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Binoculars are always a popular gift at this time of the year! There are many different binocular brands and models available in Australia today and we know that choosing the best set can be confusing. At BINTEL, we're always happy to spend time on the phone, online or in person at our retail store helping you select the best binoculars or spotting scope for you and your lifestyle. What do all the numbers mean? First of all, it might help to explain how binoculars are measured. They usually have two numbers.  For example: 8x2 10x4 7x50  The first is the magnification and the second is the size of each front lens in mm Magnification While it might see the highest number is always the best option - after all, the point of binoculars is to increase the size of things in the distance, isn't it? However, higher magnification also means a narrower field of view when searching for fast moving things like birds or sports action as well a emphasising and hand movements or shakes.  Lens size in mm The second number is the diameter of each front lens in mm. For example,  10x32 and 10x42 binoculars would both produce the same size image to your eyes but the 10x42 binoculars would gather more light due to the larger lenses and offer a wider view. This would make them better for low light conditions or for use during dawn or dusk as well as producing a slightly sharper image. They'd also be heavier and likely to be more expensive.  What's the best size for.... There's no one set size that fits all and there's one size that is used for certain activities despite what you read online! Here's a few suggestions for sizes and their uses. This a rough guide and have a chat with us to fine tune the right model binoculars just for you: Bird Watching - 8x42 or 10x42 for more experienced birders Scenery viewing from land - 10x50 or 10x42 Whale Watching on the water - 10x42 Sports - 7x50 or 10x50 Concerts - 10x32 Travelling - 8x32 Compact/pocket sized - 8x25 Vortex Crossfire Vortex produce a wide range of binoculars that offer excellent optical quality and mechanical construction at quite affordable prices. We've had positive and encouraging feedback from our customers who've purchased Vortex from BINTEL.  All of their Crossfire range sit below the $500 Christmas budget.  They're waterproof, include a carrycase, handy "Glasspack" harness in addition to a neck strap and as with all Vortex binoculars, have a lifetime warranty.  You can see the full Crossfire range here. If you'd like to spend a little more, the Vortex's famous Diamondback HD binoculars offer better optics and an improved body design. Check them out here. ZeroTech Thrive For some surprisingly good optics at a low price, binoculars from ZeroTech would be hard to pass by. For example, the ZeroTech Thrive series all feature rugged bodies and are very much aimed at those with an active outdoor lifestyle.  Like Vortex, they have a "no questions" lifetime warranty. You can check out the full Vortex Thrive range here. Part of the Thrive line up such as the ZeroTech Thrive HD 8x42 ED Binoculars for $499 also includes "ED Glass" which helps produces fine, sharp images. This is normally found in more expensive binoculars and spotting scopes. We talked about this in article you can find here.  Gerber  Another brand to look at for those after value for money binoculars is Gerber. Several of their binoculars also feature ED glass and a number are aimed at those heading out onto the water with an inbuilt compass plus toughened coatings that allow them to float. Handy if they're dropped overboard! Gerber also produce spotting scopes for under $500 that include  tabletop tripod and mobile phone adaptor.  You can find more about Gerber at BINTEL here.  Cheers, Earl White BINTEL 5th December 2025  

There's lots to see in our wonderful southern skies It's only a few weeks to go! Christmas 2025 is fast approaching and telescopes are always a popular gift idea for young (and young at heart) astronomers.  Here's a few of our telescope gift ideas for under $500 that Santa can load onto his sleigh and leave under the tree ready to delight on Christmas morning. What can I see? The first thing that new astronomers who visit BINTEL ask is if they can see the Solar System planets. The Celestron StarSense and Saxon 6" Dobsonian telescopes mentioned here will see Saturn, Jupiter and Mars and even spot the more distant Uranus and Neptune.  The Moon will be amazing, showing craters, mountains and open planes called Mare. You'll also gain an appreciation of the phases of the Moon as the Lunar "day" progress, revealing changing shadows that highlight different features. What many folks don't realise is that our Moon and the Solar System are just the very start of your astronomy journey.  There's a lifetime of exploration to be found checking out deep-sky features such as nebulae, star clusters and more in the Milky Way. You'll even be able to see galaxies millions of light years away. BINTEL's monthly guides to the night sky covers some of what you can see and when, and are a great way to learn about what you can view each month. Celestron StarSense Explorer telescopes We've probably sold thousands of these popular telescopes over the last few years and based in the feedback from our customers, we never hesitate to recommend them. They're available in a variety of sizes or "apertures" to suit your budgets. You might think magnification is the most important way to work out how powerful a telescope is, but this is not the case. Astronomers measure telescopes by their aperture. This is how wide their main mirror or lens is in mm or sometimes in old-school inches. As a telescope's main task is to collect the light that falls into it and concentrate it into your eye or camera, the larger it is, the more light from the Universe above us it scoops up. This means more detail and the ability to peer at even fainter, distant objects.  Basically, the larger the aperture of a telescope, the more you'll see. The Celestron StarSense Explorer LT70 AZ is a 70mm refactor telescope and an ideal low-cost introduction to astronomy. It's also quite lightweight, making it easy to move around and store. We have these telescopes in store to show you and can also send online orders to anywhere in Australia. Celestron StarSense Explorer LT70AZ - $349  Moving up a little in size or aperture, the StarSense LT127 AZ offers larger optics that collects more than three times as much light as the smaller LT70 AZ telescope.  Celestron StarSense Explorer LT127 AZ Both of these Celestron telescopes include: Tripod Mount Two eyepieces for different magnifications This is essentially everything you need to start observing on the night after Christmas. While there are other accessories and upgrades available, you don't need them to enjoy views through your new telescope.  Possibly the handiest feature of all the telescopes in this range is the Celestron StarSense Explorer systems. This mounts your Apple or Android phone in a cradle attached to the telescope and using a special Celestron app included with the telescopes, shows you where to locate astro objects in the night sky.  This cool gizmo shows you where to point your telescope to observe planets deep-sky objects and even take you on personalised guided tours.  