Star Points for January, 1997; by Curtis Roelle 1997 IS A GOOD YEAR TO HAVE A TELESCOPE If you or someone close to you received a telescope for Christmas or Hanukkah you might now be wondering, "what do I do now?" Or perhaps there is already a telescope under your roof, sitting in a corner somewhere gathering dust. Why not make a resolution for the new year to rekindle the wonder and enjoyment your instrument used to bring by transporting you closer to the universe around us? We will learn in this column over the coming months that 1997 is a good year to have a telescope. For example, even as you read these words Comet Hale-Bopp is speeding our way from the deep reaches of the solar system. H-B will potentially outshine last year's great Comet Hyakutake, considered by many astronomers to be the best comet in 20 years since Comet West in 1976. If H-B meets expectations (which is by no means guaranteed) it will be bright enough that a telescope will not be necessary to view it! More details about H-B will be given in future installments, but for now let us return to the topic of your telescope. It is important to carefully read the instructions that came with your telescope or binoculars in order to prevent accidental damage to the mechanical or optical components. In the assembly and adjustment process you should always follow the manufacturer's recommendations. Many telescopes come equipped with a "finder" or small telescope attached to the side of the main tube. Like the spotting scope on a rifle the finder is used to aim the instrument at a target. The frustration caused by a misaligned finder can be quite disheartening. Luckily this is one of the easiest telescope problems to correct. Most finders come equipped with thumbscrews. If you are lucky yours will have two sets of three thumbscrews each which can be rigidly tightened. If you have only three thumbscrews you can still align the finder, but the slightest bump or tap will knock it out of alignment. Take your telescope outside at night and remove the eyepiece. Find a lamp located at least three blocks away and obtain its image in the main tube. Any ordinary houselight or street lamp will do. Once you can see the light by looking in the end where the eyepiece should be then replace the eyepiece. Focus on the object, center it in the field of view, and then lock both axis (your manual will tell you how). Next, carefully adjust the finder until the same lamp is visible and it has been centered in the cross hairs. Finally slowly tighten the thumbscrews while looking through the finder keeping the lamp centered. Check periodically to make sure that the lamp remains centered in the eyepiece of the telescope. If not, then repeat the process until the lamp is centered in both the telescope and finder. Now you are ready to use your telescope. If your telescope has an equatorial mounting, you will need to refer to your owners manual for instructions on how to perform polar alignment. The polar axis needs to be parallel with the rotational axis of the Earth, with one end pointing toward Polaris, the North Star. Before going outside with your telescope in January make sure to dress warmly. Comfort is important when observing. If you are cold or uncomfortable the visual detail you would otherwise see can be missed. Now that you and your telescope are ready for winter observing, what in the heavens will you look at? You could look at ordinary stars, but will discover that with or without a telescope stars appear as pinpoints of light. This is true no matter how large your telescope is. However, there may be noticeable color differences between stars. The larger the telescope, the more light it will gather, and therefore the color-sensitive cones in the human eye will receive more stimulation. The best object for small telescopes is the Moon. Contrary to popular belief the best time to look is not when the Moon is full. The best detail is seen along the Moon's "terminator" -- the line separating day and night on the Moon. At the terminator shadows are long and much detail such as craters, mountains, valleys, and rills become breathtaking. As the Moon changes phases the terminator moves across its face rendering ever- changing views from one night to the next. Some planets are bright an easy to find. In early January Saturn will be about half-way between horizon and zenith in the southwestern sky during early evening (7 p.m. EDT). By the end of the month Saturn moves about halfway to the horizon from its earlier position. Saturn's rings are seen nearly edge-on early in 1997. During the next several years the rings will become more visible because Saturn's poles become more tilted toward Earth as Saturn revolves around the Sun. While learning to use your telescope it is also a good idea to start learning the constellations. To do this you should obtain a star atlas. Although libraries may have copies, an atlas is something that every amateur astronomer needs. Two good sources for a broad range of star atlases are Sky Publishing Corp. (800- 253-0245) and Willman-Bell Inc. (800-825-STAR). If you enjoy learning about astronomy and tracking the planets from month to month you may want to subscribe to an amateur astronomical journal. The two most popular are Sky & Telescope (800-253-0245) and Astronomy (800-533-6644). Discount subscriptions may be available through your local astronomy club. If you have access to the World Wide Web you can find membership information for the Westminster Astronomical Society at "http://www.erols.com/roelle/was/membership.html". The last step in enjoying the heavens is to share it with others. Invite a friend or family member to go out with you when you observe. They probably will appreciate the invitation more than you may think, especially when they gaze into your eyepiece at your own little slice of heaven.