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[ Beginners | Navigating the Night Sky | Observing | Observing Trips | Observer's Challenge ]

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This is an archive of all major articles that have been published in the LCAS NightTimes. They are organized by topic, not date.

• Beginning Astronomy

  • Getting a Start in Astronomy
  • The "Best" Starter Instrument
  • Buying Your First Telescope
  • The Care and Feeding of a Telescope
  • Your Eyepiece Collection
  • Educational Opportunity
  • Help... I'm New Here!
  • Exposé of a Telescope Ad
  • A Newbie’s Telescope Quality Check
  • The Novice’s Guide to Star Party Equipment
  • A Short History of the Telescope
  • Do All Objects in Space Rotate?
  • Telescope Thoughts

• Navigating the sky

  • DSO Locating Devices
  • Finding Some Old Friends
  • FOV Star-Hopping
  • So How Do You Find Things Without Computer Assistance?
  • What’s All This Stuff About Coordinates?
  • Will Star-Hopping Become a Lost Art?

• Observing

  • Achieving the Unexpected
  • The Alpha Persei Association
  • An Anonymous Dark Nebula
  • Another Take on Night Vision
  • An Unfamiliar Lyra
  • Anything but Galaxies
  • Appreciating the Little Things
  • Are Today’s Skies That Much Worse than they used to Be?
  • Atmospherics: Seeing and Transparency
  • A Trip to the North Pole
  • The Asterism Game
  • Autumn: The Second Galaxy Season
  • Avoiding the Obvious in Auriga
  • Baade's Window
  • Batting 1000
  • Better Night Vision
  • Cassiopeia Clusters
  • Centaurus A
  • Cloudy Night Astronomy
  • The Cocoon Nebula
  • Colorful DSOs
  • The Coolest Stars
  • Cosmographic Observing
  • Crossing the Meridian
  • Crystalline Winter Nights
  • Dark Matters
  • Deep Seeing
  • The Deep Sky Through a Small Instrument
  • Describing a Galaxy
  • Directions? Don't need 'em
  • Epsilon Lyrae: The Double-Double Test
  • Evaluating an Observing Site
  • Experiences with High Power Viewing
  • Experiments in Spectroscopy
  • The Eye Of God
  • Eyeballing Big Game Nebulas
  • Fair Air for Observing
  • Gathering up a Few Open Clusters
  • The Globulars of Summer
  • The Good Ol' Double Cluster
  • Hey, Don't Stick With Just the "Usual" Stuff!
  • On the Horns of Taurus
  • Impressions of a Night Sky Unaffected by Light Pollution
  • An Introduction to Nebulae
  • Light Site Viewing - Part I
  • Light Site Viewing (Part 2)
  • Light Site Viewing (Part 3)
  • Limits are Meant to be Broken
  • Lists, Lists, Lists
  • Looking Up, Down Under
  • Observing Galaxy Clusters
  • The "Other" Horizon
  • M4 - An Early Summer Globular
  • M24 - "Neighboring" Arm
  • Visual Primer on M31
  • M33 - Big and Faint
  • M41
  • Make the Best of Winter
  • More Shapely Star Clusters
  • Observing Addiction
  • Observing the Planets
  • Observing the Southern Sky
  • Perseid Viewing
  • The Pleiades Rising
  • The Raspberry Nebula
  • Record What You See
  • Ringtail Galaxies: NGC 4038/9
  • Rock Collecting
  • Shapely Star Clusters
  • Shooting Out Your Back Door
  • Showpieces of the Sky
  • SLOOH
  • So What Can That Telescope See?
  • Sorting Out Stephan’s Quintet
  • Splitting Porrima
  • A Stand-in for Albireo
  • A Starry Calendar
  • Telescopeless Observing
  • The Triffid Nebula
  • Thermals or Atmospherics?
  • Tools of the Trade
  • "True Dark" Skies
  • Two Great Globulars
  • Two More Observing Issues
  • UV Aurigae
  • What's that Dark Strip on the Eastern Horizon after Sunset?
  • Why Are Emission Nebulae (Mostly) Colored Red?

