Beginning Astronomy

I have been interested in armchair astronomy all of my life.  I grew up watching the astronauts land on the moon.  I worked for an aerospace company testing and manufacturing rockets that helped us send space probes to Mars and Saturn.  And I really love the pictures that the professional astronomers produce.  But, it took me many years to get interested in amateur astronomy.  Fortunately, with the help of some good friends, Paul, Bob and Bruce gently showed me what a wonderful hobby this is.  They also showed me the correct way to get into this hobby.

Surprisingly, the first thing that you need to do as you get into astronomy is to NOT pick up a telescope.  Telescopes are wonderful tools, and fun toys.  However, without knowing where to point them, they are useless.  The family that picks up a telescope at WalMart, points their new toy at the stars, finds nothing, and never uses the telescope again is much too common.  Let me say it again - don't buy a telescope.  Yet.

First off, study.   A great place to start is Sky and Telescope's advice for beginners.  It can be found here: Your First Steps In Astronomy (By Sky and Telescope).  Next, pick up a few good books and magazines and read them.  Some of my favorites are as follows (listed in the order that a beginner should probably read them):

• Nightwatch by Terence Dickinson ISBN 1-55209-302-6.  Absolutely fabulous beginning Astronomy book.  Starts with an explanation of how to find your way around in the night sky, then talks about equipment, then presents some very good, easy to read maps of the constellations.
• Either "DeepMap 600" by Orion (see links) or "Meade Star Charts".  (I have also seen this under "Celestron Star Charts" - same thing.)  Basically, pick up a good star chart.
  
• Pick up either a subscription to Sky & Telescope magazine, or Astronomy magazine.
• The Backyard Astronomer's Guide by Terence Dickinson & Alan Dyer ISBN 1-55209-507-X.  The first third of this book covers equipment.  Be sure to read it before buying binoculars or a telescope.  The next half covers observing - naked eye as well as using binoculars/telescopes.  The last sixth talks about astrophotography.  The hardware section is the best that I have ever read, even making specific telescope and eyepiece recommendations.
• Advanced Skywatching by Robert Burnham, Alan Dyer, Robert A. Garfinkle, Martin George, Jeff Kanipe, and David H Levy ISBN 0-7835-4941-5.  This book has 20 wonderful "tours" of the constellations that demonstrate open clusters, globular clusters, double stars, variable stars, galaxies, etc.  Going through these "tours" is a great way to get motivated, succeed, and enjoy learning the night skies.
• 365 Starry Nights by Chet Raymo ISBN 0671766066.  This is a fun book that gives you a good overview of the night skies, from maps of the cosmos to stories from the ancients.  This book is best used by the side of your bed on full moon or cloudy nights.  (However, it did not get rave reviews on Amazon.)
  

Next, join a club.  A great place to go to find an astronomical club near you is:  Clubs & Organizations (by Sky and Telescope).  Go to some club meetings.  Meet people in the light while you can recognize them.  Go to some club star parties.  Check out all of the equipment.  Try to figure out what you like and don't like.  Ask people what they like and dislike about their setups.  Trust me - they will be flattered, and will tell you more than you want to know.  Another thing to do is to check out what people are looking at.  If you get excited by the beautiful views through the telescopes that you see, this is probably your hobby.  If you keep saying "is that faint, fuzzy thing all there is to see", you probably don't want to sink a lot of money into a telescope.

Pretty quickly, you are going to want to buy a pair of binoculars.  I have had a telescope for about 4 years, and I still take my binoculars with me.  Binoculars have the following advantages: they are light weight,  they are very portable and they are relatively cheap.  They have very good field of views.  They also have many uses outside of astronomy.  When I go backpacking, I take a good pair of binoculars with me, and leave a telescope behind.  Friends are always amazed what you can see through binoculars with dark skies.

Why are binoculars good for astronomy?  Surprisingly, most of the things that you want to see in the night sky are not SMALL, as much as they are DIM.  So, the first thing that we want to do is make them brighter.  As a general rule, binoculars make things about 10 times bigger, but they make them about 100 times brighter!  Brighter is what we are often after.

