how do I find something interesting to see with my new telescope?(other than the moon.)?

Answer 1

As an astronomer I can tell you what the great ways of exploring the solar sytem !

First is to get the night sky magazine. It has tours of the night sky you can follow . Second would to use star maps to locate them .
Another good way is the good old internet .
You can put words in like ...

star maps , beginers deep sky , and anything you can think off. Learning to starhop is a good way to find deep sky objects , you find what star the object is by and get the star in view and then point your telescope to the object from there .
One fun way is to just move your telescope around the sky and look. If you pass by something interesting & want to take a better look your learning how to find something! That;s a great start! You and your telescope will have fun exploring space!


Also if you need help you can email me at any time. I'm glad to help . [e-mail]

my website is ..
www.asktheastronomer.blogspot. com

Here are 2 sites to look at .
the second link is really a good directory .

Answer 2

Early in the evening, look at Jupiter. It's the brightest "star" in the southwest. If you've got reasonably dark skies, the area around Sagittarius and Scorpius has lots of interesting objects. Look for bright spots with binoculars or even your naked eye and focus your telescope there. It's best to use your lowest power eyepiece when looking for things.

There are a number of books to get you started finding deep space objects (star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, etc.). "Turn Left at Orion" and "The Backyard Astronomer's Guide" are two good ones. I've also attached a link to an online observing resource.

If there's an astronomy club in your are, seek them out. You will find people who can help you better than any book.

Answer 3

Check out some skywatching web sites and local sky chart listings.

There may be astronomy clubs in your area.

Good luck. Enjoy!

PS This looks like it might be a good start:

http://www.hotliquidmagma.com/