this post contains many links to sources of binoculars
Links to Sources for Binoculars
Optical instruments dealers in Europe
Associations and Organizations
The American Association of Amateur Astronomers
Astronomical League Binocular Messier Certificate
The Constellations pages of SEDS
provides information on objects within the constellations
Choosing and Maintaining Binoculars and Optics
links to binocular repair and/or collimation services
Binos need Cleaning or Repair or Adjustment??? about a dozen different links
Suggestions Please / Repairs
Astronomics - How to Pick a Binocular
good advice is helpful
Televue - HOW CAMERAS, BINOCULARS AND TELESCOPES WORK
Televue - CLEANING EYEPIECE AND TELESCOPE OPTICS
Oberwerk Binocular Collimation
"Collimating Binoculars" an article by EdZ
Arkansas Sky Observatory - Fine Optics CLEANING SYSTEM
please read all cleaning suggestions before cleaning optics. All methods are not recommended for all surfaces.
S&T - Power and Aperture in Binoculars
Single and Multi-Coating Comparison by Roland Christen
coatings coparisons - a picture is worth a 1000 words
"110 extraordinary objects to see with an ordinary pair of binoculars"
This link, provided by John Flannery, from the Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies (IFAS). The binocular handbook features a half-page about each object along with a chart of the field. The introduction says that you must be a member of an IFAS club, however they dropped this requirement. Feel free to get in touch with any errors or comments. Also, the handbook can be freely circulated. See comments from the author here.
Binocular Observing Lists from the Astronomical League:
- all the information you need to observe satellites such as the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle, spectacular events such as the dazzlingly bright flares from Iridium satellites as well as a wealth of other spaceflight and astronomical information
NASA - JPL - Comet Observation Home Page
Virtual Moon Atlas
freeware program for Moon observers.
Double Stars for Binoculars - a list of doubles for all sizes from 7x35 to 40x100
Small Wonders - Tom Trusock's articles on Observing are not just for telescopes
Stephen Tonkin's complete guide to attempting a Messier Marathon
The SEDS Messier Catalogue
The SEDS Constellation pages
The NGC Public Access database
General Astronomy Articles
Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy
Phil debunks a lot of bad info
Roger Clark's method to determine if your observing flashlight is too bright
Brooke Clarke' Home Page
Brook'e's Astronomy Page
Brooke's Binocular Page
StarChild: A Learning Center for Young Astronomers
Technical Reports - Optics - Vision
Edmund Optics Technical Support page - Info on optical glass specs and coatings
some excellent technical info on glass written so the layman can understand
Prisms by Stephen Ingraham
an excellent explanation of porro and roof prisms, internal reflection and the application of phase coating
The Truth about Prisms
Stephen Ingram's article moved to this location
Roland Christen talks about Coatings
Single and Multi-Coating Comparison by RC
Lens Resolution Testing
and a link to a USAF 1951 Chart with the Table of Constants.
Chart with Table of Values
It is extremely important that the chart be exactly sized. The caution here is the user must know exactly how to size the chart.
See the discussion of USAF Charts, reading the tables and applying the formula here
Binocular Resolution Testing w/USAF Charts
Norman Koren's Introduction to Resolution and MTF Curves
The Joy of Visual Perception - Peter Kaiser
explanations and diagrams of the functions of the eye
Wavefront sensing and the eye's optical quality
Explanations of optical deficiencies in the eyes and amount of correction necessary to achieve difraction limited eyesight
Vision Science III - Binocular Vision Module
Northeastern State University College of Optometry, Tahlequah, OK
Vision Science course module by Thomas O. Salmon, OD, PhD
Vision Science Home
Predicting Binocular Visual Field Sensitivity from Monocular Visual Field Results
(Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2000;41:2212-2221.)
© 2000 by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.
Jacqueline M. Nelson-Quigg1, Kimberly Cello1 and Chris A. Johnson2
1 From the Optics and Visual Assessment Laboratory, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Davis; and 2 Discoveries in Sight Research Laboratories, Devers Eye Institute, Legacy Health Systems, Portland, Oregon.
The Eye and Night Vision
The Eye and Night Vision
(This article has been adapted from the excellent USAF Special Report, AL-SR-1992-0002, "Night Vision Manual for the Flight Surgeon", written by Robert E. Miller II, Col, USAF, (RET) and Thomas J. Tredici, Col, USAF, (RET))
and appears on the website of the American Optometric Association: http://www.aoa.org
MIlitary HandBooK 141 - Optics, Vision and Optical Design
this arrangement of PDF files is hosted by the University of Arizona and represents an immense resource on Optics and Vision.
SEEING - Visual Detection - Rating Seeing Conditions
Clear Sky Clock - Clear Sky Clock homepage
The Animated Pickering Scale by Damien Peach
graphic representation of airy disks to match Pickering 1 thru 10
The Bortle Dark Sky Scale
Mel Bartel's Home Page
Mel Bartel's Article Visual Astronomy - an investigation into the Visual Optimum Detection Magnification
VODM explains why it takes high magnification to see some small faint objects.
