The reason you bought a telescope is to view the night sky in all its glory. Telescopes can bring those objects closer and give you an idea of what is out there in the universe.

Some of the objects you may see are the moon, planets, and the sun. With a little practice, you may be able to spot some comets, stars, nebulae, and maybe even other galaxies.

The Moon is the best object to view at first because of its prominence and brightness in the night sky. You can follow its phases and get a different view ever night. You might see its mountains, craters, or its terminator line. This is the line between light and dark where you can see a big contrast everywhere.

The Sun is one of the few objects in the sky that you can actually observe in the daytime. A word of warning here – NEVER look directly at the sun through a telescope lens. The light can cook your retinas in seconds. ALWAYS make sure you have the proper solar filter on the telescope before you gaze at the sun.

From the Greek tele which means far and skopein which means to see, a telescope helps us to see the remotest of objects.

Whether they be 50 feet away or in another galaxy, telescopes have been around since the 1600’s to aid us in viewing the fascinating space all around us.

There are as many different types of telescopes as there are reasons to use them.

The most common types of telescopes ones are mentioned here:

Parabola shaped radio antennae are called Radio Telescopes. They are built from large groups of dishes that are made of a conductive wire mesh. As of 2005, the array sizes is many times larger than the width of the Earth.

Optical telescopes focus light mainly from the visible end of the Electromagnetic Spectrum. They can increase the size of distant objects as well as their brightness. These scopes employ mirrors or certain types of lenses to gather light and focus it. A good example would be a pair of binoculars.

X-ray or Gamma-Ray telescopes have rays that go through many glasses and metals. The mirrors involved in these scopes are usually parabolic in shape.

Telescopes tend to come in two different types – Reflectors and Refractors.

A Reflecting telescope is good for looking at galaxies and starclouds, and they allow the observer to see sharp images. They are also less expensive than refractors because they usually have just one surface that helps to focus the light.

Refracting telescopes can be used to view stars and planets, but they are quite expensive. These types of telescopes are usually in the form of a long tube with an eyepiece on one end and the lens at the other end.

Perhaps the best way to start is with a pair of binoculars. They are quite portable and have a wide field of view.

They are also less expensive than telescopes and they can be used for other purposes as well. Comets have been discovered by people using binoculars. In fact, did you know the binoculars you have packed away in the closet at home are more powerful than Galileo’s first telescope?

You don’t need motors to drive the telescope either. After a bit of playing with it, you will be able to guide the scope by hand to where you want to look. You only need a motor if you are trying out astrophotography.

Telescope Mounts in telescopes are used for several different reasons. You don’t have to hold the scope yourself while you are trying to focus on an object.

It helps to steady the scope. It frees you hands up so you can make sketches of what you are viewing or adjust the scope for better focus.

Different Telescope mounts:

There are two types of telescope mounts you can employ for better viewing.

One is the Alt-Azimuth. This telescope mount is similar to a camera tripod. It uses the vertical (altitude) axis and a horizontal (azimuth) axis to help you locate your object. This type of telescope mount has two variations.

The Ball and Socket which has a ball shaped end that can move freely.

The second type of camera mount is called a Rocker Box. This is usually made of plywood and has a low center of gravity. It has a horizontal circular base and Teflon ball bearings for the altitude axis. These are great telescope mounts for a heavier telescope.

The second type of telescope mount is called the Equatorial. This mount uses two axes that are lined up with the poles to keep track of the motion an object takes across the sky. The axes can be Right Ascension, Polar, or Declination.

Beginner astronomers need to be careful with these items as they tend to go way overboard. There are various designs and different lenses for different viewings.

You need to figure out what you will be looking at and go from there. You may need two to three different telescopes eyepieces, but no more than that.

Here is a simple guide to the different telescopes eyepieces and cost involved.

Different telescopes eyepieces:

The most popular telescopes eyepieces the Plossl. It uses four to five elements and has a wider field of view than Orthoscopic lenses. It usually ranges from 50-52 degrees. They run between $50-$150.

For general use, the Orthoscopic lenses were considered the best. They use four elements and are good for planetary viewing. They have a 45 degree field of view. They run between $40-$100.

