Loading…
8
My brother in law says a $400 telescope beats my $40 binoculars, and after 8 months I think he got it backwards
My brother in law drove up from Tucson two weekends ago with his new 8 inch scope, and he kept joking that my old 10x50 binoculars were basically toys. Fair enough, his rig pulled in the rings of Saturn like nothing. But here is the thing. He fooled with the mount for 40 minutes while the sky got hazy, and by the time he was lined up I had already swept through the Pleiades, spotted a satellite, and found Albireo. I have been doing this from my driveway for about 3 years now, usually 20 minutes at a time on work nights, and the binoculars live on a hook by the back door. I can walk out in slippers and be looking up in 30 seconds. If you want to get out more than twice a month, easy beats big every single time. He left his scope in the truck last Saturday instead of setting it up. What is the one piece of gear that actually keeps you going outside, even on a tired weeknight?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
the_ruby1mo ago
What is it about the setup time that kills the hobby for so many people? I read a thread on a stargazing forum where a guy said he sold his big dob after realizing he only used it a handful of times a year because hauling it out felt like a chore. The reply that stuck with me was from someone who said the best scope is the one you actually use, and for most folks that means the small grab and go setup sitting by the door. Honestly your brother in law leaving his scope in the truck says it all, because when the urge hits you want zero friction between you and the sky. For me it is a cheap pair of 7x35s I keep on the windowsill, nothing special but I probably use them four nights a week.
8