Meade 114EQ-ASTR Some Observing Tips, Join AN Astronomy CLUB, Attend a Star Party

Meade114EQASTR 3/28/07 9:33 AM Page 15

fun, and the more rewarding your telescope will become.

SOME OBSERVING TIPS

Eyepieces: Always begin your observations using the 25mm low-power eyepiece. The 25mm eyepiece delivers a bright, wide field of view and is the best to use for most viewing conditions. Use the high-power 9mm eyepiece to view details when observing the Moon and planets. If the image become fuzzy, switch back down to a lower power. Changing eyepieces changes the power or magnification of your telescope.

By the way, you might have noticed something strange when you looked through your eyepiece. The image is upside down and reversed. That means reading words can be a problem. But it has no affect on astronomical objects.

2X Barlow lens: You can also change magnification by using a Barlow lens. The Barlow lens doubles the power of your telescope (See Fig. 9).

Meade offers a complete line of eyepieces for your telescope. Most astronomers have

four or five low-power and high power eyepieces to view different objects and to cope with different viewing conditions.

Objects move in the eyepiece: If you are observing an astronomical object (the Moon, a planet, star, etc.) you will notice that the object will begin to move slowly through the telescopic field of view. This movement is caused by the rotation of the Earth and makes an object move through the tele- scope’s field of view. To keep astronomical objects centered in the field, simply move the telescope on one or both of its axes— vertically and/or horizontally as needed—try using the telescopes coarse and fine adjustment controls. At higher powers, astronomical objects will seem to move through the field of view of the eyepiece more rapidly.

Place the object to be viewed at the edge of the field and, without touching the telescope, watch it drift through the field to the other side before repositioning the telescope

so that the object to be viewed is again placed at the edge of the field, ready to be further observed.

Vibrations: Avoid touching the eyepiece while observing through the telescope. Vibrations resulting from 13 such contact will cause the image to move. Avoid observing sites where vibrations cause image movement (for example, near railroad tracks). Viewing from the upper floors of a building may also cause image movement.

Let your eyes “dark-adapt:” Allow five or ten minutes for your eyes to become “dark adapted” before observing. Use a red- filtered flashlight to protect your night vision when reading star maps, or inspecting the

JOIN AN ASTRONOMY CLUB, ATTEND A STAR PARTY

One of the best ways to increase your knowledge of astronomy is to join an astronomy club. Check your local newspaper, school, library, or telescope dealer/ store to find out if there’s a club in your area.

Many groups also hold regularly scheduled Star Parties at which you can check out and observe with many different telescopes and other pieces of astronomical equipment. Magazines such as Sky and Telescope and Astronomy print schedules for many popular Star Parties around the United States and Canada.

Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.