Observing the Night Sky

What will you be able to see tonight?
Check out the Colorado Springs Clear Sky Clock

Test on Telescopes and Binoculars

Tools for observing the Night Sky...

You'll want to know the basics about these instruments, & more...

Binoculars

	Roof-Prism v. Porro-Prism - Orion Telescopes
	Binoculars: Halfway to a Telescope - S&T Magazine
	Choosing Binoculars for Stargazing - S&T Magazine
	How to Select the Right Binocular - Meade

Telescopes

	How to Choose a Telescope - Orion Telescopes
	Choosing a Telescope for Astronomy - The long version - Orion
	Choosing Your First Telescope - S&T Magazine
	Types of Telescopes - Meade Instruments

Types of Telescopes

	Refracting
	Reflecting Schmidt/Maksutav - Cassegrain Telescopes (compund, or catadioptric) Dobsonians Mirrors & Eyepieces [ S&T Magazine ]
	Power and Focal Ratio Power and Focal Ratio - Orion How to Calculate Power - Meade What does focal length mean? - Meade

	Astrophotography and CCDs. (from S&T Magazine)
	Spacecraft, to get closer, or above the atmosphere (a Bijou page of further links)

Use These Outside Resources to learn about Astronomical Instruments...

	Orion Telescope Learning Center (Orion Home)
	Meade Instruments How Telescopes Work (Meade Home)
	Sky and Telescope Magazine HowTo Pages
	Celestron Telescopes Telescope Basics (Celestron Home)

Test on Telescopes and Binoculars

Go on to Spacecraft