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The optics of your telescope should last a long time before they generally
require major cleaning. By keeping the dust caps on and avoiding the
temptation to handle the lenses or mirrors you will find that very little is
needed in the way of optical maintenance.
What to Look For in the Sky
WARNING: DO NOT AIM YOUR TELESCOPE AT THE SUN OR ANYWHERE
NEAR THE SUN! INSTANT AND IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE CAN OCCUR,
INCLUDING BLINDNESS!
DO NOT LET CHILDREN USE ANY TELESCOPE WITHOUT ADULT
SUPERVISION AT ANY TIME THE SUN IS ABOVE THE HORIZON.
There is a whole universe of objects to be seen in the night sky so where does one
start? Well lets examine the most visible objects first.
The Moon.
The moon is the easiest target to find in the night. When it is in the full position, when
the entire face is lit, then it bathes the night with a silvery light washing out the rest of
the sky from all but the brightest objects. The best time to view the moon is actually
not when it is full but rather anytime up to the first quarter, this is when the face
appears to be half lit up. The terminator on the moon, the dividing line between dark
and light, shows the best features such as craters and mountains.
The Planets
The planets are our solar system companions. These range in size from moon size
rocky bodies to giant gas balls which could hold 1000 Earths. To find the planets
requires some information as to when they are visible. An astronomy magazine such
as SkyNews or Sky and Telescope, will give you the locations of the planets from
month to month. Most people who have looked up at night have probably seen
some planets but did not realize it. A planet, when it is well clear of the horizon will
not twinkle as do the stars. They are resolved by the eye as tiny balls as opposed to
the stars which are infinitely small points of light. The easiest planets to view, when
they are visible, are Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Mercury
is an object to look for but it is usually below the horizon and often is a challenge to
find. Pluto is too small for most telescopes below 10" so do not worry about finding it
at this time.
Each of the planets has its own interesting views. Venus is covered with clouds so all
we see is an extremely bright light, the brightest next to the moon, however it like our
moon goes through phases. In other words the planet surface will, as it travels
around the sun, appear to have different amounts of it lit up. This gives the planet
varying crescent shapes, as if a bite were taken out of it. Mars is the red planet. It is
very noticeably red when rising above the horizon and stands out like a beacon in
the night sky. The apparent brightness of Mars varies as the planet orbits around the
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