Science & Nature

There are many reasons you might want to find stars in the sky. Perhaps you are taking a class on astronomy. Maybe you are on a trip to a new place and looking for an interesting activity. Or...

On a night when the temperature falls rapidly and the air is calm, dew will form on telescope mirrors and lenses, blocking or impeding light. A good way to prevent the formation of dew on...

Before World War II, there was a considerable telescope-making population around the world. Today, would-be observers usually just buy a telescope, but a few still find enjoyment in making their...

A simple to build and use, hand-held solar radio telescope can be made with a few dollars worth of parts and an hours worth of time. Will it work as well as Jodie Foster's large radio telescope...

If you're interested in building a telescope at home, you might be surprised to learn that you can make one using cheap, basic materials that you may already have sitting around your house. For...

A telescope forms a magnified image of distant objects such as planets and stars by using lenses or mirrors, and in some cases both. It will allow you to see things in greater detail or see things...

Whether you're gazing at the moon, Saturn, the Orion Nebula or a distant object, the magnification of the telescope plays an important role in your experience. Calculating magnification is...

The constellation of the Crab, named Cancer, is one of the Zodiac constellations, meaning that is has great significance to astrologers. Astronomers armed with powerful telescopes know that this...

A reflector telescope has two mirrors. The primary mirror has a parabolic shape enabling it to gather and focus light. The secondary mirror is flat and reflects the light to a focal plane at the...

Of the many objects to observe in the night sky, amateur astronomers often seek out the planets. Unlike the distant stars, which appear only as points of light in even the biggest telescopes, the...

The Bushnell 565 telescope is a refracting telescope that uses convex lenses to collect light and magnify the image. Its name comes from the telescope's ability to magnify an image 565 times its...

The nighttime sky has long fascinated man, leading to scientific discoveries of the eight planets (remember that Pluto was discovered to be a moon) that constitute Earth's solar system. While...

Build your own telescope, and gaze into the stars. Although today's reflector telescopes have become inexpensive, nothing speaks about your passion for the great beyond like having others...

Earth's atmosphere interferes with the operation of telescopes. The Hubble Space Telescope is positioned above the atmosphere and therefore can make observations that are impossible from the ground.

The Tasco Luminova Telescope is fairly easy to use. It's lightweight and transportable as well. It's considered a reflector telescope with some advanced features. Reflectors deliver excellent...

If you want your reflecting telescope to work at its optimum level, you need to determine the focal length of the telescope's concave mirror. A concave mirror's reflecting surface curves inward...

Bushnell offer amateur astronomers three good-value telescope ranges. The Northstar range includes computerized telescopes with real voice output and have databases of 20,000 celestial objects...

A good reflecting telescope can be expensive to buy. The cheapest reflectors cost hundreds of dollars, and it is easy to spend thousands of dollars on high-quality models. A cheaper alternative is...

The Italian scientist Galileo made several scientific discoveries and inventions, but his most famous invention, his telescope, was actually no invention at all.

If you plan on stargazing with your telescope, you will need a telescope mount and tripod to support the telescope and guide it. There are generally two main types of telescope mounts: the...

Saturn is one of the easier planets to find in the sky if you know where to look. It will look like a bright star to the naked eye, a golden oval through a low-power telescope, and a distinctly...

The Hubble Space Telescope is an invention that took 44 years to bring to fruition, yet the wait allowed advances in technology to capture some of the most stunning photographs the human eye has...

Telescopes have been used to view objects at a distance for centuries. Over the years, basic telescope structure has become more complex, and many variations on this simple idea have been created....

Microscopes and telescopes have distinctly different functions, yet they both work on similar principals -- light and lenses. With the invention of the telescope, mankind has been able to see...

Although primarily known for his scientific contributions, Galileo is also responsible for progressing along several fundamental inventions that are commonplace today. He invented or contributed...

Wow! Jupiter is currently out and very bright. Don't miss it! It is easy to see, here is how!

There really isn't much difference between a telescope and a camera lens. A telescope is just a lens used to enlarge objects over a greater distance. And while you camera's zoom may not be large...

Thermal Imaging technology has been in use for nearly half a century in both the military and civilian worlds. It is useful in finding injured people that are masked from view in burning buildings...

Orion’s XT10 Skyquest Telescope with Intelliscope positioning is a big deal for a new astronomer. This telescope has a ten inch primary mirror and can easily reach deep space objects. Aligning an...

Orion telescopes have been recommended by amateur and professional star gazers since the early seventies. Twenty first century astronomers confirm the fact that Orion's choices of telescopes and...

Astronomical objects are what telescopes were made for and the Moon is one of the most telescopically viewed objects in astronomy. On a clear night a person needs little to see the details of a...

Looking through a telescope on a clear evening is a thrill for everyone, young and old. The first telescope was developed by the Dutch in 1608 and ever since then, this remarkable invention has...

For thousands of years, people have watched the night sky for purposes of navigation, agriculture and wisdom. Children and adults alike are intrigued by stars, planets, comets and black holes....

The reflecting telescope is a relic from the 17th century, when Galileo first conceived of the idea and Isaac Newton actually built one. Over the years the device has grown in popularity,...

In 1668 Isaac Newton built his first primitive reflecting telescope. At this time he was elected a Fellow at Trinity College, which is located in Cambridge, England. Before that he had attended...

The telescope is one of the greatest astronomical inventions we have. For those of us who will never be NASA astronauts it is a way for us to get a little closer to the final frontier. Like any...

If you want to make a great science project with your kids, or with your class, nothing beats building your own telescope. There are two main kinds of telescopes; refracting and reflecting. You...

Summer is a great time to head out into your back yard and do some stargazing. You can also head over to a large field or other vacant area to make sure it's dark enough.

Naming a star after someone is a nifty gift. It's got romantic overtones, certainly, but it can also provide a compelling legacy for the matriarch in the family or a couple's first born. There are...

Cleaning a telescope is a very delicate task that should not be done by a novice. Unless the optics and mirrors of the telescope have become extremely dirty, rendering it unusable, you will want...

Magnification power measures how much larger an object appears after magnification. Those who typically speak about magnification are scientists and perhaps bird watchers or photographers....

Astronomy is a fascinating hobby and can provide hours of fun for you and your family as you search the night skies for celestial bodies known and unknown. One of the most popular brands of...

You can make a simple telescope with two convex lenses. A critical step in making the scope is determining how far apart to place the lenses. If you know their focal lengths, simply add them...

Astrophotography is a dream that took almost 100 years to be fully realized. Today, expensive telescopes like the Hubble Telescope take high resolution pictures of far-off galaxies, while amateur...

Though there are other uses, the most common reason for attaching a camera to a telescope is to take pictures of celestial objects like stars and planets. Canon's digital EOS cameras can be...

A terrestrial telescope is an instrument that allows you to view birds, animals and other objects at a distance. For those who enjoy sailing, it can be used for viewing objects on land. It...

Celestron makes a variety of telescopes designed for anyone from the beginning amateur astronomer to the experienced stargazer. Most of Celestron's telescopes utilize the same basic logic and...

A reflector telescope makes it relatively easy for anyone to explore the galaxy in detail without leaving the Earth. But telescopes are delicate equipment, and although many commercial reflector...

There are different types of telescopes and different accessories for each type. A good telescope is the one that will perform the right functions for your purposes and is in accord with your...

Telescopes are used to view objects in the sky. Many backyard astronomers use their 114mm telescopes to view stars and planets in the night sky. You can use a 114mm telescope with either a clock...