Taking the telescope plunge

Hope you have been out looking for the past week or so because the sky has been glorious -- at least when there weren't any clouds. Venus has been shining in the west and last week lined up with the two major stars -- Castor and Pollux -- in Gemini to form a three-in-a-row asterism.

Mercury is paying a short visit to the northwest evening sky glowing a pinkish color below and to the right of bright Venus. Jupiter is showing up earlier each evening and was at opposition (being opposite the Sun in the sky) on June 5. It will be rising earlier each evening and be up all night. Right now about 9:30 p.m. is a good time to start looking in the southeast for the giant planet. It shines with Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius.

And now for number two on our top 10 tips for stargazers. At long last take the telescope buying plunge. That is only after you have been observing the night sky with and without binoculars for the last six months and can recognize several major constellations and a planet or two.

Before you buy, however, learn as much about telescopes as possible. Have an idea what kind of scope you want, a reflector or a refractor, and decide how much aperture you want. Aperture is how big the mirror or lens is and how much light it will gather. It is the most important aspect of a telescope; the larger the mirror or lens, the more light it collects and the more detail you will see. Two good places to look are astronomy.com and skyandtelescope.com. Both have sections on shopping for and buying telescopes.

Don't be misled by advertised claims of high magnification power. Promises of high magnification are misleading and often lead to disappointment in the actual view through the eyepiece. Many celestial objects are best viewed at low power.

When determining how much you want to spend on your new telescope remember, there are other things to be considered. A good, steady and strong tripod mount is necessary to hold the telescope firmly. There is also the consideration of extra eyepieces which will offer different magnifications, and other accessories you may want to add to your shopping list.

Another consideration is how often and where you will be viewing. A big light bucket (a large telescope) is great for seeing the faint fuzzies but if it takes a crew of three or four to carry and set the thing up it may not be worth it. You may want something that will fit in the back of your car and is easy to carry and set up.

Buying a telescope is not something to be jumped at on impulse. It takes research and thought. The right purchase has the possibility of giving many years of enjoyment and recreation. Remember, the best scope you can buy is the one you will use over and over again.

SKY WATCH: The Moon will be new on June 14 which means it is too close to the Sun to be seen. However, a pair of binoculars could reveal a one-day old Moon on Friday, June 15, about a half-hour after sunset. If you find the very slender crescent, look about six degrees (a little more than your fist held at arms length) to the left to find tiny Mercury.

Binoculars will be needed because the overpowering glow of twilight will still be in the sky. On Sunday, June 17, catch the Moon playing among the stars of M44, the Beehive star cluster, and on Monday, June 18, don't miss a marvelous three-way conjunction with the Moon, Venus and Saturn. On Tuesday, June 19, you will find the Moon very close to Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, the Lion.

Next time, the final Top Ten tips for stargazers.