Seeing in the dark
You've probably noticed that when you first go outside from indoors on a starry night, you can see relatively few stars. But then, as your eyes adjust to the darkness, many more stars come into view. This phenomenon is called dark adaptation.

Star Magnitudes
The stars that dot the night sky run the gamut from bright beacons to dim little pinpricks. To get a little more scientific about it, the brightness of a star (or any other celestial object) is described on a scale of "magnitudes". The brighter the star, the lower its magnitude.

Observing Deep Sky Objects
Scattered among those distant suns are fascinating sights called deep-sky objects, a general catch-all phrase that includes a wide variety of celestial denizens.

Observing the Moon
Of all the celestial sights that pass across the sky, none is more inspiring or universally appealing than our planet's lone natural satellite, the Moon. Remember the rush of excitement that you felt when you first peered at the rugged lunar surface through a telescope or binoculars? (If you haven't, you'll be amazed.)

Observing Planets
First thought to be gods and goddesses, later believed to be inhabited by alien life forms, today the planets are well known as strange and marvelous worlds. Each has its own set of characteristics and personality; each is a wonder to behold through a telescope.

Enjoying Astronomy
For anyone who has dared to look up and wonder at the splendor of a starry sky, the appeal of astronomy may be beckoning. Submit to it in the slightest and you may get hooked! Once you do, the universe, and your place in it, will never look the same.

Stars and Deep Sky Objects
A concise review of the basic "food groups" of the night sky: star clusters, nebulas, galaxies, and double and variable stars.

The Messier Objects
They're the most frequently gazed-upon galaxies, nebulas, and clusters in the night sky. Learn who Messier was and how this famous collection of objects came to be.

Constellations
Constellations are like countries on a wall map. They help narrow down the search for those tiny hard-to-find little cities or deep sky objects you would like to visit.