Ok, I've Got A Small Telescope...Now What?
Ok, I've Got A Small Telescope...Now What?
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The
first question most new owners of a small telescope has is "What can I look at in the night sky?" When I got my first telescope, a 60 mm refractor, it was difficult to find a source that presented objects which were actually visible in my new scope! You may have already noticed that astronomy magazines and amateur astronomy books seem to assume that you have at least a 6 inch telescope. I often found myself spending a good deal of time looking for a target that I later learned was too dim for my scope! Well, I hope to be your source to answer that "What can I see" question, by providing an ongoing guide to interesting objects visible in a small telescope, binoculars, or even the naked eye.
I will update the site as often as I can so it corresponds with what can be seen in the sky right now. This guide is only useful if you live in the Northern hemisphere, and it's most accurate if you live close to 40șN Latitude in North America. (Just remember that if you are significantly north or south of 40șN, then the objects I describe will be shifted slightly from the positions that I give. But don't worry, I'll make an effort to address this issue whenever it is necessary to help you find certain objects.)
This site is definitely geared toward the inexperienced backyard astronomer. Not only is there information about what you can see, but also there are (or soon will be) pages dealing with viewing techniques, definitions of astronomy terms and lots more! Throughout the text of many of the pages on this web site, you'll find some astronomy terms or other words highlighted in green text. Clicking on these words will bring you to the astronomy glossary or other pages that help define that word.
This site has been visited
times by backyard astronomers since it opened on March 3, 1997!
This site was last updated April 2, 2000
© 1997-2000 Ben Motisher, Jr.
All pages on my site were created using ARACHNOPHILIA
The site is best viewed using 800 x 600 resolution and Microsoft Internet Explorer
