Getting Started Index

• Summary
• Telescopes
• Sources of telescopes, parts, and information
• Books
• Recommendation for a first telescope
• Magazines
• Software
• Conventions

It's about having fun and learning...

Observing the night sky on a clear, moonless night can be an enjoyable and even inspiring activity for people of all ages. It is an experience that is particularly rewarding if you observe from a suburban or rural location away from the glare of Boston lights. Using binoculars or a small telescope can also greatly increase your enjoyment of the starry sky.

But regardless of where you observe from or whether or not you have a telescope, exploring the many aspects of astronomy can be an exciting hobby. It can be an activity shared with thousands of other amateurs all over the world. These individuals have the interest, curiosity, and imagination to want to explore the mysterious universe around them for the simple joy of it or to better understand their place in the scheme of things.

The popularity of amateur astronomy is not only due to its intriguing subject matter, but also because it is a multifaceted hobby enjoyable on many levels. Astronomy can be explored from your armchair by reading about how astronomers have probed the depths of space to learn the nature of the universe. Or it might be pursued more actively by joining a local astronomy club like the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston and learning by direct association with other amateurs.

If you enjoy building things, you may want to fabricate your own optics and build a telescope, as many amateurs have done. However, if you want to begin observing immediately, you may decide to purchase a telescope. The telescopic study of the moon, planets, and deep sky objects such as star clusters, nebulae, and distant galaxies can be a challenging adventure. By adding a film or video camera to a telescope, you can also learn to obtain striking astronomical images.

The more experience amateur astronomers contribute scientifically to astronomy by searching for comets and novae (exploding stars), observing sunspots and meteors, or by regularly observing a class of stars known as 'variables' to determine how their brightness varies with time. This data is of great importance to astronomers in exploring the nature of these objects.

Just plain star gazing without optical aid is also a lot of fun. Making friends with the brighter stars and constellations, watching the seasonal changes in the sky, and observing the five naked eye planets and their movements is a fascinating activity. The occasional eclipse of the moon or sun, an auroral display, or a meteor shower add extra excitement to visual observing.

ABOUT TELESCOPES...

Many people think the best first telescope is a pair of 7X50 binoculars. A telescope isn't a substitute for binoculars since binoculars show a wider field of view than most telescopes. Several popular astronomical objects are too large for most telescopes such as Andromeda galaxy and nearby bright comets.

The most popular amateur telescope is of the reflecting type. It use a precisely curved mirror as the main optical element to collect light and form an image. Replaceable eyepieces are used to enlarge the image--each eyepiece producing a specific magnification. The most important criteria of an astronomical telescope is its diameter. The larger the diameter of the mirror (or lens in the case of a refracting type telescope), the more light collected and the brighter and sharper the image becomes. Typical amateur telescopes are 4 to 8 inches in diameter and use magnifications of from 25 to 200 times. To be useful, a telescope must be easy to point at an object while being rigidly supported. For visual observing,the Dobsonian mount is the least expensive way to meet this criteria.

If you want to own a telescope, you have three options: (1) purchase a commercial unit which will cost at a minimum $300 to $400, (2) purchase commercially made optics and assemble the rest of the telescope yourself, or (3) grind and polish your own mirror and completely assemble your scope. The last two options, will save some money and give you the pride and satisfaction of building a fine telescope.

TELESCOPE SOURCES...

There are dozens of suppliers of telescope materials. A web search is probably the best place to start. Or join the atmob discuss list and ask for a recommendation.

TELESCOPE MAKING BOOKS...

One or more of these books may be available in your local library, and all are available locally from Sky Publishing Corp., P.O. Box 9111, Belmont, MA 02178-9111 (800-253-0245).

• Build Your Own Telescope, Richard Berry, Scribner, 1985, 276 pgs., hardcover, $25.95. (Beginning amateur)
• All About Telescopes, Sam Brown, Edmund Scientific, 1975, 192 pgs., softcover, $13.95. (Covers telescope making, observing, astrophotography and more. A must for all amateurs)
• Making Your Own Telescope, Allyn J. Thompson, Sky Publishing Corp., 1947, 211 pgs. $14.95
• How to Make a Telescope, 2nd Ed., Jean Texereau, 424 pgs., Anchor Books, hardcover, $19.95. (Advanced amateur)
• A Telescope Making Video has been made by John Dobson, the amateur astronomer who has popularized the widely used Dobsonian telescope design. The video is 90 minutes and gives a detailed description of how to build a low-cost 8 to 16-inch telescope. Mirror grinding, polishing, and testing as well as tube and mount fabrication are covered. Dobson AstroInitiatives, P.O. Box 460915, San Francisco, CA 94146. $39.95 plus $3.50 S&H.

BEST BUY FIRST TELESCOPE...

Due to the constant flow of new product, we do not make specific recommendation.

Astronomy magazines have rated various commercial telescope and made a "best buy" recommendation for first telescope for both young people and adults. Expect to spend around $300.

Low-cost ones are usually a Dobsonian type of mount, and one minor drawback of dobsonian mounts is they usually don't support the needs of astrophotography.

There are numerous product reviews available on the web.

ASTRONOMY MAGAZINES...

These monthly magazines, which can be found on most newsstands, contain general astronomy articles, monthly observing information and star charts:

• Sky and Telescope, Sky Publishing Corp. 49 Bay State Rd., Cambridge, MA 02238-1290, $42.95/year. This publisher also supplies a free catalog of astronomy books. Telephone: 800-253-0245.
• Astronomy, Kalmbach Publishing Co., P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187, $42.95/year. Telephone: 800-533-6644.

ASTRONOMICAL SOFTWARE...

Both Sky & Telescope and Astronomy magazines contain ads and review columns for astronomical software programs. One excellent and inexpensive Shareware program is SkyGlobe. It is a planetarium type program that displays up 25,000 stars, the sun, moon, and planets plus deep sky objects for any time and date from anywhere on earth. Among its many other features SkyGlobe includes constellation outlines and names plus star names and the Milky Way that can be optionally displayed. SkyGlobe requires an IBM PC or compatible with a minimum of 470 KB of free memory and a VGA display. It can be downloaded from several sources, you should do a web search for skyglobe.zip. A registered copy of SkyGlobe with a user's manual is available for $20 from KlassM Software, 284 142nd Ave., Caledonia, MI 49316.

AMATEUR CONVENTIONS...

• STELLAFANE. Hundreds of amateurs gather annually on Breezy Hill in Springfield, VT for a weekend in late July or early August for telescope judging, swap table browsing, talks, and observing under dark skies. The world renowned event is sponsored by the Springfield Telescope Makers, R.R. #2, Box 471, Chester, VT 05143.
• ASTRO-ASSEMBLY is an annual weekend event held in early October at the Seagrave Memorial Observatory, North Scituate, RI. It features telescope judging, talks, swap tables, and observing. It is conducted by Skyscrapers, Inc., 47 Peep Toad Rd., North Scituate, RI 02857.

Last update: 13-May-06