Meade Instruments Infinity 80, 90 and 102mm Refractor - Manual (Page 13)

placed at the edge of the field, ready to be
further observed.
Vibrations: Avoid touching the eyepiece
while observing through the telescope. Vibra-
tions resulting from such contact will cause
the image to move. Avoid observing sites
where vibrations cause image movement (for
example, near railroad tracks). Viewing from
the upper floors of a building may also cause
image movement.
Let your eyes “dark-adapt:” Allow five or
ten minutes for your eyes to become “dark
adapted” before observing. Use a red-fil-
tered flashlight to protect your night vision
when reading star maps, or inspecting the
telescope. Do not use a regular flash-light or
turn on other lights when observing with a
group of other astronomers. You can make
your own red filtered flashlight by taping red
cellophane over a flashlight lens.
Viewing through windows: Avoid setting
up the telescope inside a room and observ-
ing through an opened or closed window
pane. Images may appear blurred or distort-
ed due to temperature differences between
inside and outside air. Also, it is a good idea
to allow your telescope to reach the ambient
(surrounding) outside temperature before
starting an observing session.
When to observe: Planets and other
objects viewed low on the horizon often lack
sharpness—the same object, when ob-
served higher in the sky, will appear sharper
and have greater contrast. Try reducing
power (change your eyepiece) if your image
is fuzzy or shimmers. Keep in mind that
a bright, clear, but smaller image is more
interesting than a larger, dimmer, fuzzy one.
Using too high a power eyepiece is one of
the most common mistakes made by new
astronomers.
Dress Warm: Even on summer nights, the
air can feel cool or cold as the night wears
on. It is important to dress warm or to have a
sweater, jacket, gloves, etc., nearby.
Know your observing site: If possible,
know the location where you will be observ-
ing. Pay attention to holes in the ground and
other obstacles. Is it a location where wild
animals, such as skunks, snakes, etc., may
appear? Are there viewing obstructions
such as tall trees, street lights, headlights
and so forth? The best locations are dark
ASTRONOMY RESOURCES
• The Meade 4M Community
27 Hubble, Irvine, CA 92618
• Astronomical League
Executive Secretary
5675 Real del Norte, Las Cruces, NM 88012
• The Astronomical Society of the Pacific
390 Ashton Ave., San Francisco, CA 94112
• The Planetary Society
65 North Catalina Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106
• International Dark-Sky Association, Inc.
3225 N. First Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85719-2103
locations, the darker the better. Deep
space objects are easiest to see under
dark skies.
But it is still possible to observe even in
a city.
Surf the Web and visit your local library:
The internet contains a huge amount of
astronomical information, both for children
and adults. Check out astronomy books from
your library. Look for star charts—these are
available on a monthly basis in Astronomy
and Sky and Telescope magazines.
11
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.