If you are into stargazing for the first time you’re in the right place. My astronomy beginners’ guides will take you through things you need to know when choosing gear including the magnifications, eyepieces, how to find objects, maintaining your telescope, and how to store it safely when it’s not in use.
To begin: Beginners Guide to Backyard Astronomy
You might be going on a cruise ship, where you’ll get the chance to gaze at the night sky. City lights can’t interfere with stargazing on a cruise, and the sky stretches wide open above you. Here are some tips to help you make the most of that experience. Ship’s Movement and Stability Unlike stationary … Read more
Getting the most out of your telescope can depend on how well you know the accessories as well as what to look for when buying them. Getting the good oil on what to know about buying and how to use a Barlow lens in a telescope certainly helps. Key takeawaysBarlow lenses are essentially magnifying lenses … Read more
Should I use my telescope with or without my glasses? It’s a dilemma most eyeglass wearers have when using a telescope. The answer depends on your need for glasses and if you have an astigmatism or not. Just to be clear, this article relates to astigmatism in your eyes, rather than telescope astigmatism, which can … Read more
My telescope image is upside down. The image through the finderscope is also back to front or upside down or both! To save that stretching of the brain here’s how to fix upside telescope images and that finderscope problem. With a new telescope, one of the first steps is to align the finderscope (aka telescope … Read more
Are you ready for the ultimate showdown in optical coatings? In one corner, we have Fully Broadband, boasting its wide range of benefits. And in the other corner, we have Ultra-Wide Band, claiming its superiority in clarity and contrast. Let’s explore the pros and cons of each contender and see who comes out on top! … Read more
When choosing telescope eyepieces or binoculars you’ll likely come across different types of optical coatings and wonder what’s the best optical coating for astronomy. If like me, you as a novice backyard astronomer may find it confusing knowing what each means for the view you get through your instrument. The following is what I’ve since … Read more
A portable telescope is great for stargazing when on the move. You don’t want something that’s chunky and difficult to move around taking up the limited space you might have. Here’s what I’ve come to learn so far about choosing a telescope to take with you. When you’re in the outdoors in a dark place … Read more
Here I cover what I’ve found of value for starting out as a backyard astronomer including what to know about the telescopes and binoculars for beginners. The basics to backyard astronomy Getting the right equipment for you It’s important to think about the type of observation you want to do. Are you interested in looking … Read more
You might be wondering what magnification works best for getting a close-up of Mars and what features you’re likely to see? Polar caps, moons? You know how Mars is the red planet but what and how can you see beyond a red disk? Let’s dive in… A bit about Mars: Mars has an apparent magnitude … Read more
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