Guides

Observing & equipment guides

Ten long-form articles on choosing equipment, aligning a mount, finding deep-sky objects and staying safe around the Sun. No product round-ups, no affiliate links.

Beginner14 January 20269 min read

How to Start Stargazing: A Beginner's Guide

The first month of astronomy is mostly about your eyes and your expectations. This is the order in which to do things.

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Illustration for Choosing Your First Telescope

Telescopes28 January 202611 min read Choosing Your First Telescope Aperture, focal ratio, optical design and mount — and which of them should actually decide your purchase. Tobias Lindqvist

Illustration for Understanding Magnification and Field of View

Telescopes9 February 20268 min read Understanding Magnification and Field of View Four numbers govern every view through every eyepiece. Once they are intuitive, choosing eyepieces stops being guesswork. Tobias Lindqvist

Illustration for How to Align an Equatorial Mount

Observing20 February 202610 min read How to Align an Equatorial Mount Polar alignment is the difference between a mount that tracks and a mount that merely rotates. Three methods, in increasing order of precision. Mara Vance

Illustration for Deep Sky Objects: What to See and How to Find Them

Observing5 March 202610 min read Deep Sky Objects: What to See and How to Find Them The Messier catalogue, the NGC, and the star-hopping technique that makes both reachable. Mara Vance

Illustration for Astrophotography Basics: From Tripod to Tracking

Imaging18 March 202612 min read Astrophotography Basics: From Tripod to Tracking Four stages of increasing complexity, and which one you should actually start at. Priya Raman

Illustration for Solar Observing: Filters and Safety

Safety2 April 20269 min read Solar Observing: Filters and Safety The one branch of astronomy where a mistake is permanent. What is safe, what is not, and how to check. Tobias Lindqvist

Illustration for Understanding Light Pollution and the Bortle Scale

Observing16 April 20268 min read Understanding Light Pollution and the Bortle Scale Nine classes of sky, what each one costs you, and how to make the best of the sky you actually have. Mara Vance

Illustration for How to Read a Star Atlas and Planisphere

Beginner1 May 20268 min read How to Read a Star Atlas and Planisphere Coordinates, chart conventions and the star-hopping workflow that makes any chart usable at the eyepiece. Mara Vance

Illustration for Maintaining and Cleaning Your Telescope

Telescopes20 May 20269 min read Maintaining and Cleaning Your Telescope Collimation, storage, and the rare occasions when optics genuinely need cleaning — plus the many when they do not. Tobias Lindqvist