c/backyard-stargazing

Finally spotted Saturn's rings with my cheap 60mm telescope

After 3 tries I actually saw the rings clear as day through my old thrift store scope around 11pm last night... was not expecting it to work that well with just a 4mm eyepiece. Has anyone else gotten good planetary views with a small scope or am I just lucky?

Stared at Jupiter for 3 years before I realized my finder scope was off

I kept wondering why I could never center planets in my eyepiece. Frustrating. Then during a clear night in January I pointed my scope at the Pleiades. The finder showed a completely different spot in the sky. That's when it clicked. I had been fighting a misaligned finder scope for over three years. Has anyone else wasted that much time on such a simple fix?

Tried a red flashlight for night vision and almost lost my dark adaption anyway

I picked up a cheap red flashlight off Amazon for like $8 thinking I was being smart about preserving my night vision while looking at star charts. First night out in my backyard in Austin I used it to check my finder scope and it felt fine at first. But after a few minutes I noticed I could barely make out faint stars that I had been seeing clearly before. Turns out the filter on this thing lets through some orange light too, not just red. It basically ruined my whole session because I kept going back to it every time I needed to tweak something. I ended up having to wait 20 minutes for my eyes to adjust again each time. Has anyone else run into a fake red light problem or found a brand that actually works for backyard stargazing?

A neighbor told me to look for Jupiter through a broken pair of binoculars

Last summer my next door neighbor Bob insisted I could see Jupiter's moons with these old binoculars he had, the ones with the right lens cracked. I figured he was just being a nice guy, you know, making conversation. But one clear night in August I actually tried it, holding the good side up to my eye and bracing my elbows on the fence. And he was totally right. I could see four little dots lined up next to Jupiter, plain as day, no telescope needed. The trick was keeping my head super still and using a low tree branch as a rest. Now I tell everyone to try binoculars first before buying a big scope. Has anyone else had luck with cheap gear for planet watching?

Debate: Eyeballing star positions vs using an app to find deep sky objects

I used to just go out with my binoculars and try to track down Messier objects by memory. It worked okay for the bright ones like Andromeda or Orion, but I kept missing fainter stuff like M81 or M82 because I couldn't pin down the spot. Then about 6 months ago I downloaded Stellarium and started using it to guide me to exact coordinates. Now I find everything way faster, but I feel like I lost that sense of hunting and exploring. Am I cheating myself out of the real stargazing experience, or is tech just the smart way to go for backyard folks with limited time?

TIL someone dumped a ton of fire ash near the best stargazing spot in our county park

I went out to Pine Hill Overlook last night around 11pm, it's usually my go-to spot because the light pollution is almost zero out there. But when I got there the whole clearing smelled like a campfire and there was a big mound of gray ash right where I set up my telescope. Someone must have dumped their fireplace or grill ashes there the day before. The wind kicked up and I spent the first 20 minutes coughing and trying to find a spot upwind of it. Ruined my night for tracking Jupiter because I kept getting ash particles on my lens and had to keep cleaning it. I know people think ash is harmless but it's stupid to leave it in a dry grass field near the woods. Has anyone else had their view trashed by something dumb like this at your local spot?

Am I the only one who thinks star charts are overrated for backyard viewing?

Everyone always says to start with a planisphere or app to find stuff, but I spent 6 months just looking up at my yard in Phoenix without one. I learned the constellations better by just memorizing Orion and working outward each night. A chart actually distracted me from noticing the faint stuff like the Crab Nebula. Has anyone else had better luck just winging it?

I used to try and sketch every constellation I saw, but now I just take a picture with my phone and label it later.

Tried a red flashlight for stargazing and it actually worked better than I expected

I was having trouble reading my star chart at night because my regular flashlight wrecked my night vision. Last month I bought a cheap red headlamp for 8 bucks online and gave it a shot. Turns out I could see the chart fine and my eyes adjusted back to the dark way quicker. Anyone else use red lights or just deal with the dark?

Serious question, did anyone else buy a 'premium' star chart app for $40 back in the day?

I got one about a decade ago thinking it would be my main tool, but the interface was clunky and it never got updated for new phone screens. Ended up using free apps that were way better after just a couple of months. What was your biggest waste of money when you were starting out?

Update on that 'useless' red filter for Jupiter

My buddy Mark in Cincinnati kept telling me to get a cheap #25 red filter for my 6-inch Dob, saying it would make Jupiter's belts pop. I thought it was a gimmick, but I finally grabbed one for $12 last week. Tried it out during the recent opposition and wow, the contrast on the North Equatorial Belt was way better than I expected. Anyone else have a simple filter tip that actually worked?

