The moon, from a nature lover's point of view, has been magnificent this week - a true September classic, hanging low on the horizon and dominating the sky. Of course, from an astronomer's point of view, the full moon rates less highly. Deep-sky observers often wish the moon would disappear, entirely, and even lunar observers with their telescopes prefer the moon only partially full. Still, I've had fun this week with my tiny Nikon 5x15 monocular. As I pedaled home last night, lights flashing on my bike, I turned the little monocular on the moon and was rewarded with a rich palette of whites and grays of many shades. Can't remember when I've seen a full moon any prettier. Amazing what even a tiny optic can do.

Magnification in any optical instrument is like spices in cooking - a little goes a long way. Nearly all beginners, regardless of whether we are discussing microscopes, telescopes, spotting scopes, binoculars or riflescopes, have a fascination, if not a downright obsession about magnification. Joanie's rule of thumb for any optical instrument is to use only as much magnification as needed to get the job done. As magnification goes up, so do your headaches in terms of field of view, image brightness, steadiness and overall image quality. In a binocular, for instance, a steady 7x or 8x beats a shaky 10x or 12x every time. This is especially true for folks like me that are … well, let's just say not as young as I used to be. Ha!

Steve, our riflescope and tactical gear expert, is off this week, chasing antelope, up near Casper, Wyoming. It's country I know well and is dear to my heart. Some folks here in the east would call it ugly, but to me the sagebrush flats out west are beautiful, indeed. Wide open spaces are in my soul, so I envy Steve. I was all prepared to advise him on a binocular for his hunt, but when he told me he already had a Swarovski Pocket binocular, I just smiled and nodded. We think alike.

People sometimes think that my apartment must be loaded with optical equipment, given all the writing I do about optics. Fact is, no, my apartment is not overflowing with binoculars, spotting scopes, telescopes, microscopes, magnifiers, cameras and so on. Having so much optical gear is at odds with my minimalist, go light lifestyle, not to mention my chronically stressed bank account. What I will tell you is that I take products home to test for a few days or weeks and give them the workout they need, then take them back to the job and test some more, but at any one time, not a lot accumulates in the apartment. The only products that stay, permanently, are the few that I just must have and those I save long and hard to purchase. Needless to say, OpticsPlanet is the perfect place to work for an optics junkie like me. I couldn't afford to own everything I write about.

As I rode my bike along the trail last night, the quarter moon hung low in the twilight and its beauty brought a smile to my face. This is in stark contrast to the days when I, like many of my deep-sky observing cohorts, spoke of the moon in less complimentary terms. As I recall, the "accursed orb" was one of the worst. Now that I am trapped in the light polluted city, though, I am singing a different tune when it comes to the moon. Okay, maybe not "Fly Me to the Moon" but certainly "By the Light of the Silvery Moon".

For astronomy, the moon doesn't always get the publicity it deserves. It has a lot going for it for an observer. For one, it can be observed with any optical instrument - even a binocular will show the basic features and a small telescope will take you inside craters and show mountains. For another, the moon gives you a new look each night. As the shadow advances and recedes across the face of the moon, the change in lighting highlights new detail. Wait a few nights and you might wonder if you are looking at the same features.

By the way, there is no shortage of good moon songs to sing as you observe and the moon won't object if you can't carry a tune or you forget a few words.

If you happen to be in Chicago's northern suburbs and see a woman some night in her nightgown with a big binocular around her neck or standing next to a telescope, don't panic (or laugh). It's probably me. I'm not a Peeping Tom, I'm just doing some astronomy. Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night with the urge to take a peek at the stars and end up with a telescope or binocular at my side. Just a habit I have developed over the years and I can't seem to break it. If you see this pattern developing in yourself, my advice is always to keep an astronomy binocular or small telescope, handy. It's a bit cold in the winter, yes, and it will get the neighbors talking, but it's healthier than raiding the refrigerator.

