Week 6: Choosing and using a telescope
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Objectives
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By the end of this lesson, you will be able to
- name three kinds of astronomical telescope design
- check the alignment of the finder scope
- focus an astronomical telescope on a distant bright object (Moon, planet, star, street light if cloudy)
- change the magnification of the telescope
- find and focus on another object, including manipulating an equatorial mount
Remember that this lesson is not formally assessed as the weather and sky conditions are so variable. The main idea behind this lesson is to inform participants who may be thinking of buying a simple telescope for use by children of the main features and how to find some easy objects.
Web Links
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- Telescope Buying FAQ
- Essential information if you are thinking of spending money. UK specific information is also available from Steven Tonkin's Web site.
- Telescope Basics
- This Web page describes the various kinds of telescope and mounting in common use.
- How to use an equatorial mount
- Animation shows how to point a telescope at various quarters of the sky. The Equatorial mount does make things a bit easier when you want to hold an object in the field of view and allow for the Earth's rotation.
Activity
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As mentioned, this activity is not assessed as part of the qualification. I would challenge you to:
- Line the telescope on Polaris
- Sight the famous double star Albeiro in Cygnus (just feasible early autumn) - it is a lovely double star
- Find and sight the Moon at some stage in the course if available (typically low in the Western sky a few days to a week after New Moon)
Last modified: 10th June 02