How To See The Moon with a Telescope - Astronomy Challenge #26

[@LearnToStargaze]

Hello Stargazers! We're excited to announce that we're now on Patreon! Follow us for behind-the-scenes footage from LearnToStargaze and updates on the development of our stargazing retreat, "Stargaze Nova Scotia." www.patreon.com/LearnToStargaze

[@kaeez]

Probably the most lay-man, straightforward stacking tutorial that I've ever seen. Wow, didn't thought you would include that at the end of the video besides delivering a great insight to all the beginners out there. Kudos to you man, you're the ultimate teacher here on this platform.

[@LearnToStargaze]

Thanks!

[@hvboy2131]

People make stacking tutorials 30 mins long and impossible to understand a word and Bro here casually made the Best stacking tutorial ive Ever seen in a random moon photography video

[@LearnToStargaze]

Yup.

[@RyanDopp]

Fantastic video! Just got my first telescope and was playing with it last night (10" Dobsonian). I erroneously assumed 25mm meant it could see further than the 10mm, I found a clear picture of the moon wasn't anywhere inside the focal range and I was only able to focus on branches on distant trees. 6:45 made it all click where I was going wrong. You convinced me to get a Barlow and I'm excited to try again with the 10mm tonight.

[@schuminathan]

Pretty cool and clear way of describing and teaching. I liked it. How can I buy the book, directly from you or on any commercial site? Will it be an updated version? Please tell.

[@LearnToStargaze]

Hi! All the books are available on Amazon, and can be ordered from any bookstore. You don't really need to update stargazing books, since the sky doesn't change over a human lifetime.

[@schuminathan]

@@LearnToStargaze Thanks 👍

[@schuminathan]

Good Morning, I want to know whether you have written only one book on the moon or you have other books written dealing with astronomy. If so, could you please share the list of your publications on astronomy.

[@LearnToStargaze]

@@schuminathan Hi! I've written 16 books, no need to list them, you can easily find them on Amazon or google.

[@schuminathan]

Good evening, I am from India and want your guidance on pursuing an astronomy course. Could you please help me in knowing whether an online course will help and is it available in your university. Can I enroll and what are the requirements. I am a teacher employed in India.

[@ferrosjewellers4558]

Is it possible to see the Indian lunar lander done just a few days ago?

[@LearnToStargaze]

The moon is 386,000 kilometers away. You need to be within about 200 kilometers to see something that small with a normal sized telescope. We did this math in a few videos.

[@AlejandroGomez-gv7fb]

Great video. Really enjoying and learning a lot from your videos . Your book 50 things to see on the moon is a must for those starting in astronomy hobby. Great tips on imaging the moon!!! Clear skies!!!

[@LouisianaSkyWatch]

Thanks for sharing. I recently bought an Orion space probe telescope. It wasn’t much probably about four or $500. The only problem I’m having is trying to get the camera to hook up to it. I believe the telescope has a Bluetooth capability but like I said I haven’t had it long to fool with it much, but the views are amazing. I’m setting to your channel because you seem very knowledgeable so thank you.

[@aurimixas]

The moon photo is pretty good with this non astrophotography setup. Can you get decent quality photos of nebulas and galaxies too?

[@LearnToStargaze]

I’ve definitely tried to get nebula images with an iPhone, but with no success. I have an ZWOASI294 camera for Nebulae. You can do open star clusters like NGC 457 with an iPhone though.

[@jodo3k]

Great video. Just got my first telescope and your vids and books are really making the learning curve enjoyable. Loved the straightforward steps in this video. Have any suggestions on software for macOS users? I’m hoping to try this out.

[@LearnToStargaze]

Thanks for the feedback! Are you looking for the stacking software for Mac? I used Lynkeos a long time ago, I believe it is still used. Most astronomy software is PC based, so I use an inexpensive PC laptop for all my Astro stuff. If you get into deep sky astrophotography, and still use Mac, the you would use software called nebulously.

[@jodo3k]

@@LearnToStargaze thanks for the response. seems doing astro images on a mac steps off the deep end. wonder why everyone's a PC user? guess I'll hold off on that for now.

[@LearnToStargaze]

@@jodo3k I think it's because a lot of the software is based on professional astrophysics programs, which were written on PC. Although there are methods now, like the ASIair, where you skip the computer altogether. Note that ASI air is for higher end telescopes on EQ mounts, with designated astronomy cameras.

[@peteallennh]

This is excellent. Step-by-step. Can’t wait to try this here at home. Thank you for this!