When you get right down to it, there is no great mystery about optics. The basic laws of optics concerning magnification, image brightness, field of view, exit pupil and so on are the same for all optical instruments, be they binoculars, spotting scopes, riflescopes, microscopes or telescopes. Knowledge of the basics in one product category carries over to other product categories.

If I was going to get someone started on the basics, though, I would probably begin with that most universal of optical instruments - the binocular. My article on binocular basics, How to Understand Binoculars is written with the beginner in mind. It will help unravel some of the mystery of optical laws in a easy to understand and friendly way.

It's new moon time and you know what that means. You don't? It means Joanie will be spending a few evenings under the stars to do some astronomy, assuming, of course, that the sky is clear. I'm in the mood to do some open star clusters and even though I prefer my Nikon 10x70 Astroluxe binocular for this type of work, it might be time to put the spotting scope to work. That's right, a spotting scope. A good spotting scope, like the Kowa 663 with a 20x wide angle eyepiece provides stunning views of open star clusters. If you own a spotting scope, get it out under the stars. You might be surprised.

We somehow got a shipment of the Bushnell Elite 15-45x60 spotting scope that was a bit different than the standard version of the Elite. This "military version" of the Elite spotting scope was made expressly for the military and has had the Elite lettering removed for reduced visibility in the field and it also does not include a case. Since the word tactical seems to sell things, these days, perhaps we should have labeled it the Tactical Elite. Either way, it's a great little spotting scope for those who want the ultimate backpack spotting scope.

Big seems to be name of the game in telescopes for astronomy or, so it would seem from the viewpoint of all the hype and advertising. I can tell you, though, from years of personal experience that big can also be a drawback.

Try coming home from work after a hard day, taking care of the kids, getting them fed and put to bed, then looking out the window and seeing stars in a clear sky. You feel compelled to get the telescope out for a quick look before calling it a night, yourself. In fact, maybe you feel a little guilty for wasting a good opportunity to do some astronomy. So, do you really want to wrestle with a big telescope on a big mount and maybe wait for the telescope to cool down to ambient air temperature? You know that setup time alone is going to cost you twenty or thirty minutes and a like amount of time getting everything torn down later. This seems like a lot of work when you are tired.

On the other hand, if you have a small telescope, handy, you just pick it up and carry it, telescope mount and all, out on the patio and start observing. In the same amount of time it takes to get the big telescope setup, you are done observing and back inside, ready for bed.

For many of us, the best telescope does not translate into the biggest telescope. When you choose a telescope, ask yourself how much use it will get when your initial enthusiasm wanes. As they say, the best telescope is the one you use the most

The weather, of late, has been perfect for mosquitoes, so you need to be a little careful when using bug dope around optical instruments. Be especially careful with insect repellents that contain DEET. DEET makes a great paint and finish remover - I learned this many years ago the hard way with a nice binocular. If you must use an insect repellent with DEET, take care around a binocular, spotting scope, telescope or other optical instrument. It's nasty stuff. That's why it works so well on insects, I suppose.

Although they don't work as well against mosquitoes, natural repellents, such as Skin So Soft and some of the new plant based repellents are much easier on that binocular, telescope or spotting scope. I think they smell better, too.

What a gorgeous weekend it was to be on a bike, out on the trails surrounded by birds, flowers, prairie and forests. Life can be so good, at times and I am grateful for each and every day. Thank-you Earth Mother. It doesn't take much to make me grateful and happy, of course. "Have binocular, small camera and bicycle, will travel," describes me, perfectly.

Okay, Joanie's outdoor report for this past weekend, in a nutshell, is that fall is coming. Blackbirds are showing their fall roosting behavior, the prairie grasses are flowering, summer flowers are fading and the aroma of fall is in the air. Don't let the last of the summer heat keep you indoors. Get out on those trails and go.

I prefer a bike, but if you prefer to walk the trails, a hiking staff or a monopod can be very useful. I often use a monopod to help steady my binocular when birding and also as an aide to negotiating the trail when the going gets rough. In fact, you'll find a lot of uses for a monopod, once you get one in your hand.