What can you see in binoculars?  An amazing amount!  A good write-up on this topic can be found at Binoculars: Halfway to a Telescope (By Sky and Telescope). Be sure to read all of the pages - this is a good, in-depth write-up.  Next time you are out in the country at night, take a few hours to look at the sky with a pair of binoculars.  In the spring, be sure to check out Sagittarius and Scorpios.  In the summer take a look at the milky way around Cygnus and the Andromeda Galaxy.  Fall is the time to check out the double cluster in Perseus and the Pleiades.  Winter - winter is for Orion.  Look at the Orion nebula and the belt stars.  As I said, you can see a lot with binoculars.  Surprisingly, many objects in the night sky are better with binoculars than a telescope.

What binoculars should you buy?  First, check out this article: Choosing Binoculars for Stargazing (By Sky and Telescope).   I have one major disagreement with this article - on focusing.  EVERYONE who uses my binoculars will want to re-focus.  I am very near sighted, and use my binos without glasses.  So, I am constantly re-focusing any instrument that I use.  My recommendation on binoculars would be to buy one from the following two groups.  Either pick up a set of 8x50 to 10x50's for between $100 and $200, or pick up a pair of image stabilized binoculars (see next paragraph), such as the Canon 10x30IS for about $450.  If you spend more than this, you may as well put your money into a better telescope, and if you spend less than this, you will be very disappointed.

I am going to put in a plug for the image stabilized Canons.  One of the biggest problems with binoculars for star gazing is that the stars don't stay still.  They make an infinite number of little circles, as the user shakes.  This is one of the reasons that we don't go with more than 10 power - without a mount.  (Of course the other is that we want things to be bright, which you get by NOT magnifying too much.)  One solution is to somehow mount the binoculars to a tripod.  But a new method that works better is image stabilizing.  Basically, you put 2 AA batteries into the thing, aim, focus, and push a button.  The stars immediately become pinpoints  If you can afford them, the image stabilized binos are fabulous.  Canon's, are one of the best brands.  I chose the Canon 10X30's because the next step up is very expensive, and two steps up are very expensive and very heavy.  Frankly, the 10X30's are bright enough - they use magic coatings on each of the lenses to keep light loss down, and so really do feel like a pair of 10X50's on a tripod.  One down side is that image stabilized binoculars eat batteries.  Get some rechargeable AA's and a good battery charger.

You need to know what you are going to do with a telescope before you buy one.  The reasons are actually pretty simple.  Planets are bright, but they are also very small.  So, for planet work, you require a fairly small telescope with exquisite (expensive) optics and an excellent mount.  You often need the same setup for binary star viewing.  For deep space work, such as galaxies, globular clusters and nebula, you need to get all of the brightening that you can get, so these optics need to be as big and fast as possible.  Both of which cause tradeoffs.  But I get ahead of myself.

First off, take a look at the article Choosing Your First Telescope (By Sky and Telescope)

Next, realize that a telescope is not the only thing that you need to purchase to have a well balanced system.  As a rule of thumb, I would guess that you will spend 50% of your money on your telescope, 25% on eyepieces, and 25% on miscellaneous other stuff.  For instance, a good set of books and maps are the first thing that you should purchase, along with an eyepiece box and a good chair.

Telescopes really have 4 parts.  These parts are as follows:  Primary optics (a mirror or a large lens), eyepiece(s), a mount, and a finding/pointing device.  I will cover them next.

