You know the constellations, you're familiar with the night sky, but you want to see some objects such as galaxies, clusters and nebula. Perhaps you're ready for your first telescope.
#1- Don't but a telescope that says it's "600 power"! You should be more interested in the sturdy mount and great optics. Ask yourself: "Does it have smooth moving action on the mount? Are the lenses high quality. What size is the primary lens or mirror. A larger aperture (diameter of the primary lens or mirror) is key in how much light you can pull into the eyepiece to see those objects you want to see. Do I want a refractor, reflector or a catadioptric scope? A refractor is a scope that allows you to look through a series of glass lenses, making for a great sharp view. This kind can be pricey.
A refractor scope uses a primary concave mirror coupled with an elliptical secondary mirror to give good views depending on the size of the primary mirror. An example of the type of telescope would be a Newtonian telescope.
Catadioptric or a compound scope uses a primary and secondary mirror coupled with a correcting lens. An example of this type of scope would be a Schmidt Cassegrain. My second telescope was a 5 inch Schmidt Cassegrain. It was a great scope but the motor in the mount was broken and I couldn't use it until I had it repaired. My first scope was given to me on my birthday as a child. It was a 60 millimeter refractor. It worked okay but I really didn't know what I was doing! that was before the internet and I didn't know anyone who had a scope and knew how to use it. Most of the time I checked out the moon and the neighbors house across the field. (nothing inappropriate!) I did however, run across Saturn one summer evening and I ended up being the neighborhood hero for a short time. I showed the whole block Saturn on several different nights, they were all amazed! I currently have a 10 inch Dobsonian mount telescope. It's a good one, If I had to start all over I would probably choose to have a 6 inch Dobsonian telescope as my first scope. It's not too large and it's not too wimpy, and it doen't weigh a ton. I have a co-worker that has one and he says he loves it. It was his first scope.
#2- Good eyepieces, you can have a good scope and ruin your viewing by getting cheap eyepieces. Get eyepieces that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter or larger. Anything smaller and you'll be disappointed. A Barlow lens allows you to double or triple the power of one of your lenses. You change lenses to get in closer and bring objects into focus for better views of the object.
#3- Finders, you'll need to pre-find the object your looking for with a finder. A finder does just exactly what it's called, it finds! A finder scope is a small scope that is attached to the tube of your scope that has a set of cross hairs in it, that is callibrated with your scope, so that what is centered in your finder scope is what you see through your telescope lens. There is also a peep sight finder, that has no optics in it. You just look through the sight and center what you want to see. Another finder is called a reflex finder. This uses a red laser dot to find what you're looking for. All of these finders require you to see what your looking for, which may be a problem if you don't know where the object you're looking for is located!
#4 Star charts- You can get charts that allow you to get into the general area of the object you're looking for. You start out with a wide angle lens on your scope and then when you find the object you can switch to a eyepiece that will get you a closer look.
#5 GoTo telescopes- these are scopes that have a computer attached to the mount and you basically tell the computer what you want to see and it goes to the object. (Usually in a very close proximity). With this option you can spend any amount of money you can conceive in your mind! Telescope.com sells a GoTo 6" reflector with a equatorial mount for $400. That's not a bad deal! The setup on these GoTo scopes is crucial and a beginner may lose interest in the hobby as these are more advanced scopes.
#6- Astronomy Clubs- You may purchase an expensive scope or binoculars and decide this hobby isn't for you. You may be able to sell, your scope but you're going to probably lose some of it's value. So do the next best thing - join a Star Club or Astronomy Club in your area. There are people who are willing to "Ease" you into the hobby, teaching you anything you need to know. Get on the internet and search for an Astronomy Club in your area, today.
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Step#3-
You've learned the constellations, and you can show others quite few of them, You're ready to go deeper. If you haven't already, download a program called Stellarium. It's a virtual night sky and it's FREE. Get it here: http://www.stellarium.org/ You set your location on Earth in it and Stellarium gives you the real time view of your sky. When the Sun's up where you're at, it's up in the program. The good thing is that you can advance the time ahead in Stellarium to this evening, and make your plans of what you're you going to view. It's a great program! If you don't think you're ready for telescope yet, purchase some binoculars. I have a pair that are 30x70. The first number is the power, or magnification, and the second number is the size of the primary lens. In my case it's 70millimeters. You don't have to start out with a large set, you may want to get a 10x40 or something similar in size. The larger the binoculars the more you need a tripod or mount for them! You have to decide on price and size, that's the factor. How much money do you have and how big do you want to go. I suggest start small and later you can buy the giant size. The factor with binoculars or a telescope is basically being able to gather more light. The more light your instrument gathers the more celestial objects you can see. Again, the money size issue comes into play. Many people never buy telescopes, just binoculars and their happy with that.
In the next post we'll talk about your first telescope.
