Outdoors
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by M. Brett Smith · Posted
Starting Monday, May 6, B&H will begin our week-long coverage of everyday carry (EDC) gear. More than just the contents of your pack or purse, EDC items are the essential tools that get you through your day. Whether it’s the noise-canceling headphones that help you survive your subway commute or the do-everything smartphone that assists you in more ways you can count, if it’s something you carry with you all the time, we’re gonna discuss it (and maybe throw in a couple of recommendations along the way). We’ll also be checking out EDC kits
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Before I reveal my deep love for the Leica APO-Televid 77 spotting scope, I wish to tell you all that I am not easily enamored with every item that B&H Photo sells, adorned with the famous “Red Dot” of Leica. That addiction afflicts my father (and many others), but not I. I do own two Leica lenses—my architectural workhorse, the 1980s vintage 28mm f/2.8 PC Super Angulon R (made by Schneider) and a 1970s vintage 35mm f/2 Summicron (made in
by Christopher Witt · Posted
Spoiler: It’s REALLY BRIGHT! I wait at a stop light and feel my truck rock side to side as it’s buffeted by a gust of wind coming off the water of Oyster Bay Harbor. Glancing down at my dash, I read the temperature display: 33° F. Without the wind chill. I stare at it and question my intelligence. When I get to the Center Island Causeway on the shore of the Long Island Sound I know that, with wind, it’ll feel like it’s in the low 20-degree range. They say that misery loves company, but I still felt a twinge of guilt knowing that I convinced my
by Christopher Witt · Posted
Winter is here and we all need to dress appropriately while we’re outside—whether we’re working or playing. Dressing right is important for any number of reasons—from just being comfortable on a chilly windy day all the way to avoiding debilitating frostbite (which, according to the Mayo Clinic, can occur in less than 30 minutes!)… and remember, frostbite can get you anywhere your skin is exposed, in places such as ears, nose, or random patches
by Christopher Witt · Posted
With the upcoming total lunar eclipse poised to be the “Big Thing” for 2019 (visible throughout North America), we here at B&H’s Space Headquarters were planning on putting together a tour of the moon as a primer for those readers who may not know that much about our closest neighbor in the solar system… but then we realized that NASA is pretty awesome at stuff like that and had already put together a fantastic video!
Click and enjoy the best five minutes you’ll spend today with this
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Hey, Earthlings! There will be a total lunar eclipse coming our way, beginning on Sunday, January 20 2019, and lasting into the 21st! Here are some facts you need to know.
Who is involved?
You! Your friends and family! The Sun, Moon, and Earth!
What is it?
An awesome, total lunar eclipse.
The darkest shaded areas of the globe are where the entire eclipse is visible from start to finish. Moving outward from that region,
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
I am certain that I am not the only Earthling who is in love with the moon, but it was my grandmother who called it "Todd's Moon" after one of the first words I ever spoke was, simply, "moon." Ever since those early days, I have spent a lot of time looking at the moon, thinking about the moon, reading about the moon, and photographing the moon.
To learn about the moon in the olden days, a lunar enthusiast would have to go to their local
by Christopher Witt · Posted
Remnants left over from the earliest formation of our solar system, comets are thought to originate from the theoretical Oort Cloud. Located far out beyond even the farthest planet, it is thought to contain as many as 2 trillion objects, each of which has the potential to become a long-period comet. These objects are often referred to as “dirty snowballs” because they are mostly made of rock and ice until gravity from a large passing celestial body, like a star, pulls a piece out of the Oort belt and starts it on its journey toward the sun.
by Christopher Witt · Posted
When I started hearing the buzz in the astronomy community about how Comet 46P/Wirtanen was coming in hot through our Solar System, my ears proverbially perked up. A quick Google search revealed that this is a truly historic apparition and one that justly deserves the buzz. (The term “apparition,” in astronomy, refers to the appearance or time when a comet, especially a periodic one, is visible.)
The comet was discovered, in 1948, by Carl Wirtanen (hence its name) at the Lick Observatory,
by Christopher Witt · Posted
I was recently given the opportunity to take a pair of Canon image stabilized binoculars out for a test drive—and I was allowed to choose the model I wanted out of the nine Canon offers (click here to see the sizes). Since I was heading out onto a sailboat with three other B&H writers and we were bringing a bunch of gear to test and review besides my Canons, I knew space was going to be limited, so I decided to
by Christopher Witt · Posted
Right out of the box, I can tell there’s something… different about these binoculars. Even through the plastic bag in which they’re wrapped for shipping, I can feel the soft armoring and the raised finger ridges that speak to how comfortable they will be to hold. When I pick them up for the first time, there’s a disquieting dissonance in my brain as it tells me that a binocular with large 56mm objective lenses should be heavy and front-loaded, yet they feel light and center-balanced. These are my first impressions of the new
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
In my years at sea on merchant ships, warships, and sailboats, I spent a lot of time looking through binoculars. After a weekend on the water and on land with a pair of Fujinon Techno-Stabi image-stabilized binoculars, the 14x40 TS1440 and the
by Christopher Witt · Posted
The astronomical phenomena of a planet moving into opposition isn’t unique—but what is unique is when three planets are in opposition in quick succession. This spring, the three bright outer planets—Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars—will be at opposition during a span of just 79 days.
Images courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute/Cornell
Jupiter’s opposition occurred first, on May 8, in the constellation Libra. Next was Saturn’s opposition, which occurred on June 27, just above the Teapot stars of Sagittarius. Finally, the opposition of
by Christopher Witt · Posted
The scientific community in general, and astronomy in particular, is all abuzz these days as the hype builds for the upcoming North American Eclipse, happening on August 21. Between my position here at B&H and my personal interest in astronomy, I’ve been talking about this event for almost a year to my friends and colleagues, and I’ve found that people have a lot of questions about solar eclipses. Sure, we’ve all heard about solar eclipses, but how many of us have actually done research on them? I’m thinking that the answer is “not many.”
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
The 3D Astronomy 8x42 Space Walker 3D Binoculars are changing the way star gazers and astronomers around the world are enjoying the night sky. These binoculars give users an immersive view of the stars and planets above in way that standard astronomical (or all-purpose) binoculars do not.
From the Earth, the night sky looks two-dimensional, as if the stars are shining down on us from a distant vast dome ceiling, like you find