[@DavidMFChapman]

Thanks for the excellent video! If you reduce the brightness of the Moon by reducing the aperture, it’s like using a smaller telescope, so the maximum useful magnification will be lower. It works, but if you need to do it a lot, a filter is better. A lunar filter can be used on any bright object. Last summer, I found Mars was too bright in my 12” reflector, so I used my lunar filter to reduce the glare. A lunar filter might make it easier to see the phases of Venus in a telescope.

[@Ethxn._.Fl1ck]

Just got my first telescope and this helped me so much to get amazing pictures of the moon Tysm

[@horvathrenata968]

Such a wonderful thing! A real Moon walk!

[@dnhr_oahu7504]

What a great video! My 7 y.o. nephew seen a telescope at Walmart the other day and asked if he could get it for Christmas. Your video popped up on my search results and I'm glad it did and I watched it. Not only am I excited to use the telescope to, but the editing software you shown was amazing. Mahalo 🤙🏽🤙🏽 Aloha, Dev.

[@gtgbve]

very informative video. Just bought an 8" dob AND your book "50 Things to See on the moon" which will be invaluable in my lunar exploration as a complete newbie. You like the zoom e.p. Do you have other suggestions for a good lunar eye piece as I want to upgrade from the 25mm modified Kellner that came with the scope. Also, thank you for being so specific about getting a photo with a cell phone. I will definitely progress to doing that down the road without getting into the whole astrophotography side of things.

[@LearnToStargaze]

Great to hear, Bonnie! I love my zoom eyepiece for the Moon. I recently completed RASC’s Explore the Moon program (they give you a certificate and pin if you observe 100 targets), for the program I used a 26mm Plossel eyepiece with a 2x Barlow. Also, every Thursday at noon (EST), I cohost a show called “Moon at Noon,” where we walk through the lunar targets from the Explore the Moon program, helping viewers earn their certificates. (Google: RASC Moon at Noon for details). Clear skies!!!

[@gtgbve]

@@LearnToStargaze I will definitely look at the RASC Moon at Noon. Thanks so much

[@kennethdavis2383]

Very nice instructional video! I have purchased the book you mentioned and the 50 Things to see with a telescope book too. I have a Celestron Starsense 130DX and am looking forward to applying your methods to photograph the moon when the skies clear up enough. I live in SE Michigan so who knows when that will be! Lol! It doesn’t look promising according to my Good to Stargaze app but when the clouds move out I’ll be ready. Thank you for your content. It is very helpful and enjoyable to watch.

[@LearnToStargaze]

Enjoy the books! The 130 DX is a great scope, you'll have a lot of fun with it. I'm currently in Canada, with no clear skies forecasted for the next 10 days! Otherwise, I'd be filming some of these videos outside :-) Thanks for your support!

[@kennethdavis2383]

@@LearnToStargaze Thank you

[@cookieboy6166]

thanks! this was really helpful coz i love astronomy

[@PDsChannel0112]

you should make a playlist for your this series

[@LearnToStargaze]

This is part of a playlist.

[@PDsChannel0112]

@@LearnToStargaze oh yeah I am sorry I didn't figure it out before because your playlist's name wasn't astronomy challenges

[@DanOh1951]

I have purchase 50 Things to See On The Moon and may more of your books. They are great! I've also purchased a telescope using your guidance. Thank you for making this hobby accessible to me. (Now if the sky will clear up. Although we need rain in Texas so I will be patient.) BTW on cloudy nights I am using Stellarium to learn the constellations using 50 Things to See with a Telescope. Do you think that is a good idea?

[@LearnToStargaze]

Thanks for the kind words! I Stellarium all the time, it is great for learning the constellations. The challenge with Stellarium (and all stargazing apps) is that they do a poor job showing which objects are reasonable to observe in light polluted skies. This is where the guidebooks really come in handy!

[@elvisvelez6609]

I learn a lot from your videos so thank you for that. I've always loved looking through my telescopes since I got my first one at the age of 10.

[@chiefofsinners5272]

Are any residuals from the Apollo missions visible?

[@LearnToStargaze]

Yes, the LRO and another Japanese spacecraft (and maybe a few others) can pick them up quite clearly. From earth that’s just silly, the moon is a quarter million miles away, and the remnants are only a few meters across.

[@chiefofsinners5272]

@LearnToStargaze "From the earth that's just silly," maybe so. I've no knowledge on resolution abilities with our current tech. I did have the opportunity to look at the moon through a very nice bird spotting scope once and it was pretty stunning. With the FE craze I was hoping for a simple way to empirically verify the moon landings that would satisfy any reasonable person.