• Optics.  Optics come in two groups - reflectors (mirrors) and refractors (lenses).  Reflectors are much cheaper for a given size, and can be optically very good.  Newtonian reflectors have a secondary flat, small mirror at 45 degrees at the top of the tube, which deflects the light into the eyepiece.  I prefer reflectors, since I primarily like deep space stuff.
• Aperture - this is the diameter of the primary mirror.  This should be as large as possible, with two qualifications.  First is cost.  As a telescope gets bigger, costs go up much faster than size.  The supporting equipment also increases in cost - to include ladders, trucks and trailers.  8" to 10" primaries are a good size for a beginner.  Second issue is transportation.  If you can carry the scope, store it, transport it, and set it up - EASILY - it is a good size.  If it isn't easy to use, it is too big.  Once again, an 8" to 10" primary is a good size for a beginner.
• f ratio.  f = focal length of the primary / aperture.  Some telescopes are fast (small f number), and some are slow (big f number).  There are advantages and disadvantages to both.  Fast telescopes have f numbers under 5.  Advantages are that they are shorter, see a larger area of the sky, and things look brighter (for a given eyepiece).  Disadvantages are that they are harder to make, so either are often of inferior quality or cost more -  for equivalent aperture.  Faster scopes are generally better for deep space viewing.  Slow telescopes have f numbers over 6.  Advantages are that they will have often have better optics for the same cost, and they magnify objects more.  Disadvantages are that they are often longer and have a smaller field of view.  A good f number for a beginner is in the f4.5 to f6 range.
• Eyepieces:  All telescopes come with eyepieces.  I am using the term eyepieces loosely.  Generally, the best thing to do with your new telescope eyepieces are to throw them in a box, and never look at them again.  Buy some new, quality ones at the time you buy your telescope.  See the book The Backyard Astronomer's Guide listed above for recommendations.  One set that I know are pretty good are the Meade Super Plossl set.  Buy a 26mm and a 9.7mm.  Also, buy a 2x barlow.  The short one by Celestron is pretty good.  Now, you have the equivalent of a 26mm, a 13mm, a 10mm and a 5mm eyepiece set.  That is a pretty good range.  Picking up better eyepieces, up to a point, is probably the cheapest way to improve any telescope.
  
• Mount: Mounts really come in two flavors.  One is a dobsonian mount (a simple, dumb, up, down and sideways mount), and the other will be some flavor of mount that will track the stars  (such as an equatorial or a computer driven mount).  The second group are generally tripod type mounts.  I like a dobsonian mount.  It is simple, it sets up quickly (in only a few minutes), it is cheap, and it forces you to learn the stars.  One draw back is that it is no good for astrophotography - but astrophotography isn't for beginners anyway.  Trust me.  Never underestimate the importance of the mount on your telescope.  One of the biggest complaints I hear from beginners is how complex their mount is, and/or how much the telescope vibrates, and/or how awkward using the telescope is ( i.e., where the mount has placed the eyepiece).
  
• Finders: I like a pointer that does NOT magnify the sky, or invert it.  The two that I would recommend are a Telrad  (Excellent, but big, bulky and ugly), and a Rigel Quickfinder (Not quite as easy to use, but small, pretty and light weight)

So, what would I recommend?  As of two years ago, when I purchased one, I would recommend an Orion Skyquest XT8 8"  f5.9  or Orion Skyquest XT10 10" f4.7.  I don't know anything about the  IntelliScope - I still use a map. Look at the review of 8" dobs in Sky and Telescope Magazine a few years ago.  Modifications to this telescope follow:

• Add a Telrad to the top of the scope.  You will be glad you did.
• If you even think that you may use the finder,  upgrade it if you buy the XT8.
• Add some plastic washers (cut from milk jugs) that are about 1.5" in diameter around the center bolt, above the ground board and below the rocker box.  You want about 80% of the total weight of the scope to rest on this washer.  That way, the telescope rotates easily in the azimuth direction.
• If you can, pick up a carrying bag for the scope.  Orion sells them specifically for this scope.

There are a few other items that you really need to use a telescope. 

• Pick up two good eyepieces.  If you can, get some of the superwide eyepieces.  If not, get a good quality super plossl.  Ask for recommendations at a local telescope shop.  Get a 2x barlow.
• Pick up a nebula filter.  These are often labeled narrowband filters.  They tend to filter out all of the light that hits the telescope (and eyepiece) - with the exception of the light that some nebula give off.  Really helps darken the sky and remove light pollution.
  
• A chair.  This can be anything from a lawn chair with cushions to a music adjustable chair to a custom telescope chair.  Search for "denver chair astronomy" on the internet.  A great link is: My Denver Chair
• Warm clothes.  Thermals, boots, gloves, hat, etc.  Take some hand warmers from WalMart.  Warm coffee and/or junk food is wonderful about midnight.
• A table.  Some folks use this, some folks don't.  I have been thinking of getting one forever, but haven't yet.  I use the trunk of my car.
• Red flashlight.  Red doesn't effect your night site like white.  The one that I use is from Wal Mart.  It is a normal flashlight with an optional red lens.  It is too bright for many folks, but I find that I can read with it.  Reading is good.
  
