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OpticsBlog – Thoughts and reviews of binoculars, telescopes, scopes, sights, and much more - birdwatching, astronomy, target shooting - pretty much anything related to optics, nature, and life!Tuesday, November 30, 2010Upside down images in a reflector“Help! Everything is upside down when I look through my new telescope. What am I doing wrong?” I get this question all the time, around the holidays, from some very concerned new telescope owners. The answer is, nothing at all, if your new telescope is a reflector telescope. Images in a reflector are always upside down. This is normal and quite acceptable for astronomy (and it also explains why reflectors are poor choices for daytime work). In fact, many star maps are printed, upside down to reflect what you actually see when you look through a reflector. Besides, does it really make a difference how you view celestial objects? Right side up or upside down, the moon, stars, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies are the same in terms of detail you can see. True, a beginner sometimes has trouble orienting a star map to the image seen in the telescope eyepiece, when using a reflector, but, with experience, this becomes second nature. Besides, images are also upside down in the finder scope used on many telescopes. Are there image erecting devices that will allow a viewer to “correct” the upside down image in a reflector? Yes, though they must be an erecting prism or device designed specifically to work in a reflector and, even then, these devices may not work in all reflectors. Image erecting prisms for other types of telescopes do not work in a standard reflector, either, so be sure to check the fine print in the description. The model you choose must specifically state it is for use in a reflector telescope. However, in my experience, all erecting prisms, regardless of type or design, degrade the image, at worst, and, at best, still cost you in terms of some image brightness and contrast. You’ll get more performance with your reflector if you use it the way it is normally used – with upside down images. Monday, November 29, 2010Bushnell Ares Dob - best telescope valueThe biggest dilemma when trying to choose the right telescope for a beginner is trying to balance performance with price. Everyone, of course, what's the best telescope for the dollar. Unfortunately, most beginners are unaware of how to estimate potential performance in a telescope and, invariably, they buy that first telescope based on less important, but more eye-catching features. They simply don't know those all important telescope first questions to ask. As a result, that first telescope is often long on bells and whistles and short on real performance. It's one reason why so many beginner telescopes end up in the closet after one or two times out under the stars and why so many beginners find themselves shopping for another telescope should they decide to stay with astronomy. So what is the most important factor in telescope performance? In other words, what feature should a beginner use to determine how to get the most performance for the dollar when on a a tight telescope budget? If by performance we mean seeing more objects and seeing more detail in objects (precisely what most astronomers seek), then it is aperture - telescope size in terms of lens or mirror diameter – that we want in our telescopes, at least up to a point. More aperture, though, means more expense and that’s the rub. All else equal, a larger telescope costs more to buy than a smaller telescope. That explains why nearly all telescopes advertised as beginner telescopes are small telescopes. There is one exception, however. For the price of a small, three inch telescope with all the bells and whistles – a small telescope most beginners will quickly outgrow - you can by a six inch telescope minus all the bells and whistles. Six inches is a serious telescope; that’s a huge step up in real performance. Where can you find such a telescope performance value? You get in a telescope known as a Dobsonian telescope or, Dob, for short. A Dob is simplicity in itself - no costly bells and whistles, no electronics. It's just you and the telescope. Make no mistake, though, Dobs are user friendly, despite their simple design and, in fact, that simplicity is a blessing. It means more observing time and less time playing with those bells and whistles that have a habit of confusing a beginner, rather than helping. Okay, so where can you get that six inch Dobsonian at the price of a small three inch telescope loaded with all those extra features? Try the Bushnell Ares Dob. The Bushnell Ares Dob, despite that very affordable price, will reveal a great many objects that can never be in that little three inch telescope. That’s a real performance buy. Friday, November 26, 2010Digiscoping deer Digiscoping is most often associated with bird photography and rightfully so. Digiscoping got its start with bird photographers who were experimenting