Star searchers, got a telescope, need advice..

[Debonair]

Originally posted by Shuckins
....how to align polar axis of the scope (uncertain of the terminology relating to this;   it's been a while since I used a scope) with the North Star....

they call it "polar allignment"...but that does not look like a polar mount, it looks like a single fork alt-az with on of them computars that finds stuff for u:aok:aok:cool:learn how to get than thing working is the key to finding the stuff without tits to look at (maybe it can find ladies too, computars are good for that these days).
getting a good view of what you are looking at is best done by having good eyepices & having the mirrors collimated well.  if you're looking at stuff in the messier catalog or similar type of stuff is best to be somewhere dark & with your eyes well dark adapted.  sky & telescope magazine used to be teh astronomy "bible", but now there porbably a website or sumthing...

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Hawklore
Theres a tree in the way...

[Charon]

Some simple hints.

The best vieweing is during the cold air of winter.

Planets tend to be the brightest objects in the sky and twinkle less than stars. It's easy to see Jupiter and four of its moons, and Saturn and its rings. These tend to be the easily the brightest "stars" in the night sky and are visible fairly frequently, particularly in winter.

The Orion Nebual is easy to see, in the middle of the Sword of Orion

The Andromeda galaxy is fairly easy to find

Venus rises shortly before the sun and sets shortly after it, as a bright star on the eastern or western sky respectively. You can even see Venus in a phase like the moon.

Mars can be observed regularly, but without a powerful scope I find it somewhat boring.

I'm stuck with a 60mm Mead, which is alright for the basics but lacking for the really amazing detail.

Charon