This is included on all models in the StarSense Explorer range.   Saxon 6" Dobsonian - $499 A Dobsonian or "Dob" telescope refers to the simple yet highly effective mount that's usually associated with Newtonian style reflectors. They've been popular with astronomers for decades mainly as Dobs are probably the most effective way to get the most telescope for your astro dollar.    Saxon 6" Dobsonian Telescope We'd rate this 6", along with the larger models in the Saxon Dob range, as ideal telescopes for serious beginners.  They all come with two eyepieces as standard,  and there's wide range of add on eyepieces to further improve your viewing as your experience grows.  It's not uncommon for our customers to use their Dobs for years or even decades! Perfect starter telescope for young astronomers - Celestron FirstScope - $99 This might be the tiniest telescope we sell but it's certainly not a toy. This little 76mm Celestron can easily be picked up in one hand and carried around. Simple to use, it's a perfect introduction to star gazing, offering memorable views of the Moon and discovering Milky Way star clouds, nebula and star clusters.  Celestron FirstScope - $99 The "Dob" base means it's and won't shake or wobble around. The optics are surprisingly good, plus there's a low cost upgrade kit available as well. You'd be surprised how many experienced astronomers keep a little "pocket dob" like these in their car as a quick, grab 'n go telescope.  Celestron FirstScope Accessory Kit - $25 This kit includes a couple of additional eyepieces, finderscope and Moon filter.  What about taking photos? Next week we'll cover taking photos with your telescope and dedicated, Smart Telescopes. Cheers, Earl White BINTEL 22nd November 2025

Blue Origin's New Glenn mega rocket has a second launch This time it's sending twin probes to Mars! We've mentioned SpaceX's Starship rocket in this blog over the last couple of years as it progresses through to a fully operational launch vehicle.  While Starship remains the largest craft even flown by humanity, New Glenn from Blue Origin is also in the class of "mega rocket". It's had one flight in January of this year when it successfully launched a prototype satellite into orbit.  The second flight of New Glenn was delayed this week due to weather, a cruise ship straying into the launch zone and even by the same weather condition a couple of days ago that caused the spectacular aurora seen across Australia on Wednesday night. However, when Blue Origin "lit the wick" yesterday morning Sydney time, New Glenn successfully launched and carried out two major mission objectives.  New Glenn launch yesterday Sydney time. Image via Blue Origin Firstly, Blue Origin has now become the second company after SpaceX to successfully return a large space launch vehicle safely to Earth so it can be flown again.  New Glenn 2 touching down on the Jacklyn landing platform ship It also carried two NASA spacecraft, ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers), destined for Mars where they will spend several years studying the extreme outer regions of the red planet's atmosphere.  The two ESCAPADE spacecraft during final testing onboard New Glenn ahead of its launch this coming week. Image via Blue Origin These twin probes, known Blue and Gold, are test probes design to highlight how comparatively low-cost planetary spacecraft can make valuable contribution to science. They will study the magnetosphere or Mars and investigate the role of the Solar wind in depleting the red planet's atmosphere over the life of the Solar System. We know the Mars once had large regions of surface water and why this disappeared is an ongoing area of active research.  What's "Launch and Linger"? ESCAPADE is now in an elongated Earth orbit where it will remain until late 2026 when it will execute a single burn to commence its journey to Mars when the window for the quickest route for spacecraft to transfer to between the two planets opens. It will arrive there in 2028. This lingering in orbit around Earth means that spacecraft can be launched to Mars when it's economical to hitch a ride on commercial vehicles as opposed to needing to head to orbit to meet up with transfer windows.  An interesting approach to help bring down the costs of deep-space mission! More to the Pleiades than meets the eye One of the most beautiful open clusters in the night sky is the Pleiades (M45). The Pleiades taken by Damir Makšan and posted to The BINTEL Society Facebook Group. This is a famous open cluster in the constellation of Taurus known since ancient times and a favourite of astronomers around the world.  Now astronomers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered the Pleiades that is about 20 times larger than previously thought.  They combined data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope and found thousands of other members which now combine into a region they're now calling The Greater Pleiades Complex. “This study changes how we see the Pleiades—not just seven bright stars, but thousands of long-lost siblings scattered across the whole sky,” said Andrew Boyle, lead author and graduate student in physics and astronomy at UNC-Chapel Hill. “We’re realizing that many stars near the Sun are part of massive extended stellar families with complex structures,” said Andrew Mann, co-author and professor of physics and astronomy at UNC-Chapel Hill. “Our work provides a new way to uncover these hidden relationships.” These newly identified members are likely to be beyond the reach of amateur telescopes, although you'll be able to gaze at at Pleiades this summer knowing that what you're seeing is only part of vast stellar structure. Check out more at the UNC news website here. We talked about open clusters in a blog post earlier in the year that you can read here. While our Sun was formed along with other stars in a nebulae, there's still a search for our stellar siblings. Could exoplanets also have aurora? This past week has seen the Earth whacked by a massive release of charged particles from the Sun. Apart from interfering with communications and space launches, it produced a stunning series of aurora seen across large parts of Australia.  This is caused by a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) from the Sun.   Artist's impression of a large red giant star emitting a stream of energised particles. Credit: Olena Shmahalo/Callingham et al. Despite extensive searches, no other star has been found sending matter into space like our Sun does on a regular basis. Now for the first time astronomers have now observed an explosive CME on another star, one so large that it could not only cause aurora planets orbiting it, but possibly even strip away a nearby planet's atmosphere! “Astronomers have wanted to spot a CME on another star for decades,” says Joe Callingham of the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), author of the new research published in Nature. “Previous findings have inferred that they exist, or hinted at their presence, but haven’t actually confirmed that material has definitively escaped out into space. We’ve now managed to do this for the first time.” Read more here. Cheers, Earl White BINTEL  15th November 2025

