It’s in the stars
David Reneke
YOU know, a telescope is really a subtle space ship of the mind.
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Its range is limited only by your willingness to be patient.
Learn how to use it to its best advantage and learn how to really see what it is showing you.
Be aware though that the views won’t look like the full colour spreads in magazines and books.
Only instruments like Hubble can do that.
The Moon will be dazzlingly bright and sharp with a lifetime of detail to explore.
The planets will look very small, even with high power, but if you’re patient you’ll be surprised how much colour and subtle detail will be revealed, especially during brief moments when our atmosphere is steady.
All of your observing with the unaided eye, binoculars or a telescope will be easier and richer with the help of good over the counter sky software like Starry Night.
Here’s a tip – if you go to www.stellarium.org you can download a program almost as good.
I use it all the time.
It's easy to use, and free to download.
Take your time and really observe an object.
Give your eyes 10 minutes or so to adapt to the dark.
This technique probably cannot be overstated.
Then spend two to three minutes studying what’s in your field of view, it’ll reveal vastly more detail than simply glancing at an object then hurrying on to the next.
OK, let’s go!
A quick glance at Saturn, almost directly overhead now, shows its beautiful ring system.
A longer look reveals divisions in those rings, cloud bands, subtle colorations, and moons.
No technique in astronomy will show you more than spending time examining an object in detail with your own eyes.
Let’s start with one of the easiest to find yet most rewarding objects when visible, the Moon.
Its rugged craters, high mountains, and vast ‘seas’ offer some of the finest details to be found in any astronomical target.
It changes every night as the terminator, the line between sunset and shadow, progresses over the surface, revealing new details.
At first, the lunar landscape will look quite confusing, but keep in mind that lunar north has fewer craters than lunar south.
As you study the Moon from month to month craters will become more familiar to you.
Notice those huge flat grey areas?
They’re called ‘seas’ after Galileo who first spotted them through his newly invented telescope. He thought they were oceans but they’re just cold grey flat lava beds, some hundreds of kilometres across!
So, where should you set up?
Footpaths and rooftops absorb heat during the day and radiate it back off during the night.
The resulting turbulent air can distort the image through your telescope.
So for best results, set up your telescope on dirt or grass, which absorb much less heat, and avoid aiming directly over nearby buildings.
The best time to view an object is when it is high in the sky.
There’s less pollution and less sky glow, so the view will be clearer.
Light pollution decreases late at night, as downtown businesses close and households turn off outdoor lights.
Try stargazing mid to late evening or during the “wee hours” of the morning when possible.