User's Manual

31
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do
not look through the telescope as it is moving.
Helpful Hints about Getting Started
Attend a Star Party
A fun way to learn more about astronomy is to join an astronomy club. Check your local newspaper, school,
library, internet, or telescope dealer to find out if there’s a club in your area.
At club meetings, you will meet other astronomy enthusiasts with whom you will be able to share your
discoveries. Clubs are an excellent way to learn more about observing the sky, to find out where the best
observing sites are, and to compare notes about telescopes, eyepieces, filters, tripods, and so forth.
Often, club members are excellent astrophotographers. Not only will you be able to see examples of their art,
but you may even be able to pick up some “tricks of the trade” to try out on your telescope.
Many groups also hold regularly scheduled Star Parties at which you can check out and observe with many
different telescopes and other pieces of astronomical equipment. Magazines such as Sky & Telescope and
Astronomy print schedules for many popular Star Parties around the United States and Canada.
Observing Considerations
• Try to pick an observing site away from street and house lights, and car headlights. While this is not
always possible, the darker the site, the better.
• Give your eyes about ten minutes to adjust to the darkness before observing. Give your eyes a rest from
observing every ten or fifteen minutes to relieve eyestrain.
• Try not to use a standard flashlight. Seasoned observers use red LED flashlights or tape red cellophane
over their flashlights for setup and map reading so they don’t have to continually readjust their eyes to
the darkness. Be careful not to shine bright lights if there are other observers in the area. Never shine
a flashlight into a telescope while someone is observing!
• Dress warmly. It gets chilly when you’re sitting for prolonged periods, even on some summer nights.
• Practice setting up your equipment during the day or in a lighted area to become familiar with it before
going to a dark site.
• Use your 25mm eyepiece to view terrestrial objects and wider areas of space, such as open star
clusters. Use your higher power eyepieces when you wish to view something up close, such as craters
on the Moon or the rings of Saturn.
• Know your observing site. If you’re going to try out an unfamiliar site, check it out in the daylight for
obstructions and pitfalls.–