Bresser Special-Astro 20x80 giant binocular .. let's test it!!

 I've been trying to collect some feedback from owners of this binocular but there are not many information out there so I decided to buy it and share my opinion just in case it could be useful for other potential buyers. Nevertheless, I've found many information about his competitor the Celestron Skymaster 20x80 binocular and even when both of them seem to be exactly the same product there are a few differences between both.

The giant 20x80 binocular from Bresser is an interesting optical resource. Since it is very easy to handle it could be a good option for a quick observing session. Also, it's very affordable depending on where are you going to get it.





 The most noteworthy feature from my point of view is that it is Fully multi-coated (FMC). This kind of coating can only be found in expensive binoculars. For example, the Celestron Skymaster 20x80 is "just" Multi-coated (MC). The main difference between FMC and MC type of coating is that the FMC provides higher levels (90-95%) of light transmission since all glass surfaces have multiple coatings resulting in increased bright, sharp and contrast.




Bresser 20x80 package content: 

• 1x user manual (two pages per language)
• 1x nylon carrying case
• 1x carrying strap
• 1x shammy
• 3x rubber lens covers

Tripod shoe is not included in the package.

You could find its main features (from Bresser home page) at the bottom of this post.

Not a big binocular, as can be seen comparing to my buddy.
Tripod shoe is not included in the package.





You are going to need a tripod, not a very expensive one, but a tripod that can hold no less than 3 kg weight. I use the Ultralyt 6097 tripod and it's perfect also for this binocular:

                 

The Bresser 20x80 is not very big, but you'll need a tripod to hold it.

 One of the biggest worries when buying optical elements through the Internet is the shipping because sometimes the package is not well-managed during the transport. Or maybe they were shipped out from the factory with collimation problems. In my case, it came perfectly collimated (wow!); but just in case, and for sure for future occasions, here you are How to collimate your binocular. In the next picture you could find were the collimation screws are:






Please be so careful when adjusting the collimation screws. Read carefully the previous link "how to collimate your binocular". 






Testing optics:

 Stars do not appear as punctual as I would wished. In addition, there is a significant image distortion, "stretching the stars" when moving out from the centre to the edges of the lenses.

 When observing the Moon it fills more than of the 40% of Field of View (FOV). Very good contrast and sharpness and also very low and acceptable chromatic aberration.

 Moon craters and seas appear in a magical and beautiful image. 

 The Moon terminator reveals the wonderful structures and reliefs thanks to sunlight and the illuminated and dark zones contrasts.

 Jupiter appears like a bright object and Galilean moons can be seen perfectly so to observe the moon's transit is perfectly feasible. Significant chromatic aberration in the edges, but no much more than the Helios Quantum 6 at 20x. Surprisingly, cloud bands appears like a couple of thin brown stripes across the planet with the Bresser as well.
Remarkable chromatic aberration in the edges as well.

 Saturn's rings are visible (no rings division are, obviously) and three of its moons as well. Lovely image for this modest equipment.

 When it comes to deep space, it has a good enough performance. Good images in the centre and high contrasted as well. For wide-field objects, also good performance and clear images except in the edges where distortion is significant. Messier 31, Andromeda Galaxy, appears as a soft cloud and it covers almost the whole FOV.

 Open star clusters such as Messier 44 (NGC 2632),  covers almost the whole FOV.

 Messier 13, the Hercules Cluster, is no more than a little cloud. No stars can be resolved.

 Wishing to point to Sagittarius constellation and the Milky Way to test it with objects like Messier 8, Lagoon Nebula (NGC 6523) and, especially, Messier 20, Trifid Nebula (NGC 6514). Both are still very low in the horizon and must wait until late summer to be in an optimal position.



My own personal feedback:

 This binocular is a good choice if your are not willing to pay lots of money for an entry-level binocular for astronomy. It is well built and has a decent performance for the price. Also it's very easy to handle and not too heavy so it can be held by using a cheap tripod.

 For me it is very interesting the fact that despite of being a Fully multi-coated, something unusual at this price level, it has a significant chromatic aberration. Nevertheless, I think that you get what you paid for.


