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A guy at the Denver astronomy club said my $80 binoculars were 'pointless for deep sky' and honestly, he was RIGHT.
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skylerbell1mo ago
Wait, pointless? I've seen some amazing stuff with cheap binoculars from a dark site. What were you trying to look at?
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paulm951mo ago
That guy's take is a perfect example of gatekeeping, which happens everywhere. It's like telling someone their point-and-shoot camera is pointless for landscapes, or their basic guitar is pointless for learning. Skylerbell is right, you can absolutely see cool stuff. The goal is to look up, not to meet some expert's gear checklist. It just pushes people away from hobbies for no good reason.
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The real gatekeeping here is about how we define "serious" astronomy. Nobody talks about how light pollution in cities makes even a high-end scope useless for most deep-sky stuff, but a cheap pair of binoculars from a dark site will blow your mind. @skylerbell is right on the money, I've got a friend who uses an old pair of Tasco's from a garage sale and he's seen the Andromeda galaxy clearer than I have with my 8-inch Dob from my backyard. It's not about the gear, it's about getting away from streetlights and just looking.
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