The Kellner is a general purpose lens. It has a three element design and a 40-45 degree field of view. They run between $30-$50.

The Ramsden and Huygenian are good solar lenses. They have two element designs. They are supplied with the least expensive telescopes and have very narrow fields of view. They cost between $25-$40.

You have taken the plunge and purchase a telescope. Now what do you do with it?

Astronomy can be a wonderful hobby, but here are some telescope advices or tips to make sure you get started on the right foot, or star as the case may be.

Telescope advices:

Look up the night sky without the aid of a telescope. Can you spot and name any constellations? Can you spot the moon or the planet Venus or Jupiter?

If you can’t do this, you might have some trouble spotting other heavenly objects.

There are many magazines out there that follow astronomy and can give you sample pictures and sky charts to go buy. The most common are SKY, TELESCOPE, or ASTRONOMY.

Viewing stars telescopes advices:

Join an astronomy group or a star watching society. These groups usually have telescopes you can borrow for a look to see if it is really what you want.

They also have advanced members who can teach you where to look for certain objects.

As any experienced astronomer will tell you, a pair of good binoculars can become your first telescope.

So you have gone out and bought a telescope and have no idea what to do with it.

Go out into the night sky and look for the brightest objects you can find. They are the best to start with because they are easy to find. Then after that, the sky, quite literally, is the limit.

Telescope special filters:

With a special telescope filter, you can see the sun and count sunspots.

Observe the Milky Way or the moon. The moon has many large craters and you may see “rays” coming out from them.

These are from when a crushed rock exploded from meteor impact. Streaks are formed in a radial pattern out from the crater itself.

Observing the sky with telescope:

Jupiter can be quite interesting to observe at night. It is one of the easiest to find besides the sun and moon.

Some small telescopes might even get a good picture of Jupiter’s small satellite moons. They are usually in a straight line and appear as very bright stars. Given Jupiter’s rapid rotation, you can view nearly all the planet in a single night.

Small telescopes are called refracting telescopes.

They have a big lens at the front and an eyepiece in the back. Some say they are useless for astronomy, but it is possible to do some viewing with these special small telescopes.

A telescope also needs certain features in order for it to be helpful in viewing objects.

One is it must have a well-aligned and intact mirror. It must have at least one eyepiece, two are better. The scope must have a mount that firm and secure.

Unstable mountings are a problem for beginner astronomers. You should also have a finder that rides beside the main telescope. It makes your field of view wider and makes it easier to find objects.

The first thing you should look for is the moon. You probably won’t need to use the finder as the moon is so big and bright. However, you may need to move the telescope every few minutes to keep the moon in view due t the earth’s rotation. You should find many craters and brights spots where the sunlight covers one side of the moon.

Depending on the type of sky telescope you have purchased, you should be able to see many wondrous images with it.

You might see the moon’s surface, the moons of Jupiter, or even Saturn’s rings. With some knowledge of the sky and constellations, you may be able to pick out some star clusters.

The best way to get your hobby going is to join your local astronomical society. They will sometimes have sky telescopes you can borrow to get the hang of using one before you buy.

They also meet in the evenings so you can learn how to observe the night sky. It is truly fascinating to see the images with your own eyes instead of just looking at pictures on the web or in books.

Night sky telescopes:

Telescopes are used for two reasons.

One is to see fainter objects and the other is to magnify images far away. You must discern which focal ratio is the best for what you are trying to see.

A focal ratio is the ratio of the focal length to the aperture.

Deep sky objects are usually located outside our solar system. The listing includes star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, and multiple stars.

To see all these deep sky objects all you need is a clear sky and telescope.

There is also a list of 110 objects on Messier’s list that you can try to locate.

The key to viewing all these heavenly bodies is sky and telescope. Go outside on a really dark night and you must have a large telescope (one which an aperture that is greater than six inches).

Light pollution filters may also help improve your view. Some light filters also helps in viewing sun in the bright day.

What all can you see in sky and telescope’s help:

What look like one star in the sky actually becomes two or three when looking through your telescope?

There is a four part star in Orion’s Nebula. There are also stars that brighten and dim as you watch them over time. These are called Variable Stars.

Star clusters are thousands of stars grouped together. They create a spectacular view when looking through a small telescope.