Category Archives: How-To’s

How-to’s and instructional articles and videos.

Gear, How-To's, Tips & Tricks

How to Clean Telescope Eyepieces

I will show you how to clean my telescope eyepieces in this episode. And while eyepieces are generally maintenance-free, it’s good practice to keep your eyepieces clean. Over time, the oils on our skin will make the housing of our eyepieces sticky and this can attract dirt. Oils can also get on the lens which makes for a blurry view.

Here are the tools I will use in this video:

Squeeze bulb air blower

  1. Brush: http://amzn.to/2Cgd0dB
  2. Cotton swabs
  3. Microfibre cloth
  4. Alcohol
  5. Lenspen lens cleaner: http://amzn.to/2Cgd0dB

Pocket Sky Atlas: http://amzn.to/2BZUUzG

Sky Maps: http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html

Gear, How-To's

Celestron Advanced VX & Explore Scientific ED 102 Assembly

In my unboxing video, I just winged the assembly but I thought I was still able to assemble it somewhat, but I wasn’t sure what I was really doing. I didn’t know what that alignment peg was for, and what these two knobs were for.  So in this video, I go into more detail about the assembly of the mount, according to Celestron’s instruction manual. I also say goodbye to my Skywatcher Dobsonian telescope. 🙁

DIY Dobsonian Light Shroud: http://newastronomer.com/diy-custom-s…

Celestron AVX Product Link: http://amzn.to/2fBpSUU

ES ED 102 Product Link: http://amzn.to/2gYPGrs

Featured, How-To's, Tips & Tricks

How to Use a Dobsonian Reflector Telescope

This video is aimed at new astronomers who need some help on getting started or returning astronomers who may have forgotten how to use a dobsonian telescope. So if you are of the latter, this is going to be a good refresher.

  1. Inspect & Assemble Telescope
  2. Collimate Telescope
  3. Align Finder Scope
  4. Observe Through Finder Scope
  5. Observe Through Eyepiece

If you are just starting out, I highly advise that you first practice observing larger and brighter objects like the moon because it will be easier to locate.

All, Gear, How-To's

Aligning a Finderscope with the OTA

If you are not seeing the same object in your finderscope and your eyepiece, your finderscope is probably out of alignment. Here’s a quick tutorial on how to align your finderscope with the OTA.

  1. Set your telescope on a solid base. Outdoors would be ideal, but if you have to do this indoors, as long as you have access to a window, it should be fine.
  2. Insert your eyepiece into the telescope. Choose the one with the lowest power or magnification.
  3. Point the telescope at an object that is at least a half mile away and center it in the field of view. A good object is the top of a roof or a light post.
  4. Look through the finderscope. If you don’t see the same object in the center, adjust the knobs on the finderscope mount until it appears in the same central point in the field of view.
  5. Replace the eyepiece with the next step up on magnification.
  6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 for each of your eyepieces.

For a visual tutorial, watch the video below. Enjoy the video.

Click here to watch it in a new window.

All, Featured, How-To's, Sketches, Tips & Tricks

How to Sketch Stars for New Astronomers

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Similar to regular sketching, astrosketching is a relaxing and rewarding activity where the subject is the beauty of the night sky.
In this video, i’ll cover the basics of amateur astronomy sketching including:
– Why Astronomy Sketching is Fun
– What tools you need
– Sketching techniques
– Logging your observation
– Digitizing your sketches
– and some common Challenges
I used M45 as my subject which is perfect for beginners like me. You are drawing a portrait of the universe. Take your time and enjoy it.

All, Featured, Gear, How-To's, Tips & Tricks

How to use an Equatorial Mount for Beginners

In this video, I will introduce new astronomers to the basics of using telescopes on an equatorial mount. How to use an Equatorial Mount for Beginners will explain the difference between an equatorial mount and an altazimuth mount and the advantages of each. How to determine the right ascension and declination motions using slow motion control knobs. Without getting too technical, I will describe the equatorial grid, right ascension, declination and how your equatorial mount follows these imaginary lines. I also walk through a simulation of how it would operate out in the field using Stellarium planetarium software.

All, Featured, Gear, How-To's, Tips & Tricks

Collimate a Telescope without a Cheshire

In this video, I demonstrate how I collimate my newtonian telescope without a cheshire (if you don’t have one). There are 3 basic steps to collimating: 1) Center the secondary under the focuser; 2) Align the secondary to the primary; 3) Align the primary back to the secondary. In step one, I will use a camera phone instead of a cheshire to center the secondary under the focuser tube. Click on the video below to play.