Beginners

As an amateur astronomer I have a lot in common with thousands of others in my hobby around the world. The common struggle to achieve the best equipment, training and clear skies combined with the free time to enjoy it all is a major challenge. All of these problems evaporated with a wonderful week spent with Lynn and Mike at New Mexico Skies.

City/Suburban Observing and how misleading marketing materials might disappoint beginning astronomers.

Or "How to mount the biggest RDF on a small OTA"

You could re-caulk the shower today, or...

Before you buy

Why don't they tell us this stuff!

What is atmospheric seeing, and how does it limit your telescope? Learn about the mythical seeing cell, and explore the legend of the small telescope that trumps its larger neighbors when the seeing is poor. In this article we look at how the atmosphere distorts starlight and how simple models can help us understand what we see in different telescopes.

What would Astromart be without packing and shipping? Here is my easy, twelve week home study course, that will have you packing and shipping like a pro in no time.

This is an edited version of a short guide to choosing a telescope mirror available on the zambutomirrorgroup at Yahoo, written by Carl Zambuto for the group members. Following are 12 points for consideration when shopping for a telescope mirror, presented here with Carl's permission.

A primer for beginners on eyepiece selection.

The thing that I have seen beginners struggling with is Polar Alignment. This short article is intended to allieviate your stress.

Despite the fact that it’s pretty boring, telescope designer Rick Shaffer explains the elusive exit pupil of a telescope. This is the very first installment of his new column, Wild Card.