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10
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is the image in my telescope eyepiece upside down and/or
backwards?
If you have inserted your eyepiece directly into the telescope’s
focusing tube, you will see an image that is upside-down and
backwards. If you have inserted the diagonal mirror into the focusing
tube and then placed the eyepiece into the diagonal mirror, your
image will be right-side up, but it will still appear backwards or
reversed. This is normal for an astronomical telescope. After all,
there’s no up or down in space so it doesn’t matter how the field is
oriented. For terrestrial viewing, when you want images to be
oriented properly (as seen with the naked eye), insert the erecting
eyepiece according to the directions on page 8 of this guide.
2. Why can’t I see anything when I look through my telescope?
If you see only white, gray, or black through the telescope you
probably have inserted an eyepiece that is too powerful. To solve this
problem, switch to the low power eyepiece. As a rule, always start
with the lowest power eyepiece, gradually switching to higher power
eyepieces only after you have located an object.
3. When I use my high power eyepiece, why does everything look
darker?
As telescope magnification increases, brightness diminishes. Brightness
increases when magnification is reduced. If an image appears dark or
unclear, try using your low power eyepiece. It is easier to study small,
bright views of celestial objects than large, dark, or blurry ones. You
do not need very high powers to study most celestial objects.
4. Why do objects in the sky move out of view when I look through
my telescope?
When you view a celestial object through a telescope, the rotation of
the earth makes it appear as though objects are moving across the
viewing area. You can lessen this effect and observe the largest area
of the sky by using your low power lens.
Observing the Night Sky
Your telescope can bring you the moon and stars—and some planets, too.
Planets
The planets are our solar system companions. They range in size from
Pluto, a rocky planet smaller than our moon, to Jupiter, a giant gas ball
that could hold 1,000 Earths. Viewing the planets presents some
challenges. As the planets in our solar system orbit the sun, their
position in our night sky changes. To find out where to look for
planets at a particular time, check an astronomy magazine, such as
Sky
and Telescope
. You can also visit the magazine’s web site, listed on
page 14 in this guide.
Most people who have looked up at the night sky have probably seen
some planets but did not realize it. A planet, when it is above the
horizon, will not twinkle like a star. Planets are resolved by the eye as
tiny balls, as opposed to stars, which are infinitely small points of light.
The easiest planets to view, when they are visible, are the five “naked-
eye” planets: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. Mercury is the
most difficult to see since it is usually below the horizon. Each of the
planets has its own set of unique characteristics, making them a
wonder to behold.
Stars
The stars are so far away that when you look at one with your
telescope, you won’t see a disk as you do when you look at a planet.
Even with a large, powerful telescope, a star is seen as a point of light.
Some stars look larger than others, but what you are actually seeing is
brighter points of light compared to dimmer points of light. The
brighter stars aren’t necessarily larger, but they appear that way to us.
