1. Look for Clear sky
There's no substitute to the clear sky. In fact it can indirectly add an extra inch to your aperture.
Look up in the sky at day time for clues. Are there clouds? When the sun is over the head, block it with your hand and see if its clear blue around it. At the sunrise or sunset, make sure there are no clouds at horizon.
2. Avoid Light Pollution
And when it comes to stargazing, the most hazardous one is light pollution.
We usually observe the sky at night time. The simple reason for this, is because we need our surroundings as dark as possible. So that you can explicitly get to see the light coming from that cute little distant object. But in our modern society, there's light pollution everywhere. So its never gonna be a ideal spot. So what you have to do is go to a dark place.
And it should be with least artificial light . Going away from city is best when you want to see faint/far distant object.
3. New Moon is Good
Aim for longer hours of observations especially on new moon. Try to have at least two session per week.
4. Let Your Eyes Adopt to Darkness
Understand your eyes. They are on habit to brightness. So it will take some practice for your eyes to adopt to darkness. And your pupil to setup.
When you start observing in dark surrounding. Make sure you don't see source directly (like phone, or light bulbs etc.). It will disturb the adaptation. Use red flash light if needed and still don't directly look inside it. It may take upto half an hour for your eyes to be at its 100% ability.
5. Keep Staring at it!.
You know what? There's a secret! To actually notice the details. Just keep staring at the object constantly through the eyepiece. And as you keep on, the details starts to unlock. It may take a hour to enjoy the full view. Off-course, the time varies with distance from object. And you can take small breaks in between as you stare. But just don't disturb the concentration of your pupil with shiny things.
6. Thermally Optimize the Scope.
Its likely that when you put your telescope outside to start observations, it will be warmer than outside air.
What then happen is, the scope radiates heat which can cause problem to viewing. So no matter how small your scope is, it's better to allow it to blend to outside temperature.
for scopes 4 inches, it usually takes 20 minutes. And for scopes larger than 4 inches, add 10 minutes extra per extra inches..
7. Stabilize Your Telescope Mount.
Hold it strong! As you zoom-in the objects, the tiny vibrations your scope makes, are also zoomed-in. It is a big problem when you zoom high. You just won't be able to see things at its best. They just won't look clear! Its usually a big problem with cheap, lightweight telescopes.
So what you have to do is to stabilize it. Suspend some heavy wight to the tripod. Hope you got the clue!
You must be logged in to post a comment.