with ways to take pictures with digital cameras and spotting scopes. These days, nearly all my digiscoping is for birds, though I still do some bird photography, the old fashioned way, with traditional telephoto lenses on both digital and film cameras. Notice I said, nearly all. Like so many digiscopers, I have learned that digiscoping is also a great technique for photographing any kind of wildlife. I have used this technique to take pics of butterflies, squirrels, rabbits, muskrats and, especially deer. Deer make for some very large subjects, compared to birds, so digiscoping allows me to get some very close up shots of these very photogenic animals. There was a time when I had to work, hard, to get into position to digiscope deer without spooking them, but no more. I now have deer in my back yard, here in northern Wisconsin, the way some folks have squirrels and rabbits in their back yards. I can even stay right in the house and take pics through our window, now and then, as I did with this doe, yesterday, just before we sat down to Thanksgiving dinner. Wednesday, November 24, 2010Thankful for my homeI have so many reasons to be thankful that I really need more like a year than a single day to reflect on them all and, even then, I might not truly appreciate the extent of my blessings. No, I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, no, I haven't won the lottery and, no, I have not lead a sheltered and isolated existence. I am wise enough, though, to count my blessings, rather than my disappointments and failures. I am a creature of the outdoors and have been all my life and, now, as I enter into retirement, I miraculously find myself living in the place of my dreams and, more importantly, with the man of my dreams. After so many years of wandering and living in the big city, I am settled in to our northern Wisconsin home with endless opportunities to use my birding binoculars, astronomy binoculars, birding spotting scope, telescopes, digital cameras, bicycles, fishing gear and so much more and all without stepping foot off our property. Best of all, I now have someone at my side to share in my pursuits. I am also learning much more than I ever thought I would about construction, machines and home improvement projects that are my Bill’s specialty. Life is good, up here in the north woods; I am home at last and, as far as being thankful, finally being at home says it all. Tuesday, November 23, 2010Vacation binoculars As I look out our living room window, this morning, it’s kind of hard to believe that we will be traveling to Mexico for the Christmas to spend time with Bill’s sisters in their annual tradition of getting out of the country for the holidays. That is a very long way from northern Wisconsin, indeed. Naturally, I am excited and eager to see a new place and spend time with Bill’s family, but what kind of optics can I take on such a trip, given that Bill always tries to get by with only carry on luggage? Weight and space will be very limited. For sure, I will take compact binoculars, rather than birding binoculars, to save some weight, most likely my Leica Ultravid 10x25BL. I do a lot of birdwatching with this binocular, anyway and the weight I save will allow me to pack a bird guide for the region. I most certainly will take one or more digital cameras, though I will keep things, small, once again. After all, how could anyone go on a vacation without a camera? What I would most like to take, though, is astronomy binoculars or a small telescope to take advantage of those wonderful southern skies. However, even an astronomy binocular might be too much unless I wanted to leave my clothes, behind. Looks like I will have to pass on the astronomy gear, but I can still do some limited astronomy with my small Leica binoculars. I’ve done it before in a pinch. Monday, November 22, 2010Astronomy giftsOkay, you have an astronomer in the family and that special astronomer of yours already has a telescope and/or astronomy binoculars, so no need to buy a telescope or binoculars, this year. What kind of gift can you buy for your astronomer that already has the basic equipment? Help! The good news is that the world of telescope accessories is huge. Astronomers can always use another gadget, or two, and some of those items are essential for observing. All astronomers will appreciate the following astronomy gifts and you don’t have to know anything about telescopes to buy such gifts. On the essential list is a red-lens flashlight. Dim red light, barely just bright enough to read a star map or check the controls on a telescope, preserves an astronomers dark adapted vision. This vision comes with being under totally dark skies for at least a half an hour and it is essential for an astronomer to spot the faint objects that are often the targets in the telescope eyepiece. Bright light almost instantly destroys this vision and is always a big no-no around the telescope. You can actually convert ordinary flashlights into a red lens version, but why not just buy a