 Well, I will be very happy if you could share with me your own feedback and, of course, any comment or review of the information of this post :) 


Thanks for reading!!
Daniel Escudero


Bresser Spezial-Astro 20x80 features:

FIELD OF APPLICATION
Field of application	Astronomy Bird watching & Nature observation
TYPE
Type	Standard Binoculars
OPTICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Optical design	Porro
Magnification	20 fixed
LE Eyepieces	✓
Objective diameter	80 mm
Material prismn	BaK-4
Type of coating	Fully multi-coated
Colour of coating	Violet
Eyepieces for eyeglass wearers	✓
Diopter setting	✓
Field of view at 1000m7	56 m (3,2º)
Light intensity7	16
Twilight factor7	40
Near focus from7	9 m
GENERAL TECHNICAL DATA
Bag/Pouch	nylon carrying case with carrying strap
Tripod adapter thread	✓
Focusing system	Central focus wheel
Eyecups	Rubber eyecups, foldable
Colour	black
Body material	Aluminium
Body armouring	Rubber/Plastic
Warranty	5 Years
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS
Total length	330 mm
Total width	235 mm
Total height	108 mm
Net weight (without access.)	2100 g

Is a SQM (Sky Quality Meter) as useful as it seems to be?

 I'm sure that each and every amateur astronomer is always searching for best places for observational sessions. No doubt, it´s a hard job since one night can be absolutely different than others... so, what can we use to find a good enough place for our hobby?
 
There are a lot of things to keep in mind before starting to search for a good place, and this is because it depends on many conditions:

- Our own observing preferences:
         - Since planetary observation could take place in the center of our city, a good choice could be in our own terrace or balcony.
         - Completely different is the Deep Space observation. To observe deep space objects such as galaxies, nebulas or even star cluster requires a place without any disturbance light.
         - Single or multiple objects to be observed.

- Meteorological conditions:
          - The same place could have big different observational conditions from one night to other. Some factors such as seeing could dramatically affect to the observing conditions even when at first sight we didn't "detect" anything.
          - Temperature during the day because it affects at ground-layer since during the night you could be affected by turbulences blurring the images.
          - Very thin layers of clouds, which sometimes are almost invisible to naked eye.

- Direction:
         - Depending on the kind of observing session and objects to observe, you could choice different places to go. For example, if you're going to mainly observe deep space objects located in north direction you should keep any medium-big city or any other light-pollution source at your back in south direction.

- Other factors:
         - Such as jet streams, vehicles headlights, dust in suspension, wind, ...

 So, how can we know if a place it's good engouh for us to observe the night sky?

 Most of the listed factors, as well as some others, could change overnight, but "quality" of the sky could be measured by using a SQM (Sky Quality Meter).

A SQM measures how good the night sky or site is and through the night, helps to compare the sky brightness night-to-night and allows us document and share these values to keep the information as historical data. This information is displayed in magnitudes per square arcsecond.




And how do we know if it is good enough? 
There are some accepted values and thresholds to determine if the brightness of the sky is acceptable, good, extraordinary, etc., but, in summary, any value above 20.5 magnitudes per square arcsec displayed in a SQM should be interpreted as good enough to practical observation and near or above 21,5 magnitudes per square arcsec as excellent observational conditions. Just point the SQM* overhead (to the zenith) and you'll get the measure in just a second!

From my point of view and experience, a SQM is a very handy tool and resource to search and find a good place for the observational astronomy. But, on the other hand, and since it is not such an affordable price, you may want to think if it is worth the opportunity cost based on your observational preferences. 



* The SQM sensor is affected by the temperature so (as the manufacturer recommends) "for the most accurate results, it is best to take many readings and disregard the very first reading"

Related and interesting articles and information:
http://www.darksky.org/night-sky-conservation/269
http://www.globeatnight.org/light-pollution-interactive.php
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-resources/rate-your-skyglow/
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-resources/light-pollution-and-astronomy-the-bortle-dark-sky-scale/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyglow
http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/nlpip/lightinganswers/lightpollution/abstract.asp




 

ISS over Earth timelapse videos

Carl Sagan quotes. My favourite

“Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another."

"From a distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here, that's home, that's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar", every "supreme leader", every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam."