You've learned the constellations, and you can show others quite few of them, You're ready to go deeper. If you haven't already, download a program called Stellarium. It's a virtual night sky and it's FREE. Get it here: http://www.stellarium.org/ You set your location on Earth in it and Stellarium gives you the real time view of your sky. When the Sun's up where you're at, it's up in the program. The good thing is that you can advance the time ahead in Stellarium to this evening, and make your plans of what you're you going to view. It's a great program! If you don't think you're ready for telescope yet, purchase some binoculars. I have a pair that are 30x70. The first number is the power, or magnification, and the second number is the size of the primary lens. In my case it's 70millimeters. You don't have to start out with a large set, you may want to get a 10x40 or something similar in size. The larger the binoculars the more you need a tripod or mount for them! You have to decide on price and size, that's the factor. How much money do you have and how big do you want to go. I suggest start small and later you can buy the giant size. The factor with binoculars or a telescope is basically being able to gather more light. The more light your instrument gathers the more celestial objects you can see. Again, the money size issue comes into play. Many people never buy telescopes, just binoculars and their happy with that.
In the next post we'll talk about your first telescope.
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Scorpius, The Scorpion-
The tail with it's stinger on the lower left and the claw in the upper right, Scorpius is a rather large constellation taking up a good chuck of the Southern horizon. Find the scorpion after sunset directly in the South. Get to an area where trees and buildings won't interfere with the view of this colossal site. Scorpius has several star clusters for your viewing pleasure. Antares a Red Giant star, is easily seen with it's reddish color. The star is also a pulsating variable, meaning, it changes in brightness over a period of about 4.5 years. Antares also has a blue/white companion star. M4 is a globular cluster of stars. With a 4 inch reflector you can make out individual stars. M80 is a small globular cluster, as well as M62 and M19. M6 or the Butterfly Cluster resembles a butterfly. Get out your scope or binoculars and enjoy Scorpius.
The tail with it's stinger on the lower left and the claw in the upper right, Scorpius is a rather large constellation taking up a good chuck of the Southern horizon. Find the scorpion after sunset directly in the South. Get to an area where trees and buildings won't interfere with the view of this colossal site. Scorpius has several star clusters for your viewing pleasure. Antares a Red Giant star, is easily seen with it's reddish color. The star is also a pulsating variable, meaning, it changes in brightness over a period of about 4.5 years. Antares also has a blue/white companion star. M4 is a globular cluster of stars. With a 4 inch reflector you can make out individual stars. M80 is a small globular cluster, as well as M62 and M19. M6 or the Butterfly Cluster resembles a butterfly. Get out your scope or binoculars and enjoy Scorpius.
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Amateur Astronomy can be confusing, or even very difficult. But, it doesn't have to be if you have someone like me to help you "ease" into it. Yard by Yard Astonomy's Hard, but, by the inch it's a cinch. Well, that's almost the original proverb! Step by step and you can enjoy the wonders of the night sky in your own backyard.
Step #1- Learn the constellations. You really don't have to have any binoculars or telescopes to start learning Astronomy. You just need your eyes and a dark sky. I live in a small town and I get great views of most of the sky except to the north. I also have a "dark sky" place I go to out in the country. In all directions I have a great view. Some people however, do not have that option, that's okay. Use what sky you have, when you go on vacation, or get further away from the city, remember to check out the night sky so it will become familiar to you.
Step #2- Start with a constellation you already know. I started with the Big Dipper, or Ursa Major, Just about everyone in North America recognizes this one. Get a "Star Wheel" at your favorite book store or online bookstore. You can use it to "Jump" to other Constellations close to the one you know. It won't be long before you know several constellations and you'll be teaching your friends and family where everything is in the night sky. As the year goes by you'll see how the sky changes with the seasons. New constellations pop up and the ones you've learned over the Summer have gone over the horizon.
Tip: When viewing the night sky, give your eyes some time to adjust to the dimmer light outside. You'll be able to see the fainter objects like star clusters, much better.
Step #1- Learn the constellations. You really don't have to have any binoculars or telescopes to start learning Astronomy. You just need your eyes and a dark sky. I live in a small town and I get great views of most of the sky except to the north. I also have a "dark sky" place I go to out in the country. In all directions I have a great view. Some people however, do not have that option, that's okay. Use what sky you have, when you go on vacation, or get further away from the city, remember to check out the night sky so it will become familiar to you.
Step #2- Start with a constellation you already know. I started with the Big Dipper, or Ursa Major, Just about everyone in North America recognizes this one. Get a "Star Wheel" at your favorite book store or online bookstore. You can use it to "Jump" to other Constellations close to the one you know. It won't be long before you know several constellations and you'll be teaching your friends and family where everything is in the night sky. As the year goes by you'll see how the sky changes with the seasons. New constellations pop up and the ones you've learned over the Summer have gone over the horizon.
Tip: When viewing the night sky, give your eyes some time to adjust to the dimmer light outside. You'll be able to see the fainter objects like star clusters, much better.
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