Telescope Reviews: Re: just a question or two

Hi Bert! The satisfaction you get from looking at Jupiter through binos will depend upon which binos you are using, and--more importantly--what your expectations are. With just about anything 8x or bigger (maybe smaller, too), you should be able to pull out the Galilean moons. You can also typically see some faint banding. The banding will be more distinct in larger binos. I was using a pair last night at 43x and I could easily discern at least five different bands with good color. And, the moons were brilliant! Standard 10x binoculars will show less, but are still a joy for quick looks at planets. But you should not expect to see anything close to the brightness and detail that you will get in your LX200. To describe what you can see a different way, think of Saturn. In 10-12x bino, I see it as a rice kernel, kinda elongated, but not too exciting. You will need 15-20x to make out any space between the bands and orb.

One of the great advantages of binos is their ease of use and portability. So, I would bet you would use them more than you might expect. A quick look at Jupiter may turn into an extended outing cruising open clusters. Of course, they are a different instrument, much more adept for rich field rather than planetary work, but planets please, too.

--Tad

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Orion XT8i, Vixen ED80Sf, Oberwerk BT-80/45
20x80 Oberwerk Std., 12x50 Nikon AE,
42mm Celestron Regal LX (8x & 10x), 8x40 Pentax PCF WP

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