flashlight designed specially for astronomy, such as the Celestron Night Vision flashlight? Another item that is essential for astronomy, this time of year, is warm clothing. Astronomy is not an aerobic activity; it entails a lot of standing around with very little movement to keep that blood flowing. You cannot dress too warm for astronomy in the winter. Pay particular attention to the feet and the head. Try cold weather socks, such as the Under Armour Cold Gear Lite or headgear, such as the Maxit Double Diamond Black. Even in this day of computerized telescopes and digital astronomy software, I think there is still room for printed star maps. I own all sorts of digital astronomy software, but I find that there is something reassuring and comforting about scanning a star map that can be held in your hands. Better yet, a printed map allows you to make notes right on the page if you wish and no need to fire up a computer when you just want to check something on a map. There are many, many star maps and star atlases on the market, but, for a beginner, simpler is better. Try the Celstron Sky Maps Chart . Friday, November 19, 2010Moon detail, moon filter, moon telescopes Our moon tends to be an underrated target for telescopes and even binoculars in the amateur astronomy community. I suspect the moon is just too accessible, for one. No need for computerized telescopes or detailed star charts to find it and you can see the moon in any telescope, no matter how simple or small. You see, we astronomers love our sophisticated telescopes - we tend to be equipment junkies - and we like a challenge. Where’s the attraction or the challenge in that or, so the thinking goes? For another, the moon really is different in terms of what you can see and how you see it than any other object in our skies. Lunar astronomy has a language and terminology all its own and, rather than linger on the moon and the unique perspective it provides, a lot of amateur astronomers just bypass it to pursue more glamorous and exotic targets far, far from earth. In my opinion, this is a mistake. The moon is anything but an easy target if you bother to start identifying and naming all the many surface features the moon presents in a telescope or even astronomy binoculars. In fact, the moon offers more surface detail in astronomy binoculars or telescopes than all the other planets and most of the better known stellar objects, all put, together. Furthermore, the ever changing pattern and angle of light on the moon makes for an ever changing landscape from one night to the next. No other object in the skies shows as many different faces as our moon. You can set up a telescope four nights in a row and not see exactly the same objects. One of the reasons we don’t need large telescopes to observe the moon is because of its brightness, In fact, the moon can be too bright. The glare generated when the moon is full or nearly full actually hides a lot of detail. Therefore, most observing is done when the moon is only partially lit. There is an exception, though. On nights when the moon is full or nearly full and there is a thin layer of clouds in the sky, the clouds can act as a moon filter. This allows you see some surface detail on a full or nearly full moon that is seldom seen at other times. I used a little digiscoping to shoot a pic of the moon under just these very conditions, last night, using one of my small digital cameras and my small telescope. There was a thin layer of high clouds, overhead, but not enough to completely hide the moon. Seen this way, the nearly full moon is quite different than what you see on a clear, cloudless night. Care to start naming all those surface details that can be seen at only 22x magnification, as in the pic? It gets even better as magnification goes up. Thursday, November 18, 2010Digitally scanning film printsI picked up a roll of print film I had developed at the local “big box department store” camera department and, I have to say, that overall I am satisfied with the results, as far as the way the photos were developed. Really no surprise, there, since color all prints are simply run through a machine to process, anyway, and have been for many, many years. Indeed, I’ve developed a pretty good sense of how the machine will expose my photos and, in cases where the machine took a bit too much liberty with the way the film is exposed, I have never had a problem of returning an exposure to be done, again, they way I like it. It is more of a hassle than using digital cameras and getting instant results with your digital pics, to be sure, but there is still no thrill, in my book, that compares with holding a great 5x7 print in your hands taken with a good film cameras and lenses. Then, too, no losing your photos with film in the event your computer crashes. The new wrinkle, of course, for many of us old film lovers is that you can now get an archival CD of your film prints when have your film processed. That’s useful for sharing your film photos with friends the electronic way or for