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Telescopes and night sky guides are an essential first step for anyone looking to get started in visual astronomy. Discovering the night sky can be an exciting journey for beginners, but without the proper tools, newcomers can easily get overwhelmed and quit before they even get started.
Learning the night sky – the brightest stars, asterisms, and constellations – using star maps is a good first step. It helps to start with familiar asterisms and see where they appear at different times of the year. A pair of binoculars for astronomy can give you an idea of what deep sky objects look like in small telescopes.
Some of the brightest star patterns, including the Big Dipper, Orion’s Belt, and Cassiopeia’s W, serve as guides to many bright nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters that can be spotted in small telescopes. For example, the Big Dipper can be used to find the famous Pinwheel Galaxy, Cigar Galaxy, Bode’s Galaxy, Whirlpool Galaxy and the Owl Nebula. Orion’s Belt is a guide to the Orion Nebula and the reflection nebula M78, and Cassiopeia’s W can be used to find the Double Cluster and the Bubble Nebula. These asterisms also make it easy to find the less conspicuous constellations that appear in the vicinity.
To get started with binoculars and telescopes, one must first know where to look for bright deep sky objects. There are many excellent books out there that can help beginners make their first steps. These books contain the brightest stars clusters, nebulae, and galaxies that make easy targets for beginners. Some of the most popular night sky guides include:
- The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide by Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer
- NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe by Terence Dickinson
- The Monthly Sky Guide, 10th Edition, by Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion
- Turn Left at Orion: Hundreds of Night Sky Objects to See in a Home Telescope – and How to Find Them by Guy Consolmagno and Dan M. Davis
Smartphone apps like Stellarium and Sky Guide can be very helpful in identifying the stars, planets and constellations that appear above the horizon at any time of the year. With these apps, observers can find out exactly what they are looking at simply by pointing their phone at the sky.
Finding a good location for observing the sky is very important. For a good experience, leaving the city lights behind for a quieter, darker location is always a good idea. Clear, dark skies will usually reveal more than a larger telescope.
Choosing the right telescope can be another tricky task for beginners. These days, there are all kinds of telescopes and additional equipment available that are designed to make finding deep sky objects easier. Telescopes with computerized mounts, like the Celestron NexStar 130SLT, the Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ, or the Celestron NexStar 5SE, can locate and track deep sky objects as they move across the sky. However, they require power and can take some time to set up.
Larger binoculars or a small Dobsonian reflector telescope are a much more practical choice for those who are just getting started in astronomy. They are easier to carry, do not take up too much space, and do not require setting up.
When choosing telescopes and binoculars for astronomy, it is important to go with a trusted brand that specializes in producing products for stargazing. These brands include Celestron, Orion, SkyWatcher, and Meade. More affordable telescopes available at department stores are a waste of money because they generally do not provide a good viewing experience and have caused many enthusiastic beginners to give up stargazing in frustration.
Binoculars are a great place to start for beginners. A good pair of binoculars like the Celestron SkyMaster 15×70 will provide stunning views of bright objects like the Orion Nebula, the Pleiades, Hyades, and the Beehive Cluster. The larger Celestron SkyMaster 25×70 can be paired with any camera tripod for easy viewing.
Many objects listed in the Messier catalogue may be spotted in binoculars, but are probably better seen in a small telescope. These objects were discovered with far less sophisticated instruments than are available today and many of them are best observed at low magnification.
The best telescopes for beginners are those that are easy to use and carry, while providing rewarding views of the night sky. A 6-inch or 8-inch Dobsonian reflector will cover all the Messier objects and many Caldwell objects in good conditions.
The collapsible Sky Watcher Heritage 150 Tabletop Dobsonian is very easy to use and provides excellent views of bright deep sky objects. The 8-inch Dobsonian with a solid tube will offer even better views, but it is also a little heavier. Checking the size and weight of a telescope is essential before making the decision to buy it.
Small refractors are another practical choice. Even though they are smaller and easier to use than reflectors with the same aperture, they are also pricier. Unlike Dobsonians, they do not always come with mounts.
The Celestron PowerSeeker 80EQ makes a good beginner telescope. It has enough light-gathering capability to provide good views of the brighter objects and is very light and easy to operate. The apochromatic Sky-Watcher Evolux 82ED Doublet is one of the more affordable options for those looking to take up astrophotography in addition to observing the night sky.
When selecting the first targets to observe, it is best to start with those visible to the unaided eye. They are the easiest to find and provide the most rewarding views. The Moon, the planets, the bright star clusters – the Pleiades, the Hyades, the Alpha Persei Cluster, and the Beehive Cluster – and the Orion Nebula appear stunning even in binoculars. On a clear night, these objects are visible to the unaided eye, which makes them very easy to locate in a finder scope.
Other relatively easy targets include the open cluster Messier 35, the planetary nebula Messier 57 (the famous Ring Nebula), the supernova remnant Messier 1 (the Crab Nebula), and the galaxies Messier 81 and Messier 82 (Bode’s Galaxy and the Cigar Galaxy).
Getting acquainted with the night sky takes time. The sky is vast, and each season brings different views and different challenges. Weather conditions and the amount of light pollution can affect observations, but with a little curiosity and enthusiasm, discovering everything the sky has to offer can be a rewarding journey for a lifetime.