Bino-Chair FAQ

Milky Way Lounge bino-chairs provide full 360° x 90° viewing of the night sky with comfort and stability. By supporting the weight of the optics and allowing for a reclined posture, they eliminate neck strain and arm fatigue, enabling longer, more detailed deep-sky observation sessions. Binocular chairs provide a steady high-elevation view, which is where the atmosphere is clearest and darkest. This is also where there are fewer obstructions from trees and buildings.

With one hand, turn the drive wheel to rotate the chair, while with the other hand, fine-tune the viewing elevation. The binoculars remain steady, even when the hands are released. At any time the binoculars can be pushed up out the way, for example to look at a star chart app. It is very suited for cruising leisurely through star fields in the upper reaches of the Milky Way. Great for building star-hopping skills and gaining knowledge of the night sky. No need to shift equipment around to view different portions of the sky.

Milky Way Lounge bino-chairs work well with binoculars in the range from 10×50 to 20×80 and beyond. While a large field of view helps maintain perspective on spatial relationships, higher magnification binoculars can be swapped in for a deeper dive. Here are some other binocular considerations.

Milky Way Lounge bino-chairs are designed to be transportable for field use or home use. It takes 5 to 10 minutes to set the components up. The rotating base components simply stack together, while the other components are clamped to the chair. The zero gravity chair is collapsible with the binocular holder permanently attached (this is the heaviest component, ~30 lbs). For successive viewing nights, the entire setup can be covered with a tarp.

Zero gravity chairs work the best. The use of other chair styles can work well, but with a possible compromise in some functionality. Here is an explanation.

With the downloadable PDF plans, those with modest wood project skills and basic power tools can build this bino-chair. The cost for the recommended materials is about $300 USD, and the plans are relatively inexpensive. After ordering in the materials, it may take a week or two to build the components, depending on your schedule. The plans provide clear step-by-step pictorial instructions for materials sourcing, construction, and testing of the fit to your chair. Technical support is available. Here are some reviews from those who have started building. Free sample plans pages are taken from the introductory sections of the full plans.

Since it is a completely unique project, and built by you, it can be a very meaningful gift when given to someone that loves stargazing. All bino-chair designs are adjustable to various user sizes.

An early version won awards at the 2023 Stellafane astronomy convention. Facebook group posts have attracted many hundreds of reactions, here’s one example. Our YouTube channel continues to attract subscribers. It is quite a popular attraction at star parties! The July 2026 issue of Sky & Telescope is featuring a full write-up of the Milky Way Lounge bino-chair in the Astronomer’s Workbench column!

Retired engineer Dave Selinger is an inventive builder and frequent contributor to astronomy DIY forums and similar groups in social media, and shares his passion for binocular stargazing at events in and around Vermont. Here’s a quote from him, taken from the S&T article mentioned above:

“Real DIY means the eventual achievement of an optimal result, done at relatively low cost. A store-bought bino-chair, even if one were readily available, would undoubtedly have been full of performance compromises.”