[@LearnToStargaze]

@@chiefofsinners5272 The math is quite simple, I cover that here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKWpfaShetqfibcsi=f23g4WW4iGjAje_D&t=488

[@JeetDarji-rg4qh]

Appreciate the moon! That’s the main and important part👌🏻

[@TheGavranatar]

Great video. Can you use this same process for a dslr camera? I'm considering a skywatcher 150 (as it can hold a dslr) and wondered if the higher magnification might not make it possible without a motorized mount

[@LearnToStargaze]

You can definitely use a dslr with this process. And planets are bright enough that you do not need a motorized mount. PIPP will center the planet or moon even if it is bouncing around in the original video.

[@hothmandon]

Why is the finder scope to make everything upside-down?

[@LearnToStargaze]

Because it’s a poor design. I used red dot finders, telrads, Quikfinders, or starpointer pros.

[@bakanecBG]

Thank you, especially for the tip on how to stack using a video!

[@j.s-t1905]

So informative thank you!

[@MrPeterman0671]

For your phone mount, I have the one that came with my Orion 80mm goscope it doesn't seem to stay on. What am I to do?

[@LearnToStargaze]

It's pretty bad, best too upgrade to a Celestron NeXYZ phone mount.

[@Steve-o1u8y]

Have you tried binoviewers on the moon? It takes lunar observing to a new level. Even on your 60mm refractor it will make a huge difference. I mainly use a 40mm stop on my 66mm scope as I observe through window glass and with two 20mm plossls I get a 62X magnification { a converter lens is screwed into nose of binoviewr to achieve focus } I HIGHLY recommend you give this a try sometime. I just use the cheap generic binoviewer that's branded under many different labels.

[@LearnToStargaze]

I’ll have to give that a try someday!

[@warwar4876]

Thanks a lot.

[@DaPog_Man]

but what if my telescope doesn't have a finer 😭 i mean, just try to find it with the eye piece

[@LearnToStargaze]

That doesn’t sound like very much fun.

[@DaPog_Man]

@@LearnToStargaze yeah it wasn't

[@DaPog_Man]

Im sorry i just didn't got the notification

[@WayneScott-w7z]

Always good to listen to someone with layman's talk and who keeps it interesting. I have two nice refractors, a 102mm f11 starwave and a Istar 150mm f8 R35 .

[@andymorgan462]

I love the moon but where does it get its light from & some nights very bright

[@LearnToStargaze]

It is illuminated by reflected sunlight. The brightness is a function of the lunar phase. If you were on the Moon’s nighttime side, the Earth would also reflect the Sun’s light at you. This is called EarthLight. If you observe the Moon during the crescent phase and you can see a slight illumination of the Moon’s nighttime side, this is called “Earthshine”.

[@delaniangaming1797]

I keep trying. Because it is perfectly aligned in my finderscope, but I just see white, just white. Can anybody please help me?

[@LearnToStargaze]

What eyepiece are you using? Are you using a barlow? Many small telescopes come with a barlow as a gimmick, the lens doesn’t actually function, and prevents the telescope from focusing at all.

[@MicDropBBQ]

Same here. I see the moon, but it's just a huge white dot. I'm using a 35x Barlow. I just found a green tinted lens that says MOON on it, so I'm gonna try that tonight. I wanna catch the huge Arizona moon tomorrow night, so I'm practicing now!!!

[@MicDropBBQ]

@Grandmastersaapasjalkainen Yes, I was only using the eyepiece. You may only be seeing a while dot because you're not aimed directly at the moon. You're picking up the LIGHT of the moon, not the surface of the moon. I was doing the same thing, at first. I just saw a white fuzzy dot - and that was the surrounding light. Once you get the alignment of the star-finder/laser tuned correctly, it will aim exactly where you want it to aim. But, you have to find the moon first, which is a very slow movement of the telescope while patiently viewing thru the lens. All of a sudden, the moon will show up!!! You'll see the surface!! And when you step back and look thru the star-finder/laser, you'll see that it's WAY OFF! Mine was off by a good amount, so I hurry and fixed it while I had the telescope on the moon. Now, I don't get fuzzy white light thru it. I get the actual moon, focused with craters visible and all. Don't rely on the star-finder until you've tuned it. Rely on slowly moving the telescope while looking thru the viewer. It's gonna seem choppy and jumpy at first, but that's ok. You're gonna hit a part of the moon and that's when you'll realize how far out of alignment the star-finder is.

[@MicDropBBQ]

@Grandmastersaapasjalkainen Yup. I think we all are using reflector telescopes. I think you're closer to having it setup right than you maybe think you do. You're gonna surprise yourself the moment that moon appears in view! You're close.

[@MicDropBBQ]

@Grandmastersaapasjalkainen mine is a manual adjusted finder. It sits at the top of my scope. You may have to see if it has adjustment dials on the scope.