I'd ideally like to observe birds and wildlife at quite a distance, possibly beyond the range of my binoculars. How do I do this? This is a pretty common question we get asked here at BINTEL. We've talked about selecting different binoculars sizes and even about using image stabilising binoculars. (You can read the articles here.) However there comes a point where standard hand held binoculars no matter what the size simply don't have enough magnification. This might be due to a number of reasons.  You could either be trying to observe birds at a distance where you can't get any closer, or where you wish to stay a little further away for example, when they're nesting and don't wish to disturb them. Another situation is trying to observe shorebirds, where they're often beyond the distance you'll see them clearly using standard binoculars.  That's when a spotting scope might help.  What's a spotting scope? A spotting scope or spotter as many call them looks like one side of a big pair of binoculars and this is because that's what they basically are! They often have a larger main lens, a larger body and most importantly for viewing at a distance, offer higher magnifications.  Most spotting scopes come standard with zoom eyepieces. The allows you to look around to find an object of interest and then with a quick twist, zoom in for a closer view.  A Celestron 20-60x80 TrailSeeker Spotting Scope How are spotting scopes measured? Spotting scopes are measured in much the same way as binoculars, IE the magnification and then aperture in mm.  The common zoom eyepieces are given as a range of magnifications instead of a single number.    For example, if a pair of binoculars are said to be 8x42, this means they 8 times magnification their front lenses are 42 mm across in size.  If spotting scope such as the Celestron TrailSeeker listed above is 20-60x80 it means its magnification goes from 20 times to 60 times and has a front lens 80mm across.  Much the same general advice about binoculars also applies to spotting scopes.  Larger main lenses will mean more light gathering for brighter and wider views. They also increase the cost and size.  Working out the best sized spotting scope for your needs is something BINTEL can assist with. Are they any downsides to spotting scopes? There's two and they're both related to their increased magnification offered. First of all, many have a narrower field of view compared to binoculars. You won't be able to see as much side to side.  This makes it a bit hard to spot and locate wildlife or birds, especially if they're flying.  Due to their larger size and higher magnification, they're much holder to hold still. To keep them steady you will generally need to use a tripod.  While this is an extra piece of gear to take into the field, it will ensure steady viewing for longer and easier observing sessions.  Spotting scopes will fit onto any standard photographic tripod with a head that allows it to side to side and up and down. You can use both full height or tabletop tripods.  A Slik 504QF tripod at BINTEL   Can you get compact spotting scopes? Yes. Just like you can get compact binoculars, you can also buy compact spotting scopes such the Kowa TSN-501 and the Celestron Hummingbird.  You might be able to use these hand held at their lower magnification but are likely to need a tripod for higher power when zoomed in. Kowa TSN-501 Spotting Scope Can I take photos through a spotting scope? Yes. This is often called "Digiscoping" and refers to attaching a either a phone or a DSLR camera to the eyepiece of the spotting scope to take photos. A low cost and popular digiscoping gizmo is the Celestron NexYZ: Celestron NexYZ Phone Adaptor What are other common uses for spotting scopes? Spotting scopes are not just for bird watching. If you're looking to view something in the distance, or you'd like to observe for extended periods of time, a spotting scope might be a better option than binoculars. Many BINTEL customers use spotting scopes for whale watching from the shoreline, scenery and cityscape views and even Lunar and Milky Way viewing.  What are some of the brands of spotting scopes that BINTEL sells? Many companies known for the binoculars also make spotting scopes, including Swarovski, ZEISS, Nikon, Kowa, Vortex and others. Bottom line: what's better? A spotting scope or binoculars? There's no real answer to this as they perform different tasks. The portable viewing at close to medium distances, binoculars are ideal. For longer distances or getting in close to medium distance views with minimal disturbances, a spotting scope could be a great solution. It's quite common for bird watchers to have both! If you have any questions about your best choice for birding optics, our friendly team here at BINTEL are always happy to have a chat.  Cheers, Earl White BINTEL 14th November 2025

With the arrival of DJI Power units at BINTEL, we thought it would be a great time to go back over the power requirements for telescope, mounts and accessories as well as going over the way we measure power supplies. DJI are usually associated with drones, but many are finding their power and wide range of outputs make them a handy choice for astronomers as well. DJI Power 1000 Some basics.*  There are basically two main voltages used in astro gear. Many mounts, dew controllers and other accessories run off 12 volts (or 12v) DC.  Why 12 volts?  Volts measure the electrical potential or difference. You can think of it as being the "pressure" of the electricity. 12 volts is common in many types of astro and many other appliances as it's the same voltage as used by car batteries*. From a practical point of view, it's commonly used and this has made it a standard for many pieces of astro equipment.  USB outputs are used to power and recharge everything from phones, tablets and of course, astronomy cameras and smart telescopes from ZWO, DWARF and Vaonis.  Various types of USB ports put out about 5 volts.  What's an amp?*** Amperes or Amps is the unit of measurement that describes how much electricity is being used. You might have heard the term about "how much current a device draws". As an example, a 12v torch light bulb and a large, 12v Sky-Watcher EQ8-R  telescope both require 12v. However, the telescope mount will require "more" electricity of the same voltage. It will also require different amounts of power depending on when it's simply tracking or quickly slewing from one part of the sky to another.  This is why you sometimes see a device described drawing from 1.5 amps to 3 amps for example.  Larger and more complex devices will require more current. Aside from telescope mounts, other common high current astro gear include dew heaters.  (If you want a high electricity bill over winter, keep your fan heaters and electric blankets going all the time!) A Watt** is a measurement of the total amount of electricity and the voltage multiplied by the current.  Watts describe how much work it is being done by a device. For example, an electric motor that draws 1500 watts will be more powerful than a 1000 watt motor.  Watt-hour (Wh) Finally, one more measurement astronomers need to take into consideration are watt hours or wh. This a useful way to measure the capacity of batteries.   