c/backyard-stargazing

Hot take: phone apps for star tracking are overrated

I used to think those sky map phone apps were the best thing for backyard stargazing, but after using just a printed star wheel for the last 3 months, I got way better at finding things on my own. The app did too much of the work and I never learned the actual sky patterns. Anyone else ditch the tech and go back to paper?

I finally saw Saturn's rings after 3 years of trying

Last Tuesday night I dragged my old Celestron 130EQ into the backyard around 11pm. 3 years ago I bought this thing and every time I aimed at Saturn it just looked like a fuzzy star. I tried different eyepieces, collimated the mirrors twice, even bought a barlow lens. Finally got a night with steady air and clear skies and there they were, those rings plain as day. Has anyone else dealt with a scope that just wouldn't focus right for ages?

Pro tip: do you plan your viewing around moon phase or just go out whenever?

I used to just step outside any clear night, but after a trip to Cherry Springs State Park last summer I totally changed my approach. The park ranger there told me they schedule their big events around the new moon because even a sliver of moonlight washes out faint galaxies and nebulas. Now I check a moon phase app before I even grab my chair, but some of my buddies argue that a half moon is perfect for looking at craters and mountain ranges. What's your take on this, do you plan around the moon or just wing it?

Hit 100 different objects in my telescope log last night

I started keeping a log of everything I spot in my 8 inch dob back in March. Last night I checked and I was at 99 objects. So I stayed up late and found NGC 4565 in Coma Berenices to make it an even 100. That needle galaxy is seriously thin and took me a solid 15 minutes to confirm against the star charts. I never thought I'd care about a number like that but it felt good to see the list grow. Most of my finds are just Messier objects and a few double stars. Has anyone else kept a log and hit a milestone that surprised you?

Took me 5 years to realize my binoculars were out of collimation

I kept wondering why Jupiter looked blurry no matter how much I adjusted focus, then a guy at a star party looked through them for 2 seconds and said "your right barrel is off." Has anyone else used bad gear for way too long without noticing?

Just drove 3 hours to Cherry Springs State Park and couldn't see a thing

I planned this trip for months, checked the weather, packed a new chair and my 8 inch Dob. Got there around 9 PM and the sky was washed out. I thought it was a dark sky park but the moon was barely up. Turns out a wildfire 60 miles away was pumping smoke into the whole region. Couldn't even spot the Milky Way. Rangers said it's been happening more often the last few years. Anyone else run into this with smoke ruining a trip?

Three years ago I built my own Dobsonian mount and it still wobbles

I spent a whole winter back in 2021 piecing together a 10 inch Dobsonian from plans I found online, thought I had it dialed in. Last week during the Perseids the whole thing started shaking every time I bumped the eyepiece, like it's got a loose joint somewhere in the base. Anyone else fight with homemade mounts and find a trick to stop the wobble without just buying a whole new setup?

I used to think light pollution apps were a gimmick... then I checked my spot in Wichita.

For a year I just picked random spots in my yard and hoped for the best. Last week I pulled up a light pollution map and found a darker corner behind my shed I never tried. The Bortle scale reading there was 5 compared to 7 in my driveway. Over 3 nights I saw 12 more stars than usual and even caught a faint glimpse of the Andromeda galaxy. This whole time I was 30 feet from a way better view. Has anyone else found a hidden sweet spot in their own yard by checking maps?

Pro tip: red flashlight filter beats phone screen every time

I used my phone's white light for two years and couldn't figure out why my night vision was always shot. Switched to a $6 red filter on my headlamp last month and now I can actually see the Pleiades without waiting 20 minutes for my eyes to adjust again. Anyone else have a different trick for preserving night vision?

Took me 6 months to realize my telescope finder scope was pointing at a different patch of sky than the main tube

Had to choose between a 8 inch dob and a 6 inch SCT for my backyard setup

Went with the dob because it was $200 less and I figured aperture wins for star clusters, but now I'm fighting with collimation every time I roll it out onto the patio and I'm wondering if any of you have regretted not getting the SCT for the grab-and-go factor?

My telescope mount gave out on the clearest night in months

Last Tuesday I finally got a perfect clear sky after three weeks of clouds, and my old EQ mount just started grinding halfway through aligning on Jupiter. I ended up just lying on a lawn chair with binoculars instead has anyone else had a mount die at the worst possible time?

Spent 2 years pointing my telescope at the wrong spot in the sky

Turns out I was aiming my 8 inch dob at what I thought was the Andromeda Galaxy but it was actually just a fuzzy star cluster. Happened last Tuesday when I pulled up SkySafari on my phone and saw my coordinates were off by 15 degrees. All those nights squinting at nothing. Anyone else ever realize they were looking at the completely wrong object?

