A few months ago I realized I would like to learn more about astronomy, and get a telescope. I spent a while researching telescopes. I found the Orion website (http://www.telescope.com) and ordered a free catalog. I spent a lot of time looking through the catalog trying to figure out what I wanted. I found their Dobsonian telescopes the most appealing to me, because they are relatively cheap, and they can use the Intelliscope object locator.

A dobsonian scope is a Newtonian reflector scope mounted on a base that sits low to the round, rather than a tripod. It uses 2 mirrors to collect light, rather than a lens. Large mirrors are cheaper to make than large lenses, so you can get a larger aperture for less money. Well, I read that since you can't add a tracking motor to a Dobsonian mount (at least not Orion's models), they aren't suitable for astrophotography.

I wanted to try to take pictures with my new scope, so I started looking at other models. I found the StarSeeker 130mm to be interesting. It it a go-to scope, which means that it can find objects for you when you select them with a keypad.

In the end, I decided that I should learn how to navigate manually, and settled on the Orion SpaceProbe 130ST EQ. It is a 130mm reflector scope on a equatorial mount, with a 650mm focal length. It's shorter focal length is supposed to be brighter than the longer tube version. It's also supposed to be "faster" for astrophotgraphy, which I don't quite understand.

So I placed an order for my scope on June 29. It arrived by FedEx around 10:30 on July 1. I spent about an hour assembling it and reading through the manual. The scope came with 25mm and 10mm Plossl eyepieces, a 6x30 finder scope, and some mounting point for extra stuff. The tripod has a tray to put things in.

After assmbling the scope, I waited and waited for the darkness to come. I took it outside around 9pm. The first thing I looked at was the moon. I looked at it with both eyepieces. Next I found Jupiter, it was easy to find. I could just make out its stripes, and it's moons looked like pinpoints of light.

I have not been able to find any other interesting objects. None of the other planets have been out at night. I have tried to look for nebulas, but I think there is too much light pollution where I'm located. Plus, I still don't quite understand how to use the setting circles.

Every day I try to learn a little more about the constellations, and telescope techniques. I use the Starry Night program that came with the scope to look at cellestial information, and print charts. I also use the wonderful free program Stellarium. I wish it was able to print, though.

I will try taking my scope to star parties and learning from astronomers. Stay tuned for furthur updates.