• Observing Trips

  • 12th Annual Nebraska Star Party
  • The 16th Annual Twin Lake Star Party
  • Cabo-Style Observing!
  • Eastern Iowa Star Party
  • Kitt Peak Astronomy Trip
  • Lick Observatory
  • NEAF-NEAIC 2006
  • NEBRASKA STAR PARTY 2006
  • New Mexico Observing Trip March 28 through April 9, 2008
  • Night in the Tropics
  • Northwoods Starfest
  • Observations at Gran Quivira
  • Observatory Visit – Leif Everson Observatory
  • Observing in the Southwest
  • Observing Sites in the Southwest
  • Rocky Mountain Star Stare 2008
  • Texas Star Party Review
  • Tough Roads
  • Trip Report: Powder Mill
  • What I Did on My Summer Vacation
  • Yosemite

• Observer's Challenge

  • Observer's Challenge is Launched!
  • Challenge: August 2004
  • Challenge: September 2004
  • Challenge: October 2004
  • Challenge: November 2004
  • Challenge: December 2004
  • Challenge: January 2005
  • Challenge: February 2005
  • Challenge: March 2005
  • Challenge: April 2005
  • Challenge: May 2005

• The Moon

  • The Cat in the Moon
  • Directions on the Moon
  • Full Moon Sights
  • A Lunar Atlas on Your PC
  • The Moon Illusion
  • A Different View
  • Alpine Valley
  • Aristarchus & Vallis Schroteri
  • Chains of Craterlets
  • Clavius
  • Copernicus
  • Crater Hopping
  • Crater Gassendi
  • A Curious Lunar Spot
  • The Eastern Shore of Serenity
  • First Quarter
  • The Five-Day-Old Moon: Burg, Hercules and Atlas
  • The Five-Day-Old Moon: Theophilus, Cyrillus and Catharina
  • Full Moon = No Shadows
  • Getting to Know the Moon
  • Lunar Atlases
  • Lunar Challenge: Catena Davy
  • Lunar Challenge: The Davy Crater Chain
  • Mare Imbrium
  • Oh No ... A Full Moon!
  • Pitatus
  • Plato
  • Plato Revisited
  • The Rheita Valley Area
  • Rays
  • Rills and Walls
  • Sagging Craters?
  • Tour Guides Wanted
  • Tycho
  • Tycho and LTP’s

• The Sun

  • Can Sunspots Predict Solar Flares?
  • You Can Observe the Sun!
  • The Eleven Year Sunspot Cycle
  • Coronal Mass Ejection from the Sun
  • The Maunder Minimum
  • More on Solar Observing
  • Things Flung From The Sun
  • Questions on Solar Observing
  • The Sun-Aurora Connection

• The Planets

  • Current Theory on the Formation of the Solar System - Part 1
  • Current Theory on the Formation of the Solar System - Part 2
  • Current Theory on the Formation of the Solar System - Part 3
  • Current Theory on the Formation of the Solar System - Part 4
  • The Future of the Earth
  • Get Ready For Mars!
  • The Green Flash of Venus!
  • Jupiter and its Moons
  • Moons…Moons Everywhere!
  • Nomenclature of Jovian Features
  • Planetary Systems Without Stars?
  • Is Pluto An Escaped Satellite of Neptune?
  • Pluto not a major planet? Oh say it isn’t so!
  • The Red (Hot?) Planet
  • The Satellites of Jupiter
  • Saturn’s Rings – GONE!
  • Seasons
  • The Shallow Sky: The Domain of the Amateur
  • The Thing Called "Chiron"
  • Tips on Observing Jupiter
  • Touring Saturn’s Rings
  • Why Don't Planets Twinkle?

