Have you ever stopped and stared at the stars? Thousands of years ago, people would look at the stars and use their imaginations to see shapes and patterns created by the points of light. These shapes and patterns—called constellations—often represented gods, men and women from…

Summer months may have the shortest nights, but there is still a multitude of sights to tempt you outside. From Scorpius and Sagittarius in the south to the stars of Cygnus that pass by overhead, there is plenty to see in the summer sky once…

Our local planetary neighborhood, with its eight planets, began to form 4.6 billion years ago when a region of space filled with interstellar gas and dust collapsed in on itself under the force of its own gravitational pull, eventually igniting the Sun. During the Sun’s formation,…

There are many different telescope types, actually the term “telescope” in fact combines two optical systems, reflectors and refractors, each with its strengths and weaknesses, depending on your needs. In each case, the optical system is comprised of an objective and an eyepiece, although the eyepiece is sometimes…

What kind of telescope should I buy? This is probably the most asked question in any astronomy gear shop, and as you can imagine, there is no easy answer. It depends. If you’ve read our article on the different types of telescopes, you already know…

Telescopes for amateur astronomers are usually mounted on tripods, and as with professional telescopes, the mount itself is an essential part of the instrument. There are two types of mounts: altazimuth mounts and equatorial mounts. The first type is usually shipped with entry-level telescopes, but this…