Spent $80 on a 'deluxe' dew heater for my telescope lens and it worked so well a spider built its web across the eyepiece overnight thinking it was a cozy new home.

Has anyone else had unexpected backyard visitors attracted by their gear?

Just realized my neighbor's simple advice about light pollution was right

I was talking with my neighbor, Mr. Henderson, last night while we were both outside, and he pointed out that the streetlight by my driveway washes out the whole eastern sky. He said, 'You're fighting a light you can move away from.' So I took my scope about twenty feet further into the yard tonight, behind my shed, and the difference viewing the Andromeda Galaxy was huge. Has anyone else found a surprisingly simple spot in their yard that made a big difference?

My dew heater failed right as Jupiter was coming into view

I was out in my yard in Boise last Tuesday, it was about 2 AM and my scope was finally cooled down. The lens fogged up so fast I couldn't see a thing, and I had to pack it in for the night. Does anyone have a good backup plan for when your gear just quits on you like that?

Just realized my buddy was right about waiting for the moon to set

He kept saying, 'Dude, just wait until 2 AM for the Orion Nebula,' and after three failed attempts with washed-out views, I finally stayed up and saw insane detail through my 8-inch Dobsonian, so what's the best target you've seen by just being patient?

Shoutout to the guy who mentioned a red flashlight on here a while back

Took me 3 nights of ruining my night vision with my phone screen before I finally ordered one, and it arrived yesterday. What other basic gear did you all put off getting for way too long?

Hot take: I blew $150 on a 'premium' star chart app and it's basically useless

So I got really into trying to plan my viewing sessions from my yard in Cincinnati, and I saw this fancy app that promised real-time, super detailed charts with all the deep sky objects. The screenshots looked amazing, so I paid the one-time fee. Big mistake. The interface is so cluttered and slow that by the time it loads and I find anything, my eyes have already adjusted to my phone screen and I've ruined my night vision. It also constantly needs a data connection, which is spotty out back, so half the time it just shows a spinning wheel. I've gone back to my old, free planisphere and a printed monthly sky guide from a magazine. The debate I'm having with myself is whether these super detailed digital tools are actually better for casual backyard viewing, or if they just overcomplicate a simple, peaceful hobby. Has anyone else dumped money on an app or gadget that just got in the way?

Unpopular opinion: I think a full moon is actually a decent time for backyard astronomy

I got a new 8-inch Dobsonian telescope in December and decided to test it out during the full moon last week. I figured I'd just look at the moon itself, but then I tried for the Orion Nebula. The view was washed out, sure, but I could still see the Trapezium stars clearly. It made me wonder if we write off bright nights too fast. Has anyone else found good targets when the moon is up?

Vent: My neighbor in Phoenix put up a super bright security light last month and now I can't see the Milky Way from my own yard anymore.

Can we talk about the moment you realized your red light was the problem?

I spent 6 months in Phoenix wondering why my night vision was so terrible until I noticed the little red LED on my power strip was lighting up my whole dark-adaptation process, so what's the one thing you didn't realize was messing with your view?

I was totally wrong about the best time to look at Saturn

For two whole years I only tried to see it in the middle of the night, thinking that was the only way. Then last month, I checked my Stellarium app and saw it was actually high enough right after sunset from my yard in Phoenix. The view at 9 PM was way clearer than my usual 2 AM attempts because the atmosphere was steadier. Anyone else have a planet they were looking for at totally the wrong time?

Warning: I finally got a proper red flashlight for my star charts

For the first year I was just using my phone screen on low brightness, which wrecked my night vision every time. Last week I bought a basic $15 red LED headlamp from a camping store. The difference was huge. I could actually read my charts and see the Milky Way at the same time. Has anyone found a specific brand that holds up well?

A guy at the Denver astronomy club said my $80 binoculars were 'pointless for deep sky' and honestly, he was RIGHT.

I dropped $40 on a 'premium' star chart that was just a blurry printout from some guy's basement.

I was so excited for the Orionid meteor shower last month, but the chart was useless and I missed the peak because I couldn't match the constellations... has anyone found a good, free app or website that actually works for spotting showers?

My cousin Frank insisted the 'big moving star' over his garage was a UFO until I showed him the Stellarium app and it was just Jupiter.

He was so sure he'd seen something alien that he almost called the local news station, but after we looked it up together on my phone, he just stared at the screen for a full minute and said, 'Well, that's a lot less exciting.'