When the naked eye isn't good enough, binoculars and telescopes allow you to view far away objects whether you're at a concert, bird watching, or scanning the night sky.
Telescopes
You don't have to be an astronomer to own a telescope, but you should know the basics before purchasing these scientific and optical instruments. There are three types of amateur telescopes: refractor, Newtonian Reflector, and Schmidt- Cassegrain.
* Refractors are what you envision when you hear the word telescope. It uses an objective lens to gather lights, then focuses the light near the eyepiece on the opposite end. These telescopes produce the best images, but are very expensive.
* Mr. Gravity, Sir Isaac Newton, invented the Newtonian Reflector, which directs light to the front of the cylinder once a smaller mirror deflects it. This telescope is portable and relatively cheap.
* The SchmidtCassegrain is compact and can be operated by a computer, they tend to produce low quality images and easily develops dew.
Before you purchase a telescope, Space.com recommends that you should ask yourself the following questions.
* Why do you want to buy a telescope?
* What do you want to do with your telescope?
* Are you serious about astronomy?
Binoculars
If you want to improve the view of a distant object that isn't out of this world, binoculars will make you forget about sitting in the nosebleed section at a concert or will allow you to watch birds without disturbing them. So, whether it's for indoor or outdoor use,binoculars' specs make a huge difference.
* '''Focus''': Most binoculars have three focus options while others have a fixed focus, which means you can't make adjustments. If you notice a binocular has a near-distance focus, don't worry. This is just the distance between you and the object before it can focus. The typical range falls between 10 and 40 feet.
* '''Brightness''': The amount of light that enters the a binoculars' pens is determined by the exit pupil. For general viewing, the exit pupil should be around three to five millimeters while low-light exit pupils are seven millimeters.
* '''Magnification''': Higher magnification numbers make it difficult to view objects in motion. All binoculars have an objective lens that collects light. Remember, the larger the objective lens, the greater amount of light will enter. This enlarges the field of view, but a larger lens adds weight to the binocular.