posting in blogs and other internet sites, but I do not like the way film loses some of its character when it is digitally scanned. In particular, I do not like the colors on the digital scans. I have yet to see the colors the digitally scanned versions of my prints match up, exactly, with the colors on the prints, themselves, all the digital editing notwithstanding. Colors always seem truer and richer on the film; color on the digital scans seems more artificial and weaker, somehow. I also don’t care for the way that scans lighten up the dark areas on my prints with the resulting loss of contrast and depth in the photograph. I realize the scanners used are not the best, but I’ll be darned if I’m going to invest big bucks in a scanner when I already have what I want in a simple 5x7 film print. I'm not about to stop carrying my tripod and film cameras anytime, soon. Wednesday, November 17, 2010Life in the north woods Now that I am semi-retired and my husband is fully retired, a body might think that I would have all the time in the world to use my binoculars, spotting scopes, telescopes and digital cameras, not to mention our fishing gear, canoes and kayaks and so on. I thought I would, too, at one time, but life in the north woods is not all play. Country living is also about work, same as any other type of living. There are dogs to oversee, including a new puppy, a house to clean and a husband who has one heck of an appetite after a long day of working on remodeling and outdoor projects. This week, we put the canoes and kayaks away for the winter, put some finishing touches on the dog run, collected a nice load of kindling from the surrounding woods and cleaned out the garage to make room for both cars (it does get a bit chilly, up here, in the winter) Yesterday, we had four plus cords of firewood delivered in the form of uncut slab wood (outer slabs left over when a tree trunk is cut for boards) and logger cords (tops of trees leftover when trees are felled for lumber). It requires us to cut the wood to stove lengths and split, if needed, but the price was just too good to pass up and it was purchased from a local, independent logger, so we are using local products (this is timber country, not farm country) and supporting one of our neighbors at the same time. Our stove, though, is made in Norway, but it is one of those new high efficiency models that actually keeps our entire home warm when it is fired up with a good load of wood. Okay, I’m not crazy about the idea of leaving any carbon footprint of any kind, but at least we are using a renewable resource that does not require anyone to drill a well. As busy as we are, I am pleased that I always find room for some birdwatching, astronomy, photography, music and all my other pursuits, but I wouldn’t trade our life in the north woods for anything. If I never see another big city, again, that’s fine with this country girl. Tuesday, November 16, 2010The best telescope?I often get asked THE big question about telescopes: What is the best type of telescope? Should I buy a refractor, reflector, Mak, Schmidt-Cassegrain and so on? I understand how folks who are getting ready to plunk down hard-earned dollars (especially, these days) to buy a telescope can wrestle with this one question. I understand, because I once went through this same “keep you awake at night” question and I understand, because I have owned and used all of these types of telescopes, at one time or another. For sure, no one wants to make a mistake and purchase the wrong type of telescope, right? If it was simply a matter of specifications and features, answering this telescope question would be easy. Just decide on which features you like best on a type of telescope and get that kind of telescope, keeping in mind that each telescope design has advantages and disadvantages. Of course, you also have to decide on how large a version of that one telescope design you want and can afford, keeping in mind that going too large can create problems, too. Telescope size is just as important as telescope type when choosing the right telescope. It should be one of the first telescope questions you ask. The fly in the ointment to all this discussion of features is personal preference. Visit your local astronomy club and you will discover that astronomers are a varied lot. Some prefer reflectors, some prefer SCTs or Maks and some, like me, are fans of refractors and when you ask why, you will get both very informed answers and very opinionated answers. Oh yes, personal preference is a big part of choosing a telescope. You are a beginner, though and have never owned a telescope of any kind. You have no personal preferences, yet. How do you choose the best telescope? First, abandon the notion that any one telescope design is the best, per se. That is a myth. There is only a best telescope for you, personally, based on your wants, your needs and your situation and, in fact, when you are just getting started, any telescope design will do. Do your homework, read about the pros