Tonight was strictly a visual night. I dedicated my stargazing to Saturn and Jupiter. I recently bought a pair of BinoViewers with the hope that they would assist me in observing celestial objects, especially as my eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be. While these binoculars allowed my eyes to relax and stay focused on objects for extended periods, it took me a while to get the hang of using them. It might sound strange because they're essentially binoculars, but it took me some time to adapt. This could be due to the low-quality zoom eyepieces I initially used or the poor visibility conditions when I started my stargazing session.

As time went on, I became more accustomed to using the BinoViewers and spent several hours observing Saturn and Jupiter. Saturn, at times, displayed impressive views, although the visibility fluctuated, which could be quite frustrating. Once Saturn passed the Meridian, it became easier to get a clear focus.

Jupiter was a real treat tonight. I had the chance to witness Io emerging from behind the planet for the first time. Normally, I tend to switch between objects too quickly to catch moon transits, but with the binoculars, I had the patience to linger on an object for a more extended period. I did notice that my planetarium software was about 30 minutes off in predicting when the moon would transit the planet.

I also observed that the Binoviewers seemed to slightly magnify the eyepiece. When I used the 24mm setting, it appeared to have a higher magnification than what I'm used to, so I compared it with my 13mm Nagler against the zoom's 12mm setting. I confirmed that the 12mm setting on the zoom through the Binoviewers is more like using an 8mm eyepiece, which explains why focusing was challenging with the 8mm setting on the zoom eyepiece. However, this doesn't bother me much because I'm already getting around 85x, 112x, and 170x with the zoom, which is more than sufficient for planetary observation. If the visibility were better, I might manage to focus with the 8mm setting, but since the 12mm setting is already akin to an 8mm through the Binoviewers, I don't feel like I'm missing out.

I also acquired a fantastic set of binocular lenses, often referred to as constellation glasses. These are like mini binoculars, 2x54, similar to opera glasses, and they work wonderfully in my light-polluted skies. The field of view is wide enough to encompass most constellations. I can easily spot Cassiopeia, Ursa Major, and even the entire Orion constellation. The 2x magnification reveals more stars than my naked eyes can detect in my light-polluted surroundings.