Expert: Paul Wagner - 11/24/2008

Question
I have always been told that there are no dumb questions but I may prove that statement wrong - I have a couple of different telescopes but am having the same trouble with all of them, I can't seem to look at anything except the moon. When I try to look at a nebula or constellation all that I can see is basically the same as without a scope - a small blurry speck! I have tried aligning (can't think of the correct term now) the mirrors to no event. I have polished the mirrors as well as replaced one of them. Tried going to a dark area to observe (could it be that I still have too much ambient light?). No change in the viewing but as to the moon I can get a very crisp picture of the craters and strong shadows.
 It is driving me nuts here, any help appreciated. I have even contacted a local amateur astronomy club only to get no response.
Butch Schneider

Answer
Hi Butch

This is absolutely not a dumb question.  You have hit upon one of the real issues of small telescopes.  The photos on the outside of the box were taken with professional scopes and time-exposure photography.  Birght objects, like the moon and planets, still look pretty good when viewed through a small telescope.

Here are a few tips:  Start with the Orion Nebulae (M42) or Andromeda, (M31). Those are the two biggest and brightest in the sky right now, and if you are in a dark sky, you will see a lot more detail and size than with your naked eye.  Especially with Orion, you can even try some high magnification to see more detail in the center core--there are four small stars there.

Then you can move on to smaller and dimmer objects--bearing in mind that they will always be smaller and dimmer.  

These dim objects suffer in comparison to the moon or planets.  You can improve the view of galaxies and nebulae by

1.  Moving to a very dark sky.  The best views I have ever had have been at 7,000 feet in the mountains---far better than with a much larger telescope at sea level in a city. And the moon will always make the background sky brighter---so the perfect night has no moon at all.

2. Making sure your eyes are dark-adapted.  It takes at least 15 minutes for your eyes to get sensitive to the dark sky--and any lights around you will slow that even more.  The worst thing you can do?  Look at the moon!  It is so bright in a telescope that it will ruin your night vision for a long time.  

3.  using a low power eyepiece for the larger ones, so that you do get a chance to see the very dim edges of the whole thing. Then move in for more detail.

3.  buying a bigger telescope.  My largest in 17 inches in diameter---and it is still not big enough to get the view I want!

Hope that helps--do let me know how you get on!

Paul Wagner