and cons of each telescope design by using the links I have provided and you will begin to get a feel for that best type of telescope for you, keeping in mind that when you get more experience, your opinion as to the best telescope may very well change. The most important thing is to get that telescope, learn how to setup a telescope and start observing. Monday, November 15, 2010Telescope eyepieces when buying a telescopeI’d rather have a great telescope eyepiece in a telescope with only fair optics than a poor telescope eyepiece in a telescope with great optics. That is a good description of how most experienced amateur astronomers feel about telescope eyepieces, myself included. As telescope accessories go, nothing comes close in importance to telescope eyepieces. They can make or break the performance in any telescope. This is a telescope fact that often escapes a beginner. I always advise a beginner who is getting ready to buy a telescope to be sure to budget enough money for eyepieces, if needed. Most mid-priced telescopes come with only one eyepiece and you need more than one telescope eyepiece to do astronomy. That sale price on a telescope may only include one eyepiece. Check the specs or description to be sure. Most beginner telescopes, on the other hand, come with two or more telescope eyepieces, since the manufacturers know full well how much a beginner wants to set up a telescope and start observing. However, most of the telescope eyepieces packaged with beginner telescopes are budget quality eyepieces as a way of keeping the telescope in the beginner telescope price range. Some of these eyepieces are passable, in terms of performance, but many, quite simply, are trash. Be especially careful of obsolete telescope eyepiece designs that are preceded by the letter H or SR. These are notoriously poor telescope eyepiece designs. The good news is that you can get some very useable eyepieces at a reasonable price to upgrade that cheap telescope. Try the Vixen NPL eyepieces, for instance, or the Celestron Omni series. These will at least get you started with your new beginner telescope without any serious penalty in performance. Friday, November 12, 2010Long live those old film cameras! The word “fundamentalist” has a tarnished and even a sinister connotation, these days, and I surely understand why. However, if we take the word fundamentalist in a broader context or something akin to its root meaning, it has more of a neutral flavor and, in fact, it can even be a good thing. How often have some of us proclaimed, after all, that it is sometimes a good thing to get back to fundamentals? When it comes to photography, I am a fundamentalist in that I truly enjoy getting back to the fundamentals. I love the old film cameras that allow me (not force me, as some would say) to make all the decisions as to f stop, choice of film, shutter speed, metering and that allow me to do the focusing. Sure, I own and use digital cameras and, in fact, I use digital cameras quite a bit. I am conversant in digital lingo and I know all I need to know about digital camera accessories like memory cards and so on. I can’t argue the effectiveness or the convenience of digital cameras and going digital has expanded the world of photography for an old film dog like me, same as everyone else. Still, when I just want to enjoy photography, as opposed to just getting the shot, I step back in time with my 70s and 80s vintage Nikon cameras and go for a walk and, when I do, all those old lessons as to depth of field, metering, focusing, shutter speed and so on walk right along with me. Automation and camera software can work some miracles, but I am not about to forget my roots. Long live those old film cameras! Thursday, November 11, 2010Attracting deer and other wildlife Like many area residents, we put out feed corn in our yard to attract wildlife and attract wildlife, it does. The corn, which we spread on the lawn, has given me a lot of opportunities to use my digital cameras, binoculars and spotting scopes and, happily, corn is also cheap, since it disappears, fast. Wildlife loves it. Initially, my hopes were that the corm might attract Wild Turkeys, though no turkeys, as of yet. There are some in the general area – we’ve seen them west of town – but that country has a bit higher concentration of hardwoods and that may be more to their liking. I knew the corn would attract other wildlife, of course, especially squirrels. It was part of my birdwatching strategy to distract them from invading my bird feeders and, so far, so good. Most of the squirrel activity has been with the Grays, but now and then, we get one or two of the smaller Red squirrels into the yard. Those are my favorites to watch through the binoculars when we are relaxing on the deck. And then, there are the deer. We had some reservations about attracting them to the yard, knowing full well they can become a nuisance in a number of ways, but they were already present when we arrived, this summer, anyway, so it’s been more or less a