1.
First choose a target to view. Any bright object in the night sky is a good starting point. One of the
favorite starting points in astronomy is the moon. This is an object sure to please any budding astronomer or
experienced veteran. When you have developed proficiency at this level, other objects become good targets.
Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus are good second steps to take.
the Moon
•
--a wonderful view of our lunar neighbor can be enjoyed with any magnification. Try
viewing at different phases of the moon. Lunar highlands, lunar maria (lowlands called “seas” for their
dark coloration), craters, ridges and mountains will astound you.
saturn
•
--even at the lowest power you should be able to see Saturn’s rings and moons. This is one of
the most satisfying objects in the sky to see simply because it looks like it does in pictures. Imagine
seeing what you’ve seen in textbooks or nASA images from your backyard!
Jupiter
•
--the largest planet in our solar system is spectacular. Most noted features are its dark stripes
or bands both above and below its equator. These are the north and south equatorial belts. Also
interesting are Jupiter’s four major moons. pay close attention to their positions from night to night.
They appear to be lined up on either side of Jupiter.
Mars
•
--The Great Red planet appears as a reddish-orange disk. Look at different times of the year and
try to catch a glimpse of the white polar ice caps.
Venus
•
--just like the moon, Venus changed phases from month to month. Some views of brilliant
Venus appear as if you were looking at a distant crescent moon.
nebulae
•
--The Great Orion nebula is a very well known night sky object. This and many others are
brought to you by this telescope.
star clusters
•
--View millions of stars densely packed in a cluster that resembles a ball.
galaxies
•
--One of the greatest and most interesting galaxies is our neighbor the Andromeda Galaxy.
Enjoy this and many others.
And much, much, more!
While this manual is intended to assist you in the set-up and basic use of this instrument, it does not cover
everything you might like to know about astronomy. For objects other than stars and constellations, a basic
guide to astronomy is a must.
2.
After setting up the telescope and selecting something to view, center the desired object in the finderscope.
provided you did a reasonable job aligning the finderscope, a quick look through the main telescope tube at
low power should reveal the same image. With the lowest power eyepiece (the one with the largest number
printed on it) you should be able to focus the same image that you saw through the finderscope. Avoid the
temptation to move directly to the highest power. The low power eyepiece will give you a wider field of
view, and brighter image--thus making it very easy to find your target object. At this point with a focused
image in both scopes, you’ve passed the first obstacle. If you don’t see an image after attempting to focus
it in, you might consider aligning your finderscope again. Once you pass this step, you’ll will enjoy the time
spent ensuring a good alignment. Every object you center in the finderscope will be easily found in the main
telescope tube, which is important for continuing your exploration of the night sky.
3.
The low power eyepieces are perfect for viewing the full moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae, and even
constellations. These should build your foundation. However, for more detail, try bumping up in magnification
to higher power eyepieces on some of these objects. During calm and crisp nights, the light/dark separation
line on the moon (called the “Terminator”) is marvelous at high power. You can see mountains, ridges and
craters jump out at you due to the highlights. Similarly, you can move up to higher magnifications on the
planets and nebulae. Star clusters and stars are best viewed through the low power no matter what.
usIng your telescoPe
