SUNSET: 
Pandemic Inspires Surge in Telescope Sales
A silver lining to the long year we've had is a renewed interest in the night sky.
Stargazing Simplified: What to See in the Night Sky
Learn some of the classic stargazing sights that can be best viewed through a smaller telescope.
Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment
How to Choose Your First Telescope
Here's a quick guide to the essential features that you should look for when buying your first telescope.
FAST Radio Telescope Open for Business
China recently unveiled FAST, the world's largest single dish radio telescope.
Old Radio Telescope Restored for New Uses
Abandoned for 25 years, a 12-meter antenna once used during the Cold War is now introducing astronomy students to the radio universe.
Binoculars: Guides and Recommendations
Binoculars for Astronomy: Ultimate Guide to Selecting and Buying
Ordinary binoculars are your ideal "first telescope." And they're so versatile that even seasoned stargazers find them indispensable.
Telescopes: Guides & Recommendations
What to Know Before Buying a Telescope
Looking through a telescope introduces you to a whole new world of unexpected wonders. But telescopes come in a huge range of sizes and shapes. Here's a detailed, printable guide to the essential features that every good scope needs to have.
New Telescope? Learn How to Use a Telescope and See Amazing Sights
Thousands of telescopes are given and received as gifts during the holidays. But once you've assembled your new treasure, then what? The editors of Sky & Telescope show you where to look first.
Stargazing with Early Astronomer Galileo Galilei
When Galileo Galilei first turned a telescope to the heavens four centuries ago, he discovered amazing things — and you can follow in his footsteps.
Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment
Top 10 Telescope Questions & Answers on How to Use a Telescope
Here are common questions about telescopes culled from an expert’s mailbag.
DIY: Astronomy Projects & Guidance
How to Align Your Newtonian Reflector Telescope
Accurate optical alignment is neither difficult, mysterious, nor time-consuming. In fact, it's only three steps away.
DIY: Astronomy Projects & Guidance
Dealing With Dew: Dew Heaters, Dew Shields and More
How to keep your optics dry and clear even on the dampest, dewiest nights.
Choosing Your Astronomy Equipment
How to Successfully Beat Atmospheric Seeing
"Seeing" — the atmospheric quivering that fuzzes out high-power views — is the bane of every telescope user. Here's how to minimize its impact.
Astrophotography: Tips & Techniques
Guiding a Telescope for Imaging Like a Pro
Taking deep-sky pictures requires a skill that's involved in no other kind of photography: guiding on a star.
How to Care for Your Telescope Optics the Right Way
The mirror in your telescope will probably work fine with a bit of dust on it, but if it's really dirty, you may want to clean it — carefully!
What does “true color” mean in a deep-space photograph?
What does “true color” mean in a deep-space photograph? How would a galaxy or nebula actually look to the naked eye from close up? “True color” is how an object would look if you were nearby or were viewing it in a telescope under a dark sky, and if its…
Why do Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes have focal ratios of f/10?
Why do most if not all of the Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope I see advertised have focal ratios of f/10? During the past 20 years or so, amateurs have favored shorter tubes for both refractors and reflectors, even if it meant paying for more costly optics. Portability is the chief motivation -…
How can I see more colors through my telescope?
Nebulae and galaxies invariably look like shapeless, colorless blobs in my 6-inch telescope, a far cry from their spectacular appearance in photographs. If I buy a 12- or 14-inch scope, will I see a dramatic improvement? Would that it were so! A larger telescope will better reveal the shapes of…
Can you get sharper images by stopping down your scope with a cardboard mask?
Old astronomy books often say you can get sharper images on a night of poor seeing by stopping down your telescope with a cardboard mask so it has a smaller aperture. New books don’t mention this. It this a forgotten secret? In my experience, if stopping down a telescope sharpens…
Where did the 1 1/4-inch standard size for eyepiece barrels come from?
Where did the 1 1/4-inch standard size for eyepiece barrels come from? This barrel size was adopted shortly before 1890 by John A. Brashear in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, says Bart Fried of the Antique Telescope Society. Then W. & D. Mogey of Plainfield, New Jersey, and other firms followed suit.…