2012 DA14 flyby from the "Observatorio del Teide"

This is the best video of the amazing closely flyby over our heads of the 2012 DA14 asteroid:

Also available at http://vimeo.com/elcielodecanarias/asteroide2012da14

More about the 2012 DA14 asteroid: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_DA14

Amazing, wonderful images of Tycho and Aristarchus lunar craters

Tycho:

Credits:NASA /GSFC /Arizona State Univ. /LunarReconnaissance Orbiter
Source page: http://observatorio.info/2013/01/amanecer-en-tycho/

Aristarchus:

Credits:NASA /GSFC /Arizona State Univ. /LunarReconnaissance Orbiter

Eyepieces feedback

My feedback for the following eyepieces (used in SCT Meade LX90 8" and Dobson GSO 16"):

* University Konïg MK-70 25mm 70º
* Vixen LV 30mm 60º
* Astro-Tech Titan Type II ED 40mm 68º
* Televue Radian 14mm 60º

* University Konïg MK-70 25mm 70º:
Great for both planetary and deep space. On a Dobson, Jupiter shows amazing. The cloud bands are perfectly visible and the definition of that bands are impressive.
High contrast in the SCT, no chromatic aberration in any of both telescopes.
Very punctual stars, even in the SCT.

* Vixen LV 30mm 60º:
Good option for deep space, even for a 60º aFOV.
Not a good performance in the Dobson, but quiet good in the SCT.
Very punctual stars, but, maybe not enough contrast for deep space.

* Astro-Tech Titan Type II ED 40mm 68º:
A not very known brand in Spain, it was the "star product" of our last astronomical party... Nobody knew it, but everyone enjoyed the spectacular and sharpness images of this eyepiece.
In the Dobson, amazing. In the SCT, also incredible images.. high contrast and very punctual stars.

* Televue Radian 14mm 60º
Very very good eyepiece, especially, for planetary. Jupiter, in both telescopes, amazing.
High contrast even for deep space. M27, M57, M31, M33, M104, ....amazing, beautiful!!!!

New (for me) eyepiece.... Vixen LV 5mm Lanthanum

Test still pending..... it seems to be a good eyepiece for planetary

Type: Plossl
Focal: 5mm
Barrel size: 1,25"
AFOV: 45º
Eye relief: 20mm
Elements: 7



06/19/2015 Update:

Good performance in my LX 90 8" for planetary, good sharpness and definition and high-contrasted images.

Great value for the price!!

My new Helios Quantum 6 20/26/32x88 giant binoculars first light

First light was for Jupiter :D

Today, Jupiter (atitude 29.34º, 19:52 the only moment a break in the clouds gave a chance...), beautiful, amazing.... cloud bands were clear there (even at 20x); the four Galilean moons, dancing around the gas giant in a perfect line.

This kind of equipment is very fast to prepare and use... see it, take it, use it... and enjoy it!

I´m using an Utralyt 6097 tripod. My first feedback is good. It is solid and supports very well the 4.5kg of the binoculars.... easy to mount and use, soft movements,... and cheaper than other ones with similar features :)

Some old astrophotos reprocessed

These pictures were taken in Torrecilla two years ago.

M20 and M8 in Sagitarius:

Sagitarius region:

Four eyepieces for the collection

I have recently bought four new eyepieces:

University Optics Konïg MK-70 25mm, 70º:

http://www.cloudynights.com/documents/konig.pdf
http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/entry/university-optics-konig-mk-70-25mm-22-117.html?PHPSESSID=6ae5e99b51500f071a13ab29cf48f83a 

Vixen LV 30mm 60º

Astro-Tech Titan Type II ED 40mm 68º:

http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=2016

Televue Radian 14mm 60º:
http://www.televue.com/engine/TV3_page.asp?id=50&Tab=EP_ERD-14.0

http://www.scopereviews.com/radian.html

University Optics Konïg MK-70 25mm, 70º:

Stats:

Type: Misc Wide Angle / Multi Coated

Focal: 25mm

Barrel size: 2"

aFOV: 70º

Field Stop: 29mm

Eye Lens: 24.5mm

Eye relief: 20mm

Elements: 7

ExitPupilsf5=5,f7=3.6mm,f10=2.5 

I tested it last night. I think thast it is the most versatile of all my eyepieces.

Astro-Tech Titan Type II ED 40mm 68º:

Stats:

Type: 

Focal: 40mm

Barrel size: 2"

aFOV: 68º

Field Stop: 29mm

Eye Lens: 32mm

Eye relief: 14mm

Elements: 6

This is a 40mm 2" Wide Field with 68º AFOV. It's clear that it could not be as a 100º AFOV, but I guess it is enough for a 40mm.



