Astronomical viewing equipment

An viewing instrument, comprising

• a frame (100) adapted for wearing as headgear;
• a housing (300) having a first aperture (310) (340) with an first axis, a second aperture (340) (310) with a second axis intersecting the first axis, and at least one reflecting surface (308), positioned within the housing, for reflecting light between the apertures along their axes, the angle between the first axis and the second axis being less than one hundred eighty degrees;
• an optical pathway (210, 212) affixed to the first aperture, the pathway having a concentric objective lens (218) for focusing light beams from an observable object;
• a first fastener (105), for pivotally affixing the pathway to the frame at an adjustable position;
• and
• an eye piece (510), connected to the housing (300).

A helmet-mounted binocular viewing instrument, comprising

• a helmet (100), having a front, with a first pair of brackets (112, 113 and 116, 117), and a back and being adapted for wearing as head gear;
• a pair of tubes (210, 220), each with a concentric objective lens (218, 228), being mounted on a second pair of brackets (240, 242) for engaging the first pair of brackets;
• a bolt (130) for pivotally securing the first pair of brackets to the second pair of brackets;
• a mirror housing (300) with sidewalls (302, 304), having a mirror (308) with an axis (315) fastened to the sidewalls, and having a first pair of apertures (310, 320) with third axes, around each of which are fastened a respective one of the pair of tubes (210, 220), the housing also having a second pair of apertures (340, 350) with fourth axes intersecting the third axes, around which are fastened respective ones of a pair of threaded tees (342, 352), the mirror being positioned for reflecting light between the apertures along their axes, the angle between the third axes and the fourth axes, respectively, being less than one hundred eighty degrees;
• a pair of prism housings (410, 420), each having an inlet cavity (423) for receiving a flange (417, 427) with an inlet axis, rotatably attached to a respective one of the housing tees (342, 352) by a threaded collar (418, 428), and each prism housing having an outlet cavity (414, 424) with an outlet axis, and each having a pair of shiftedly offset rectangular prisms (433, 434) providing a parallely offset optical path between the inlet axis and the outlet axis, for individually rotating each prism housing around a respective one of the mirror housing tees (342, 352) for allowing a variable distance between the outlet axis of the prism housings to accommodate a variation in a distance between pupils of different viewers;
• and
• a pair of eyepieces (510, 520) attached to the respective one of the prism housing outlets (414, 424).

A method for viewing objects in the sky, comprising the steps of

• a) providing a helmet (100), with a front hinge (105), worn by a viewer;
• b) providing a mirror housing (300), holding a coaxial mirror (308), with a first and a second pair of apertures (310, 320 and 340, 350), with a first and a second pair of axes, and a pair of pathways (210, 220), each with an objective lens (218, 228) at a first end, and each being attached at a second end to the first pair of apertures;
• c) providing a base plate (250) attached to the pair of pathways, with brackets for attaching the base plate to the hinge (105);
• d) providing a second pair of optical pathways (342, 352) with pair of first ends attached to the second pair of apertures (340, 350) of the mirror housing, the second pair of axes intersecting the first pair of axes at a pair of respective angles of less than one hundred eighty degrees;
• e) providing a pair of connectors (418, 428) attached to the second ends of the pair of second pathways;
• f) providing a pair of optical offset housings (410, 420), having a pair of inlets (413, 423) with respective inlet axes, rotatably fastened to corresponding ones of the pair of connectors (418, 428), and having a a pair of outlets (414, 424) with respective outlet axes, for parallel offsetting the inlet axes from the outlet axis and by individually rotating the offset housings around respective ones of the pair of connectors for allowing a variable distance between respective ones of the pair of outlet axes to allow adjusting the distance between the respective ones of the outlet axes to the distance between pupils of the viewer;
• and
• g) providing a pair of eye pieces received by corresponding ones of the pair of outlets of the offset housings.