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13 I
general obServing hintS
When working with any optical instrument, there are a few things to remember to ensure you get the best possible image.
• Never look through window glass. Glass found in household windows is optically imperfect, and as a result, may vary in
thickness from one part of a window to the next. This inconsistency can and will affect the ability to focus your telescope.
In most cases you will not be able to achieve a truly sharp image, while in some cases, you may actually see a double
image.
• Never look across or over objects that are producing heat waves. This includes asphalt parking lots on hot summer days
or building rooftops.
• Hazy skies, fog, and mist can also make it difficult to focus when viewing terrestrially. The amount of detail seen under
these conditions is greatly reduced.
• If you wear corrective lenses (specifically glasses), you may want to remove them when observing with an eyepiece
attached to the telescope. When using a camera, however, you should always wear corrective lenses to ensure the
sharpest possible focus. If you have astigmatism, corrective lenses must be worn at all times.
ASTRONOMY BASICS
Up to this point, this manual covered the assembly and basic operation of your telescope. However, to understand your
telescope more thoroughly, you need to know a little about the night sky. This section deals with observational astronomy
in general and includes information on the night sky and polar alignment.
For telescopes with equatorial mounts, the users have setting circles and polar alignment methods to help them find
objects in the sky. With your altazimuth mount, you can use a method called “star hopping” which is described in the
“Celestial Observing Section” later in this manual. Good star maps are essential in helping you locate deep sky objects
and current monthly astronomy magazines will help you locate where the planets are.
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