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While telescopes might be the most commonly known equipment you can use to gaze at the stars, they’re far from the most practical ones. Binoculars, on the other hand, provide you with a portable approach to looking at the sky that still gives you enough optical power to clearly see even the furthest celestial bodies. However, choosing a pair of binoculars that fit your needs, wants, and budget can often be more challenging than you’d think.
When choosing astronomy binoculars, make sure you choose an exit pupil that is no bigger than your eyes’ pupils. Moreover, decide on the stargazing experience you want. Low-powered binoculars are great for general stargazing, while high-powered ones are better for looking at individual stars.
In this article, I’ll take you through everything you need to know to purchase the astronomy binoculars that fit your needs and budget best. Don't forget to shop our collection of space gifts.
It might be tempting to use any pair of binoculars to look at the stars.
However, different binoculars are often built for specific purposes.
Using the wrong pair can severely limit your ability to see what you’re trying to look at properly, especially when it comes to stargazing.
You need special binoculars for stargazing if you want to get the clearest look at the sky. These binoculars (called astronomy binoculars) are typically built for low-lighting and specifically designed to observe small objects at great distances.
To choose the right astronomy binoculars, you have to establish your budget first. Then you have to consider your age, how large your own pupils are, and how good your eyesight is. You should also determine what sort of stargazer you are.
Astronomy binoculars can vary greatly when it comes to their price points.
You can spend anywhere from a few hundred to thousands of dollars on a pair of binoculars.
While it’s clear that there will be some differences in the features you’ll be able to access depending on your price point, you still shouldn’t spend more than you can afford.
This is especially true if you’re just starting out as a stargazer and you’re not sure how serious you are about this new hobby yet.
Therefore, it’s essential to establish what budget you’ll want to stick to before you start shopping around; otherwise, you may easily find yourself overspending if you fall in love with a pricey pair.
You might not think age plays much of a role in the sort of astronomy binoculars you should buy, but that’s not the case.
While there are binoculars for children that are much less powerful and built to be used by individuals with smaller faces and hands, that’s not the only factor that’s affected by age.
If you’ve ever looked at a pair of binoculars, even a regular pair that can be used for bird watching, you’ll likely notice that there’s a little hole on the lens.
That little hole is called the “exit pupil”, as it’s the window you’ll be looking past to see through the binocular’s lenses. At first glance, this opening might seem standard sized among all binocular varieties; however, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The exit pupil can vary in size by mere millimeters from one model to another, as it’s crucial to ensure that you always get the right-sized opening for your unique eye.
As a rule of thumb, the exit pupil should be the same size or smaller than your actual pupil so you can properly see through your binoculars.
If you look through binoculars with an exit pupil that is too large, it will feel similar to how it would if your eyes were dilated. You’ll be receiving too much visual information, making the view less clear.
This can be annoying enough if you use binoculars during the day, but at night, when looking at the stars, you’ll risk not being able to see anything.
Where your age comes into question in this context might not be obvious at first.
However, the human pupil gets smaller as we age.
This means that between the ages of 20 and 50, the exit pupil you’ll need in a pair of binoculars will inevitably change.
It’s not just your age that plays a part in how your eyesight will affect your choice of binoculars.
Depending on how good your eyesight is in general, you might be limited in your choices.
If you have 20/20 vision, this isn’t a factor you need to be concerned with at all, so feel free to move on to the following section.
People who are near and far-sighted should still be able to see through most binoculars, as long as they’re using a pair that has the right-sized exit pupil for their eyes.
That’s because binocular lenses will likely be able to act as corrective lenses, so you won’t have to wear your glasses while you look through them.
However, if you generally have poor eyesight, as is the case with astigmatism, it’s possible you won’t be able to see clearly through most typical pairs of astronomy binoculars.
If you have astigmatism, you’ll need to wear your glasses when you’re using your astronomy binoculars, a factor which you’ll want to account for while shopping, as wearing glasses will affect how your binoculars reflect light.
You’ll also need more room built in between the glass of your binocular lenses and where your eyes are supposed to rest. You’ll find this information labeled as “eye relief” on the specifications of your binoculars.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure you have at least 15mm (½ inch) of eye relief if you wear glasses.
It might seem like a minor issue to worry about, but you should also keep in mind how heavy a pair of binoculars are before you buy them.
While a pair of 9 lb (4 kg) binoculars might not seem that heavy at first, you have to consider that you’ll likely be holding them for long periods of time.
Not only that, but you’ll be holding them up to your eyes.
If you don’t think you have the muscular endurance to be able to do that, then you have a few options.