This describes the total amount used over a period of time or on offer by a battery.  If you have a say a 1000 watt device, a battery such as that in the DJI 1000 Power with a 1024Wh capacity, it would be able to power for bit over an hour. The DJI 2000 Power with a 2028Wh capacity would be able to power it for 2 hours.  DJI Power 2000 This is why you'll see your home power bill given in units of kWh. (Or one thousand Wh). It's the total amount of electricity you've consumed in that period.  Watts are total amount of power a battery can provide at once. Watt hours are how long it can provide it for.   Why get a larger battery? There are two reasons. First of all, larger capacity batteries will supply more watts. This means that you will be able to power either more devices, or devices that draw more power with a larger battery than a small one. The DJI Power 1000 V2 can provide 2600 Watts of power and the DJI 2000 some 3000 Watts. The second reason, and possibly the more important, is that larger capacity batteries will power your telescope mount, cameras and accessories for longer and/or power other, non-astro devices as well.  Again, comparing the two battery supplies, the DJI Power 2000 will let you observe or image for twice as long as the DJI Power 1000. There's a good chance the small unit will allow you to work under stars for an entire night or more. A larger power supply could mean at least couple of nights without worrying about recharging.  Larger capacity power units are heavier and you'll need to take this into account when planning dark sky travels.  DJI Power units also have the ability to combine two or batteries together for extended output as your equipment needs grow.  DJI Power - ideal combo for astronomers There are a few advantages to the DJI Power series for astronomers. Even the basic DJI Power 1000 for $999 will likely power a small to medium astro imaging rig for extended sessions, even throughout the night.  All DJI Power units have multiple outputs that can handle both 12v via their SDC ports and USB devices. Astrophotographers especially tend to have a wide range of gizmos that need powering. Another factor is the stability on offer. A steady voltage means stable computers, tracking and camera operation. Safety. DJI have invested heavily in advanced battery chemistry and features that made their power supplies safe to store and use in the field.  Flexibility. Multiple recharging and output options, plus the ability to combine batteries offers great potential for astronomers.  We'll adding more info, along with examples, on powering astro gear via DJI in coming articles. Cheers, Earl White  BINTEL 25th October 2025 * 12 volts is what car batteries put out when healthy, however car electrical systems usually run a smidge higher, about 13.8 v to 14.4 v, when the car's engine is running. This is to charge the battery.  **  I am leaving out a full SI definition of watts as the rate of energy transfer per second. ***Apologies for the bad pun....

Orionids Meteor Shower this week One of the very special annual meteor showers, the Orionids, peaks this week. This meteor shower appears near the constellation of Orion (hence the name) and are caused as the Earth flys through the debris from Halleys Comet* as we orbit the Sun. Where to see the Orionids from Sydney a bit after midnight into the early morning on the 21st of October 2025. They will be in the north-east to eastern sky, just below the familiar constellation of Orion.  Meteor showers are best seen away from city lights. You might see some from the city or suburbs, but this is an event that is worth heading into a dark sky area with a clear view to the east and northeast. You don't need any special telescope gear or even binoculars, just a comfortable spot to observe from. We are also lucky as the Orionids this year occur close to a new Moon, meaning they sky will be extra dark.  It's impossible to predict how many you'll see. You might see around 20 meteors an hour with a possibility of many more being spotted. With any luck you might even get to see an occasional brighter fireball. Take your time and enjoy! Ring system confirmed around Charon Also becomes the first comet known to have rings! Illustration of the ring system around the asteroid, Charon. Image via UTFPR/Alexandre Crispim The ringed planet Saturn is shining brightly in the sky at the moment, and many folks would know all "giant" planets in the Solar System, including Jupiter, have ring systems.  There's also rings around minor planets and there's even suggestions that the Earth might have had a rings system around it for tens of millions of years, some 450 million years ago. Mars is likely to score its own ring system in about 50 million years when its moon, Phobos, breaks up as it wanders too close to the red planet. There's also active research trying to identify rings around exoplanets orbiting other stars. How rings form around a body is a complex topic.  Ways that rings form vary greatly but include forming from the same disk the planets formed from, collisions, tidal stresses, and smaller bodies being disturbed by encounters with larger planets.  Astronomers have confirmed the existence of a ring system around Chiron, a Centaur class object orbiting between Saturn and Uranus. This has characteristics of both a comet and a minor planet and has a "comet " name of 95P/Chiron along with a minor planet name of 2060 Chiron. Discovered in 1977, it's now the only comet known to have a ring system. (Some reports have also confused Chiron with Charon which is a moon of Pluto.) In a study published this week researchers suggested that the ring system around Chiron might be the result of an outburst from the comet, a collision with another small body or even a satellite of Chiron that was torn apart by tidal forces during its orbit.  What's more, changes have been observed in Chiron's rings, suggesting they're evolving in real time. Lead author of the study, Chrystian Luciano Pereira, commented: "This provides a rare glimpse into how such structures originate and change." "This diversity reminds us that ring formation is not exclusive to large planets. It's a universal process that can occur wherever the right physical conditions exist," Pereira said. As always, it's worth mentioning that while Chiron and its rings are not objects for amateur telescopes, it's fascinating to learn about what's going on above our heads! SpaceX Starship 11 Test Flight a success The "Block 2" version of the largest rocket ever launched makes its final flight.  Image via SpaceX At the beginning of the week, SpaceX launched the 11th test flight of their massive Starship rocket. Unlike many previous missions, this one was a success with no RAD (Rapid Unplanned Disassembly) or explosions to use SpaceX parlance.  A number of heat tiles were removed to induce stress on the vehicles and both Starship itself and the booster splashed down it the ocean. No attempt to land back at the launchpad was planned.  This was the last flight of this version of Starship, with the slightly larger "Block 3" due to fly next year.  More via SpaceX here. Cheers, Earl White BINTEL 18th October 2025 *For those of us who were around to see Halleys Comet in 1986, we're now closer to its next appearance, which is in 2061, than we are to 1986.....

