I've been thinking about getting a quality mobile astronomy observatory again - in other words, a handheld binocular. After talking all day about high tech bells and whistles, electronic gizmos, GOTO features and the relative merits of the latest precision mounts, the last thing I want to do when I get home is rethink it all when I get lucky enough to observe. Don't get me wrong - the high tech approach has its merits - but there is something about the simplicity of binocular astronomy that makes it very special to me. I am a minimalist at heart, albeit one obsessed by quality, so I'm a sucker for an observatory I can hold in my hand, so to speak. Then, too, there are some objects to observe that seem made just for a binocular.
I'm still debating whether to get a bino just for astronomy or simply continue to use one of my birding binos. I doubt I could improve much on the image quality of my
Nikon 10x42 Premier SE (talk about resolution), but having a bino just for astronomy would make it kind of special. Yes, the
Nikon 7x50 Prostar would be very special as would the
Nikon 10x70 Astroluxe. Then, too a Fujinon would also work. Or how about ...