Magazine Articles

Talented telescope maker Ed Jones makes another appearance in my Telescope Workshop column. Ed's best known for his Chiefspiegler design, but has also made many conventional Newtonians as well, including the compact 10-inch travelscope I profile this month.

Little Sagitta is one of my favourite constellations. I like that its compact size makes a nifty binocular target and that it's a jumping off point for several nice binocular targets, including this issue's Binocular Highlight, globular cluster M71.

To find out what else is in the issue, visit S&T’s web site, www.SkyandTelescope.com.

Happy reading — and as always, your comments, questions, and suggestions are welcomed.
Gary

Have you ever stopped to consider why it is you find the Moon so compelling? Yes, it's undeniably beautiful in its "magnificent desolation," as astronaut Buzz Aldrin once so perfectly put it, but I wonder whether there's something else to the experience, something deeper that motivates us to return night after night. In my On The Moon column this issue, I explore this topic and describe my first telescopic encounter with our nearest celestial neighbor.

For those of you unfamiliar with SkyNews, read on . . .

This is a one-off publication for people just getting started and trying to find their way around the sky. The content is largely derived from the dearly departed beginner’s magazine NighSky, which had a brief, but well-regarded run. The bulk of Discover the Constellations consists of monthly sky maps and Tony Flander’s Constellation Close-Ups. I contributed a few articles and served as the magazine’s editor. (You can read Tony's more-detailed description here.)

You should be able to pick it up on your local newsstand, or you can order it on-line here.

Happy reading!
Gary

It's a refractor extravaganza in n Telescope Workshop this month as we profile a pair of nifty designs that utilize flat mirrors. While purists might regard it as heresy to introduce reflective elements into the refractor' s light train, others will recognize the practicality of a shortened tube or the ability to create interesting options. Richard Erich and Robert Ayers take different approaches to their telescopes, but both instruments are chock full of good ideas.

In Binocular Highlight I profile one of Sagittarius's less popular Messiers, M55. This is a terrific globular, but it's perhaps neglected because it lies so far south and so near one of the sky's most action-packed regions.

To find out what else is in the issue, visit S&T’s web site, www.SkyandTelescope.com.

Happy reading — and as always, your comments, questions, and suggestions are welcomed.
Gary

As most readers know, one of my favourite ways to view the night sky is with binoculars. And to get the most out of your binos, you really need to mount them. I've finally come up with a binocular mount that I'm really happy with. It's not only easy to build, it works great! In Telescope Workshop this month I tell you how to put one together. I've posted some extra photos here to supplement the ones in the magazine.

In Binocular Highlight this month I profile the two Messier objects lying in Lyra, the Lyre. M57 is the well-known Ring Nebula, while M56 is an overlooked globular. Both can be seen in binos.

Every crater tells a story. Usually, the broad outlines of the tale are familiar — a comet or an asteroid crashes explosively into the lunar surface and leaves a circular depression. But some craters have more elaborate stories to tell. My On The Moon column this month tells the story of Proclus.

Only a handful of telescopes have been in continuous production for 30 years or more. One of them is the Edmund Scientifics Astroscan — a telescope that’s recently been given a modest makeover and is the subject of this issue’s S&T Test Report. You’ll have to read my review for the details, but suffice it to say, the scope is a mixed bag.

When was the last time you heard about someone making a Gregorian? There are lots of reasons why most ATMs build Newtonians, but even neglected designs can have their virtues. In Telescope Workshop this month I profile Victor Bigea’s 6-inch f/31 Gregorian.

In Binocular Highlight it’s time once again to dip into the rich stream of globular clusters running through the Ophiuchus, Scorpius, and Sagittarius corridor. M19 and M62 are highlighted.

We have learned a great deal about the Moon by examining it in ever increasing detail — right down to microscopic inspection of dust samples. But it’s only when we zoom out and look at the entire Moon that we appreciate its most fundamental aspects. My On The Moon column this issue takes a look at the whole of the Moon and what we can glean from taking it all in at once.

I always struggle to give my scope tubes a decent paint job. In fact, I've largely given up on paint altogether because I've found something that works much better: MonoKote. In this issue's Telescope Workshop column I describe this amazing stuff and how to use it. Most recently I used MonoKote for the telescope covered in my Telescope Diary series on this web page.

In Binocular Highlights, I dip into Caner Venatici. For such a minor constellation, it's surprisingly well stocked with binocular objects. This month I highlight the double star Cor Caroli, and galaxies M94, M63, and M106. All three galaxies are visible in my 10x30 image-stabilized binos, but I needed the extra power of my 15x45s to resolve Cor Caroli. Check them out!