Observing an interstellar comet. From Mars! Are we living in the future yet? ExoMars TGO images comet 3I/ATLAS. Image via ESA One of the more interesting astro images to arrive in 2025 is this simple animation of the path of Comet 3I/ATLAS as observed from a spacecraft in orbit around the planet Mars. When ESA (European Space Agency) sent their ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Mars Express missions to the red planet, the last thing they probably planned for was their spacecraft needing to turn away from observing the Martian surface a few thousand kms below to record the passage of a comet whizzing through the Solar System from interstellar space.  ExoMars TGO took a number of images used to create the animation above with its Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) camera. You can see the image of Comet 3I/ATLAS moving through the centre of the animation, with the fuzzy bits around it being the comet's coma.  Nick Thomas, Principal Investigator of the CaSSIS camera explains, “This was a very challenging observation for the instrument. The comet is around 10 000 to 100 000 times fainter than our usual target.”  Read more at the ESA website here. We haven't seen a complete set of images taken of Comet 3I/ATLAS due to the federal government shutdown in the USA effecting NASA operations.   What's the furthest object humans have even seen? One of the common questions we're often asked here at BINTEL is simply "How far can I see with my telescope?" In fact, it was the topic of my talk when I was honoured to be asked to speak at the recent Sutherland Astronomical Society's Open Night in August. (Quick answer: for most amateur telescopes it's astro critter called 3C 273, a quasar in a galaxy in the Virgo cluster that's some 2.5 billion light years away. MSH 04-12 in Eridanus might be worth mentioning but is very faint.)  I had a young astronomer and his family visit us the other day and was asked the tricky question of not only how far away can we see with the types of telescopes BINTEL has, but how far have humans ever been able to see.  It's not a bad topic to cover! The most distant galaxy observed, MoM-z14. Image via: Rohan P. Naidu et al (2025)/NASA/JWST, NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/Brant Robertson (UC Santa Cruz) Ben Johnson (CfA) Sandro Tacchella (Cambridge) Phill Cargile (CfA) Currently the holder of the record is a distant galaxy called MoM-z14.  This was imaged by the JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) on the 16th of May 2025 at a distance of some 13.53 billion light years. What's more, this bright, compact and fully formed galaxy was seen at only 280 million years after the Big Bang and the light from it is highly red shifted. This made it an ideal object for the infrared instruments onboard Webb to record.  This is because the galaxy is moving away from us at an extreme speed and the wavelengths of light are stretched.  We also see it at a time of rapid star formation, with the ionised light from the new stars travelling easily through the dust and gas between us and this distant galaxy.   Will Webb spot even more distant galaxies from the earliest days of the Universe? No doubt. A new meteorite discovered in Cunnamulla in western Queensland confirmed Some cool news for fans of space rocks this week. A 26.63 kg meteorite, originally discovered in 2009 has been confirmed and has received an official name of Tuen. Found on Plainview Station near Tuen in Western Queensland, it was thought to be a meteorite because it was half buried and stood out in the paddock, against a fence. There's no firm timeline about how long it been there as its fall to Earth wasn't observed, however it was likely to have been a few years prior to the discovery as there wasn't much weathering. Tony Forsyth with Tuen in a post to the Australian Meteor Reports Facebook group. Read more here. A small sample of Tuen was taken for analysis, and this was used to confirm that it is in fact an L4 class meteorite. While there's lot of various fragments of meteorites that are the hands of collectors or for sale, intact meteorites such as Tuen are rare and offer us a unique chance to study the early period of the Solar System. You can read more at The Meteoritical Society official database listing for Tuen here. ASCOM Alpaca is now available on the ZWO Seestar S30 and S50 Smart Telescopes News out this week is the availability of ASCOM Alpaca support for some of the most popular telescopes available today. ASCOM Alpaca is a software interface layer between astronomical device hardware and a wide range of astronomical software applications. Basically, by offering Alpaca on the S30 and S50, ZWO have enabled their popular telescopes to be used with powerful planetarium, astrophotography, guiding and apps such as N.I.N.A., Sequence Generator Pro (SGP),  Cartes du Ciel, Stellarium and many other others. Check out this YouTube video that covers ASCOM Alpaca on a ZWO Seestar  While the ZWO Seestar telescopes are designed to be used by complete beginners getting into astrophotography, updates like this also make them more interesting for experienced astro imagers as well. We'll have our own detailed article and comments about this shortly.  Our friends with DWARF Smart Telescopes don't need to feel left out. ASCOM Alpaca is on the way for your devices as well. Cheers, Earl White  BINTEL 11th October 2025    

A new way to get space telescope like images here on Earth Why do we put telescopes into space? There are a few reasons that humans have launched a wide range of telescopes into space. Major space observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the James Webb Space Telescope have changed our view of the cosmos. There's also many smaller and highly specialised instruments that have made major contributions to astronomy.  First of all, putting a telescope into space doesn't really help it get any closer to the celestial objects it's trying to observe. What placing a telescope into space achieves it removing the distortions caused by Earth's atmosphere and allow astronomers to observe in the wavelengths of light it blocks. By effectively blocking large parts of the spectrum of light the Sun sends our way, the Earth's atmosphere protects life and allowed critters such as humans to survive and thrive. The protection also stops light from a large part of the observable Universe from reaching our telescopes on the ground, so about the only thing we can do to get around this problem is head into space.  The unsteady air above our heads also blocks and blurs the view we receive in visible light. There are various ways to help solve these distortions used by astronomers including adaptive optics fitted on large telescopes to the "lucky imaging" based techniques and software that have helped amateurs produce amazing planetary images using low-cost cameras from ZWO and others  Now scientists from John Hopkins University have developed algorithms to strip away a large part of the interference caused by atmospheric disturbances to astronomical images, with the aim of images from ground based observatories to rival those from space telescopes.  