars, you’ll see Jupiter and its moons, beautiful star clusters, and distant galaxies. Point them at the Pleiades and scan the star-studded sky around Perseus and Cassiopeia. It’s an exquisite view of the night sky that’s only open to those using binoculars—a telescope looks right through this stuff.
Just as importantly, you can put a pair of binoculars in your car and use them anywhere you come across a clear, dark sky. You’ll use them more than a telescope and get to know the night sky much faster.
Your Stargazing Toolkit
Of course, I’m exaggerating why you shouldn’t buy a telescope. After a time spent learning the night sky, the wise stargazer does have a telescope of some kind in their toolkit but knows when to set it up and when to leave it inside.
If you live in a city, using a small telescope to look at the Moon and planets is fun. Living under much darker skies allows you to work up to a large telescope to find galaxies. So buy a telescope, but be honest with yourself—it’s for occasional use.However, for regular stargazing, your own wide eyes are the best instrument you’ve got. If you ever want a close-up, grab a pair of binoculars.The night sky can be navigated, and it can be known, but it takes a while, so take it slowly. Remember, the cosmos isn’t going anywhere.