• Equipment

  • General

    • About Aperture Fever
    • The Aperture Ailment
    • Aperture Lust
    • In the Astronomy Department
    • Apodizing Masks?
    • Atlas of Deep Sky Splendors
    • Back to Basics: Astronomy Unplugged
    • Book Review: The Caldwell Objects
    • Breaking the Lens Coating Code
    • Cheap Astronomy - The Case Against Kits
    • Choosing an LCD Monitor
    • Cruddy Things on Optics
    • Decisions, Decisions
    • Definition and Light Grasp: Can You Afford Both?
    • An End to Cold Fingers?
    • Getting a Better View: Quality of Today’s Newtonian Optics
    • Green Light or Red?
    • How Optical Coatings Work
    • Book Review: Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders
    • A Short History of Lens Coatings
    • In Search of Perfect Happiness
    • Oldest Optical Device?
    • Optics in Cold Weather
    • More on Optics in Cold Weather
    • Much Ado About Dew
    • Quality is Important, but…What About Price/Performance?
    • Scratches and Pinholes Oh My!
    • TeleVue Quality
    • Temperature Changes and Optics
    • Time to Re-coat your Mirror?
    • The Universe from your Backyard
    • Unusual Astronomy Equipment
    • A Visit to Coronado Instruments

  • Binoculars

    • Binoculars Abound!
    • Misaligned Binoculars
    • Shopping for Binoculars

  • Telescopes

    • A 4-inch Refractor and Mount
    • Achromats and Apochromats
    • Aligning My SCT
    • Baffling Reflections
    • Balancing a Dobsonian
    • Build or Buy a Telescope?
    • Building a Telescope?
    • Bigger Is Not Always Better
    • Build Your Own Equatorial Mount?
    • Caressing Your Mirror
    • A Case Study on Cheap Telescopes
    • Cleaning Telescope Optics: The Pros’ View...
    • Comparing Refractors
    • The Coronado PST
    • Center-Spotting a Secondary
    • Cleaning Lenses and Mirrors
    • Collimating a Newtonian with an Offset Secondary Mirror
    • Counterbalancing a Telescope
    • (Fairly) Painless Polar Aligning
    • Finessing the "VolksDob"
    • Fixing a Pesky CG5 Mount
    • Focuser Upgrades
    • Good Looking Scopes
    • Good Old Wood
    • Go-To?
    • How Large a Telescope?
    • Laser Collimators
    • Looking down the Focuser Mystery
    • Marketing Hype
    • Meade Lightbridge Review
    • The Monetary Side of a Telescope
    • Mountings: Equatorial vs. Altazimuth
    • The Most from your Scope
    • My Ideal Telescope
    • Newtonian Secondary Offset?
    • Not All Telescopes are Created Equal
    • Orion XT12 IntelliScope Review
    • The Perfect Telescope
    • Porter Turret Telescopes
    • Push Your Scope to the Max!
    • Pyrex or not Pyrex
    • The Refractor: Now That's a Real Telescope!
    • Really Portable Telescopes
    • The Russians Are Coming!
    • Schmidt-Cassegrain and Maksutov-Cassegrain
    • The Seduction of Aperture
    • Seeking an "Ideal" Telescope
    • Some Orion-Brand Eyepieces ... and Others
    • Small Scope Saga
    • Stretching your Telescope
    • TeleVue 102 Refractor Telescope Review
    • Why own so Many Telescopes?
    • XT8 Equipment Review
    • LX90 Equipment Review
    • Your Basic "Copyscope"

  • Eyepieces

    • Barlow vs Eyepiece
    • The Best Nebula Eyepieces
    • Best Planetary Eyepieces
    • Binocular Viewers
    • Checking Out Lens Coatings
    • Choosing Eyepieces: Part 1
    • Choosing Eyepieces: Part 2
    • Cold Eyepiece Fogging?
    • Ditching the Star Diagonal
    • Do Zoom Eyepieces Really Work?
    • An Electronic Eyepiece
    • Eyepiece Actual Fields of View
    • Eyepieces in the Cold
    • The Good Old Plossl Eyepiece
    • Improving Barlow Lens Performance
    • Low-tech Focusing Mount
    • The Magnification Game
    • Filters and Focus Shift
    • More stuff About Eyepieces
    • Multiply Your Eyepieces with a Barlow Lens
    • Pushcart Operation
    • The “Reverse” Crayford Focuser
    • What's Inside an Eyepiece?
    • Wide Field Eyepieces

