8
Objects to Observe
Now that you are all set up and ready to go, what is there to
look at in the night sky?
A. The Moon
With its rocky surface, the Moon is one of the easiest and
most interesting objects to view with your telescope. Lunar
craters, maria, and even mountain ranges can all be clearly
seen from a distance of 238,000 miles away! With its ever-
changing phases, you’ll get a new view of the Moon every
night. The best time to observe our one and only natural satel-
lite is during a partial phase, that is, when the Moon is not full.
During partial phases, shadows are cast on the surface, which
reveal more detail, especially right along the border between
the dark and light portions of the disk (called the “terminator”).
A full Moon is too bright and devoid of surface shadows to
yield a pleasing view. Make sure to observe the Moon when it
is well above the horizon to get the sharpest images.
Use an optional Moon lter to dim the Moon when it is very
bright. It simply threads onto the bottom of the eyepieces (you
must rst remove the eyepiece from the focuser to attach a
lter); see Figure 14. You’ll nd that the Moon lter improves
viewing comfort and helps to bring out subtle features on the
lunar surface.
B. The Planets
The planets don’t stay put like the stars, so to nd them you
should refer to the monthly star charts at OrionTelescopes.
com, or to charts published monthly in Astronomy, Sky &
Telescope, or other astronomy magazines. Venus, Mars,
Jupiter, and Saturn are the brightest objects in the sky after
the Sun and the Moon. Other planets may be visible but will
likely appear star-like. Because planets are quite small in
apparent size, optional higher-power eyepieces or a Barlow
lens are recommended and often needed for detailed obser-
vations.
C. The Sun
You can change your nighttime telescope into a daytime Sun
viewer by installing an optional full-aperture solar lter over
the front opening of the telescope. The primary attraction is
sunspots, which change shape, appearance, and location
daily. Sunspots are directly related to magnetic activity in the
Sun. Many observers like to make drawings of sunspots to
monitor how the Sun is changing from day to day.
Note: Do not look at the Sun with any optical instrument
without a professionally made solar lter, or permanent
eye damage could result.
D. The Stars
Stars will appear like twinkling points of light. Even powerful
telescopes cannot magnify stars to appear as more than a
point of light. You can, however, enjoy the different colors of
the stars and locate many pretty double and multiple stars.
The famous “Double-Double” in the constellation Lyra and the
gorgeous two-color double star Albireo in Cygnus are favor-
ites. Defocusing a star slightly can help bring out its color.
E. Deep-Sky Objects
Under dark skies, you can observe a wealth of fascinating
deep-sky objects, including gaseous nebulas, open and
globular star clusters, and different types of galaxies. Most
deep-sky objects are very faint, so it is important you nd an
observing site well away from light pollution.
To nd deep-sky objects with your telescope, you rst need
to become reasonably familiar with the night sky. Unless you
know how to recognize the constellation Orion, for instance,
you won’t have much luck locating the Orion Nebula. A simple
planisphere, or star wheel, can be a valuable tool for learning
the constellations and seeing which ones are visible in the
sky on a given night. Once you have identied a few constel-
lations, a good star chart, atlas, or astronomy app will come in
handy for helping locate interesting deep-sky objects to view
within the constellations.
Figure 13. The micro-motion rod and thumb wheel allow ne altitude
pointing control.
Thumbwheel
Micro-motion rod
Figure 14. The Kellner eyepieces have barrels threaded to accept
optional Orion 1.25" lters. A Moon lter is useful for cutting glare and
revealing more detail on the lunar surface.
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