matter of feeding animals already on our property. Then, too, with firearm deer season to open, next week, it's just as well they stay in the yard. All does and fawns, so far, and we’ve had the privilege of watching a couple of the fawns grow over the summer and fall to nearly adult size, now. For sure, we have enjoyed them and they are certainly excellent subjects for my digital cameras. Roscoe, our older dog, finds them all too fascinating, so we keep him inside the fence for his own good. The puppy doesn’t know what to make of them and that’s fine with me. He’s a bird dog, after all. Wednesday, November 10, 2010November birding reportThe weather has been mild, of late, here, in northern Wisconsin and quite stable. Not complaining, mind you, but I’ve been waiting for the next big storm to push a few more birds through the area. It would be nice to see something different in the birding binoculars and spotting scope, for a change, and storms are the triggers that bring waves of migrating waterfowl and other new birds into an area, this time of year. Indeed, good birdwatching in November is a matter of watching the weather forecasts for approaching storms. Yes, I’ve had some fantastic birding during some of November’s worst weather. Who said birding is for wimps, anyway? In the meantime, I am seeing consistent numbers of the four species of woodpeckers that frequent our bird feeders – Downy, Hairy, Red-bellied and Pileated – as well as White-Breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, some Goldfinches, and, as always, scores of Juncos and Chickadees. In other words, my binoculars and spotting scopes have not been collecting dust, but it would be nice to do some digiscoping for birds not yet in my birding album. In fact, come the next storm, I may set my scope up on its tripod, grab my digital cameras and head for our dock on the lake. Let it rain or snow. Tuesday, November 09, 2010Fan of small telescopes I could give you a respectable list of reasons to go with a large telescope when you buy a telescope (and I have in several articles), but, fact is, that after forty years of doing astronomy with telescopes of all sizes - all the way up to seventeen plus inches - I remain a fan of small telescopes. There is still a place in astronomy for the small telescope, despite all the hype, advertising and marketing surrounding large telescopes. I understand the lure of the large telescope all too well. A beginner to astronomy and telescopes soon learns a hard lesson with only a few sessions at the telescope eyepiece: if you want to see more, you need more telescope aperture (telescope size), not more telescope magnification. The typical small beginner’s telescope just can’t handle a lot of magnification and that hurts all the more, because most beginners want to see the planets, which, of course, require a lot of magnification to see at their best. When beginners inevitably discover that astronomy involves much more than just the planets, they soon learn another lesson: many of the objects they read about in books and discussion forums are too faint to be seen with small telescopes. It is only natural, then, to start lusting for larger and larger telescopes as time goes by. I moved forward in astronomy in just such a sequence, as have most astronomers I know and, I suspect, that nothing I say or write will alter that course for most beginners. It may well be a necessary sort of evolution for an amateur astronomer to pursue an ever larger telescope. As I have aged, though, the downside of larger telescopes has started to take its toll. Larger telescopes are just plain hard work at times, both in terms of handling and setting up. Larger telescopes also take a bigger bite out of precious observing time because setting up a telescope in terms of time is very often a function of telescope size. Mostly, though, I have come full circle, you might say, in my observing style. After seeing many hundreds of truly faint and challenging objects in large telescopes, I find myself returning to my favorite deep-sky objects and the vast majority of these are quite satisfying to see in small or mid-size telescopes and lack of aperture can sometimes be helped by judicious use of a nebula filter or O-III filter. After all these years of owning large and small telescopes, side-by-side, it has been the small telescopes I have grabbed most often and used most often and, in the end, the best telescope for any of us is truly the telescope we use the most. Small telescopes still have a place in astronomy. Monday, November 08, 2010Telescope first questionsPeople new to astronomy and telescopes usually want to most see the planets. To many a beginner, telescopes are all about planets. This is understandable; after all, no other objects in the night sky spark an interest like planets. Everyone wants to see the rings of Saturn, the moons of Jupiter and, especially, everyone wants to see the planet Mars in a telescope eyepiece. I sure did when I started in astronomy, many, many years, ago. As for