Comparison of an image from the Subaru Telescope (left), with an image produced by the new ImageMM algorithm (right). Image via John Hopkins U "By sharpening our view of the sky, we can see farther, fainter targets and push the threshold of what's detectable," said Tamás Budavári, an astronomer and mathematician at Johns Hopkins University who led the research. "That will give us prettier pictures of the night sky, but not just for academic amusement. It will open new opportunities to improve cosmology research and revolutionize how we process and understand astronomical observations. The new tool, ImageMM, works by modelling how light travels through the atmosphere and removing disturbances caused by the journey, rather than trying to "enhance" the image which can either produce grainy artefacts or blur its sharpness. There's no news on when ImageMM or similar tools will be widely employed by astronomers or if anything like this would be available to amateur astrophotographers. Even so, it's certainly an interesting development! More here. What's so super about a Supermoon? There's going to be a stack of media reports about this week's "Supermoon", along with other similar events in the following few months.  Are they worth getting excited over? I suppose the answer is "well, sort of." What are Supermoons? A Supermoon is when a Full Moon appears larger compared to other Full Moons during the year. The difference in size between Supermoon and a Micromoon (when the Moon appears at its smallest) is approx. 14%. It's not much as you can see from the two images above, however there's this 14% or so difference in size and the slight difference in distance results in about 30% more light hitting our eyes compared to when the Moon is at its smallest.  There's also a curious phenomenon called the "Moon Illusion". You've no doubt experienced it. This is when the Moon first rises in the evening, and it appears quite large on the horizon.  For a common event that's been written about since ancient times, there's still some debate about what causes it! It might be part illusion when we compare the rising Moon to other objects near the ground which are not beside it as climbs further up in the sky, to actual atmospheric refractive effects.  When you combine the fact that Supermoons are (slightly) larger and brighter than other Full Moons, add in the Moon Illusion and the expectations of a big event from what we've been told, seeing a Supermoon rise early in the evening can be exciting.  Why do we experience Supermoons? Celestial bodies don't orbit it each other in smooth, perfect circles. Rather, they rotate around an elongated, elliptical path. The distance between the Earth and the Moon varies just a smidgen due to the Moon also travelling around us on a slightly elliptical orbit. Supermoons are when the Moon is closest to Earth, which is called a perigee. Strangely enough the term Supermoon wasn't used until 1979 even though the events themselves have long been known about.  They're not rare either. There are usually several a year, with the largest and most impressive being Wednesday 5th of October 2025, Sydney time. Are they worth going outside and checking out? Absolutely! Any time spent observing the Moon is a wonderful experience, so why not simply enjoy the view? Spotting interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS this weekend. From Mars! Despite some mainstream media reports this week, Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS isn't going to get anywhere close to the Earth and the chance of it being some kind of spaceship sent here to check us out is also pretty much zilch. The closest it will get it to us is some 240 million km, however observers on Mars would have a much better view as it passes the red planet at distance of only 30 million km.  The path of Comet 3I/ATLAS through the inner Solar System While there's no astronomers on Mars to catch this rare visitor from the depths of the Milky Way as it flies by, there is a small fleet of spacecraft that that will turn away from their regular gig of observing Mars to see what they can find on Comet 3I/ATLAS. NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) will be taking images as well as two spacecraft in orbit, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas orbiters. These two don't have cameras that can resolve the nucleus of Comet 3I/ATLAS but are hoping to capture some data on the comet's tail to help determine its composition.  ESA is planning to release initial images this coming week and we're aiming to include them in next week's BINTEL newsletter. Due to the current federal government shutdown in the USA, NASA will be unable to release their own observations for a little while. Complex chemistry found in the oceans of Saturn's moon, Enceladus Sometimes spacecraft can deliver new discoveries, long after they've completed their missions. The Cassini probe spend years at Saturn, investigating the ringed planet and its many moons. Despite Cassini plunging into Saturn and wrapping up its assignment in 2017, scientists trawling through the large amount of data it sent back have only now uncovered further evidence of complex chemical processes under the icy crust the covers Enceladus, one of Saturn's Moons.  An illustration of the interior of Enceladus. Image via: ESA In 2005, Cassini found that there was an ocean under the icy surface of Enceladus and that there were water jetting out into space from cracks in the ice. Some of this water falls back onto Enceladus as minute grains of ice, while it also produces a "tail" that follows the moon as it orbits Saturn. By flying through Saturn's E Ring, it was able to sample the water from Enceladus. What it found was many organic molecules as well as those leading to amino acids. (Special note: organic molecules or "organics" are not themselves signs of life. Rather they're complex chemicals from which life is formed and are common throughout the Milky Way.) Newly analysed data have revealed details of icy grains freshly released from Enceladus, as well as revealing even more promising as they're precursors to life as found on Earth. Lead author Nozair Khawaja said "There are many possible pathways from the organic molecules we found in the Cassini data to potentially biologically relevant compounds, which enhances the likelihood that the moon is habitable." “There is much more in the data that we are currently exploring, so we are looking forward to finding out more in the near future.” Co-author Frank Postberg added: “These molecules we found in the freshly ejected material prove that the complex organic molecules Cassini detected in Saturn’s E ring are not just a product of long exposure to space but are readily available in Enceladus’s ocean.” Results like these add to the impetus for another mission to Saturn that includes landing on Enceladus as it's clearly yet another place in the Solar System for a serious hunt for signs of life.  You can read more about this fascinating discovery here. NASA's Artemis II Mission might fly as early as February 2026 It will the first time since 1972 that humans have travelled beyond Earth's orbit. Artemis II crew: Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; Reid Wiseman, commander; and Christina Hammock Koch, mission specialist. Image: NASA/Kim Shiflett NASA has confirmed that their Artemis II mission will fly no later than April 2026, with aim for possibly a February 2026 lift-off. This will be a landmark space flight as it will be the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972 that humans have travelled beyond Earth to the Moon.  Artemis II is a 4 person, 10 day mission that aims at testing out hardware in preparation for a permanent return to the Moon in coming years. The flight itself will not land on the Moon and won't even go into orbit for any length of time as did the Apollo 8 and Apollo 10 missions that also didn't land. Rather it will make a single loop around the farside of the Moon and commence the return to Earth.  We'll have more on the Artemis program in future blogs. You can visit their NASA site here. Next test flight for the SpaceX Starship mega rocket  Launch planned for the 14th of October 2025 Sydney time Starship 11 Static Test Fire SpaceX have announced the next flight of the massive Starship will take place in mid October. You can watch the launch from 9.43am here. After several spectacular failures, the last Starship launch was overall a major success. This upcoming mission will stress test the Starship upper stages and mimic the load put in the spacecraft during a return to its base in Texas. Both parts of Starship 11 will splashdown in the ocean with no "chopsticks" catches back at the launch pad.  Cheers, Earl White BINTEL  4th October 2025  

