My 3 Laws Of Telescopics to Get Sharp, Clear Telescope Views!

[@RocketPlanet]

To try everything Brilliant has to offer-free-for a full 30 days, visit brilliant.org/AstronomyandNatureTV/ . The first 200 of you will get 20% off Brilliant’s annual premium subscription.

[@Steve_R]

Hi Robert. All very good information. I would add a forth law. That of stability. For those starting out, something as simple as taking your telescope from a wooden deck that is connected to the house and setting it on the ground can make a big difference. Someone walking in the house can setup tiny vibrations in the scope. The same can happen even with a slight wind, so maybe think of some shelter from the wind. And make sure the tripod is set up correctly. If it has a spreader bar, make sure it is seated properly and tightened down. Great video. Take care, Steve.

[@davinawonderling9361]

Steve_R, very good point. Thanks for sharing.

[@NovaFive]

I'm in love with your content! I just discovered you after looking at "Top 5 Tips for Improving Planetary Views with Your Telescope". I was really hoping to see that you were still uploading videos, and after seeing that you are, I'm so happy. I'm 22 years old. Started doing planetary imaging a few months ago. Love it so much! Just wanted to say thank you for making this available to everyone!

[@kevinbernard9642]

I’ve been a subscriber for many years and this is probably the best video you’ve put out. Really terrific work and your passion for the subject is infectious.

[@தைரியம்]

Great to have you back again ! Hope you are in good shape :) Waiting for more rocket engine analysis ;) It would be awesome if you could start analyzing other rocket powerplants and systems besides v2 as well !!!! Fingers crossed

[@Weetos1337]

Sooo glad you’re back with a new video !!!

[@PagyBio]

So good to have you back with new Astronomy content! I owe you my first steps on Astronomy 3 years ago. Cheers from Brazil

[@joeimbesi99]

I leave mine oustide covered patio for 45mins late after 9pm .Early mornibg if you can get up 5am air can be EXTREMELY STILL..Great Red Spot. Mars SYRTIS easy at Opposition in even an 80ed 6sct and above great views.

[@mikereilly2745]

In My 35+ years of astronomy , I have to say , This is one of the best pieces I have seen . Temperature differences in telescopes cause so much stress and trouble. Log book is very useful . Nowadays , You can use the internet and see what your sky conditions were doing on nights of good bad n great seeing etc... Thank you !

[@Northlander74]

25:55 I took this advice, and on my AltAz Computerized mount, I have added a small arrow sticker that when it matches the opposing arrow that shows you when the mount is at 0° for dismounting the tube, it is an indication for the golden 35° so it takes away any guesswork when out for a session.

[@leegosling]

Yay!!!!! You’re back! Hope all good. This channel was so important to me as a newbie… wisdom in every video.

[@willrothfuss8470]

Great to see a new video by you Robert! And I've only watched the hysterical intro so far, but am really looking forward to this. Now that I've watched it, I am reminded how much I like the simple way you illustrate and present this material. Bravo! More please.

[@robertsonsid]

My planet viewing always improves after 30 minutes of being outside. I love those rare excellent viewing conditions when Planet details pop out and double stars are easier to split. Great well thought out video.

[@nighttrain1236]

Thanks for showing how important the cool-down is.

[@montana4939]

Thank you so so much , I wanted to learn more then just looking through an eye piece. Now I can start answering “ why” and how for a few things that will probably frustrate me as I venture into my new hobby at the age of 65 . Thank you

[@MarkMphonoman]

Wow, the clarity of your messages is amazing. Will totally take all of your suggestions to heart. 👍

[@demej00]

Wow point well made about letting telescope adjust to temp. Thanks.

[@markjordan1530]

Robert is so engaging. I love the material that he presents but, to be honest, I’d happily spend hours listening to and watching him discuss absolutely any subject. I love the humorous interjections too. More please.

[@williama.leyrer3839]

Greetings Robert, Thank you for this OUTSTANDING presentation!! It really puts into perspective the characteristics as to WHY (unbeknownst to then) beginning astronomy enthusiast's endure such disappointment during their fiest outtings with their new scope! Which typically leads tofrustration, packing up early in the evening and going home during group/club observing nights. Especially here in Oklahoma where the sky conditions are subject to great and frequent variations. In fact your presentation is so informative I'm going to use your 3 Laws of Telescopics as the subject matter at out next meeting. I hope you don't mind. I believe our new budding astronomers will find it quite the"eye opening experience" ! I also realize the time and effort that went into making this presentation so let me say once again, a HUGE Galactic Thank You!

