Learn About Telescopes and Astronomy

Want to learn about astronomy and telescopes? Prepare to learn from our extensive collection of telescope hobby guides.

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Telescope Learning Resources

Telescope Observation Guides

Telescope Comparison Guides

Telescope Brands Guide

Astronomy Learning Resources

Telescope Learning Resources

A dobsonian's top covered with black cloth for storing

Storing & Maintaining Your Telescope and Accessories

Close-up of the Moon

Telescope Magnification Limits: How Much Is Too Much?

chromatic aberration on a moon picture

Spherical, Chromatic & Other Optical Aberrations: A Stellar Guide

Illustrations showing the effect of heat bloom from warmer scope than the outside air.

Cooling Down Telescopes: An Ultimate Guide

Blurred and non blurred image taken from inside the home near a screen door

Should You Use Your Telescope Through a Window or Indoors?

Blurry image of Jupiter through a telescope

Why is My Telescope Blurry? 10 Reasons Why

Three dobsonian telescopes placed together

Why Buy Dobsonians, and Why I Recommend It?

Starsense 8" dob

Astrophotography With Dobsonians: Is it THAT Bad?

eyepiece and barlow element

The Working and Usage of Barlow Lenses in Telescopes

Sketch of a telescope star testing using Polaris, the north star

How to Star Test a Telescope: Ultimate Guide

Moon Picture by Zane

How to Photograph The Moon with a Telescope

GSO Super Plossl eyepiece

Plossl vs. Kellner Eyepieces: The Ultimate Comparison

A dirty eyepiece which is to be cleaned

Cleaning Telescope Lenses, Mirrors & Filters – Extensive Guide

Powerseeker 70 EQ

Alt-Azimuth vs Equatorial Mount: Ultimate Comparison

All About Recoating & Caring for Telescope Mirrors

Different Types Of Mounts In Beginner Telescopes Discussed

tiny portable telescope

Glossary of Telescope Terms for Newbies

Example of collimated and non collimated optics

How Do I Collimate All Types of My Telescopes?

Light Pollution Example

How I Tackle Light Pollution For My Telescope Observations

Red dot centered on the telescope post

How Do I Usually Align Finderscopes?

Denver stargazing tool chair

Accessories & Tools That I Use For Better Stargazing

Planisphere - Guide to the Stars

How I Use My 16″ Planisphere For Observations

My Celestron Travel Scope Refractor

Understanding Telescopes’ Field of View: The Basics I Know Of

catadioptric, refractor and reflector OTAs

An Introduction To 3 Types of Telescope Optical Tubes

Telescope being used by someone; demonstration graphic

Using Telescopes For Visual Observation: A First-time User’s Guide

Telescope Observation Guides

Venus, the planet

Viewing Venus Through a Telescope

Mars Albedo

How To View Mars With Your Telescope – Ultimate Guide

Jupiter, the planet

How To View Jupiter Through a Telescope

Saturn with rings

How To Observe Saturn with a Telescope

How I Observe the Sun & Its Eclipses Safely

December 22nd, pre-dawn sky.

Which Planets Are Visible Tonight?

Uranus

How to Observe Uranus with Telescope

Neptune

How to Observe Neptune with Telescope

Impact crater Hokusai in mercury

How to Observe Mercury with Telescope

How to Observe The Moon with Telescope

How to Observe Pluto with a Telescope

Eris

How to Observe Dwarf Planets with Telescope

How to Find Pleiades Star Cluster With & Without Telescope

Milky Way Using Nikon D610 stock camera, Nikon 50mm F1.8 and Skywatcher EQ6R

Viewing Milky Way Galaxy: Sharing What I’ve Seen at Different Bortle Locations

Sketch of a few galaxies

Best 50 Galaxies to Observe at Night Sky

Sketch of a telescope user viewing planets

How to Best Observe the Planets with a Telescope

Albireo sketch

10 Top Deep Sky Objects for Astronomy Beginners

A Guide to Finding Andromeda Galaxy and Its Telescope Viewing

Telescope Comparisons

SkyWatcher Virtuoso gtI 150P and 130P

Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 130P vs GTi 150P

Zhumell Z series tabletops (Z100, Z114, Z130)

Zhumell Tabletop Dobs Compared: Z100 vs Z114 vs Z130

6 inch Dob vs 8 inch Dob vs 10 inch dob

6″ vs 8″ vs 10″ Dobsonians: The Ultimate Comparison

8" Dobsonian vs Celestron NexStar 8SE

Celestron Nexstar 8SE vs. 8″ Dobsonians

Celestron Nexstar 4SE Maksutov vs NexStar 8SE SCT

Celestron NexStar 4SE vs NexStar 8SE

Celestron NexStar Evolution 8 vs NexStar 8SE

Celestron NexStar 8SE vs Celestron NexStar Evolution 8

NexStar 6SE vs 8SE

Celestron NexStar 6SE vs. NexStar 8SE

Starblasts, Z114 and Observer 114

Orion StarBlast 4.5 (Astro/EQ) vs. Zhumell Z114 vs. Orion Observer 114

Dobsonian mount

Newtonian vs. Dobsonian: What’s the Difference?

OTA weight comparison graph

Refractor Vs Maksutov Cassegrain Telescopes: Which is Best for You?

80mm achromat

Achromatic vs Apochromatic Refractors: THE Comparison

Binoculars vs. Telescopes: Which One to Buy?

Reflector telescope and refractor telescope on my backyard

The Reflector vs. Refractor Debate: Which Would I Purchase for Visual Astronomy?

Spotting Scopes vs Telescopes: Which to Buy?

Schmidt-Cassegrain vs Maksutov-Cassegrain: Comparison

Telescope Brands Guide

Zhumell Telescopes: Models, Reviews & Ratings

Orion Telescopes: Models, Reviews & Ratings

Meade Telescopes: Models, Reviews & Ratings

Explore Scientific Telescopes: Models, Reviews & Ratings

Celestron Telescopes: Models, Reviews & Ratings

Main telescope brands logos

Listing 198 Telescope/Astronomy Brands List

RR Lyrae stars in Messier 3

What’s a Variable Star, and What Types Are They?

Eagle Nebula

Types of Nebulae & Its Examples: A Comprehensive Guide

Sirius as an example of binary star system

Binary Star Systems: The Ultimate Guide

UY Scuti seen from Rutherfurd Observatory

UY Scuti – 7 Facts About the Biggest(?) Monster Star

Messier 51 Galaxy and its Satellite Galaxy, M51b

A Guide to Finding Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and Its Telescope Viewing

List of stars in Camelopardalis

A Guide on Locating Camelopardalis Constellation & Its Telescope Viewing

Ursa Major, Great Bear

A Guide to Locating & Viewing Ursa Major Constellation Through a Telescope

Tuning-fork style diagram of the Hubble sequence

A Guide to Different Galaxy Types and Their Telescope Viewing

The constellations Orion and Taurus.

A Guide on Locating Constellation Taurus, The Bull, and Its Telescope Viewing