You can try to find a lighter pair of binoculars.
Heavy binoculars are a complaint among many stargazers, so lighter options are often available. It’s not impossible to find a pair that is lightweight and also fits your budget and specifications.
However, you can also look into purchasing a tripod for your binoculars.
A tripod will turn your binoculars into more of a traditional telescope.
While this might not be a good option for on-the-go stargazing, it might still be a good choice for those who don’t mind needing to take extra equipment with them and enjoy partaking in stationary stargazing.
The type of stargazing you plan to partake in is the final most important element to consider before you start looking at how strong the binoculars you’re thinking about getting are.
Do you plan to go stargazing only on clear nights in your backyard? Or, do you think you might go stargazing while out camping when your binoculars might be subject to more extreme environmental conditions?
Some binoculars are waterproof, while others aren’t.
Some might also be more durable and built to be packed up and taken on hikes, while others are too delicate and must be handled with care or transported in hard cases to keep them from cracking or breaking.
Some binoculars are even designed to be anti-fog, meaning you can use them during mistier times during the night if you want to do some pre-dawn stargazing.
Therefore, it’s essential for you to consider when you’ll be most likely to go stargazing before you purchase a pair of binoculars that aren't suited to your lifestyle.
If you want to purchase a pair of astronomy binoculars, you might be tempted to purchase the strongest pair that are available within your budget.
However, for many stargazers, stronger binoculars might not be necessary.
When you see the term “power” used to describe a pair of binoculars, it’s typically referring to the amount of magnification that can be achieved by the lenses.
In other words, the term refers to how close up your binoculars will make what you’re looking at seem to be.
Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish through your stargazing, being able to see stars more or less magnified might be a selling point.
The strength of binoculars you’ll need to go stargazing will depend on the type of stargazer you are. Stronger binoculars are good for seasoned stargazers or those who want to look at specific stars. Lower power binoculars will give you a better overall view.
If you purchase a pair of low-strength binoculars, you don’t have to worry about sacrificing your ability to see the sky.
You’ll still be able to get a beautiful overall view of the stars.
In fact, this sort of stargazing has been described as “space walking”, as lower-powered binoculars will allow you to feel like you’re surrounded by the stars in a more immersive way.
If you’re interested in this kind of stargazing, you won’t have to worry about the power of your binoculars as much as their ability to stabilize images.
As long as your binoculars are equipped with image-stabilizing properties, you’ll be able to get a clear view of the night sky.
However, if you’re using a pair of binoculars and you notice that the sky seems shaky or blurry, you might not be using a pair designed to keep your view steady.
On the other hand, if you use low-powered binoculars, it will be harder for you to focus on specific stars or planets.
You won’t be able to magnify what you’re looking at enough to get clear images of any specific celestial bodies, so you’ll have to resign yourself to a less up-close view.
That means if you plan on becoming a serious stargazer or want to observe specific cosmic events, lower-powered binoculars likely won’t be the best choice for you.
High-powered binoculars are usually a better choice among more serious stargazers.
If you want to be able to track or find specific stars or constellations, or if you want to make sure you’re able to observe specific comets or a planet’s orbit, high-powered binoculars are the way to go.
You won’t get the immersive view you do with their lower-powered counterparts, but that’s not what they’re designed for.
However, while higher-magnification binoculars might be the right choice for some stargazers, they aren’t for everyone and have their own downsides.
For one, higher-powered binoculars tend to be more expensive.
Since these binoculars are built to be stronger than other varieties, and they tend to be marketed for more serious and professional use, it might be harder to find good-quality budget-friendly options.
Additionally, since high-powered binoculars are intended to focus on specific cosmic bodies, they’re not as efficient for more general stargazing.
This means that you might not be able to get the immersive, sweeping views of the night’s sky that you might if you were using lower-powered options.
It’s also less likely that high-powered binoculars will have the image-stabilizing features that lower-quality binoculars often include.
Therefore, while you’ll be able to focus on a specific star, for example, the binoculars themselves won’t do any of the work to make sure your view isn’t shaky or blurry. Luckily, this shouldn’t be as much of a problem if you have steady hands.
However, if you’re prone to even minor hand-tremors, you’ll likely need to invest in a tripod for your binoculars to be able to actually use them efficiently.
When deciding which binoculars are right for you, there are multiple factors you’ll want to consider.
However, the most important ones to keep in mind are your budget, your age, and the kind of stargazing you want to partake in, including the conditions you’ll stargaze in and what experience you’re looking for when looking at the sky.
