newtoastronomy


			*NEW TO ASTRONOMY*

Astronomy has a real aesthetic appeal and many hours of enjoyment can be yours - in your own backyard - as you soar with your eyes and imagination to the planets and beyond.

	You are entering into an area of interest that many of us hold dear to our hearts. True amateur astronomers die hard. We never forget those magic moments we have had beneath a star studded sky and the inspiration we felt during those moments. But most of us, grew up with our equipment. As we made our way through this hobby, we started small and let the equipment grow with our knowledge. I believe it is important to always have something to look forward to. It is important to treasure the moment and savor the learning. So start small and learn the night sky first. Let your equipment grow with your understanding. This way you will experience the thrill of exploration each time you turn a new page in your understanding or get a new piece of equipment.

		This does not mean making large investments. It means making informed decisions. Here are four steps I recommend you follow in your pursuit of this wonderful endeavor:

STEP ONE: FIND OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING UP THERE

The first step is to begin to understand what is happening up there as the earth rotates and the seasons change. So some basic books on astronomy will help. The classic book is H.A. Rey's, The Stars: A New Way To See Them. A good book that will allow you to engage in projects with your child is, The Young Astronomer , by Harry Ford. Two other good references for beginners: 40 Nights to Knowing The Sky by Fred Schaaf and Turn Left At Orion by Guy Consolmagno and Dan M. Davis. As you expand your need to know more, you should subscribe to Astronomy Magazine and/or Sky and Telescope Magazine. Now, Sky and Telescope has a new magazine called Night Sky. It is a great first magazine for beginners. Also, the Internet is a great place to find things out and search engines on the Internet are loaded with information sites on astronomy. Be careful of the various chat sites as they do not always give you the best information. The Internet world is chock full of nuts as it attracts all kinds. Better to get a good foundation first through books and magazines which have a much higher level of reliance.


	STEP TWO: BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH THE NIGHT SKY

	Now that you know how things work, go outside and learn the constellations. Start with a star finder or planisphere and a red flashlight. The planisphere shows you where the constellations are in the sky. You need a red flashlight to preserve your night vision. You can use any flashlight. Go to an automotive store and buy the red reflector tape used to cover damaged tail lights. Cover the flashlight window with this material and you have a simple $3 astronomers flashlight. Avoid the planispheres that are black with white stars as these are hard to see at night using a red flashlight. Two good planispheres are the David Chandler Planisphere (we sell these) and the David H. Levy's Guide to the Stars, available at www.skypub.com. This site (Sky and Telescope Magazine) has an online store that also sells the books we mentioned above.

	STEP THREE: BEGIN THE ADVENTURE OF DISCOVERY



		David Chandler's Night Sky Planisphere

Having learned the basic constellations, you are now ready to take a closer look. This is where you need to be careful. Again, savor the experience over time and start slow. We highly recommend you start with either a pair of binoculars or a wide field telescope (like the Stellarvue Nighthawk). Start with low power as you develop your knowledge and appreciation. You saw some glowing objects in the sky with your naked eye. Now you will begin to look more closely at them with binoculars or a high quality, widefield telescope. Start with a good reference to help you navigate out there and to let you know what you are looking at.

Good binocular references include:

Binocular Astronomy by Craig Crossen and Wil Tiron,
The Binocular Stargazer by Leslie C. Peltier and
Touring the Universe through Binoculars by Philip S. Harrington. Harrington's book includes chapters on observing the Moon, Sun, Planets and Asteroids. He also offers a companion CD-ROM, Touring the Universe Through Binoculars Atlas CD-ROM by Philip S. Harrington and Dean Williams. Binocular and wide field astronomy is something you will never get tired of doing.

Most of us take our binoculars or wide field telescopes out even when we are using very large telescopes. The advantage to starting with a wide field telescope is that unlike binoculars, you may boost the power and get a closer look.

STEP FOUR: THE TELESCOPE - NOW THE REAL FUN BEGINS!

Here is where you need to be very careful. I have taught thousands of people astronomy for more than two decades and many made the mistake of buying department store telescopes. They always come to class saying the same thing: "I have a telescope but I am not very good at using it." It always amazes me at how people blame themselves for their poor equipment. Even after trying to use it for several nights, they think the problem is with them. It isn't. These scopes are junk yet they sell by the millions. Essentially, they are not useable. Working with thousands of newcomers to astronomy, I have found three elements that are consistently important for a first telescope:

1. Wide field of view. This is the most important item for newcomers. If the field is narrow, you will never find anything. Use a wide field telescope and a red dot finder and you will find things. However, it is hard to make a good wide field telescope. Very few wide field telescopes provide sharp images. So be careful in making your decision. A $200 wide field scope is only good for low power. A high resolution wide field telelscope will enable you to see all kinds of objects at either low or high power. This will continue to enable your exploration. High power is essential for the planets.
2. Stable mount. Most telescopes use flimsy mounts with lots of plastic. Do not buy telescopes with plastic mounts or plastic focusers. Common sense right? If the mount is metal, make sure it has manual slow motion cables and it is not wobbly or loose anywhere. The mount should look large compared to the scope and the slow motion cables should move the scope smoothly in two directions.
3. Outstanding optics. Most telescopes advertise great optics but they receive mediocre reviews since they are mass produced. May provide soft, fuzzy images. You need sharp optics to see things clearly. Magazine reviews are probably the most reliable and they can help you to decide which are the best.


