Fun with Telescopes!

[mrs.b]

The ISS is definitely on our list, but it's further down after we've got a better feel for how to focus the telescope quickly. It is only viewable for narrow windows of time that make it a tough one to capture. During our impromptu Astronomy lessons today, we also learned we should put Neptune further down on the list until closer to...May, I think? (found a website that shows when the planets are closest to earth for easier viewing) due to its distance and dimmer light reflection that makes it harder to spot. We did figure out how the Intelli- portion of our Intelliscope works, though! So next time, aiming should be easier once we've got it configured on focus stars.

We've viewed the images from the local observatory too when Bug and Hubs started the Earth & Space section of their science lessons, but there was something absolutely magical about finding the target ourselves and seeing the results. We did make an amateur mistake, in that we were looking through a 25mm eyepiece which is great, but we had a 10mm available and should have swapped that in to see more surface detail and the moons in more detail. We do not yet have any filters to correct for light pollution or color diffusion, and only a 10mm and 25mm lens, and no Barlows, but they're all on our "to buy" list the next time we've got some free cash handy.

We were going to try to get another glimpse of Jupiter tonight, this time with the other eyepiece. Tonight is when Jupiter is closest to earth in its orbit, but unfortunately the weather is against us with heavy cloud cover and rain.

Our list of targets is ever-growing, though, so any suggestions that might be easy to spot for beginners just learning the ropes is greatly appreciated!