Roger Clark's article on Optimum Magnified Visual Angle - an extension of his work on Low Contrast Detection
OMVA similar to VODM, is the magnified anglular size at which an observer can detect the faintest and lowest contrast objects.
Jeff Medkeff's article on Averted Vision
Jeff has written a good article on how to use your averted vision to see things.
Nils Olof Carlin's Home Page
Carlin's interpretation of the data used in Roger Clark's OMVA work
How To Understanding Binocular Performance Indexing - a CN Lab Report by EdZ
The testing and methodology that led to develoment of the BPI
Limiting Magnitude Articles and Resources
Bradley E. Schaefer: Telescopic Limiting Magnitudes (1990) (Pub. ASP 102:212-229)
The most thorough paper on limiting magnitude I have seen to date.
Limiting Magnitude in Binoculars - Lab Report by EdZ
Explains the importance of magnification to achieve limiting magnitude.
BLM Chart - Binocular Limiting Magnitude predicted for common sizes under different conditions
Nils Carlin's interpretation of Bradley Schaefer Limiting magnitude work
Carlin's paper on estimating the limiting magnitude of binoculars
Estimating Limiting Magnitude - Charts
Star count charts for various boundary areas of the sky.
Naked Eye Limiting Magnitudes in Taurus
includes a broad selection of stars identified from mag3 to mag6.5
NELM chart Little Dipper and Polaris
NELM chart area around Sagitta, M27 and Cr399
NELM chart of Delphinus
NELM chart Circlet of Pisces
Binocular Limiting Magnitude chart to mag 13.0 in M45 - The Pleaides
includes Naked Eye Limiting Magnitudes from 2.8 up to mag 7
Binocular Limiting Magnitude chart to mag 11.0 in CR399 - The Coathanger
includes Naked Eye Limiting Magnitudes from 5.1 to 7.3
Binocular Limiting Magnitude chart to mag 12.5 in CR399 - The Coathanger
same chart as in previous, updated to include deep magnitudes for BIG binoculars 100mm and larger,
or for use in mag6+ skies where even 20x80 binoculars might be able to go deeper than mag 12.0
This post in the binocular forum has links to the above charts, tables of star magnitudes for use with the charts and reports on some data collected with many binoculars comparing the limits of magnitude that can be reached with various sizes of binocs.
Limiting Magnitude Charts and Tables
Mounting Binoculars using Parallelogram Mounts and Tripods - a CN Review
a look at several tripods and several parallelogram mounts, all used with several different sizes of binoculars for comparison
Binocular Mounts Tripods and Binocular Accessories
an updated Dec 2005 article including some new mounts and some beefier tripods for heavier binoculars.
Please go to this link (here in our "Best Of' threads) to access a dozen or more links to binocular mounts. There is information on several dozen tripods, load capacities, parallelograms and "degrees of motion", binocular chairs and mirror mounts. Featured in our Forum links to Binocular Mounts is a Comprehensive List of Links to a Variety Web Posted Amatuer Made Binocular Chairs and Mounts.
Binocular Mounts - Tripods - Adapters - Motions
Amatuer Astronomer's and CN Member's Webpages
Cosmic Voyage - Bill Ferris' Astronomy Home Page
Ken Rosenberg's Cornell University List of Binocular Features
Stephen Tonkin's Homepage
Stephen Tonkin's - The Three Functions of a Telescope
Stephen Tonkin's - How To Hand-Hold Binoculars
Jeff Medkeff's Home page
Jeff's Astronomy techniques, articles and observations
Jeff's 10 or so pages of Optical Definitions & Comments
Peter Abraham's Webpage - The history of the telescope & the binocular
Ed Cannon's page at UTexas - Binoculars for astronomy and observing other things in the night sky
Tom Trusock's Prime Focus
Fan Tao's webpages of Binocular Information
Dr. Holger Merlitz Homepage - includes reviews of numerous European binoculars
Buying Big Binoculars in Australia
One of our Aussie forum members put together a collection of sources .
Gary Seronik's Binocular Astronomy Webpage
Source for first surface mirrors for the builders among us.
Be sure to visit the other CN Links pages
Cloudy Days Binocular Forum for Terrestrial Discussion
Jim Gutman has put togeter a links post over in the Binoviewer Forum.
Links as posted by Jim Gutman and others in the Binoviewer Forum
Tom Trusock has put together a links post over in the Small Scope Forum.
Links posted by Tom Trusock in the Small Scopes Forum
Tom Leavitt has got this list going over in the Deep Sky Forum
DSO Links of Interest - Deep Sky Forum
Here's a list of links posted in the Double Star Forum
Links to Double Star Lists
Here's the CN FAQ link
Cloudy Nights Glossary and FAQs
I hope you find these astronomy links useful.