Xtrawide 4x21 Venus and Jupiter (1 Viewer)

[Binastro]

Clear and transparent now.

Venus and Jupiter nice in the Xtrawide 4x21, but I didn't find Saturn.

The two bright planets are not yet in the same field of 18.5 degrees.

I estimate the separation ten minutes ago as about 21 degrees.

They should be in the same field in the 2x54 and similar binoculars.

The planets are closing and will seem very close on March 1st and 2nd.

Regards,
B.

 

[Binastro]

Feb 13 2023.
18.30 to 18.35 UT/GMT.

Jupiter and Venus well within the field of 4x21 Bushnell Xtrawide binocular.
Aircraft moving through field.

Estimate separation as 16.25 to 16.5 degrees.

However, they are just outside the field of the Dowling and Rowe/Libra 4x22.

So, I make the separation 16.7 degrees.

Poor transparency but no cloud.

Regards,
B.

 

[Binastro]

Feb 14 2023.

18.02 to 18.05 UT/GMT

Transparent sky.

Venus and Jupiter look very nice in Bushnell Xtrawide 4x21.
Nice images.

They are both seen in the same field of the Dowling and Rowe 4x22.
However, both are very smeared into lines parallel to the field edges, Extreme coma.

They are not seen together in the VisionKing 5x25, which has better extreme edge performance than the Dowling and Rowe 4x22.
Slightly outside the field of the VisionKing 5x25.

I estimate the separation as 15.8 degrees.

Regards,
B.

 

[has530]

Feb 14 2023.

18.02 to 18.05 UT/GMT

Transparent sky.

Venus and Jupiter look very nice in Bushnell Xtrawide 4x21.
Nice images.

They are both seen in the same field of the Dowling and Rowe 4x22.
However, both are very smeared into lines parallel to the field edges, Extreme coma.

They are not seen together in the VisionKing 5x25, which has better extreme edge performance than the Dowling and Rowe 4x22.
Slightly outside the field of the VisionKing 5x25.

I estimate the separation as 15.8 degrees.

Regards,
B.

I will need to try in my visionking 5x25 tonight as we may finally have clear skies. Last time I measured I got somewhere around 16.25 for the TFOV (along with magnification a bit under 4.5)

 

[Binastro]

My sample is nowhere near 16.25 degrees, at least for me.

How did you measure the TFOV?

It could be that our eyes differ.
I am far sighted.
I don't wear glasses with binoculars.
Slightly near sighted might explain the difference.

I will compare the magnification against the Foton 5x25.

Here it is cloudy as was yesterday.

Regards,
B.

 

[Binastro]

Feb 19 2023.
18.02 to 18.10 UT/GMT.

Beautiful clear and fairly transparent sky, still bright sky.

Foton 5x25.
I estimate the separation of Venus and Jupiter as 10.7 degrees.
This is less precise as I couldn't quickly find an 11 degree binocular.

Because of cloudy conditions this is the first look in a while and the two planets are much closer than before.
The local area is so lit up that the planets look feeble in comparison.
Energy crisis, what energy crisis?

Regards,
B.

 

[has530]

That night I was able to "see" both somewhat easily in the fov of my visionking. I put see in quotations because the edge performance is so poor they appear just as elongated arcs rather than anything resembling a planet or dot of any kind. It sounds as though we may have very different samples!

 

[Binastro]

Feb 23 2023

18.04 UT/GMT

Using Canon 10x42L binocular I make the separation to be 6.65 degrees.
Marginally outside field, although with IS off they may seem to be in the same field.

The amazing thing is that with this binocular both Jupiter and Venus show as bright normal images without any major defects when at the field stop.

Crescent Moon nearby and bright.

Regards,
B

 

[Binastro]

18.36 UT/GMT.

Crescent Moon, Jupiter and Venus in the same field of Bushnell Xtrawide 4x21.

Very nice sight.

They cover a distance of 17 degrees at this time.

In addition I took some quick photos with Canon G16 and a fox was running up and down the slanting garage roof less than ten yards away.
I haven't looked at the photos, but I doubt the fox is sharp as he was moving fast.

Early in the morning I heard weird fox noises also.

I see one, sometimes two or three most nights loitering in the street.

Regards,
B.

 

[has530]

My sample is nowhere near 16.25 degrees, at least for me.

How did you measure the TFOV?