the other planets, a beginner soon learns there is not much to see, for various reasons. When it comes to telescopes and planets, then, it is really about only three planets and you can throw in the moon, too, for objects in our solar system. So, why do so many of us spend so much time and money on telescopes and/or astronomy binoculars? For three or four objects? Hardly. Anyone who sticks with astronomy, for even a little while, soon learns that planets are but a very small part of what there is to see in the night sky. Once we move beyond the solar system with the moon and our neighboring planets, there are literally hundreds of objects to observe with astronomy binoculars and telescopes. We call these deep-sky objects and they include open star clusters, globular star clusters, nebulae of various kinds and even other galaxies at immense distances from our solar system. In fact, there are so many of these objects visible in a medium to large amateur telescopes that you could spend your life trying to see them all. I know, I have tried. Deep-sky objects are, indeed, the biggest part of astronomy for most of us. Keep this in mind when you buy a telescope. It is avery important consideration when you begin to ask those telescope first questions. Friday, November 05, 2010First spotting scopeLike most folks, I did not start out with the most expensive birding spotting scope money could buy – far from it. By today’s standards, that old B&L Discoverer (now the Bushnell Discoverer) would be considered a budget grade spotting scope. Still, it took a lot of skipped lunches and penny pinching, even at that, to bring such spotting scope home. The Swarovski spotting scopes, Leica spotting scopes and Kowa spotting scopes came along much later in my career. Nevertheless, that purchase of the Discoverer spotting scope is one I have never regretted. That B&L opened up a whole new world of birding for me, at the time, by allowing me to spot birds at much greater distances than my old Tasco binoculars. Yes, that old Discoverer added a lot of birds to my list. My favorite way to use that old scope was to drive my barely in tact AMC Hornet to a local lake and mount the Discoverer on a car window mount and watch waterfowl during spring and, especially fall migration. It may have been budget grade birdwatching in terms of equipment, but it was five star birdwatching in terms of what I saw and, especially, in terms of how much I enjoyed it all. Thursday, November 04, 2010Dark skies this week for binoculars and telescopesThe waning crescent moon, at the moment, means dark skies ahead for those of us who love astronomy and that is a good thing. For the most part, the objects amateur astronomers like to see in the night sky with astronomy binoculars or telescopes are deep-sky objects (objects outside our solar system), but these objects are often very faint; even a tiny bit of light in the sky, either from the moon or from light pollution in urban areas, makes many deep-sky objects invisible, even in the largest telescope. Thus, astronomers in search of the faint stuff try to plan observing times around times when the moon is not in the sky. As for light pollution, there is no escape on that curse, other than to travel to an observing site far from urban and suburban lights or stay put and settle for what you can see. Of course, all this assumes that the weather will cooperate. Even the best observing site for astronomy, or the best telescope or best binocular or the finest telescope eyepiece is useless for astronomy when the clouds roll in. Living in an area with a dry climate, of course, means fewer cloudy nights, but not many of us have the luxury or inclination to pull up roots and head for the desert. I love living, up here in the north country just fine, but it would be nice if the clouds would only fill the sky on nights when I am busy with things other than astronomy. At the moment, it is raining and the forecast calls for some snow, but my binoculars and telescope are ready when the sky clears. Wednesday, November 03, 2010November outdoorsNovember is one of those months that can belong to more than one season, depending, of course, on the weather. For instance, I’ve spent more than one November in my lifetime enjoying an Indian Summer, walking the woods, birding binoculars in hand, but also more than one November riding out the storm and snow shovel in hand. With November, this far north, you just never know. You have to be prepared for any kind of season. Despite this unpredictability, November is one of my favorite outdoor months and all the more so for living up here in the north woods. As I write this, for instance, the sun is shining and it looks like a pleasant November day in the offering. I am keeping one eye on our lake, which I can see in the distance through the pines and now barren tamaracks, with the hopes of spotting any telltale signs of bird life. When I do, my compact binoculars on the table, beside me, will go to work. At this distance, though, I will most likely