The Rokinon 900mmx60mm Equatorial Refractor Telescope is great for watching meteor showers.

The Ursid and Geminid winter meteor showers are the most famous because they both appear in the month of December. The Geminids appears on winter solstice every year like clockwork. The showers are actually space rock hurtling toward the atmosphere and burning on contact. The Geminids gets its name because the showers appear to originate from Gemini, a constellation of stars. While most are considered to be from a passing comet, the Geminids are thought to have resulted from a passing asteroid. Appearing like fireworks, they are very bright and if you are not aware of them, can be frightening when they first appear.

The Ursid winter meteor showers are not as famous but generally occur near the end of December. This shower sometimes coincides with a lunar eclipse. It is often difficult to observe these showers because they originate from the Ursa Minor constellation, which is near the North Pole. They are faint but shoot at a medium speed. The debris from the comet Tuttle provides what is needed for this meteor showers performance. While the Geminids are often in the hundreds per hour, the Ursid is usually around 12 per hour. This provides the opportunity to enjoy sipping a nice hot cup of cocoa as the show goes on.

With winter solstice and the lunar eclipse occurring at the same time this year, the show should be spectacular. This is the first time in over three hundred years that a show like this will be available due to the two events happening at the same time.

Naturally, a good telescope would be great to view these events.

Winter Meteor Showers Spectacular is a post from: Binoculars Direct | Eyeglasses | Sunglasses | Contact Lenses | Goggles

Venus
The goddess planet will be most visible in the early evening. Look for this white planet after dusk in the west.

Mars
Mars is always one of the easiest planets to see because of its dashing crimson color. Look for a star in the sky that appears redder than the others, and chances are it’s the god of war. During this month, Mars will be most visible out west, and high above the horizon.

Jupiter
Though Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, it’s not always the most visible because of its distance and proximity to earth. May, however, is a good month to see it for all you early birds out there. Direct your telescope or binoculars right around the eastern horizon just before sunrise. As soon as the sun is fully displayed and the sky is blue, Jupiter will disappear.

Related pages and posts – Choosing The Right Telescope, Telescopes Terminology, Telescopes Online.

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Three Planets to See This Month is a post from: Binoculars Direct | Eyeglasses | Sunglasses | Contact Lenses | Goggles

The Orion SkyView Pro 100ED GoTo Refractor Telescope is a complete equatorial observing package.

When selecting a telescope consider which target objects you plan to explore as well as you level of experience. For viewing most night sky objects, you’ll want a telescope with as much aperture as possible. Keep in mind that as the size of the objective lens or mirror increases, so does the size of the telescope. So, be sure to select a telescope that isn’t too heavy to manage or too complicated for you to set-up. . . especially if portability is a necessity.

More than 400 years ago, Galileo founded modern physics. His discoveries, methods, and creativity provided Isaac Newton with the laws and principles needed for him to discover the laws of gravity. Equally important, he invented and used his telescope to prove our planet is only one part of a sun centered solar system. Galileo records that he designed and built no less than 100 telescopes. But only a handful were good enough to use; efficient enough to bring distant objects 30 times closer.

In 1610 A.D. his finest telescope, the one he used regularly to explore the heavens, provided him with a sharp image only at the center of his lens. Despite fuzziness and “rainbows” surrounding the center image (today called “aberrations”) he was able to explore and understand the celestial wonders his telescope revealed each night. As a result of his explorations, Galileo created an entirely new science . . . Astronomy. Since then, Astronomers have continually strived to perfect the telescope. Indeed, designing and manufacturing telescopes has become a science in and of itself.

Related pages and posts – Choosing The Right Telescope, Telescopes Terminology, Telescopes Online.

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Telescopes Buyer’s Guide is a post from: Binoculars Direct | Eyeglasses | Sunglasses | Contact Lenses | Goggles

Celestron Nexstar 5 SE Telescope is a popular example of high-quality Schmidt-Cassegrain optics.

For many of us, telescopes are mainly associated with astronomy or exploration. But not many of us realize how unique telescopes really are. There are three different general types of telescope out there, and each of them function differently. Each unique type is used for very different purposes than the rest. Depending on what use you want to get out of your telescope, determines the type of telescope that you will need to purchase. It will also be the deciding factor in how much the telescope will cost you in the long run. Also make sure that the location you plan to view from is not a built up area, and has no pollution.

The three main types of telescopes are refractor, reflector, and catadioptric.

Refractor telescopes are the traditional lengthy tube shaped telescope, most used by explorers or sailors. The refractor telescope uses lenses that bend light, causing the rays to meet a point at the opposite end. The eyepiece magnifies this for your viewing.

Reflector telescopes however, contain a primary mirror that is concave in shape. This mirror sends light to a flatter mirror, that reflects it out of a side opening to the eyepiece. The light is then magnified and focused.

The final type of telescope is the catadioptric telescope, which is becoming popular on the market right now. This type of telescope utilizes a series of mirrors and lenses that will fold the light’s path, sending it through to the primary mirror via a small hole. This allows for the light to be both focused and magnified while viewing. Within the Catadioptric type of telescope are two sub types. These are Maksutov-Cassegrain and Schmidt-Cassegrain. This type of telescope is rather easy to move and use, and is extremely versatile, making it great for deep space and planetary observation.

Once you have decided what you would like to view through your telescope, and the type of telescope that best fits your needs, you need to decide how much you are willing to carry around in order to use your telescope. Telescopes can be rather bulky in nature, due to their tripod and mountings which are essential to their use. Once that is decided, you should focus on how much to spend compared to how much aperture you can get. Magnification is not a major concern, you should focus more on how much light gathering capability it has. More light means you will see better when viewing. The larger the aperture, the better when it comes to viewing.

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Choosing The Right Telescope is a post from: Binoculars Direct | Eyeglasses | Sunglasses | Contact Lenses | Goggles