There are a few comets in the sky at the moment. As this isn't a common event, it's probably a good time to chat again about these wonderful and often surprising visitors to the inner parts of the Solar System. What are comets? Comets are sometimes referred to as "dirty snowballs". They are a complex collection of dust, rocks, gases, water and other materials all held together under their own gravity.  They often have long, looping orbits and as they approach the Sun, energy received melts water ices and turns frozen CO2 into gas. These materials are then thrown away from the comet, lit up by the Sun and they become the spectacular astro objects we're so fond of.  Where do comets come from? There's a number of groups of comets in the Solar System. Some comets such as the famous Halley's Comet are referred to as periodic comets that are on a shorter and sometimes known orbit around the Sun. There's also a vast region on the outskirt of the Solar System called the Oort Cloud that could contain hundreds of billions if not trillions of comets. These were originally thought to have formed with the Solar System, but astronomers are also now considering that it might have captured bodies from other star systems.** Occasionally, passing stars, interaction with planets or the galaxy itself will disturb one of these icy comets and send it towards the inner Solar System from the Oort Cloud. What comets are above our heads at the moment? The brightest of the bunch is probably Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN). This was discovered less than two weeks ago from images taken by the SWAN spacecraft by Vladimir Bezugly. Tonight, 25th of September 2025, it will visible very low on the horizon between the thin, crescent Moon and Mars. Where to find Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) from Sydney tonight using the phone version of Stellarium.  Using TheSkyLive for comet tracking. C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) is a fainter comet, which will be also low in the sky tonight. A screenshot of the Stellarium app showing where the faint Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) will be tonight not long after sunset as seen from Sydney.  This comet is visible in the sky tonight but will require binoculars and a clear view to the western horizon.  Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) Another comet visible in our skies just as it's getting light. It will very, very hard to spot! A screenshot of the Stellarium phone app showing where the faint Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) will be just in the northeastern sky before sunrise as seen from Sydney.  Is there any significance to this many comets being in the sky at the moment? No, it's simply a coincidence.  There's always a lot of comets in the Solar System and even the odd visitor or two from other parts of the Milky Way.  While it's pretty rare for amateur astronomers to be able to capture images showing two comets in the same picture, there's nothing unique that's occurred to allow this happen. Comet C/2025 R1 (SWAN) and Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) capture nears Mars by Glenn Pickford on the 21st of September and posted to the BINTEL Society Facebook group. Check out his post here. How do I track where and when to see theses comets from my location? The easiest way is to use any one of a wide variety of apps or websites to make a personal viewing chart for your location.  Stellarium is an astronomy website as well as an Apple and Android app that we're quite fond of.   Another option is TheSkyLive which is possibly a more complete guide to the night sky with "What's up tonight" sections for planets and special objects like these comets.  Again, this can be used both in a browser and as apps. There Why do comets sometimes have more than one tail? You might spot comets with two or more tail, emerging from it in different directions. These are from different stream of dust and other small particles being pushed away from the body of the comet that reflect sunlight and from gas streaming away which is ionised and lit up by energy received from the Sun. Tails can even become detached from the comet's body! Do comets shoot across the sky? No. Comets move from night to night but so slowly you don't really notice them. If you see something in the night sky that suddenly appears and streaks across the sky, even if it does have a "tail", it's not a comet. What you are seeing is a meteor* which is a small piece of space rock or even a fragment of a spacecraft or rocket that's fallen to Earth and burned up in the atmosphere. Larger chunks can be quite bright and even make a sound as they move across the sky. These are sometimes called "fireballs" and will spark a search by keen meteorite hunters to recover a fallen piece of space rock. Why are some comets green? You might see some photos of comets that show their central core glowing a pale, ghostly green. Here's photos taken of Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) taken with a Seestar S50 Smart Telescope that shows this. Photo of Comet C2025 R2 (SWAN) showing the green nucleus taken by Mike Kane with a ZWO Seestar S50 from his observatory in Port Macquarie. You can check out his full post here. What was even more intriguing was that while the central nucleus of some comets glow green, their tails don't Despite many decades of head scratching, his has been something that astronomers hadn't been able to fully explain until a recent discovery by researchers at the University of NSW about a certain type of carbon molecule that's created and then quicky destroyed before it can migrate to the comet's tail.  You read about  green comets and their non-green tails at our BINTEL article from a few years ago here.  One thing to note is that while the green-ish colours are fairly easy to photograph, comets will only appear as shades of black, white and grey to your eyes through a telescope or binoculars. Do other stars other than our Sun have comets? Absolutely! We've already had at least two comets visit the Solar System from elsewhere in the Milky Way that have arrived in recent years. There's likely been an untold number in the past. With new, more powerful observatories coming online, astronomers expect to find many more.  We know these comets originate from outside the Solar System because of their high speed. They're travelling too fast to be captured by the Sun's gravity and will continue through the Solar System and head into deep space.  Comet 2I/Borisov was discovered in 2019. ("2I" meant it was the second interstellar interloper and the "Barisov" of the name it from its discoverer, Gennadiy Borisov.) It seemed to very similar in composition to other comets that have arrived from the Solar System's Oort Cloud.  