Stargazing Guide: 12 tips for amateur astronomers

Discover the best telescope for beginners right here! and shaded region represent the estimated eclipse depth and its 1σ intervals obtained by fitting the 10 visits simultaneously. The corrected light curves and their 5 min bins are shown with the light and dark blue symbols, respectively. The sample of 32 fitted eclipse models is represented with the brown curves. The photometric points (light blue symbols) and its 10° bins (dark blue symbols) are shown as a function of the roll angle.
Finding the right eyepiece and getting in focus is only one step in the process. Many beginner telescope users forget that everything in space is in motion! Because everything in space is in motion, using a proper mount is important. This is pretty easy, because computerized telescopes have a built-in navigation system. Not only can they align themselves with little help from you, they have a built-in database and drive system that can show you thousands of objects with the push of a few buttons. This inexpensive, simple disc displays the night sky for a range of latitudes, including the constellations and more prominent celestial objects.
The darker polar regions, the equatorial band, and the pale equatorial zones are evident in telescopes of three-inches or more. If the atmosphere is calm, the dark Cassini’s division in the rings is easily seen. Even small telescopes will show Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, but with a six-inch or eight-inch telescope, four or five more are visible. With average seeing use the same powers as listed for Jupiter above.
Sir Isaac Newton later expanded on Galileo’s work when coming up with his own theories. Summer starts on the solstice in late June, when we have the longest day and the shortest night of the year. If you follow the line of Orion’s belt down and to the left, you’ll come to Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Sirius is also known as the Dog Star and lies in the constellation Canis Major, the Great Dog. Park at any of the roadside pullouts and set up chairs to watch the stars overhead. The Pinto Basin Road between Cholla Cactus Garden and Cottonwood has the least traffic and darkest skies.
Neptune (2.7 billion miles from the sun) is a fabulously windy locale, with gusts topping a remarkable 1,500 miles per hour. Sunlight takes four hours to reach the solar system’s most distant planet. It is the brightest-looking planet from Earth owing to both its proximity and the nature of its atmosphere.
The Equatorial Belts are the darkest features and usually appear tan against the golden globe. These are the easiest features to see with a small telescope but usually only one belt is visible with the other being hidden by the rings. Another enjoyable observation is to look for details within the ice caps.