• Eyepiece case.  Get one of the aluminum ones from Orion.  They work great and are cheap.  Orion telescopes and accessories
  
• Laser collimator - or a cheshire eyepiece.  Collimate the scope every time you use it - especially if it was banged or if it is a truss type telescope.
• Binoculars.  See above
• Another lawn chair to chat with the guys.

Astronomers have a great deal of room to grow.  The following list is just a few of the areas that an astronomer can explore.

• Get a different telescope.
• A scope that is designed for astrophotography.  Among other things, these track the rotation of the earth in reverse, keeping your object in the eyepiece.  Well, actually - they keep the object in your CCD camera.  These are often a pain to set up, or are fairly expensive.
• A bigger telescope.  These include reflectors up to 25" to 30".  Realize that as you increase size of the telescope, you will get slightly better views with a huge increase in hassle and cost.  I believe that the sweet spot on telescopes is as follows:
• 8 inch f6 or 10 inch f5.  Good beginner scope, and easily portable.  This one should fit into a car.  It also works with a chair, giving you steadier viewing than standing up.  Best bang per dollar.  Somewhere under $500.
• (DS-3 is a hybrid.  It has the light gathering power one step under a 15", and the portability and size of an 8".  Fits in just about any car.  Cost was about $1000, not counting the many hours that it took to build.)
  
• 15 inch f5, 16 inch f4.6 or 18 inch f4.2.  Good scope for an advanced observer, while still being kind of portable.  This one will probably need a truck for transport.  (However, see my links page under 15" MiataScope.)  If anything, you only need a stool to stand on.  Easy to use - standing.  Truss design.  Setup/teardown are a pain.  Good bang per dollar for ultimate views.  Somewhere around $3000.
• 25 inch f5 or 30 inch f?.  Here you have the best amateur scopes that money is no object can buy.   You will need a big pickup or trailer to move this scope.  You will need a tall ladder, since the eyepiece is up in the air 10 feet or so (at the zenith).  Aiming this beast is a hassle, and you will find that you don't want to re-point it much.  Easiest to set up with two people.  Setup/teardown will take some time (half hour range - each).  Bang per buck is irrelevant.  Somewhere over $10,000.  HOWEVER, if you ever get to look through one of these, you will be hooked.  The heavens come ALIVE with stars!  You have been warned.
  
• A smaller telescope.  Wouldn't it be nice to be able to travel with a telescope?  Look at my links page for travelscopes.  As for me when traveling, I would just look through other people's scopes, and take my binoculars.
• A super sharp, planetary scope.  I don't know much about them.
• Become an observer.  We have multiple observers in our club, but one stands out - Gordon.  Gordon KNOWS his skies.  Each night, he plans out what he hopes to find and learn.  He records his observations. And, he is always generous with his knowledge with others.
• Start to sketch.  This is a wonderful way to record what you see.  Surprisingly, you can sketch things that you cannot photograph.  The reason is that seeing comes in and goes out over a period of 15 seconds.  The mind will remember the best seeing, start to sketch, and ignore the junky seeing in between.
• Take some pictures.  Astrophotography is really advancing.  We now have access to equipment that wasn't available to professionals just 10 years ago.  Amazingly, the prices are still coming down!
• Make your own telescope and mirror.  I had a great time making DS-3.  This is one of the most rewarding things that I have ever done, because I now get to use this tool that I made for observing the heavens.  And, if I don't like something on the scope, I know how to tear it down and fix it.
• Learn the theory.  Where did these stars come from?  (Good question - we still don't know all of the answers.)  How do they keep shining?  (Think fusion bomb.)  How old are they?  (From thousands to tens of billions of years old.)  How far away are they?  (So far that we measure distances in light years.)  How do we KNOW how far away they are?  (An amazing amount of observations and changing yard sticks as we move out further and further.)  DO we know how far away they are? (Only within some tolerances.)   It is amazingly rewarding to learn the hows and whys, along with the OOhhhhhh's of astronomy.
  
• Teach others.  Pick up a laser pointer.  Learn the constellations.  Learn 5 of the Messier objects that are up tonight. To those who have never seen through a telescope, you are now an expert!  This is a wonderful hobby to share.