[@pegausus6788]

Awesome video but I need you to answer one question If I was to see the craters on the moon Iwill my set up go well I got a 3x Barlow and a 25mm eye piece including a 70mm apture

[@LearnToStargaze]

I don't think that barlow works. Try just a 10mm eyepiece.

[@pegausus6788]

@@LearnToStargaze thanks 🙏

[@cybernet70791]

Thanks for the video. Please helpppp. What telescope and accessories do I need to be able to see amazing moon images like in this video. Also want to see Saturn images and what would the prices range be Thanks

[@LearnToStargaze]

I think those were from my Dobsonian. I bought my 6 inch Dobsonian on Facebook marketplace for $150 and my 8 inch Dobsonian on Craigslist for $200 and my 12 inch Dobsonian (10 years ago) I forget where, for just over $600.

[@cybernet70791]

@@LearnToStargaze so I need a 6" dobsonia as a starter telescope

[@LearnToStargaze]

The six inch Dobsonian (used) is one of the best beginner telescopes. And it will give you views like those in the video.

[@ANTIMON10]

I only have a spotting scope without a finder scope, how can I find the moon ?

[@LearnToStargaze]

There are red-dot finders on Amazon for around $10. You use double sided tape to fix it to the telescope. Spotting scopes are great for the Moon.

[@ANTIMON10]

@@LearnToStargaze thank you!!!

[@gabrielrobles5288]

Thank you

[@virtzrl]

I'm not sure why this is, but whenever I attempt to use my telescope to look at the moon it always seems to be too bright and out of focus. It just looks like a white blob with no features. No matter how much I adjust the focus, it still appears this way. When I bought my first telescope I thought it was something wrong with the telescope, but when I bought this new one I ran into the same issue. I know its something I'm doing wrong but I have no idea what it is. It makes me pretty sad because I would love to use my telescope every night but I can't.

[@LearnToStargaze]

What type of telescope is it, what eyepiece are you using, and is there a Barlow attached?

[@virtzrl]

@@LearnToStargaze it’s a Meade adventure telescope 80mm. 18mm eyepiece and I do not have a Barlow attached.

[@LearnToStargaze]

@@virtzrl hi! Thanks for the info. That telescope is designed for landscapes, that said, it should (hypothetically) be able to focus on space, but you may want to test it on distant objects like birds or buildings first.

[@virtzrl]

@@LearnToStargaze Oh ok! Thank you so much for the help much appreciated!

[@virtzrl]

@@LearnToStargaze So does this mean that the telescope is not suited for space observation? Should I try to get a different scope?

[@mamainnature1640]

Any tips on how to see the new moon as it is born?

[@LearnToStargaze]

For sure! You just have to travel to where there is a solar eclipse! There will be a good one in 2024!

[@robinschilder7061]

John can you help me choose a telescope. I really like the table tops telescopes from Orion, but I don’t know which one I should buy. I don’t know If I’m gonna buy the star blast because he can’t support a tripod my parents bought a tripod for my 20x80 binoculars from celestron, can you plz help me decide which tabletop you would recommend. Or something else underneath the 210 euro’s ;) thank you.

[@LearnToStargaze]

How about this one? www.bresser.de/en/Astronomy/Telescopes/BRESSER-Messier-5-Dobson.html

[@robinschilder7061]

@@LearnToStargaze I quite like it does it support tripod? Do you not recommend any of the tabletops. Sorry if these are rude questions but how about my budget was about 180€ do you think I can buy something with that?

[@oneshotki11]

I wanna see footsteps on the moon! I must create the perfect lens.

[@LearnToStargaze]

Good luck! I calculated the cost to accomplish this and came up with about 600 trillion dollars.

[@MicDropBBQ]

@@LearnToStargaze 😂🤣😂

[@paganphil100]

@oneshotki11: The lens would probably need to be at least 2 miles in diameter 😙

[@BjFoley]

You can tell he's reading all this information from A Q card

[@LearnToStargaze]

That’s because I’m not very good at speaking.

[@Emerald4820]

I mean anybody can with a pair of binoculars if they can’t afford a telescope. 🔭 🌙

[@xrude7875]

i'm really wanting to see the moon surface , and see the the stuff NASA (which at this point i lean toward believe ) said they have left there ! so before i get to crazy ; have you seen stuff from NASA on the moon ?

[@LearnToStargaze]

You need to use the camera from Arizona State University for this observation. That’s the only device I know of that can currently do this. Its called the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. The Moon is 384,000 kilometers away, and the hardware on the surface is only a few meters across, so you either need a telescope with a kilometer wide detector on earth, or you need to be in Lunar orbit (ASU’s camera gear is in orbit).

[@smartphone4529]

Thanks for wasting my time