It's always hard to gauge what a customer expects when they buy their first telescope for astronomy. I am well aware that many expect to see Hubble quality images in their new 60mm refractor, but those are the most obvious. What I am talking here is where a beginner expects to go with the hobby after realizing that, no, you can't see the US flag on the moon or planets around other stars. When the GOTO in their new scope shows yet another galaxy as a faint smudge, what then?

I pray that at least a few of these new astronomers stay with it long enough to develop an appreciation for those smudges. That you can see them at all is miraculous; to actually know what they are is astounding; to realize the distance to any of them is mind boggling.

At the risk of sounding like an old timer, I would also hope that a few beginners take a chance at some point and turn off the computer on their new telescope. Navigating on your own with a star map is fun and supremely satisfying when you know the night sky as well as you know your own backyard. It makes looking at the heavens a much more personal thing.

More than once, a friend and I have purposely picked a faint, dim galaxy at the edge of our scope's capability and gone hunting. As often as not, our quest required many hours of searching over several nights, but once we finally glimpsed our "ghost", we were all smiles. In astronomy, as in many pursuits, getting there can be half the fun.

Long live the summer triangle. Long live Deneb, Vega and Altair.