[Footbag]

For anyone considering a telescope, the technology has come so far that even many of the base models are automated in a way that they tell you where to point. Great for finding the deeper sky objects that I photograph.

But I should let you know that the photo's I took are very long exposures, so that is not what you see when you look through the eyepiece.

You mostly see either a little fuzz with shape or just a bit of shadows. Planets, on the other hand are amazing. With Saturn you can see it's rings easily and usually at least 3 moons. Jupiter is even more amazing. You can see banding on the planet and many moons as well.

Also, a fun fact... Andromeda is one of our neighboring galaxies and makes a great target for binoculars. It rises earlier and earlier as the year goes on. Now, it rises from the North East and at about midnight about 45 degrees in the sky due east. If you know where Polaris [North Star]is, look right. Polaris will be the base of an arrow pointing directly at Andromeda.

Now the fun part... Andromeda is huge. If you could see it in perfectly dark skies, it would be the size of 5 moons next to each other. I happened to be in very dark skies in New York State, and I saw Andromeda with my naked eyes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and had to Google it as soon as I came home.

That and the fact that it is the International Year of Astronomy were the reasons that pushed me over the edge. Like cigars, it's a slope of it's own.