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through the field of view of the
eyepiece more rapidly.
Place the object to be viewed at the
edge of the field and, without
touching the telescope, watch it drift
through the field to the other side before
repositioning the telescope so that the object
to be viewed is again placed at the edge of
the field, ready to be further observed.
Vibrations: Avoid touching the eyepiece
while observing through the telescope.
Vibrations resulting from such contact will
cause the image to move. Avoid observing
sites where vibrations cause image
movement (for example, near railroad
tracks). Viewing from the upper floors of a
building may also cause image movement.
Let your eyes “dark-adapt:” Allow five or
ten minutes for your eyes to become “dark
adapted” before observing. Use a red-
filtered flashlight to protect your night vision
when reading star maps, or inspecting the
telescope. Do not use use a regular flash-
light or turn on other lights when observing
with a group of other astronomers. You can
make your own red filtered flashlight by
taping red cellophane over a flashlight lens.
Viewing through windows: Avoid setting up
the telescope inside a room and observing
through an opened or closed window pane.
Images may appear blurred or distorted due
to temperature differences between inside
and outside air. Also, it is a good idea to
allow your telescope to reach the ambient
(surrounding) outside temperature before
starting an observing session.
When to observe: Planets and other
objects viewed low on the horizon often
lack sharpness—the same object, when
observed higher in the sky, will appear
sharper and have greater contrast. Try
reducing power (change your eyepiece) if
your image is fuzzy or shimmers. Keep in
mind that a bright, clear, but smaller image
is more interesting than a larger, dimmer,
fuzzy one. Using too high a power eyepiece
is one of the most common mistakes made
by new astronomers.
Dress Warm: Even on summer nights, the
air can feel cool or cold as the night wears
on. It is important to dress warm or to have
a sweater, jacket, gloves, etc., nearby.
Know your observing site: If possible, know
the location where you will be observing. Pay
attention to holes in the ground and other
obstacles. Is it a location where wild
animals, such as skunks, snakes, etc., may
appear? Are there viewing obstructions such
as tall trees, street lights, headlights and so
forth? The best locations are dark locations,
the darker the better. Deep space objects
are easiest to see under dark skies. But it is
still possible to observe even in a city.
Surf the Web and visit your local library:
The internet contains a huge amount of
astronomical information, both for children
and adults. Check out astronomy books from
your library. Look for star charts—these are
available on a monthly basis in
Astronomy
and
Sky and Telescope
magazines.
14
ASTRONOMY RESOURCES
• The Meade 4M Community
6001 Oak Canyon, Irvine, CA 92618
• Astronomical League
Executive Secretary
5675 Real del Norte, Las Cruces, NM 88012
• The Astronomical Society of the Pacific
390 Ashton Ave., San Francisco, CA 94112
• The Planetary Society
65 North Catalina Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106
• International Dark-Sky Association, Inc.
3225 N. First Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719-2103
Meade80EQ-AR 4/28/06 9:55 AM Page 16