[@perry92964]

seeing that old scope you bought made me think of my first scope a 4.5 inch reflector, a tasco made in japan with the exact same tripod. i was around 15, i walked 3 miles to catch a bus to the mall and bought it with all of my birthday and christmas money i got over the years from my relatives over the years.......im 60 now and its sitting right over in the next room, i even still have to box it came in. last week i decided to buy myself a new scope i got an 8 inch celestron c8se. the point of that tale is this is a hobby that when you start will stay with you for your whole life. i have another law for you i learned many years ago, dont push your scope to its limit. if your scope says it can magnify 450X dont expect it to with clarity. expecting it to do well at 1/4 or less is more realistic.

[@charlesflint9048]

Glad to see you again!. I bought my 10” SCT from you 16yrs ago and it took me quite a while to learn some of this.

[@supernovatj]

Great to see you back, doing astronomy videos again! Very informative Master Class even for a somewhat seasoned astronomer. Looking forward to your next offerings. CS.

[@danhouser5152]

This was great! Very informative, thanks Robert!

[@shoestringobservatory2222]

Great to see you back, and especially on an Astronomy topic too.

[@leonidcechmistro7351]

Thank you Robert! What a great video! Glad to see you back! I went out observing today ( from 20 degrees in the house to-13 with wind chill outside) let the eyepieces and telescope (81mm) cool down for an hour, on my third floor balcony, heat radiating off the buildings all around me, both moon and Jupiter almost impossible to focus on…. Air turbulence, poor seeing, but still a pleasure, looked like a transit of one of Jupiters moons, actually did a star test on Betelgeuse (at about 35 degrees) nothing doing, thank you for stressing the importance of rule #3! Hi from Montreal!

[@johnrsims43]

In reference to rule #1: What about refractors and dew heaters? Placement? Above the lens, on the dew shield, or below the lens on the OTA (as near the lens as possible)?

[@stuartbolden2142]

Hi Robert,I bought my first ever scope from you when you had your business on Lancaster Way , Witchford ... Always look back at your videos with fondness. You have great presentation that keeps everyone interested . As for telescopes ? Since buying one off of you I have tried out about 40 !!!! When my wife asks how much money I've spent on this wonderful hobby I honestly couldn't even count. But it's been really fun and it's thanks to your enthusiasm that set me on the road to looking up at the night sky.The scope I bought from you was. Skywatcher 102 on a small goto mount. It was a good scope back then and still remains so . Thank you for all the advice you offer everyone on your channel .

[@pepeimc]

Glad to see you around again!!

[@bostronomy]

Absolutely fantastic video. The atmospheric elements were mind blowing. You’ve got such a gift for putting things in perspective.

[@giaxxone]

This is excellent. Well done! While attempting to collimate an sct on a de-focused star I placed my hand in front of the corrector, to gauge adjustment direction, and saw storms of heat coming off of it. It was kind of mesmerizing, but on removing my hand I noticed a flat spot on top of the image that, with further de-focusing, became larger and more U shaped while also repeating to a smaller extent around the entire edge. With a little more knob fiddling and scope jiggling I quickly understood that I was looking at a pool of warm air floating in the top of my optical tube… and that my collimation efforts should be held off for a bit.

[@telboy911]

Robert is a knowledgeable and unassuming guy, a true expert on Astronomy and Telescopes. I only wish he'd do more videos.

[@spaceinyourface]

Learnt a lot from you over the years,,,great to see you back ,,& that's 3 brilliant laws for observation. . ✌

[@bobbymath2813]

YES. Can’t wait to curl up with some food on the couch and watch this. Thank you Robert!

[@kasa6038]

Really enjoyed this video. I watched your older videos when I first started astronomy five years ago. 3000 observations and five telescopes later, you still have plenty to teach me. I really liked the demonstration of the heat waves coming off the mirror. My 10 inch definitely can give off some heat for an hour or so and the views always get better after I have been observing for a while. Also agree nothing beats understanding observing conditions like observing. After looking at Jupiter multiple times a month, it just takes a single glance to see if it is average, above average or poor. Thanks again!

[@gregerianne3880]

This is such important information, Robert! Thank you for putting together a truly outstanding presentation. I've 'deviated' (pun intended) into astrophotography for the past year or so and mainly doing that, but all this makes me want to take my dob out and re-experience the thrill I've always gotten from plain, old, visual observing under the stars. Thanks again for the terrific should-be-required-viewing information -- and the inspiration! This honestly was one of the best KZbin videos I've watched in quite some time.

[@Zillasmoke]

Welcome back, long overdue! Awesome and informative video!

[@REXOB9]

Great video, thanks for the clear explanations and demos.

[@Robb-jf7vg]

WOW !!!! This is an excellent demonstration of what is happening inside our Telescope 🔭.

[@cbf63]

I've discovered the importance of masking down the aperture of the lens on a refractor thereby cleaning up the image by quite a bit and getting rid of aberrations that lurk on the edges of most lenses. For instance I mask down a 90 mm f/11 lens to 70mm and that makes it an f/14 and it throws up a fantastic image that way and all my eyepieces work wonderfully with it.

