Learning To See

In some ways, the image of a distant galaxy or star cluster in your telescope will never rival the pro-quality photographs you see in books and magazines. But with a little practice, you'll learn to observe subtle detail and structure in faint objects that even the best cameras can never capture. Here's how to see more through your telescope.

The Basics

• The first step is to find what you're looking for. Whether you star hop or use a go-to mount, find the object with a low-power eyepiece to give a wide field of view. Congratulate yourself, step back, take a sip of coffee or water and a few deep breaths. Oxygenate your brain… this will help you see better.

• Step back up to the eyepiece. Inspect the object and the stars around it. Is the field of view around the object rich with stars, or is it relatively sparse? What are the colors of the brightest stars in the field of view?

• Now look at the object itself. What is its shape? If it's a galaxy, is it round, or elongated? Does the shape change when you use averted vision? Do you see any structure, dark patches or dust lanes? As you look through the eyepiece, tap gently on the side of your telescope to stimulate your eye's innate ability to detect motion.

• If you're looking at a globular cluster, can you resolve individual stars around the edge, or all the way to the core? Again, averted vision will help enormously. Move your eyes right and left, up and down to see which view is best. Does the density of stars dwindle suddenly at the edge, or more gradually? Any color?

A Deeper Look