  • Software

    • Armchair Observing on the Web
    • Astronomy Freeware
    • Cheap Astronomy: Better than “cheap”
    • Free Lunar Atlas Software
    • Holding the Sky in your Hand
    • Home Planet - A Software Review
    • Laptop Power Efficiency
    • More “Sky in your Hand”
    • Pempro V2 - PEC Software and More
    • Your Own Deep Sky Database

  • Accessories

    • Astrochair Review
    • Baader Violet Multi-Band Filter
    • A Balanced GEM
    • A Barndoor Tracker
    • Bracket Time
    • Buying Astronomy Stuff
    • Colors through a Nebula Filter
    • A Convenient Mirror Mount
    • Howie Glatter Laser Collimator
    • Product Review: Kendrick Observing Tent
    • Nebula Filter Suggestions
    • "Scotty, I need more power!"
    • Setting Circles
    • Setting Circles?
    • Star Atlas Reviews
    • StarBound Observing Chair
    • The (Y2K Compliant) Sundial
    • Take Me Out to the Tripod Game
    • A Temporary Scope Shelter
    • Tools for Collimation
    • The Value of a Chamfer

• Biographies

  • Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel
  • Sir Hermann Bondi
  • John Brashear
  • Eleanor Margaret Peachey Burbidge
  • Heber Curtis
  • Audouin Dollfus
  • Giovanni Donati
  • Frank Drake
  • Henry Draper
  • John Louis Emil Dreyer
  • Frank Dyson
  • Johann Franz Encke
  • Georgi Antonovich Gamow
  • Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin
  • Karl Friedrich Gauss
  • David Gill
  • George Ellery Hale
  • Robert Hanbury-Brown
  • Johannes Franz Hartmann
  • Stephen Hawking
  • Chushiro Hayashi
  • George Howard Herbig
  • Johannes Hevelius
  • Anthony Hewish
  • Milton Humason
  • Karl Jansky
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • Alfred Harrison Joy
  • James E. Keeler
  • Charles Kowal
  • Gerard Kuiper
  • Paul Ledoux and Albert König
  • Georges Edouard Lemaitre
  • Bernard Lyot
  • Adriaan Van Maanen
  • Nevil Maskelyne
  • Christian Mayer
  • Johan Mayer
  • Charles Messier
  • Gerald Neugebauer
  • Ernst Öpik
  • Theodore von Oppolzer
  • Roger Penrose
  • Edward C. Pickering
  • Grote Reber
  • Ole Christensen Romer
  • Bruno Rossi
  • Henry Norris Russell
  • Lewis Morris Rutherford
  • Christoph Scheiner
  • Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli
  • Martin Schwarzschild
  • Angelo Secchi
  • Carl Seyfert
  • Vesto Slipher
  • F. G. Smith
  • James South
  • Joel Stebbins
  • James A. Van Allen
  • F. G. W. von Struve
  • Otto Wilhelm (Otto Vasilievich) von Struve
  • Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Tempel
  • Gérard Henri De Vaucouleurs
  • Hermann Carl Vogel
  • Boris Aleksandrovich Vorontsov-Vel'iaminov
  • Charles Augustus Young
  • Yukov Zel'dovitch

• Humor

  • An Illustrated View of Star-Hopping versus Electronics
  • Bud and Lou Talk Telescopes
  • Chickens?
  • Laws of Infernal Dynamics
  • Clearly, not "Fair" Weather!
  • Defining Terms Used in Marketing New High-Tech Telescopes
  • HAL Resurrected
  • The International Number Registry
  • Know Your Audience
  • The Message
  • The New LCAS Skymap
  • The New Unabridged LCAS Observer's Dictionary
  • The Odd Behavior of Astronomy Junkies
  • Perplexing Questions
  • The "True" Nature of Light
  • The Y Zero K Problem
  • You Might NOT Be An Astronomer If You Think That...
  • Your Starship Captain Might be a Redneck if...

