Waxing crescent moon, with Venus and Jupiter (and a smattering of stars)

[anysia]

Full sized, this image is 1.2 megs, 3264x2448.

Tonight's image should have the crescent moon closer to the planets, to make a smiley face! :)

Comments

[kaelajael.livejournal.com]

What suggestions would you make for an absolute beginner regarding telescope set up and where to start?

Tusk had always wanted one, so I bought him one as a present about a year ago. (It's a largish one, but I won't vouch for its quality) Anyway, I assumed telescopes were a simple matter of pointing it in the general direction and "oohing" over whatever you see...HA!

So what would you suggest to some fool who has managed to find themselves in possession of a telescope? Where do we start looking to get it all set up and working properly?

[anysia.livejournal.com]

First off, get Planosphere, and a set of binoculars and get familiar with the skies. No matter what sort of telescope you get, you need to know what the heck you're looking for.

Here are a few pages that I had found every helpful when I first started:

http://www.rocketroberts.com/astro/first.htm

I do agree that for a beginner a Dobsonian is the easiest one to use. With it being able to sit on any flat surface and pivot like a lazy susan, it's easy to aim and focus.

Now if you have a Newtonian EQ mounted telescope, that is another kettle of fish! I have one, and I like it.

Here is another page chock filled with very good info (I like the comment about department store telescopes being good for coatracks)

http://astronomy.concreteairship.com/scope.htm