Heads up about light pollution at Cherry Springs State Park

I drove out to Cherry Springs last weekend and noticed the parking lot lights were left on until almost 11pm, totally ruining the dark sky view. Did anyone else catch that or was it just a one-time thing?

Heard a neighbor say telescopes are useless in the city, made me rethink my whole setup

I was out in my driveway last Thursday trying to catch Saturn when my neighbor walked by and said why bother, the streetlights drown everything out anyway. It got me thinking about how Ive been fighting light pollution with filters and dark adaption apps instead of just driving 20 minutes to a darker spot. Took my scope to a county park last weekend and saw the Andromeda galaxy clear as day for the first time. Anyone else hit that wall where your backyard is convenient but the view is junk?

Hit 100 nights logged in my backyard and noticed something worrying

I went out as usual last Wednesday and saw my logbook was exactly at 100 entries since April. What surprised me was that the last 30 observations all showed a faint orange glow creeping into my southern sky, even on clear nights. I looked up the source and it turns out a new warehouse complex two miles away put in security lights with no shielding. Has anyone else had their sky quality drop after a local building went up?

5 years of backyard stargazing and I finally saw the Andromeda galaxy from my driveway

Last Tuesday night I dragged my 8 inch Dobsonian out at 11 PM. It took me 3 years just to find the right spot in the sky, always thinking I needed darker skies. Turns out my own driveway in Phoenix works fine if I wait until the neighbor's floodlights shut off. Anyone else struggle with light pollution more than they expected?

Finally picked a Bortle 3 site over my usual Bortle 5 backyard for last night's session

Been debating whether to drive 45 minutes to Cherry Springs or just stick with my light-polluted yard. Chose the darker site and wow, I actually saw the Milky Way core with my naked eyes for the first time. Used my 8 inch dob and even managed to spot the Veil Nebula with a filter, something I've never pulled off at home. Anyone else make the switch to a darker spot and notice way more detail in faint stuff?

Used to just eyeball my telescope alignment... now I actually check the viewfinder first

I spent like a year just pointing my dob at stars and hoping for the best... wasted so many clear nights. Then about 6 months ago I read a post here about making sure the viewfinder and main scope are dead-on aligned during the day. Now I do it every time before dark and it takes maybe 5 minutes. Anyone else have a habit they ignored for way too long that changed their whole stargazing game?

My neighbor told me I was blocking his view of Saturn with my phone light

I was out there last Tuesday trying to get a shot of Saturn through my little Dobsonian, and I had my phone screen cranked up to read the SkySafari app. My neighbor Dave from two houses over walks across his lawn and goes, "Hey, you're ruining my night vision, turn that thing off." I felt dumb but he showed me how to use some red tape over a cheap headlamp instead. Now I can actually see the stars without blinding everyone within 50 feet. Has anyone else had a neighbor call them out for something obvious like that?

Why does nobody talk about how bad light pollution maps really are?

I was out near Denton last month trying to find a dark spot based on one of those online light pollution maps. The map showed a green zone but the sky was washed out orange from a new housing development they didn't update. I drove 45 minutes for nothing. Now I just check satellite images from the last 6 months instead of trusting those maps. Has anyone else had a map lead you to a bad spot like that?

Saturn looked blurry for 3 months until I realized I had forgot to take the collimation cap off my new telescope

I had been blaming the cheap eyepiece and the bad seeing and even my neighbors porch light but then I saw a post on here about checking the dust cap and felt like the biggest fool in the Midwest, has anyone else missed something that obvious right in front of their face?

Last Tuesday I counted 14 satellites in 20 minutes from my deck

I was out watching for the ISS pass around 9pm and ended up staying out way longer than I planned. Every time I looked up there was another one drifting across the sky, some bright steady ones and a few that blinked. My neighbor came out to see what I was staring at and I made him stand there counting with me for a solid minute. Has anyone else had a night where the satellites just kept coming like that?

Last Tuesday was the best night I've had with my telescope in months

I set up in the backyard around 9pm and the air was so still. Usually I fight with light pollution from the neighbors, but for some reason the sky was just crystal clear. I spotted Jupiter and three of its moons without even trying. Also saw the Andromeda galaxy for the first time with my own eyes, not just a photo online. Has anyone else had a random weeknight that blew away all your planned sessions?

Saturn looked totally different after I cleaned my telescope lens

I had been looking at Saturn for weeks and it always looked like a fuzzy blur with maybe a hint of rings. Then last Tuesday I finally wiped the dust off my 6-inch Dobsonian's front lens with a proper cleaning cloth. The difference was night and day, I could actually see the Cassini Division in the rings sharp as anything! Had anyone else been putting off cleaning their gear and then kicked themselves after seeing the improvement?