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Binoculars

Binoculars are actually two telescopes placed side by sideso a viewer can see through them with both eyes. Unlikemonoculars which is one small telescope and can only beenseen through using one eye. The advantages of usingbinoculars over monoculars are:

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

2. Binoculars provide three dimensional images thathave more depth. Two views are drawn together to make onetotal picture and allow the viewer to see things at somedistances up close and personal.

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

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

Most binoculars are used to view objects at very fardistances and have to be focused for the viewer to seethings clearly. Focus adjustments on each set of binocularsare different, some binocular lenses can be focusedindependently while others can be focused at the same timeby turning a little wheel in between the telescopes. Manyviewers using prescription glasses do not need them to seethrough most telescopes and can see more comfortably bytaking off their glasses.

Numbers are used to describe the telescopic strength of thebinoculars. The first number gives the power of themagnification and the second number tells the diameter ofthe objective lens in millimeters which measures its lightgathering strength. For instance, a pair of binoculars thatreads 7x50 can magnify things seven times stronger thanthey 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 atsea, 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 islooking at the night sky. They enable the user to spot farmore stars, comets, galaxies, and nebulae far better thanwith the naked eye. For example, galactic clouds and starclusters look dim when viewed by the naked eye, but withbinoculars they are much clearer. Unlike the inverted viewa telescope provides, binoculars show the world right-sideup, just as a person would see things normally.Furthermore, binoculars with a wide field of view allow auser to observe a wide area, making it easier to observestar clusters, comets, and galactic clouds. Binoculars areeasy to operate and allow viewers to concentrate fully onlooking up into the sky.