Best binoculars for stargazing

A night of stargazing can be an experience just out of this world; and there is not a better way of doing that than with a good pair of stargazing binoculars. We tend to think of telescopes when think about stargazing, but binoculars can be more useful than telescopes in many cases.

Basically, binoculars are used to help locate objects and a telescopes are used to examine them in detail. That requires the "bins" to be compact; out of the way when fiddling with the 'scope, but right there when we need them to scan the sky. The ideal binocular must be lightweight enough for hand-holding and not have the dreaded "jitters." We also crave high contrast to see dim stars.

When we are talking about astronomy for beginners, a good pair of binoculars and a set of star charts and/or planisphere can help you most. Binoculars are the wisest pick for introducing yourself into the night skies and finding out where the star clusters, the Milky Way, and other large bodies are.

With this list we are going to guide you on how to choose binoculars. This is our section of best binoculars for stargazing in 2019:

Best binoculars for stargazing 2019

Oberwerk 8x42 Sport ED model

‘Porro’ prism designs are most common among smaller and handheld astronomy binoculars, but a few optical engineers have found ways to select materials for roof prisms that can rival and surpass many ‘porros’ under the night sky. Oberwerk has achieved exactly this with its model 8x42 ED. The company has succeeded also in getting a low enough manufacturing cost to hit an eye-opening price-performance ratio: sturdy, lightweight, waterproof binoculars, pulling in sharp celestial and terrestrial views, with no color-fringing, at a very reasonable price.

Celestron Skymaster Series

Celestron's SkyMaster series of large aperture binoculars are an excellent value for high performance long-range binoculars that are ideal for astronomical viewing or for terrestrial use. Celestron binoculars are generally considered to be one of the best ones for beginners in the astronomy world, mainly because they have the widest variety of products, so it doesn’t matter whether you’re a novice or an expert, they’re going to have something for you. If you are a complete beginner, we advise you to go for the 15×70 set, as these are best for viewing simple things like the moon.

Orion Scenix 7×50

These binoculars are a very good choice if you are in a budget. They are ideal if you want a set of smaller binoculars that still have enough power to see star clusters and get in depth looks at a full moon. If you are looking for binoculars that you can use for astronomy and for other stuff too, then the Scenix 7×50’s is probably your best bet. Due to their compact size, they’re great for other outdoors activities too.

Canon 10x92 L

Canon 10×42 L IS anti-shake binoculars is one of the finest pair of binoculars which include image -stabilized technology. They do not only magnify an image, but they also magnify the tiny motions your hands make when your body moves. Mounting the binoculars on a tripod can help but that makes moving to other objects awkward. A better solution is to step up to one of the new image stabilized binoculars such as these Canon 10×42 L IS Binoculars.

Vortex Optics Diamondback 10×50 Roof Prism Binoculars

An extremely reliable, well-built, efficient and high-performing optical system. The FMC lens is also great add-on and provides the low-light performance that’s one of the most critical attributes if working with an optics system that you want to use quite often. Even more important, the Diamondback 10×50 Roof Prism Binoculars with its ultra-wide field of view will effortlessly allow you to cover so much ground and also acquire your targeted objects with lots of ease.

Bonus: Best binoculars for kids. APEMAN’s 12 x 25mm

The best feature of these binoculars is the dual focus and the fully adjustable eye width which are perfectly versatile for kids and grownups. The binoculars are 12 x 25mm and 6.5° FOV. The fully multi-coated lenses provide clear views of the skies for a very affordable price. These highly rated binoculars are lightweight, and the rubber armor anti-slip design makes them a great kid friendly option.

Binoculars are an amazing gift for any stargazing aficionado, but did you know that you could also treat them with their own customized star map of any significant date, like their birthday, ready to hang on their walls or even printed in a phone case? This is what Under Lucky Stars provides, based on the Bright Star Catalogue from Yale University. A truly unique gift, for for your loved ones or even for yourself!