28x110

Garrett Optical 28x110 on the Series 5000 tripod and video head also from Garrett. Thank Garrett for making this affordable tripod, otherwise I would have to spend as much as, if not more than, the value of the binos for the mounting. The whole setup weighs 13-14kg.

Will this be the biggest binos that I ever own? Yes, until they can make big binos from light weight materials, or until I move to the countryside to live. Big binos are lovely, and my heart and soul want to go for the biggest. But my reasoning mind says different. Logistics for big binos is daunting. They are heavy, bulky and fragile-needing too much care. You'll have to baby them too much. And, unlike a big reflector, if they get out of collimation, you'll be in trouble. Bringing a 7kg pair of binos and a 7kg tripod to dark sites is not fun, and I just can't carry more than that.

So, obtaining the 28x110 is an event to me, as this might be the biggest binos that I will ever use, although I really hope not.

Binoculars Dream Team

10x50 Fujinon Polaris FMT-SX, 20x80 Oberwerk Standard, 28x110 Garrett Optical.

With the arrival of the 28x110, the dream team has been completed. From left to right, front line, are the 10x50, 20x80, and 28x110. Note how big the 28x110 is, given that the 20x80 is already a big pair of binos, and the 10x50 is also big compared to other 10x50s. The other bino behind the three is the 15x70, which is out of action because of miscollimation and broken prism glue. It currently is used for practicing binoculars repair. However, it is a memory of the Scotland days, and my first serious investment in astro equipment. It helped me see M81/M82 - my first thrill in galaxy hunting.

Here is a summary of each pair and what they are intended for:

10x50: the Fujinon Polaris. very good optically and mechanically. This is used for quick scanning of the sky, learning the constellation, accompanying me on really rough travel, quick detection of DSOs, and (hopefully soon) viewing very big comets.

20x80: the Oberwerk Standard. It will accompany me in normal travel and be used in observing individual galaxies, large galaxy groups, and big comets.

28x110: the Garrett Optical Signature Series. the unquestioned King of the team. This is reserved for well-planned astro travel. It will be used for galaxies, galaxy groups, comets, moon and planets. Especially, I hope this binos will show me the spiral arms of M33.

Now, all I need is dark skies.

(uh, note that all the binos can be used for spotting the neighbours as well.)

Dark sites of the world

This is NASA's satellite image of the world at night (click on the image for larger image size). It shows us the distribution of lights made by human beings and the places where we can still find dark/pristine skies. Combining the criteria of dark sky, dry climate, friendly temperature, accessibility and ... fun, here is my list of my desirable places to bring our equipment to and watch the stars:

Mongolia

Xinjiang (China)

Tibet

Afghanistan/north Pakistan

Central Asia (near the Caspian sea)

The Sahara countries

Chile

Australia

Central and Central Highland of Vietnam (just because we live in this country)

New Guinea (well, the climate here is not dry at all, but it's a great great place to travel to anyway)

And, of course, on a small boat in the middle of any ocean at night.

Let's hope we soon can make this astro-travel.

Jupiter in 28x110 update

Last night, maybe the sky was better. My view of Jupiter in the 28x110 improved compared to the previous day. I could see/detect, beside the 2 equatorial bands, the 'polar caps' of Jupiter as well (color in the areas near the 2 poles). This was clearer in the pole to the left of the picture above (southern?), and detectable in the other pole. The view is clearer when I looked in one eyepiece at one time (I think that's acceptable for binoculars this big?). So, this view is comparable with my view through small telescopes at the same magnification. Good.

The photo above is an approximation of the view at the eyepieces of the 28x110, with color slightly darker on the bands (Photo: Stellarium screenshot).

Jupiter through 28x110 binoculars

This is approximately how Jupiter and moons look through my new GarrettOptical 28x110 binoculars. (Jupiter was like this, but the moons were not like this but like light points only). Two equatorial bands were clearly seen, and one band was thicker/darker than the other. I remember from earlier use of telescopes that magnifications around 30x should reveal polar caps as well, but I have not seen these with the 28x110. Maybe seeing conditions? (Photo: Stellarium screenshot).

Jupiter as seen through 20x80 binoculars

This is approximate simulation of how Jupiter can be seen through my 20x80 binoculars. Colours will be fainter, but details on cloud bands seemed the same.

The two equatorial bands of the planet can be detected as a pair in the 20x80. Small. But definitely there.

(Photo: Stellarium screenshot)

M32, M110, M31

Few days ago I caught M32 using the 20x80 binos. Location also downtown HCMC, in, I can say, extreme light polluted sky. Thus so far I've seen all 3 members of this wonderful trio: M31, M32, M110. I first saw M31 in a pair of 7x50 binos and then caught M110 with the Fujinon 10x50 from a dark site in Thanh Hoa province. This trio should be very impressive in the 20x80 under dark sky. (Photo: Stellarium screenshot).

NGC253

I saw NGC253 (Sculptor Galaxy in Sculptor constellation) in August, 2009 using Oberwerk 20x80 binoculars from downtown of HCMC, a 7-10mil-population city. The galaxy was at near zenith at the time of observing. (Photo: screenshot from Stellarium).