Vixen LV 30mm 60º:

Stats:

Type: 

Focal: 30mm

Barrel size: 2"

aFOV: 60º

Field Stop: 31,4mm

Eye Lens: ?

Eye relief: 20mm

Elements: 7

As well as the Astro-tech, a 60º AFOV for an 30mm should be enough, at least for my (almost) 37 years old eyes :)

Televue Radian 14mm 60º:

Stats:

Type: Radian

Focal: 14mm

Barrel size: 1,25"

aFOV: 60º

Field Stop: 14,4mm

Eye Lens: ?

Eye relief: 20mm

Elements: 6

To be tested......

Keep in mind that all of them will be used (for the moment) with a LX90 8", with a focal length of 2003mm and f/10.

Atlantis Space Shuttle last mission

With this mission, the Space Shuttles say goodbye after 30 years and more than 130 space missions

The next Space Missions will use the Russia's Soyuz space capsules

http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/the_shuttle/

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts135/

Let's try my new Meade DSI II Pro Color CCD camera

My last acquisition is the DSI II Pro Color camera from MEADE. It seems to be a very good option for both guiding and capturing from other expensiver ones.

On a first view, there are three main differences between this model and the Atik 16IC-s.

First one, the MEADE is not cooled (a problem for guiding...? I don't think so).

Second, it doesn't have an ST4 (not a problem for me, right now, since I have a LX90).

Third, the CCD sensor of the MEADE is better than the Atik (Sony ICX429AKL vs Sony ICS415AL)

Mike Weasner´s Autostar file versions repository

http://www.weasner.com/etx/autostar/as_archive/downloads.html

Juan Carlos, Javier, Rolo y Vicente on TVE

Team SAMBORI.... from Valencia to Mongolia! The best of luck for Rafa and friends!!!

http://samborimongol.org/
http://www.canal9.es/programas/enconnexio/actualitat.asp?id=EixidaRallieMongolia

The Hirsh f/6.3 focal reducer test

After having testing the Hirsch focal reducer for months, I think that it's a very good option from the MEADE and Celestron ones:

I could compare it with the Meade original, and I didn't find differences between both of them in terms of optical quality and luminosity.

It is a 4 element design, as the Meade 4000 series. By using it, reduces the main telescope's focal ratio by a factor of 0.63 (e.g. from f/10 to f/6.3), so a 2000mm of focal length would be a 1260mm... yes, reducing the main focal, but dramatically increasing the luminosity of the telescope.

A low price and high optical quality recommends it as a very good purchase option regarding most expensive ones from the well-known brands...

Three new elements to test....

Three new elements have been recently included in my kit for the LX90:

- Hirsch focal reducer f/6.3 (from f/10).
- Barlow Meade Series 4000 2x APO #140
- Guiding tube from "Lunático", focal 230 60mm f/3.8

I hope to be able to prove all three the next weekend, or at least both the focal reducer and the barlow lens.

I will publish my opinions shortly....

Pictures taken at La Hiruela

What can you see in this photo?: NGC7000 (North America Nebula)

What can you see in this photo?: M8 (Swan Nebula) & M20 (Trifid Nebula) in Sagittarious constellation.


















What can you see in this photo?: The Milky Way and Jupiter.

17P-Holmes comet from El Álamo

Image taken on March 2, 2007, from El Álamo.

Canon EOS 300D, 50mm, tripod, 30sec exposure.

Dawn probe flying to the asteriods belt.......

2007.09.27: this dawn, the "Dawn" probe has started the fly to the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter, where will arrive in four years, . In fact, this belt "differentiates" the inner from the outer Solar System.

"Dawn" will explore the asteroids called "Vesta" and "Ceres", the two of the bigger bodies located there.

Astromical observation from "Orusco de Tajuña".

oThe last Saturday to Sunday night, Gonzalo, Vicente and me (in the first picture, from right to left) were in "Orusco de Tajuña", a little town near Madrid, about 90km away from there. The night sky was wonderful, keeping in mind the distance from Madrid, so I can say that the night was very useful and funny.

The following pictures are the best ones, in raw mode yet, of that night. These photos show sky objects like M13, M31, M57, the Milky Way and Jupiter.

As I could work over this images in order to improve it, I will publish them in this entry.

