Binoculars

Binoculars are actually two telescopes placed side by side so a viewer can see through them with both eyes. Unlike monoculars which is one small telescope and can only been seen through using one eye. The advantages of using binoculars over monoculars are:

1. Both eyes can see comfortably through both lenses with having to squint one eye to see.

2. Binoculars provide three dimensional images that have more depth. Two views are drawn together to make one total picture and allow the viewer to see things at some distances up close and personal.

3. Binoculars are just more comfortable to look through and hold steady because both hands are usually used.

Binoculars come in the convenient hand-held sizes which make them very easy to take with you wherever you go. However, binoculars can also come in very large sizes but those are usually used by more professional viewers and need to be steadied by being placed on a tripod for support.

Most binoculars are used to view objects at very far distances and have to be focused for the viewer to see things clearly. Focus adjustments on each set of binoculars are different, some binocular lenses can be focused independently while others can be focused at the same time by turning a little wheel in between the telescopes. Many viewers using prescription glasses do not need them to see through most telescopes and can see more comfortably by taking off their glasses.

Numbers are used to describe the telescopic strength of the binoculars. The first number gives the power of the magnification and the second number tells the diameter of the objective lens in millimeters which measures its light gathering strength. For instance, a pair of binoculars that reads 7x50 can magnify things seven times stronger than they actually are with a 50mm objective lens.

Viewers can use a pair of binoculars for bird watching, star gazing, observing far off animals, spotting ships at sea, watching a concert, or enjoying a sports game from a "nosebleed seat." They can be used while hiking, camping, boating and hunting. One fascinating use of binoculars is looking at the night sky. They enable the user to spot far more stars, comets, galaxies, and nebulae far better than with the naked eye. For example, galactic clouds and star clusters look dim when viewed by the naked eye, but with binoculars they are much clearer. Unlike the inverted view a telescope provides, binoculars show the world right-side up, just as a person would see things normally. Furthermore, binoculars with a wide field of view allow a user to observe a wide area, making it easier to observe star clusters, comets, and galactic clouds. Binoculars are easy to operate and allow viewers to concentrate fully on looking up into the sky.