How can i get the best out of my telescope?
i_olide asked:
Like tips, dark skies, uhmm how can i get the best quality. I have an Orion SpaceProbe 3″ Altazimuth Reflector Telescope. Please giv eme some tips on this. Thanks in advance.
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Like tips, dark skies, uhmm how can i get the best quality. I have an Orion SpaceProbe 3″ Altazimuth Reflector Telescope. Please giv eme some tips on this. Thanks in advance.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Probably the best tip I can give you is to find your local astronomy club and become a member. That’s what I did when I got my first telescope at the age of 16. Club members will help you collimate your scope and help you find things with it. I recently wrote a series of articles for beginners which you might find helpful:
February 5th, 2009 at 4:44 am
Start with the Moon, which is easy to find. Finding things is the hardest part for beginners. Then try Jupiter. It is the bright star low in the south west just after sunset. To find interesting deep sky objects you will need star charts. The source is a simple on line star chart program. Limit yourself to the brightest deep sky objects (maybe magnitude 6 or brighter; that includes M13 and M31). A 3 inch is too small for the dimmer deep sky objects. And of course find the darkest area you can. Read Sky and Telescope or Astronomy magazine. Or both. At the library if you can’t subscribe. Join an astronomy club.
February 6th, 2009 at 5:32 am
Hello i -
First, take the advice of both the gentlemen above. Experience counts. I will reinforce the message about joining a club, or at least attending a few star parties. Don’t get frustrated. There will be evenings where you see very little, either due to conditions or due to dumb stuff that you do. This happens to everyone, and helps you avoid similar mistakes in the future. For similar reasons, keep a log. Learn to collimate your scope. This is an every night - out process for all my reflector friends, and an occasional process for me with my Schmidt Cassegrain. Invest in one or two good eyepieces - they will improve your view in ways that you will not believe without seeing. Good luck.
February 8th, 2009 at 1:32 am
Join a club.
Go to star parties with the club.
Dont expect to learn everything all at once. Try to learn one or two things each night you go out. That way what you learn will stick with you.
Take cookies to the star parties. The club members will show you everything you could ever imagine about your scope if you take cookies to share.