36 results
Binocular bits

Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment

Three Binoculars: Part II

Binoculars' strengths and weaknesses are intimately connected.

Binoculars: Guides and Recommendations

A Tale of Three Binoculars: Part I

There's a big difference between 10x50 and 15x70 binoculars.

Seeing far with little

Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment

Tools for Stargazing

Learn how to get the most out of your binoculars, telescope, and more.

Refractor

Telescopes: Guides & Recommendations

Top 10 Telescope Questions & Answers on How to Use a Telescope

Here are common questions about telescopes culled from an expert’s mailbag.

warm air from mirror

Stargazing Basics

How to Successfully Beat Atmospheric Seeing

"Seeing" — the atmospheric quivering that fuzzes out high-power views — is the bane of every telescope user. Here's how to minimize its impact.

Scope in a travel case

Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment

Take-Along Telescopes

Want a telescope to bring on your next vacation? Here are some things to consider when looking for a travel scope.

Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment

The Art of Using a Telescope

Congratulations — you've followed our advice and bought the telescope that's best for you. Now learn how to get the most out of it.

Pile o' Binos

Binoculars: Guides and Recommendations

Testing Stargazing Binoculars

How do you choose the right binocular for stargazing? Here's our expert's easy-to-do, step-by-step test.

Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment

What Are Celestial Coordinates?

"Right ascension" and "declination" tell you where your telescope is pointed in the sky. But what do they really mean?

Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment

Observing from the City

With the stars increasing being lost amid the light pollution of our urban areas, is there no hope for an astronomer in the city? Fortunately, there's still a lot of observing that can be done.

Eyepieces

Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment

Optical Aberrations at the Telescope — And How to Avoid Them

Optical aberrations limit the performance of an eyepiece. Here are seven common problems, with solutions where applicable.

Magnifying Lens

Telescopes: Guides & Recommendations

Common Telescope Magnification Myths

Answers to some of the most common misconceptions about telescope magnification.

Apparent Fields

Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment

How to Choose Your Telescope Magnification

How high can you get? How low can you go? The answers depend on many factors that combine to give each telescope a useful magnitude range.

Looking at the exit pupils

Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment

A Pupil Primer: How Big Should a Telescope's Exit Pupil Be?

Image brightness, magnification, and why the old ideal of a 7-millimeter exit pupil is not so ideal at all.

Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment

Telescope Eyepiece Guide

A telescope is only as good as its eyepiece — and a good one can make a big difference. Here's a quick look at the different types of eyepieces available.

Binoculars: Guides and Recommendations

Binocular Basics: Glossary of Binocular Terms

Exit pupils. Eye relief. Image stabilization. What matters most for astronomers? Our expert explains it all.