|
(Reprinted with permission from Tom Koonce of The Antelope Valley Astronomy Club.)
The moderate summer evenings are finally here and the best time of year to observe the sky has arrived. I have written at length in the past about how to get started in amateur astronomy, but this month we’ll step it up a few notches with a discussion of what I think a beginner needs to take observing to the next level. I have no business association with any of the companies mentioned in this article, but have extensive experience to back up each of my recommendations below. I’m calling it as I see it. Your actual mileage may vary.
First, get a Telrad for your telescope. This “1X spotting scope” is the most useful accessory you’ll get and many star guides, maps and books are written that use it’s illuminated 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 degree centering circles. I also recommend installing a “blink” kit on the Telrad to cycle the red illumination on and off to help your night vision when locating very dim deep-sky objects. There are other 1 X finders on the market that you can use, but I think the Telrad holds up the best over time.
Next, you’re going to be considering getting eyepiece filters and maybe even a new eyepiece. Here’s what I think are the essentials and I list them in priority order.
 Get a Thousand Oaks Solar Filter for your telescope. By doing so, you will have instantly doubled the utility of your scope because you’ll also be able to observe during the day with your telescope. The Sun is our nearest star and a high quality glass solar filter will last you many years.
Make sure that you have decent quality eyepieces that will yield magnifications of approximately 50X through 200X. I recommend TeleVue, Meade or Celestron Super Plossls. It’s essential that you have great eyepieces to match the great telescope that you are using. Go to a Star Party with your telescope and set up next to someone who can lend you several different eyepieces for you to try out. Find ones that you really like and buy ones just like them. Don’t buy any eyepiece that you haven’t had a chance to use. On the question of whether or not to buy 1 ¼” or 2” eyepieces, I’ll say that if you really enjoy amateur astronomy, you will eventually be buying 2” eyepieces, but they are expensive and you need to have a good idea of the kind of observing you will be doing most of the time. Eyepieces hold their value very well, so hold off on buying the 2” eyepieces for now and get the best 1 ¼” eyepiece that you can afford. If you’ve been reading my articles over the years, you’ll know that I recommend that buying eyepieces that are in excellent shape from amateur astronomy-based websites like Astromart.com and build up your collection, but you should also consider companies which offer great prices for brand new eyepieces such as Woodland Hills Telescope and Oceanside Pacific Telescope.
Get a high quality O-III (pronounced “Oh-three”) narrow band-pass filter that screws into the base of your eyepieces. This is the most useful deep sky filter. If you enjoy observing deep-sky objects like the Ring Nebula, Swan Nebula, or would like to observe the Veil Nebula, then get the O-III before you buy a light pollution filter, a set of color filters, or a moon filter.
If you have a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, get a “Skylight” filter to seal the back of the telescope tube. Then get a high quality, 2” diagonal with a 1 ¼” adapter. I like the 2” TeleVue diagonal.
 If you have a Newtonian telescope, get a quality barlowed laser collimation tool. 90% of all of the newtonians / dobsonians people have me look through at star parties are incorrectly collimated and are thus performing at far less than their optical potential. The collimation tool will help you attain new levels of focus with your Newtonian. I use the Howie Glatter barlowed laser collimator and am extremely pleased with it.
Get an adjustable red light flashlight. Make sure that the brightness can be dialed down very close to the off position so that minimum light is illuminated. Now that you’re taking the next step in amateur astronomy, you’re going to have to pay more attention to your might vision. After your eyes become dark adapted, most of the single switch red flashlights are too bright and are useful only to upset other observers around you. Begin to pay more attention to observing etiquette. You shouldn’t walk up to other observers with your red flashlight on its cord around your neck, turned up to high, thus affecting other’s night vision. It is encouraged for you to park with your car headlights pointed away from the general observing area and to turn your car’s interior dome lights off at the beginning of the evening.
Get a polarizing moon filter. This is made up of two polarizing filters that can rotate about each other so that you can “dial” the brightness of the moon up or down to counter the brightness when directly observing the moon. You’ll find this much handier than a single neutral density filter for changing brightness of the phases.
Get a good night sky atlas. If you have an eight inch or larger telescope, I prefer the large “Sky Atlas 2000.0 Deluxe Laminated” atlas, with black stars on a white background. For smaller scopes, you can take a look at Sky & Telescope’s “Pocket Sky Atlas”. This is the right time to re-read the great book “Night Watch – A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe”.
 Get a portable table to take with you observing. A sturdy folding card table works well. You’ll need a place to put your maps and eyepieces.
Begin working on your Messier Pin. This is an observing challenge sponsored by the Astronomical League. By completing the observation of all of the Messier objects, you will truly know the night sky.
Dedicate an old blanket, carpet, or artificial turf to put beneath your telescope when observing. It will keep dirt and dust off of your scope, and when you drop that new eyepiece or little retaining screw out of your diagonal at 2:00 am, it will help spare those around you from hearing a staccato of four letter words punctuating the night. Not that *I’ve* ever done such a thing myself…
This will get you started. I didn’t mention other items such as an observing stool to sit on, color filters, a warm jumpsuit, or large camp chair for taking a break. You can add these as you go forward. Advancing in amateur astronomy is not about the equipment, but about honing your observing skills. Each item I’ve mentioned will either enable or simplify the technical portion of observing so that you can concentrate more on the sky and less on whether or not you have the necessary resources at hand.
Clear Skies, Tom
|
