Marcus 
How does stellar magnitude relate to your night sky viewing experience? As a newbie, I found terms like this a little confusing. So here I explore star magnitude along with brightness and luminosity for newbie backyard astronomers. Why this is important: When looking to buy a telescope or astronomy binoculars, you might come across the … Read more
What telescope should you buy? What features should you consider and what do they mean? It can be frustrating, the technical jargon, as a beginner looking to buy astronomy gear. The following is to help you get a handle on the telescope reviews and product descriptions when choosing the right telescope to buy for you. … Read more
What can you expect to see with a home telescope? If you are looking to buy or are just starting to use a telescope as a beginner or one for a child, here are some basics to expect and what you can have fun viewing. First up, I want to be realistic. We see jaw-dropping … Read more
Are you observing Jupiter’s moons or aiming to, and are wondering which moon is which? Here I explain how to identify Jupiter’s moons and some other helpful info about what to expect and what to look for when viewing these standouts. Jupiter’s satellites how many? Jupiter’s satellites number 79. But, most are too faint for … Read more
John Percy authored “Understanding Variable Stars”. What are variable stars? The multitude of types makes them super interesting to learn about and target in your hobby. Using your home telescope you can challenge yourself to find them in the pursuit of helping astronomy. Read on to learn more about targeting variable stars… Title on the … Read more
There are a ton of Moon features to keep you occupied for hours! Looking from latitudes south of the equator there’s no ‘man in the moon’, but rather a ‘rabbit’. I cover what to look for on the Moon, lunar features that will keep you intrigued in observing the Moon. You might not realize that … Read more
What coordinate system is used in astronomy? How do you decipher these celestial points to locate an object with your telescope? What do all these different terms mean? It can be confusing when you’re starting out. Here I look at what you need to know about sky coordinate systems, what they mean, and how to … Read more
It’s fairly easy to pick out the bright planets in the night sky, but what about other objects of interest overhead? You can download sky map apps for your mobile device, which helps. But the best finder charts are the manual ones, for a few reasons. Here, I cover how to use star charts, plus … Read more
The Moon is our one an only natural satellite. Rare astronomical events that include lunar eclipses and phenomena such as Blue Moon, Blood Moon and Super Moon spark wide interest. What do these terms really mean? Let’s have a look. What is the rarest Moon event? The rarest Moon event in modern times was a … Read more
The term field of view confuses a lot of people new to the hobby of astronomy. Here’s what to know about the field of view in optical instruments to help you demystify this term and get better satisfaction out of using your gear. Define field of view “Field of view is the extent or the range of your visual … Read more