• Astrophotography

  • Astrophotography 101: Photographing the Moon
  • Are You Ready for CCD Astrophotography?
  • Building a Flat Field Light Box
  • Camera/Telescope Combinations
  • Capturing Details Digitally
  • Color Issues in Digicam Astrophotography
  • Digital Camera Imaging
  • Digital Camera Imaging - Part 2
  • Flats and CCD Imaging
  • Hartman Mask
  • Introduction to Robotic Astronomy - Part I
  • Introduction to Robotic Astronomy - Part II
  • Lunar Imaging Basics - Part I
  • Lunar Imaging Basics - Part II
  • Lunar Imaging: Beyond Basics Part I
  • Lunar Imaging: Beyond Basics Part II
  • Mastering the Dark (Frames)
  • Less is More: Narrowband Imaging
  • Oh say, can you CCD?
  • Pictures on a Budget
  • Pixel Wars: Size Does Matter
  • Shooting The Sky

• Misc

  • Amateur Astronomy’s Future
  • And You Think You Have it Rough!
  • Archaeoastronomy in Illinois - Woodhenge
  • Are All Orbits Elliptical?
  • Astronomy, Astrology, and the Star of Bethlehem
  • Astronomy Is Where You Find It
  • The Atmosphere Rules!
  • The Backyard Legion
  • Billions and Billions
  • Church Buildings as Sundials
  • Communicating With Martians
  • Comparing Light Pollution
  • Digital Sky
  • Deep Sky Object Designations
  • Did Newton Invent the Newtonian?
  • DOING THE MATH
  • Are You Afflicted with DRL's?
  • Early History of the Telescope Part I: In the Beginning…
  • Early History of the Telescope Part II: Enter the Reflector
  • Early History of the Telescope Part III: Refractor vs Reflector
  • Easter Cookies and Calendars
  • Guidelines For Star Naming
  • The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
  • A History of "Once in a Blue Moon"
  • Hubble Compared with New Ground-Based Optical Telescopes
  • Internet e-groups
  • Lagrangian Points
  • Leap Second to be Added This Year
  • Mass Extinctions and the Yarkovsky Effect
  • The Mayan Calendar
  • Messier's Hit List
  • Mirror Reversal?
  • Misconceptions
  • MMT…Before and After
  • Modest Equipment + Dedication
  • New Horizons
  • Our Galaxy's Black Heart
  • Of Gods and Men
  • On the Mature Observer
  • Our Universe & Beyond: Truth Stranger than Fiction?
  • The Pioneer Spacecraft
  • Professional "Observers"
  • Roman War Horses and the Space Shuttle
  • Satellites of Minor Planets
  • Science and Non-science on the Internet
  • "Serious" Astronomy
  • SETI: Checking the Waterhole
  • Space!
  • Strange Stars
  • TAKING TIME TO THINK ABOUT TIME
  • A Tale of Two Musicians
  • A Tale of Two Telescopes
  • The Tears of St. Lawrence: The Perseids
  • Telescope History - The Cave Optical Company
  • Touring New Mexico's Astronomy-Related Sites
  • Unidentified Random Thoughts
  • Update on Astigmatism of the Eye
  • Water World
  • What is Light?
  • Whither the Weather?
  • Women and Astronomy
  • The Winter Star Party: So Much More Than Stars
  • Yerkes Log: Barnard and the Bruce Camera
  • Yerkes Log: Burnham and Double Stars
  • Yerkes Log: Measuring Stellar Distances
  • You're Never Too Old
  • Your Eyes: Key to Observing

Disclaimer

Unless explicitly noted, the views and opinions expressed by members and officers in the NightTimes do not necessarily represent the formal opinions and policies of LCAS.

This page last updated on July 2, 2009

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