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Beginners Archives

Meade DS-2000 Struggles

Dec 22 2009 07:03 AM | garymacphail in Beginners

I had seen a Meade DS-2000 telescope on the shelf of Walmart and told myself that, one day I will have that. Nearly two years later it was

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Author name: Gary MacPhail
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What Amateur Astronomers WANT from Their Suppliers

Dec 11 2009 09:22 AM | Joe Lalumia in Beginners

Have you ever bought something and then after trying to use it found out that

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Author name: Joe Lalumia
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Stars

Mar 15 2006 06:35 AM | Guest in Beginners

Dear Sir, My nine year old grandson was given the assignment of a paper on stars.He got out his 3 X 5 cards and took notes from a number of sources.

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Author name: Griffin -
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Used Equipment on the Web

Sep 21 2005 10:55 AM | Jim in Beginners

Yes, I am hooked on the E-used astro-equipment market. Yes, I know I have all the equipment I need. At least that’s what one part of me tells myself. There is however that other self, the other person who lives inside my astro-minded brain.

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Author name: James Shepard
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Binoviewers?

Aug 29 2005 05:21 AM | jrcrilly in Beginners

Binoviewers are becoming a very popular accessory for telescope users. They offer several advantages over single-eyed viewing, at the cost of a few disadvantages. Some of these effects are subtle, while others are more important.

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Author name: John Crilly
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First Light, First Telescope, First Marriage

Jun 03 2005 02:50 AM | fortdick in Beginners

After two careers, raising a family, and doing all the responsible things that was expected of me, I am finally getting near retirement age and had to start thinking of what I was going to do with the next 50 years of life

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Author name: Daniel Smith
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Beginner Series: How to Setup a Dob

May 03 2005 03:36 AM | jrcrilly in Beginners

Step by step on how to setup a dob for observing.

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Author name: John Crilly
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The not so faint fuzzies (and other bright and obvious things) for beginners. Learn the basics a...

Mar 13 2005 04:34 PM | Guest in Beginners

My name is Craig Schriever. I live in Waldwick, New Jersey. I have been involved in Astronomy for a about seven years. This column will be geared mostly to beginners in Astronomy and concentrate on objects in our skies that may be interesting to those who are new to the addiction!

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Author name: Craig Schriever
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I bought my first telescope, now what…

Mar 27 2005 11:55 AM | Guest in Beginners

Well ahead of you lie endless hours of pleasure and frustration…. hopefully more of the former than the latter, especially as time goes by and you become more acquainted with your new hobby. I remember the time when I first took the plunge and bought my first telescope. After much deliberation, I decided to go for a 'real' telescope and bought a Celestron 4" (102mm) HD refractor (I say real because at that time my concept of a telescope was a refractor) . When I finally picked up the package, I couldn't wait to put it together and go outside and see all sorts of wonderful things. I think that first night I saw a few stars, didn't know what I was looking at and couldn't find most anything like the planets. I did have a book with some star charts but I didn't even know where to find the constellations. I especially remember a night a few weeks hence when very determined to see something, I set out to see the three prominent clusters M36, M37 & M38 in Auriga. I spent 3 or 4 hours in temperatures below freezing try to locate these from my suburban patio in CT. I did finally see them and felt elated at doing so but was also a bit concerned. If this was how it was going to be, I didn't know if I was going to stay in the hobby very long. Well I'm still here after almost 4 years and have since moved on to, first, a 6" MK67 and then a home made 12.5" truss Dob (I think its called aperture fever) Along the way things have become easier since that cold winter night, in large part thanks to a few things I have picked up along the way, either by accident or by the kindness of the fellow astronomers who make up this great community.

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Author name: George Fanthome
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Beginner's Escort to the Deep Sky Objects

Mar 27 2005 11:53 AM | Ron B[ee] in Beginners

This guide is written by a beginner Deep Sky observer for a beginner Deep Sky observer or timid observer who would like to try deep sky observing but just plain does not know where to begin or how to go about doing so. You can think of the "escort" as the "half-blind leading the blind" :}. By "Deep Sky Object" (DSO), I mean celestial object of the type open cluster, globular cluster, nebula and galaxy. Believe me; as a beginner too, I know how you feel and the intimidation of DSOs.

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Author name: Ron B[ee]
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Cepheids Explained

Jul 29 2005 12:03 PM | Daniel Mounsey in Beginners

The first cepheid ever discovered was in 1784 by a man named John Goodricke. The star is officially called "Delta Cephei" obviously named after its constellation Cepheus.

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Author name: Daniel Mounsey
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Beginners Equipment Q&A - Accessories

Mar 29 2011 05:33 AM | Mike/Test in Beginners

Does a dew shield or dew heater block the view or hurt the optics in any way on a Nexstar 8?

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Author name: Mike Loffland
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Bitten by the Astronomy Bug and What I did About It

Mar 27 2005 11:54 AM | Guest in Beginners

I got into astronomy about a year ago. It was an interest that had been building up since I was a child. When I was about eight years old, my parents gave me a book about the Solar System. I was fascinated with that book. I loved looking at the artist renditions of the planets and the facts about our Solar System. I really wanted to see the planets for myself. Unfortunately my parents didn't have the resources for a good telescope at that time. My budding interest sat untapped for many years. I ran into a lot of pitfalls in getting my astronomy going and I thought I share some of them in hopes that you don't make the same mistakes I did. It started for me when were at a local mall and saw a telescope display in one of the "nature" stores

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Author name: Jamie Seibert
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Keep Looking Up

Mar 13 2005 04:42 PM | Shmals in Beginners

It was a cool, fall night when I was laying outside on the trampoline and I saw something "ZIP" across the sky, what was that I thought to myself, not knowing at the time. I stayed out all-night and watched what I thought were UFO's zipping around the night sky. For months I did not think about that night but one day when I was surfing the net I saw a picture of Jupiter through a 4.5inch APO and WOW I was so hooked at that moment on. I then realized that I wanted to buy a telescope, so I could see Jupiter through my own telescope.

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Author name: Thomas Shmalberg
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New Urban Astronomer: I've seen the Moon, Saturn and Jupiter. Now What?

Mar 14 2005 06:34 AM | Guest in Beginners

Hello, my name is Kevin Harris I'm a new amateur astronomer. I live in the city of St. Paul, Minnesota where I do 95% of my observing right from my backyard. Before I go into what I've learned as a beginning urban astronomer, let me tell you a few things about myself. I'm a 39-year-old engineer who has always had an interest in astronomy and in fact, owned a 4 ¼ inch Newtonian reflector since the age of 14. I used that

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Author name: Kevin Harris
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No Money Needed

Mar 14 2005 06:36 AM | Guest in Beginners

If you are a beginner astronomer reading this, then obviously you have all of the prerequisites to starting your new and intriguing hobby of astronomy. Many people tend to either go out and buy a cheap telescope, get frustrated and quit… or buy a relatively expensive scope, realize that knowing how to operate the telescope is only half the battle and quit. I want to convey the message that for anybody starting out, there is a sure fire way to get interested in astronomy without spending ANY money at all. Not

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Author name: Anthony Lutton
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Meade 12.5" Dob (a beginners perspective)

Mar 22 2005 03:43 PM | Guest in Beginners

The telescope came with a telrad finder, 10x50 finder, and 2 Meade series 4000 eyepieces for $1000. Originally it just came with the telrad, but I negotiated adding the 10x50. The best part? It was already assembled!!! The telescope came equipped with inadequate feet to provide a solid foundation and it was quite wobbly.

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Author name: Paul Money
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