need the spotting scope to identify any birds I see, but I may choose, instead, to just put the binocular strap around my neck and just go for a walk along the lakeshore. Just too nice a day to stay indoors, anyway and November is one of my favorite outdoor months. Tuesday, November 02, 2010Astronomy with a puppyI have been doing double duty on my evening pre-bedtime walk by taking Patch, our new puppy, out to do his thing with a bit of astronomy, since I’m out under the stars, anyway. But mixing a puppy chore with astronomy? Is this the next big development in amateur astronomy? After doing this for a week, the verdict is in. Definitely not. After one week, I have enough experience to say that puppies and astronomy are not a good mix. Not recommended for the weak of heart. Proceed at your own risk. Mixing puppy chores and astronomy will never become a fad, so don't expect a website on it anytime, soon. Only the most die-hard amateur astronomer should attempt doing astronomy while tending a puppy, though the degree of difficulty depends on the type of astronomy you pursue. In fact, simply observing the t night sky without benefit of astronomy binoculars or telescopes is doable - if you don’t mind a puppy chewing on your shoelaces or the hem of your bathrobe. Bring any equipment on your walk with puppy, though, and things get tough. I did have limited success using astronomy binoculars with the pup in tow, but it takes a good sense of balance and exceptional steadiness to use binoculars while a puppy tries to pull you into the woods to explore. For this reason, it helps to keep the magnification down as much as possible. My recommendation is a 7x50, which is the traditional astronomy binocular of yesteryear. The 7x50 binocular has lost ground, today, as the binocular of choice for astronomy, true, but maybe it's because more folks in the old days had puppies, along. Set up and use a telescope with a puppy on a leash? That’s insane, so, naturally, I had to try it. The test was now a matter of my telescope mount's stability, rather than mine. My telescope lost, big time. The pup thought it was fun, though.  Score: Puppy one, telescope zero No charges were filed against the puppy
Monday, November 01, 20102011 calendars, natural calendars You can buy just about any kind of calendar you want these days and, in fact, I’ve known a photographer or two that made some spending change by supplying photos to the folks who make calendars. Now that we live in the digital age, you can even make your own 2011 calendars with the appropriate software; just grab one of the many digital cameras on the market, go forth, take your own pics, and then sit down at the computer. I usually have a birding or bird calendar on my wall and, sometimes, an astronomy calendar if I can find one, but, in truth, I prefer another type of calendar to keep track of the seasons. My favorite calendar is not one you will find in stores and it is not one you hang on the wall. It doesn’t take printed form, at all. I prefer to track the progress of the seasons the old fashioned way, by watching Nature, rather than scratching off dates on a printed calendar. Nature tells me all I need to know, with the exception of birth days and anniversaries – those do require a printed calendar to get right. As for determining the progress of any season, though – spring, summer, fall or winter - I do just fine by using the information provided by Nature. Just a matter of translating what I see with my own eyes into a feel for the time of year and, after some sixty years on this planet, I’ve become quite good at it. If I had no other clues, watching the night sky be more than enough to pinpoint time of year and, if I was really motivated to do so, I could even use the passage of stars in the evening sky to pinpoint specific days of the year, as did the ancients before me. This is nothing I set out to do, intentionally. It is a skill that I acquired simply by spending so much time doing astronomy with binoculars and telescopes under the night sky, though all it takes is a knowledge of how the heavens move through the seasons. You do not need astronomy binoculars or telescopes or special telescope accessories to learn this part of astronomy and it is just one of many things you can do in astronomy with no equipment at all. Another way I use to watch the progress of the seasons is by watching bird migration. Some migratory bird species migrate on a fairly predictable schedule. These avian comings and goings add a bit of spice to my birdwatching. This week, for instance, after last week’s big storm, my bird feeders have been invaded by the American Goldfinch, though these birds now wear a much paler seasonal winter coat than their better known bright yellow summer coat. However, a few individuals still have a tinge of that bright yellow, as you can see on the head of the bird in the pic I took with a little digiscoping. That’s my natural calendar telling me that winter is on the way.
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