Frustrations Beginning Star Gazers Face

1. Can’t focus subject in telescope.
• Use lower power eyepiece
• Slowly adjust focus knob
• Don’t look out a window with telescope
• Poor quality telescope
• Distant land object is blurred by air/heat waves
• Object is to close to telescope
• Clean eyepiece.
• Fogged main Lens/Mirror (Objective)
2. Can’t find stuff through telescope

· See page on site for finding stuff.

· Telescope to small to see faint objects

· To much light pollution

3. Object won’t hold still (shakes)
• Usually caused by poor tripod

i. Don’t extend tripod as much

ii. Tighten screw/bolts on tripod

iii. Get better tripod

• If caused by wind

i. Try to block wind

ii. Lower tripod

• Make sure star diagonal and or Barlow are in tight if used
• Make sure tripod is set up level
3. Object won’t hold still (slowly moves across eyepiece field)

· Most always caused by Earths rotation with Alt-Azimuth type mount

i. Cured by using properly set up Equatorial or Fork Mount ($)

· May be caused by telescope mounted to loose

i. Tighten mount to scope

· May be caused by too much weight added to front or back of telescope

i. Use weight to counter balance

· Much more noticeable and bothersome at high magnification

i. Lessened by using lower power

5. Objects viewed do not look like the pictures!
• Eyes aren’t as sensitive to light as photographs (biological limitation)
• Eyes do not see color in low light situations (biological limitation)
• Earth based telescopes aren’t as good as Space probe photos (Atmosphere)
• Misleading advertisement
• Telescope too small ($ limitation)

i. Larger telescope ($$$) will see more detail and fainter objects but your eyes still won’t see color.

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Dan Murry murryfamily@ulink.net