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Enjoying Your New Telescope
1. First determine your targeted object. Any bright object in the night sky is a good starting point. One
of the favorites in astronomy is the moon. This is an object sure to please any budding astronomer or
experienced veteran. When you have developed proficiency at this level, other objects become good
targets. Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus are good second steps to take.
2. The first thing you need to do after assembling the telescope as planned is center the desired object
in the finderscope's cross hairs. Provided you did a reasonable job aligning the finderscope, a quick
look through the main telescope tube at low power should reveal the same image. With the lowest
power eyepiece (the one with the largest number printed on it) you should be able to focus the same
image that you saw through the finderscope. Avoid the temptation to move directly to the highest
power. The low power eyepiece will give you a wider field of view, and brighter image--thus making it
very easy to find your target object. At this point with a focused image in both scopes, you've passed
the first obstacle. If you don't see an image after attempting to focus it in, you might consider aligning
your finderscope again. Once you pass this step, you'll enjoy the time spent ensuring a good
alignment. Every object you center in the finderscope will be easily found in the main telescope tube,
which is important for continuing your exploration of the night sky.
3. The low power eyepieces are perfect for viewing the full moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae, and
even constellations. These should build your foundation. However, for more detail, try bumping up in
magnification to higher power eyepieces on some of these objects. During calm and crisp nights, the
light/dark separation line on the moon (called the "Terminator") is marvelous at high power. You can
see mountains, ridges and craters jump out at you due to the highlights. Similarly, you can move up
to higher magnifications on the planets and nebulae. Star clusters and stars are best viewed through
the low power no matter what.
4. The recurring astronomical theater we call the night sky is an ever-changing billboard. In other
words, not the same movie plays all the time. Rather, the positions of the stars change not only
hourly as they seem to rise and set, but also throughout the year. As the earth orbits the sun our
perspective on the stars changes on a yearly cycle about that orbit. The reason the sky seems to
move daily just as the sun and the moon "move" across our sky, is that the earth is rotating about its
axis. As a result you may notice that after a few minutes or a few seconds depending on what power
you are viewing at, the objects in your telescope will move. At higher magnifications especially, you
will notice that the moon or Jupiter will "race" right out of the field of view. To compensate, just move
the fine adjustment controls on your telescope to "track" it in the necessary path.
Helpful Hints
1. Your telescope is a very sensitive instrument. For best results and fewer vibrations set your
telescope up on a level location on the ground rather than your concrete driveway or your wooden
deck. This will provide a more stable foundation for viewing, especially if you've drawn a crowd with
your new telescope.
2. If possible view from a location that has relatively few lights. This will allow you to see much fainter
objects. You'd be surprised how much more you'll see from your local lake or park when compared to
a backyard in the city.
3. Using your telescope out a window is NEVER recommended.
4. View objects that are high in the sky if possible. Waiting until the object rises well above the horizon
will provide a brighter and crisper image. Objects on the horizon are viewed through several layers of
earth's atmosphere. Ever wonder why the moon appears orange as it sets on the horizon. It's
because you are looking through a considerable more amount of atmosphere than you would directly
overhead. (Note: If objects high in the sky are distorted or wavy, you are probably viewing on a very
humid night.) During nights of unstable atmosphere, viewing through a telescope can be frustrating if
not impossible. Astronomers refer to crisp, clear nights as nights of "good seeing."