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using the telescopes coarse and fine
adjustment controls. At higher
powers, astronomical objects will
seem to move 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
10
STAR CHARTS
Star charts and planispheres are useful for a variety of
reasons. In particular, they are a great aid in planning a
night of celestial viewing.
A wide variety of star charts are available in books, in
magazines, on the internet and on CD Roms. Meade
offers Autostar Suite
™
software. Contact your local
Meade dealer or Meade’s Customer Service department
for more information.
Astronomy
and
Sky and Telescope
magazines print star
charts each month for up-to-the-minute maps of the
heavens.
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.
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