How to Use a Telescope for Star Gazing

Steps in Using a Telescope Properly

• 1

  Choose your telescope. Telescopes are not all the same, and you need to figure out which telescope is right for your needs. If you plan to observe the Moon and other close-by objects, look for a telescope with a wide field of view. For deep-sky and dim objects, like galaxies, you will want a telescope with greater light-gathering and magnification capabilities.

• 2

  Set up your telescope on a tripod in a dark place. Your telescope must be steady, or you will not see anything. Try to find a place with no surrounding lighting, or at least aim your telescope away from any ambient lighting.

• 3

  Decide what you want to observe. If you are looking for stars, nebulae or galaxies, consult a good star chart. If you are searching for planets or moons, you will need a table showing their locations and their rising and setting times.

• 4

  Point your telescope at the object you want to view. For most objects, you will need to use the finder scope. This is a low-magnification scope attached to your main telescope and aligned so that anything viewed in the finder will appear in the main scope image.

• 5

  Focus your telescope. Temperature, humidity and bumping all constantly readjust the optics of your telescope, so you will probably need to re-focus your scope with every observation.

• 6

  Move your telescope during observations. The Earth's rotation causes objects in the sky to shift position in a short amount of time. If your telescope does not have a motor to compensate for this motion, you will have to shift your telescope slightly every few minutes.