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for an evening under the stars before you head outside. Some people find
it works best to make a list and keep it near your telescope. Others keep
everything they need in accessory cases for quick and easy access. Whichever
organizational method you choose, keep in mind that it is better to bring
everything out at once than to keep going back into the house and subjecting
your eyes to white light, or worse yet, not have what you need when you are
miles away from home. Don’t forget your red flashlight, remember to bring
extra batteries, and pack some coffee or hot cocoa while you’re at it!
Red Flashlight
A red flashlight helps you see star charts and equipment in dark surroundings
with minimal impact on your night vision.
Artificial light is the enemy of amateur astronomers. When you are out
observing faint celestial objects, you need your eyes to perform at their best,
and that can only be accomplished when your pupils are as dilated as much
as possible. Our pupils dilate to allow us to see better in the dark, and any
white light that interferes with that process also interferes with our ability to
see details in the dark.
Red light is a lot friendlier to your night sight than white or yellow light, but it
still has some impact.
You need to use it judiciously and not keep it on all the time, as it can lower
your chances of observing faint deep sky objects. To minimize that impact,
turn the red flashlight on when you need to check a star chart or to adjust your
telescope or binoculars, but leave it off otherwise.
Cooling the telescope
Telescopes require at least 10 to 30 minutes of cooling down to outside
air temperature. However, this may take longer if there is a big difference
between the temperature of the telescope and the outside air. This minimizes
heat wave distortion inside the telescope tube.
Use this time for planning your session and mounting accessories.
The aperture of a telescope is what determines how much light
a telescope can observe. The larger the aperture, the more light is
collected, which results in a greater image resolution. In short, with
a telescope with a larger aperture, you can see more detail & better
detail than the one with a smaller aperture.
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13. FAQ’S
OTA is the housing and optical train of a telescope; not including the
mount, diagonal, eyepiece, or accessories.
What is OTA (Optical Tube Assembly)?
The aperture of a telescope refers to the diameter of the objective
lens (for a refracting telescope) or the primary mirror (for a reflecting
telescope). The aperture of the telescope determines how much detail
you can see. The rule of thumb: the bigger the aperture, the more
detail you can see.
What is the aperture of a telescope?
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Should I choose the larger aperture?
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The focal length of a lens is determined when the lens is focused at
infinity. The focus length of a telescope is usually associated with the
angle of view and the magnification of the telescope. In general, the
higher the focal length, the narrower the angle of view, but higher the
magnification. For example, with the same aperture and eyepiece, a
700mm focal length telescope will have a wider angle of view than a
900mm telescope, but it will have less magnification.
What is the focal length of a telescope?
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The magnification of a telescope is equal to the telescope's focal
length divided by the eyepiece’s focal length. The focal length of a
telescope and an eyepiece are usually measured in millimeters. For
example, with a 20mm eyepiece, a 900mm telescope will give you a
45X magnification; with a 6mm eyepiece, a 900mm telescope will give
you 150X magnification.
How to calculate the magnification of a telescope?
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