First look at he sky (Binoculars).

[StarGeezer]

I've got a few weeks before I get my first scope (8" Dob) so I thought it would be a good idea to spend some time familiarising myself with the night sky so I dug out an old pair of binos, downloaded Stellarium and after having a quick look at a few constellations decided to go outside and see if I could find 'em.

First night without too much cloud cover I was out trying to track down some of what seemed to be the obvious constellations. I had the Stellarium images of Ursa Major and Orions Belt in my head but the first look up the sky seemed full of stars and not much made any sense. After some perseverance though I had Orions belt in view and could just about make out what I presumed to be M42, without binos. Once I had my eye in I began finding it easier to locate the constellations and over the past week I have started to build up a decent idea of what's what up there.

Cassiopeia and Cephus have drawn my interest along with the more obvious sights and I can't wait to get a closer look at what's going on round there. I've been amazed at what can be picked out just with a simple pair of binos.

Still plenty of holes in my basic understanding of the constellations (haven't even positively identified Gemini yet, which seems to be posing more difficulty locating than It should) but I'm steadily improving and have plenty of targets for when I get my scope....Only complaint from all this is I'm starting to get neck ache from all the looking up.

Any hints or tips on improving my basic knowledge are always appreciated...

Cheers.

[Talitha]

Welcome to SGL and congratulations on your soon-to-arrive scope! My best advice would be to get a red flashlight, a planisphere, and a some charts to take outside with you (more on this in a bit). Stellarium is nice, but you'll ruin your night vision if you have to keep looking at a pc screen to check or locate objects.

Oh, and you also might want to check out some of the red-dot finders available. They're zero magnification and are a joy to use compared to standard finder scopes.

Now for more on the charts. Sky and Telescope has a few products which are extremely helpful when you're starting out. One of them is the Messier Card, and the other is the Pocket Sky Atlas. There are other charts and atlases which will help as you progress, but these will serve you nicely until then.

Good luck and again, welcome to SGL.

[StarGeezer]

One of them is the Messier Card, and the other is the Pocket Sky Atlas.

Both have been added to my shopping list & I'll be taking a closer look at investing in a red dot finder as well.... Thx for the advice.

[Taff]

Thats the way i started with astronomy 35 yrs ago was with a 10x50s bins when i saw the moon for the first time.Then i started to learn the constellations till i had a scope i still like useing bins to catch up on old friends.A red light touch and a planishere to help you along.Taff

[StarGeezer]

I invested in a planisphere and red light torch, like you both suggested, and its made life alot easier. Stellarium is still getting alot of use though when the skies are clouded. My 8" Dob has arrived now so the binos are likley gonna take a back seat for a while but I still see them getting plenty of use in the future, I still have so much to learn. Just gotta wait for some clear skies now.