Comet 2I/Borisov went through a large outburst as it made a close approach to the Sun and largely broke up. Comet 3I/ATLAS is in the news at the moment. (Again, "3I" means it's the third interstellar visitor and "ATLAS" is the instrument that captured the images on which it was first found.) This new arrival might sneak up to be bright enough to see with your eyes along, however grab a pair of binoculars to make viewing it easier.  Where to see Comet 3I/ATLAS, a comet from another star, tonight from Sydney in the western sky not long after dark. You'll need binoculars or a telescope to spot it! It's also very old, possibly between 7.6 and even 14 billion years old. In comparison, the Sun, the planets around it and our Earth are about 4.6 billion years. It's certainly older than any comet we've seen before and more than likely the oldest object we've had this close to us. Due to its complex path and interaction with other stars over a truly vast length of time, we have no real chance of identifying of identifying the star it is originally from.  Could comets bring life from elsewhere in the galaxy? This is something that astronomers have wondered about for generations. With NASA announcing recently that there's a very high chance of life on Mars in ancient times that produced similar biosignatures to those found on Earth - more on that discovery at our blog here -  we could be facing a range of scenarios that involve life originating from outside of Earth and not only being transported to here but also to other planets. Comets could be one way that happened.  It's certainly something to ponder about when the clouds keep you away from your telescope eyepiece.  Can we send a spacecraft out to meet Comet 3I/ATLAS to get a closer look before it leaves the Solar System? No.  Studies carried out in July 2025 showed that any spacecraft launched from Earth would need to travel at over 86,400 km/h to catch up with Comet 3I/ATLAS.  This significantly faster than any current rocket system humanity has managed to build.  Saturn and Neptune in the same field of view for binoculars It not only was it the opposition of Saturn a few days ago, but it was also the opposition of Neptune this week. We didn't make a big thing about it as outer planets such as Uranus and Neptune are hard to spot and their great distances means the variations seen at opposition aren't much.  This year Neptune and Saturn appear close together in the same part of the sky, making our outermost planet much easier to spot.  Neptune will be visible all night in the constellation of Pisces and is only a couple of degrees away from the much brighter Saturn. A chart showing where Neptune is located in the sky compared to Saturn in the coming weeks.  If you can find Saturn in binoculars or a telescope a couple of hours after sunset, use this guide to help locate Neptune. It appears as a pale blue star or small "dot" depending on the size of your telescope. The outer red circle marking is 4 degrees across, or less than the field of view of most binoculars.  Sunrise at the South Pole: Spring Equinox    You might have read in last week's BINTEL Newsletter that we had spring equinox on the 23rd of September 2025. This is the part of our path around the Sun each year when the Earth is aligned "upright" and all parts of our planet receives an equal length of day and night. It's also an extended "sunrise" after a long night at the South Pole and "sunset" at the North Pole. Check out the post here. Cheers, Earl White  BINTEL 25th September 2025 *A meteor is a piece of rock or dust that burns up in the Earth's atmosphere. A meteorite is a piece of space rock that is large or tough enough to survive this fiery journey and hit the Earth. You find meteors up in the sky and meteorites on the ground. And before you ask, I have no idea what you call a piece of space rock that hits the Earth and then bounces back up into the air..... **Learning about comet formation and the outer Solar System is a complex and developing area of astronomy. I've only just touched on this topic here. 

 Comet 3I/ATLAS: How rare are interstellar visitors? "There's almost always one within the solar system." The third known interstellar visitor to our Solar System, Comet 3I/ATLAS, is in the news at the moment, and there's going to be more updates as further observations are made by astronomers. We'll be doing a further deep-dive into this cosmic visitor in an upcoming BINTEL blog. 3I/ATLAS glowing green during the recent lunar eclipse. | Credit: Michael Jäger/Gerald Rhemann The "3I" in this comet's name indicates it's the third interstellar object we've found in in the Solar System so far. Astronomers have conjectured that these comets and rocky bodies, travelling through the Milky Way too fast to be captured by stars they encounter, are likely quite numerous. Since the first interloper, 'Oumuamua, was found in 2017, the question has been, what else have we missed? This issue was address at the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) and Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) joint meeting, which was held in Helsinki last week.  "These sorts of interstellar objects are the most common macroscopic objects in the galaxy," Chris Lintott, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Oxford, said during the meeting. "The fact that we've only found three of them is quite fun." Many researchers think the number of interstellar objects found in the Solar System will jump dramatically from the current three once more powerful instrument such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory commence extended and regular programs.  The latest estimate by some astronomers this week including Chris Lintott is that interstellar objects in the Milky Way may number from a hundred million trillion to a staggering trillion trillion. This make them the most numerous type of body in the galaxy. In much the same way we now think that rogue planets, those not in set orbits around stars outnumber planets like those in our own Solar System, there might be vastly more comets and asteroids in interstellar space compared to those orbiting stars. NASA’s Tally of Planets Outside Our Solar System Reaches 6,000 It's amazing to think that when the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was launched in 1990, there were no confirmed planets around other stars. As far as we knew, the Earth and the other planets that make up the Solar System were unique in our galaxy.  The number of confirmed exoplanets passed the 6,000 count this week and continues to rise.  Since the first confirmed discovery of an exoplanet, or a planet outside our Solar System, in 1992* and the discovery of a planet around a regular star in 1995, the number has been rising steadily. Astronomers use a variety of techniques to find exoplanets, including wobble in their host stars, dips in the star's light as planets pass between the star and observers here on Earth and more. In a small handful of cases, we've been able to even directly image stars around other planets.  A question we get asked now and then here at BINTEL is "can I see planets around other stars?" The answer to that is sadly, a firm no.  If you'd like to check out the NASA Exoplanet Catalogue to keep up with the latest discoveries, visit it here. Cheers, Earl White BINTEL 20th September 2025 *The earliest recorded evidence of an exoplanet was made in a 1917 using the 60 inch at Mt Wilson. A white dwarf star was found back then that had an unusual and unexplainable spectrum. In 2016 this was was found to be the result of an exoplanet being broken up by the star's gravity and material from its planet falling into the star causing the strange spectrum!