	We believe that the Stellarvue Nighthawk Series is the very best beginners telescope for many reasons. Unlike that 6" Dob that you will buy and grow out of, the Nighthawk you will keep. This telescope will serve as an excellent wide field telescope even if you purchase other larger telescopes in the future. It also serves as a wonderful spotting scope and long range photographic telephoto lens. The telescope is not made with plastic. It is built like a tank and will last a lifetime. Let's compare the Nighthawk with others.

		Other wide field telescopes: You can purchase other wide field telescopes but the optics generally show lots of false color. These telescopes are limited to lower power use. Short tube 80mm telescopes with the narrow 1 1/4" focusers are often not a full 80mm. That is because the focuser drawtube gets in the way. So you will not see faint objects as well. For clear views of planets, you need sharp optics. For example, typical 80mm f-5 telescopes we have tested do not show the divisions in the rings of Saturn, and festoon detail on Jupiter. The Nighthawk shows these features under steady skies and they are capable of being used at the maximum power possible for an 80mm telescope. Please see the reviews on the Stellarvue SV80ED (also known as the Nighthawk Next Generation). This telescope is made the way a fine refractor should be made. In fact, we have received hundreds of unsolicited e-mails from delighted customers indicating that these telescopes outperform other, larger scopes. There is nothing magic in our scopes, they are just very carefully, handcrafted. Many others are not.

Complex Optical Systems: Newcomers often buy stubby, short tube, compound telescopes in order to get the most light grasp in a small barrel. The lure is a truly portable telescope. But a Schmidt or Maksutov reflector with fork mount, metal tripod and accessories is not very portable. These take much longer to set up than even a larger Dobsonian. The folded optical system gathers light but lacks contrast due to the large secondary mirror. We do not make compound telescopes. We prefer to make high contrast

telescopes that are truly portable. We like scopes that can be set up in a couple of minutes, not 45 minutes or more! A telescope that is easy to use will be used often. One that takes too long to set up will fatigue you before you begin your observing session.

For newcomers, the main disadvantage has to do with the long effective focal length of compound telescopes. They show only a very small area of the sky. This makes it several times more difficult to locate objects. So we suggest you avoid these telescopes as your first purchase.

Go-To Telescopes: There is a great deal of popularity with the new go-to telescopes on the market. People are wooed by the lure of a computerized marvel. They think they can navigate through the sky like they navigate on the keyboard of a computer. But the plastic telescopes with cheap motors are fallible. Very fallible. We see so many newcomers out there trying to get their hardware to work, wondering if the object they are looking at is the one they are trying for. Buying a go-to telescope before learning the night sky is like buying a calculator before you know how to count. It doesn't mean much. This is not to say that there is no place for well made go-to telescopes. Telescopes with accurate drives and reliable go-to mechanisms ($2,000 +) have a place in astronomy, though many of us never go there. But for a beginner, all too often, the telescope, which was supposed to make things easy, is a great cause of frustration. So many users end their hobby thinking it is "just too hard", having approached the subject of visual astronomy backwards. [Just say no to plastic].

Department Store telescope. False advertising claims, flimsy mounts, poor optics = a very poor choice.

Hi-Power: Department store telescopes advertise a 60mm refractor that can go up to 234 - 600X. Don't believe it. While any telescope can be taken up to that power (essentially magnification power depends on the magnification of the eyepiece), such a small telescope will only show a blur at that power. It is not useable at this magnification. A 60mm telescope is realistically limited to about 144X and this is only if the optics are perfect. Only about 5% of the department store optics I have tested fall into this category.

When you purchase a Stellarvue Nighthawk, you are making an investment. Later, if you decide to buy a larger telescope, you will probably keep the Stellarvue as it very easy to use and it provides wonderful wide field views unobtainable in the larger scopes. With it you will enjoy wide swaths of sky as you move about the Milky Way. I never get tired of this. You will also use it when you want to run outside for a quick peek or when you go on vacation (and can't lug along the monster). We have sold over 2500 of these telescopes yet they are rarely sold over the used equipment web sites. People keep these. They become trusted friends. They are easy to use, work very well as a daytime spotting scope and small enough to take with you wherever you go. That is why we sell so many Nighthawks to advanced amateurs. They make excellent second telescopes.


	I hope that my opinions expressed on this page are useful for newcomers. Stellarvue was begun as a result of the encouragement of my astronomy students over the years to provide the best equipment at reasonable prices so people get started right. It has been a real pleasure to be a part of the growing fascination and inspiration that astronomy provides. With all that is going on in the world today, I like to think that we are empowering some inspiration and hope. I appreciate all the e-mails I have received from my customers and I wish all of you who are new to this endeavor many enjoyable and meaningful nights under the heavens. Vic Maris

		Vic Maris (right) and some good friends at OPT's annual astronomy conference.

Stellarvue trademarks and service marks, and logos and product and service names are trademarks of Stellarvue (the "Stellarvue Marks"). Without Stellarvue's prior permission, these marks may not be displayed or used in any manner. Some products are patent pending. Stellarvue will take necessary action against any dealer in the USA carrying imitations of our proprietary products. Dealers are warned to check with us first before purchasing similar products as they may be illicit copies of products we specifically designed. Such products may only be sold by authorized Stellarvue dealers. We encourage all dealers interested in carrying our specific products to become a Stellarvue dealer. Contact vic@stellarvue.com or call (530) 823-7796 for more information.