How to REALLY use a Telescope will help you choose the right telescope for you and your family. Factors discussed include cost, portability, the object you want to observe and price range. The course includes tips on choosing, assembling and using your telescope in a realistic and concrete way. We also discuss and show examples of what objects like Mercury, Venus, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn look like through a beginner telescope. Included are observation tips and interesting facts about the objects you'll observe.
We also discuss larger telescopes in use by professional astronomers, both land-based and orbital.
This Course includes great BONUS LESSONS:
How to REALLY Use a Telescope
1. Objective & Warm-up activity
2. Tips and tricks to finding and tracking objects in the sky
3. How to pick the right telescope for your family
4. How much to pay for a telescope
5. What to look for in a telescope
6. What to expect to see with a telescope
7. Galileo and telescopes
8. Magnification, resolution and clarity
9. Gathering light and the telescope’s aperture
10. Comparing and contrasting reflecting and refracting telescopes
11. Telescope accessories and Tripods
12. The functions and uses of lenses
13. Focal length and eyepieces
14. Calculating the telescope’s magnification ability
15. Where to buy a telescope
16. Assembling your telescope and getting help at Star parties
17. Tips and tricks for assembling and configuring your telescope
18. Using the telescope during the day
19. Proper storage of your telescope
20. A checklist for your first night out with the telescope
21. How to find the planets with your telescope
22. Adjusting for the Earth’s movement
23. Cleaning the telescope
24. Using a telescope with young children
25. Managing expectations
26. Observation tips and interesting facts about the Moon
27. Observation tips and interesting facts about Mercury
28. Observation tips and interesting facts about Venus
29. Observation tips and interesting facts about Mars
30. Observation tips and interesting facts about Jupiter
31. Observation tips and interesting facts about Saturn
32. Using a telescope with glasses
33. Keeping your telescope from fogging up
34. Using binoculars to look at the sky
35. Using your naked eyes to look at the sky
36. Recognizing the constellations
37. Observing the Sun with a telescope
38. Very large telescopes around the world
39. Different kinds of light
40. Space-based telescopes
41. Radio telescopes
42. Infrared telescopes
43. Ultraviolet telescopes
44. X-ray telescopes
45. Test questions & Cross-curricular activities