It could be that our eyes differ.
I am far sighted.
I don't wear glasses with binoculars.
Slightly near sighted might explain the difference.

I will compare the magnification against the Foton 5x25.

Here it is cloudy as was yesterday.

Regards,
B.

I had initially measured based on some star separations and seeing what fit and guessing from there (somewhat difficult as the edge performance is very poor). Just now I did a proper measurement from mounted projecting a flashlight through the objective onto a wall while focused at infinity and got... 15.8, exactly in spec. For magnification using the "brick counting" method I still got around 4.5x.

 

[Binastro]

Feb 24 2023.
18.10 UT/GMT

Bausch and Lomb 10x42P Elite

I estimated separation as 5.4 degrees.

Planets looked good near field stop of 5.6 degree field.

Crescent Moon about 23 degrees above Jupiter.

At 18.30 UT the planets and Moon were beautiful in a clear sky.

At 17.45 UT I saw both planets in Swift 8.5x44 HR/5

Regards,
B

 

[Binastro]

Feb 25 2023.
18.11 UT/GMT

In Bausch and Lomb 10x42P Elite I thought separation about 4.4 degrees, but wasn't sure.

18.16 UT
Zeiss 15x60 Venus dazzlingly bright but both planets looked good near field edge.
Separation 4.2 (or 4.15) degrees.

Some cloud nearby.

Moon way above the pair of planets.

Regards,
B.

P.S.
I will have to remeasure the field of the Zeiss 15x60, as I see mention of a 4.6 degree field.
I remembered 4.4 degrees, but I may be wrong.

If it is 4.6 degrees then the separation was about 4.4 degrees.

 

[Binastro]

Feb 26 2023
18.18 UT.

Clear, transparent and steady Seeing.

Jupiter and Venus in same field of 18x50 binocular.

I estimate separation as 3.5 degrees or 3.45 degrees.

Regards,
B.

 

[Binastro]

Feb 27 2023
18.02 UT/GMT

Jupiter seen well in a light sky, Venus overbright in Canon 18x50.
Separation 2.5 degrees.

Kowa 20x50 straight spotting scope, hand held, both planets in the same field, separation estimated as 2.4 degrees.

So, maybe 2.45 degrees separation.

Regards,
B.

P.S.
Actual separation was 2.5 degrees, so maybe the Kowa field is a bit less than the 2.8 degrees I remembered.

 

[Binastro]

Cloudy for me this evening and yesterday.

But some good photos by others this evening.

Closest 04.46 UT tomorrow 29.4 arc minutes.

The U.S.A. has good prospects this evening with Venus and Jupiter about 30 arc minutes or half a degree apart.

Should be good in a spotting scope at medium to high magnification.

Regards,
B.

 

[Binastro]

March 2 2023.
17.58 to 18.04 UT/GMT.

Beautiful.

Saw Jupiter and Venus in Swift 8.5x44 HR/5.
Then unaided eyes and distance glasses and without glasses.
In Canon 18x50 IS separation about 1/5th field or 46 arcminutes.

Clear sky, pair quite high in a very light sky.

Jupiter's pale disc seen nicely in Canon 18x50 IS but Venus overbright.

With unaided eyes the pair were not as close as I thought they would be.
Very large gap between them.

Reversed positions from a few days ago.

Regards,
B.

 

[wllmspd]

Similar views and I tried out a Audubon I’d just picked up. Having two very bright planets together is not a common sight. Only got one chance as the clouds have been playing up.

Peter

 

[Binastro]

March 7 2023 18.27 UT/GMT.

Bausch and Lomb Elite 10x42P.

Separation estimated as 5.45 degrees.

Just in the same binocular field with quite good images of Jupiter and Venus near the field stop.

Nicely seen with unaided eyes.

Regards,
B.

 

[Binastro]

2023 March 17.

At about 6.20 pm Venus and Jupiter were seen in the same field of the 4x21 Bushnell Xtrawide binocular.
I estimated the separation as about 16 degrees.
They looked nice in the binocular.

Also just seen in the same field of the Dowling and Rowe 4x22 binocular.
I estimated the separation as 16.1 degrees.

2023 March 18.
At 6.34 pm I saw Venus and Jupiter in the same field of the 4x21 Bushnell Xtrawide binocular.
I estimate the separation as about 17 degrees.

Regards,
B.