Assistants:
































The Milky Way in Sagittarious constellation:
Camera: Canon EOS 300D.
Lens: Nikkor 50mm f1:1.8 at f1.8.
Exposure time: 20".
ISO: 1600.
What can you see in this photo?: The Milky Way in Sagittarious.
























M13:
Camera: Canon EOS 300D.
Telescope: MEADE LX90 8" SC GPS UHTC.
Exposure time: 20".
ISO: 3200.
What can you see in this picture?: The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules.





















M31:
Camera: Canon EOS 300D.
Telescope: MEADE LX90 8" SC GPS UHTC.
Exposure time: 68".
ISO: 3200.
What can you see in this picture?: The well-known Andromeda Galaxy, and his partner, the dwarf galaxy M32.

















M57:
Camera: Canon EOS 300D.
Telescope: MEADE LX90 8" SC GPS UHTC.
Exposure time: 77".
ISO: 3200.
What can you see in this picture?: The Ring Nebula, a planetary nebula.

















Jupiter:
Camera: Philips SPC 900NC.
Telescope: MEADE LX90 8" SC GPS UHTC.Total frames: 661.
Used frames: 100.
What can you see in this picture?: The planet Jupiter.



















If you want to waste your time reading the full thread posted in the "astroseti" web site, you could follow this link in order to read all the post: http://foros.astroseti.org/viewtopic.php?t=3260. As you can read, it has been very hard to reach this event......

A new Earthlike planet has been discovered

The planet is estimated to be about 5.5 times as massive as Earth and thought to be rocky. It orbits a red dwarf star about 28,000 light-years away. Red dwarfs are about one-fifth as massive as the sun and up to 50 times fainter. But they are among the most common stars in the universe.

- Artist´s conception of the new Earthlike planet -

The Mantiel´s public observatory

This is the public astronomical observatory of Mantiel.

To visit it, please visit the following link and follow the instructions:
http://www.aytomantiel.es/observatorio.php


Mantiel is a beautiful little town located at Guadalajara, about 110 km from Madrid. It is easy to arrive there from A-2 motorway.

Third image, improved with "Net Image" for noise reduction

Once more:

Improved with "Net Image" for noise reduction.

All values by default.

Second Saturn image from the same video

Second image...., I think it could be better

New image of Saturn

This is the first image obtained from the source video..... I want to work more with this one.

80 stacked images from a video of 889 images, captured yesterday, at 23:30 during the total moon eclipse.
Meade LX90 8" GPS UHTC + Philiphs SPC 900NC + barlow x2

New Horions probe, gets a boost from Jupiter flyby

Rosetta swingby of Mars, confirmed!

The mission controllers at ESOC, ESA's Space Operations Centre in Germany, have confirmed today at 03:57 CET, that Rosetta´s swingby of Mars was made successfully, just only 250 km above of the planet surface.

Now, the next waypoint for the probe is the planet Earth, when the gravitational energy of our planet will "catapult" it to gain acceleration for its trek.

In year 2014, this probe will reach its target: the comet "Churyumov-Gerasimenko".

Infant stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud

New Horizons probe, next to Jupiter

Launched one year ago to Pluto, destination that will be reached in july, 2015, the probe is next to Jupiter. It began to take some pictures of this gaseous giant, which will overfly the next 18 of february.


Pictures of Jupiter:http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/soc/index.php?page=1
Mission´s main page:http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/
Mission´s press report:http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/common/content/pdfs/011607_JupiterPressKit.pdf

COROT telescope sees first light

In the night between the past days 17 and 18 of january, the protective cover of the COROT telescope has been successfully opened, and COROT has seen for the first time light coming from stars.
Therefore, it could star their adventure searching for new extra-solar planets and learning about the stars interiors..... The scientific observatios will begin, officially, the next february.

- COROT first light -

M42 from El Álamo

Telescope: Meade Lx90 8" GPS UHTC
Camera: Canon EOS 300D with firmware upgrade
Exposure time: 62 sec.
ISO: 3200 (!)
Location: 40º24'N / -3°980 W El Álamo (Madrid)
Seeing: not bad

First try of Saturn using the Philiphs SPC 900NC

This image is the result from 1300 stacked images, processed with Registax and Photoshop CS. The seeing was not good and the images were taken just when Saturn was appearing, but the final image is not too bad since this is my first image of Saturn using this webcam.....