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Tom Whiting's
"Sound Advice for the Novice Observer" If you are fairly new to our great hobby, don't buy a telescope yet! In our hobby, equipment comes LAST, not first. Knowledge of the night sky comes first. Make your first "scope" a pair of inexpensive binoculars, plus a star chart or atlas of the night sky, because..... Astronomy is a LEARNING hobby, not a "flashy visuals" hobby. The enjoyment, in part, comes from the knowledge, the hunt, and the "discovery" of objects in the night sky. There are only about a dozen objects that are big and bright...the moon, a few planets, a few double stars and a few deep sky objects. These wear thin pretty fast. The remaining millions of other objects are either small, dim, or both. So the enjoyment comes from the knowledge and finding that the fuzzy dim blob of a galaxy you are viewing is 65 million light-years distant. That means you are seeing the light of 65 million years ago, about the time the dinosaurs were dying. To see the galaxy at all, is remarkable! So, if you want flashy visuals, go watch TV. You might also want to determine (think about it) if you are of a suitable nature for observational astronomy in the first place. First, ours is a VERY abstract hobby...you can't touch, drink, taste, smell, or feel...a star, planet, or deep sky object. It's all mental and visual, period. Second, astronomical observing is NOT a "wimpy" activity. At northern latitudes, there is no such thing as a WARM, clear night. But even down South, you are at odds with clouds, wind, light pollution, insects, curious passersby, perhaps a bright moon, and perhaps headlights of cars. Observational astronomy is an outdoor nature activity. If you don't enjoy being outside at night, can't stand the cool night air, allergic to bug spray, don't like to overdress, don't like meeting up with total strangers passing by, or don't like staying up well past sunset, then you had better think twice about observational astronomy as an activity! ALSO, our hobby requires you to "bend" your lifestyle somewhat, as YOU can't bend the Universe...... If an eclipse of the moon or meteor shower occurs from 1-4 am, then you have to do the "bending" to observe it, as the Universe will not change its timing to accommodate us humans on planet Earth! I don't mean to discourage anyone, but I thought you would appreciate the "straight scoop" here. If you are still interested, here are the proper steps to follow to get into observational astronomy: 1. Since observational astronomy is a knowledge and learning activity, raid the public library; Read all you can about the subject. 2. Don't purchase a telescope which is totally useless to you right now, because if you can't point your finger to Jupiter, Saturn, the Andromeda Galaxy, Beehive Star Cluster, the star Albireo, or the Lagoon Nebula, (all naked-eye objects), how are you going to point a small area viewing scope toward them? Instead... 3. Purchase an inexpensive star chart of the night sky. You might want to buy (for under $10) a planisphere, which is a night sky chart on a disk within a square. The dates and times are on the square and the stars and constellations are charted on the disk. (Binoculars are a plus, but not really required). 4. Take the chart outside at night and learn (self-teach yourself) the naked-eye night sky. This is really not as difficult as it sounds. Constellations are simply areas of the sky for identification purposes only. If you can learn and memorize the 4 adjoining states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois on a map, then you can also easily learn and memorize Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo.....4 adjoining areas of the night sky. Gone are the old days of visualizing men or animals....since 1930, constellations are simply fixed, unchanging, specific areas of sky. There are about 40 of them in the N. Hemisphere. This ain't rocket science....for instance, if you want to find the Armory in Columbus, Ohio...you first have to know where Ohio [constellation equivalent] is in the USA, then you have to locate the city of Columbus [bright star equivalent], then you offset from Columbus 10 miles to the south to find the Armory. WE DO EXACTLY THE SAME THING IN THE NIGHT SKY! And this is why you need this area foundation first..... In construction, you can't build a house first without a foundation. Observational astronomy is the same way. 5. Use your binoculars, eyes, and a good star chart in learning the night sky; binoculars are easy to carry, easy to use, the image is upright, (it's inverted in a good astronomical telescope), you have a wide field of view (telescopes inherently have a very small field of view), and the locations in the sky are right in front of your nose, whereas in most scopes you are viewing at a right angle to the spot in the sky you want to observe). Also, binoculars do a surprisingly good job on the night sky...a 6 or 8 inch telescope will improve on binoculars as much as binoculars improve on your naked-eye. In other words, you get halfway to a good telescope, for a fraction of the cost. 6. GET serious about star atlases and star charts...learn how to use them. It's impossible to purchase a star chart that is TOO good. A sailor of the seas needs top-notch charts, and so does a "sailor" of the stars. 7. Find other amateur astronomers in your local area...work together in learning the night sky. There are over 400 astronomy clubs in the USA and we are one of them. Need help or guidance? Call us at 814-864-9203 or contact us by E-mail. Check the Sky & Telescope website for any clubs in your area. 8. Another important reason one does not purchase a telescope at the beginning...What do you want to specialize in? AND you WILL specialize eventually because there is just too much out there...Deep sky objects? Lunar/Planetary detail? Variable stars? Comet hunting? Nova/Supernova hunting? Asteroids? Splitting and observing double/multiple stars? There is a scope out there that maximizes observing each of these activities! And typically each requires a different scope to maximize that activity. (Otherwise, why doesn't every astronomer have the exact same type scope)?? But until you know where your primary interest will be...ALL airplanes fly, but you don't send a bomber to do a fighter's job....telescopes are exactly the same way! 9. When it's time for a telescope, plunge in deep! You'll know when you are ready. You've read articles on scopes, you'll know what your major interest is in (like deep sky objects, or moon/planets), and you'll have seen others' equipment and talked to them about it. This is no time to scrimp on quality!! Shun the flimsy "department store" or science store telescopes. There are telescopes nice to look at, and there are telescopes nice to look through...you want the latter type. Laws of optics dictate that optical surfaces have to be ground and figured to a minimum of 1/4 wavelength of light (4 millionths of an inch) for basic/average quality, and this costs time and money to produce...sorry, just the laws of physics!! Typically you have to mail order, or send away, for a high quality telescope...big names now are Orion, Discovery, and Hardin, for high quality beginning 6 or 8 inch scopes. Plan on a minimum of around $500 for your first scope. Typically, any less than that is usually very low quality and a piece of junk. Don't have enough money saved up? Then wait and work on your learning abilities while you save up more money, or get a loan. Don't waste hard-earned money on an inferior scope. Don't compromise! $500? Hey, how much is a motorcycle or a boat? Any hobby is going to set you back a little....plus those items need maintenance, insurance, licensing, registration, gasoline, winter storage (at least up North), did I mention maintenance?? The night sky is free to all, and all we need is a good star chart and a few extra eyepieces....and we can go out in the wintertime too!! This review was not meant to discourage, but to inform you of the proper steps to take since we have been down that road. The positives actually outweigh the negatives but I wanted you to understand the process involved. Actually astronomy is the ONLY subject that covers......the rest of the Universe. All other subjects, Literature, Economics, Biology, etc. cover only this small 8000 mile diameter Rock we live on. Astronomy is the only subject that covers the remaining 99.9999999+++ % of the Universe. Something to think about for its mental expanding quality. Also, observational astronomy fires the imagination, provokes thought, and provides a keen sense of enjoyment in the general understanding of the remote and abstract. It was the philosopher Carlyle, and his complaint, that rings down through the ages, "Why did no one teach me the constellations when I was a child?" Clear Skies, |
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