I wrote an article covering the causes and effects of light pollution for the April 2010 issue of our little local paper, Metchosin Muse. My article is on page 11, just before The Rural Gardener and the RCMP and fire department call-outs! If you live in Metchosin you would have received the Muse in your mail box.

In my Telescope Workshop column, this month I profile a nifty scope crafted by Arthur Gamble. The instrument is a short-focus refractor, but what I really like about it is the clever ways Arthur has made its mini-Dobsonian mount. He's solved a lot of long-standing problems that crop up with all small Dobs.

In Binocular Highlights, it's time to dive deep into the Virgo Galaxy Cluster. If you're ticking off all the binocular Messiers, this region will allow you to add significantly to your score, but it won't come easy. None of these galaxies is easy and a couple are among the most difficult objects on the Messier list.

Here is a listing of every article I've written for Sky&Telescope magazine up to the end of 2009. The index is in chronological order and gives the year, month, page number, department heading, and title. You can do a keyword search using your browser's search function (activated by pressing Ctrl and F simultaneously) if you're looking for a specific item.

"I'd like to get into telescope making, but I don't have a workshop." I've heard that one a few times over the years. In actual fact, you don't need a workshop. In my Telescope Workshop column, this month I'll tell you how you can make a scope in an apartment with only a few tools. Sure, you have to go about things a little differently, but it's certainly "doable."

In Binocular Highlights, I showcase an odd couple below the southernmost pointer star in the bowl of the Dipper. M97 and M108 are both challenging binocular objects, but that's where the similarities end — M108 is a distant galaxy, while M97 is one of the Messier list's few planetary nebulae.

Craters, craters, craters. The Moon's surface seems littered with craters — especially in the region known as the Southern Highlands. And yet, if you look carefully enough, you'll find that each one has its own distinctive personality. My On The Moon column this issue describes the scenery in and around Maginus. This is an especially interesting region, and one that allows us to do a little telescopic field geology.

Without question, the best way to learn how to make a telescope mirror is to have an experienced mirror maker at your side as you push glass. Each year there are scores of mirror-making workshops held all over the world. In this month's Telescope Workshop column, I highlight one such event: the Mid-Atlantic Mirror Making Seminar, hosted by the Delmarva Stargazers. If you attend one of these gatherings, there's a good chance you'll come away with a finished mirror, but that's just one of the benefits — the lasting friendships and sense of camaraderie you'll develop are just as rewarding.

In Binocular Highlights, we have a look at a pair of circumpolar Messier galaxies. M81 & M82 are the most northerly objects in Messier's catalogue, and they're also among that list's finest galaxies. What's remarkable about this pairing his how much of each object's character comes through even in binoculars.

Having recently concluded the International Year of Astronomy, an event that celebrated the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s momentous telescopic observations, it’s perhaps appropriate to look back at another, more recent moment in history — the arrival of the Dobsonian telescope. As I note in this month's Telescope Workshop column, it was 30 years ago that most amateur astronomers first heard of John Dobson’s telescope design. For most ATMs, this is a more significant anniversary.

In Binocular Highlights, we take a tour of Lepus, the Hare. With all the beautiful sights in Orion just to the north, it's no wonder that Lepus gets so little attention. Yet the constellation is home to one of the few winter binocular globulars and a couple of interesting double stars.

You can have an enjoyable observing session any time the Moon is in the sky, but for the absolute best telescopic images, it pays to know which lunar phases offers the greatest potential for high-resolution views. My On The Moon column this issue is called "Moon Time" and it describes how to choose your optimal lunar moment.

These are exciting times to be a telescope maker. For the first time in decades, small incremental changes to existing designs are being joined with significant innovations to point the way to the future. One telescope that typifies the leading edge of today's ATMing is Kevin Frederick's impressive 20-inch Chiefspiegler, featured this month in my Telescope Workshop column.

My January Binocular Highlights column takes us on a fishing expedition in Pisces. Galaxy M74 and an attractive double star are featured.

The December issue of S&T is out and on its way to your mailbox and local newsstands.

One topic that never fails to get telescope tweakers talking are the pros and cons of a curved-vane secondary mirror support. In my Telescope Workshop column this month I lay out the case in favour. And if you decide this is something you'd like to try, check out the article I have here for the details on how to build your own.

In Binocular Highlights we take a break from the faint and difficult to look at the Messier catalogue's best galaxy, M31 in Andromeda. Of course, if you are looking for a challenge, the Andromeda Galaxy's companions, M32 and M110 offer just that.

As the International Years of Astronomy (IYA) wraps up, we come to the 400th anniversary of one of the most significant moments in astronomy: Galileo's first telescopic observations of the Moon. In my On The Moon column this issue, I describe how you can follow in the great astronomer's footsteps and experience your own "Galileo Moment."