How To's
A German Equatorial Mount (GEM) can be an absolute game-changer for your astrophotography. This ingenious mount will enable you to take long exposures of the nighttime sky without trailing. With the right preparation, it is guaranteed to help you take...
If you’re fortunate enough to be in the path of a total solar eclipse, you’ll have anywhere from 2-5 minutes to capture tons of different detail in the Sun’s atmosphere. These different features can be captured by adjusting your exposure and getting the t...
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the shadow of the Earth falls upon the surface of the Moon. You may think that a lunar eclipse should occur every month when the Moon is Full, however because the Moon’s orbit, a lunar eclipse will only happen at most t...
While we generally do not recommend doing astrophotography with a manual Dobsonian telescope, you can certainly take quick photos of the Moon, the planets, some bright deep-sky objects and maybe even the International Space Station! All it takes is a...
Astrophotographers must align their equatorial mounts to the North Star, Polaris. Polaris is currently the closest star to the celestial north pole and the objects in the night sky essentially rotate around this point. Mounts aligned to Polaris can effectively...
Astronomers and amateur astronomers alike are likely familiar with the term “seeing conditions”. This term typically refers to the atmospheric conditions or level of atmospheric turbulence in the local area. You have almost certainly heard the song “Tw...
Of the eight planets in our solar system, only five are visible to the naked eye in our night sky: Mercury and Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The last two planets in our solar system, Uranus and Neptune, are so faint that they were only discovered...
There are dozens of factors that come into play the moment you step outside with your telescope. Thermal dynamics (or thermodynamics), atmospheric conditions, light pollution, and cloud cover are just some of the forces that could work against you...
Congratulations! You’ve purchased your first telescope - an optical time machine that will help you explore our amazing Universe. You may have aspirations of discovering comets or becoming a published astro-imager someday; or you might want to simply e...
You might be tempted to wait until the next full moon to get a good view of everything there is to see, but surprisingly enough, this actually isn’t the best time for lunar observation. The Moon is “full” when the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon...
While it doesn’t 100% prevent dew buildup the entire night, a dew shield will prevent dew from immediately forming on your front-end lens or corrector plate. The dew shield will also help insulate your telescope, keeping it warmer and the temperature o...
We live in an age where it’s all too easy to go outside with your smartphone or a GoTo telescope, point it at the sky, and have it show you where to look. A GoTo telescope can even suggest something exciting and aim itself at that object. But a GoTo tele...
Turn off your lights and head outside on a clear, dark night. Leave your cell phone behind. If you have a planisphere, bring it with you. A planisphere, or star wheel, is a simple way to locate which constellations are up and where they are placed...
In late July of this year, there is an exciting opportunity to see Mars at its best! The “Red Planet” will be at opposition, which means it will be opposite the Sun as observed from Earth. At a distance of only 35.8 million miles, it will be closer to...
For planetary viewing, the most useful eyepieces are those that provide about 100X magnification and either a second eyepiece or a Barlow lens that will work with your eyepiece to achieve, on average, somewhere between 100X to 250X magnification. It's...