Using A Telescope
So you have gone out and bought a telescope and have no idea what to do with it. Go out into the night sky and look for the brightest objects you can find. They are the best to start with because they are easy to find. Then after that, the sky, quite literally, is the limit.
With a special filter, you can see the sun and count sunspots. Observe the milky way or the moon. The moon has many large craters and you may see “rays” coming out from them. These are from when a crushed rock exploded from meteor impact. Streaks are formed in a radial pattern out from the crater itself.
Jupiter can be quite interesting to observe at night. It is one of the most easiest to find besides the sun and moon. Some small telescopes might even get a good picture of Jupiter's small satellite moons. They are usually in a straight line and appear as very bright stars. Given Jupiter's rapid rotation, you can view nearly all the planet in a single night.
The simplest thing you can do is look at the stars. Sometimes, you may see a “double-star.” What looks like a single star becomes two when using a telescope. These are quite popular because of the explosion of color you will find between the two of them.
Charles Messier was a comet hunter. One day, he noticed some fuzzy objects that didn't appear to be moving. These were actually the nebulae of today. Some people think it is fun to take a single night and see how many deep sky objects you can find on Messier's list in a single night. There are 110 you can find.
The important thing is to have fun and spot the brightest stars first and go from there. This can be a rewarding hobby after you have had time to get used to the telescope and what it can do.
Telescopes
Basic Tips For Using Telescopes
Viewing Deep Sky Objects And Comets
Optical Features Of Telescopes
Telescopes
Viewing Deep Sky Objects And Comets
... clusters are thousands of stars grouped together. They create a spectacular view when looking through a small telescope. An example of this is the Pleiades. This is a group of seven bright stars in the Taurus constellation that can be seen with the naked eye. But once you view them through the telescope, ...
Optical Features Of Telescopes
... us about he brightness and width of the field of view. They are divided into three sections. F/10 or higher is good for viewing the moon, planets, or stars. F/8 is great for all around viewing. F/6 and lower is meant for viewing deep sky objects. The wave number is also known as the wave error. It tells ...
... only time you will get to see the sun's corona. Viewing planets requires a dry atmosphere and good seeing conditions. Jupiter is the largest planet in the system, so you should be able to find it easily. Mars is difficult to focus on because of its small size. Venus is the brightest planet and also easy ...
Basic Tips For Using Telescopes
... view. They are also less expensive than a telescope and they can be used for other purposes as well. Comets have been discovered by people using binoculars. In fact, did you know the binoculars you have packed away in the closet at home are more powerful than Galileo's first telescope? You don't need ...
Finding The Telescope That Meets Your Needs
... and Rack and Pinion Focusers. Your telescope should never shake once while you are using these. In some telescopes, you may not get a choice. Check out the eyepieces that come with your telescope. Some don't come with any. Make sure you have a couple so you can vary the magnification of the object you ...