[@epickcrom5606]

A very educational video, every observer should watch this! Great stuff 👍

[@raykeefe9253]

Super helpful explanations. Thanks.

[@JustaThoughtNow]

Top subject and very well explained Robert. After some experience, a learning astronomer can judge the night sky by just looking up and seeing how the stars look. A good night will have bright stars with very little twinkling. There are some occasions when mist may be present but the image is not compromised apart from just being a little dimer. I look forward to your next video, you really do have a talent for astronomy and have helped many people develop an understanding of their equipment and the universe it was made to observe. Thanks Robert, all the best from Australia. Ian.

[@chrisrichardson007]

You’re Back! That is Brilliant!

[@JupiterEclipse]

Hi. So, I have been following 2 of your laws and they all work fantastic. However, the problem is that when I leave my telescope out for cooling the mirrors, dew forms because of high humidity. So, my question is when is an ideal condition to take out the telescope for cooling off the mirrors? And should I always do it? And can someone answer this specific question so that I don’t run into more problems?

[@Northlander74]

Is this channel still "live"? I've just discovered this channel, and came here for more telescopic knowledge following getting back into amature astronomy. I've since discovered A&N as a real bricks and mortar business has since closed, but despite that most of the videos here are up to 12 years old, the science is still relevant, and I'm thankful for some of the more detailed aspects I've took from binge watching the videos that are appropriate to what gaps I had in my understanding of "seeing" (and what I should expect from my new scope)

[@KevinMurphy0403]

Top content. Thank you for putting the effort into this very informative video.

[@richardparrott7192]

Well i, Robert... i LikedIt! What a great video and so good to see a new video!

[@jacekniec762]

In having heat wave areas use backyard telescopes refractors with narrow aperture from D40mm to D120mm.Objective lens is mostly cold🙂

[@moritzheintze7615]

Even in a clear and quiet night, you may want to wait untill the wee hours before expecting really good seeing. Another different topic: there is a simple way to check for flaws or misalignemt of your telescope: slightly defocus and compare the intrafocal with the extrafocal image. They should appear reasonably similar.

[@DrKevGuitar]

Robert, you are wonderful teacher. Thank you so much.

[@xsauce3858]

Well thought out well explained video.

[@philipcoombs3544]

Excellent video full of really good advice. Thank you.👍

[@Haos666]

@Astronomy and Nature TV As for rule 3, i was thinking about starting every night with taking some standard exposures using the same lens (i`m using a normal camera + telephoto), same exposure params (not to overexpose the star), right after setting up best focus and temperature equlibrium. Afterwards, at post-processing stage, I intended just to zoom in and count the pixels to determine the said star size.

[@barnaclewatcher4060]

Absolutely outstanding video!

[@Stephen-gp8yi]

Live and learn I love this content Robert🤙🏻

[@wktodd]

Excellent demos Robert . I have a 300mm aluminium ball in my front garden , I have used it to describe the crazy scale of the solar system few people really 'get it' until I've walked them down the road a bit with a tiny ball-bearing in their hand and told them 'we live here'.

[@jonwilliams23]

Excellent video on good observation habits!!!

[@cristrigotti9933]

A very good video! Thank you.

[@davidaaaa4611]

Thanks for the video, When the clouds clear I will try what you said do. Saturn is high enough for viewing this month.

[@curbscrape8343]

Absolutely priceless! Subbed.

[@Haos666]

@Astronomy and Nature TV How wouild you find a balance between first law and dewing of the front element? Unfortunately, at my location even in dry summer I have to use heater after just an hour or two, as the dew ruins everything :(

[@JupiterEclipse]

Same for me too! But it’s mainly in the winter and late autumn.

[@westwater73]

I took my 6inch meade out for a cool down the other day 17/10/24 super moon. Two hours later and two moon filters viewing was great.went inside to put a shepherd's pie in the oven, went back outside and my scope was dripping..

[@TheNobbynoonar]

A note on the ‘first law’ I found that by insulating my 6” Maksutov it made a big difference to its performance. Seeing permitting, i’m able to use high powers straight away. No more waiting for the scope to acclimatise to the outside temperature. To anyone with a closed OTA (Mak, Mak-Newt, Cassigrain) it’s worth trying out. It’s not costly and it’s relatively easy to do. There are several articles online that explain.

[@stefangapko]

Härligt att se något av dig igen, jag köpte jag mitt första teleskop av er i Kivik!

[@hashmagandy2012]

Very interesting, think I’ll get that old reflector down from the attic and give it another go. BTW, should you be suffering from an upset stomach you may wish to make sure Anna is not putting a few drops of that carbolic acid onto your breakfast. 😊

[@wesleydonnelly2141]

awesome demo of just how badly thermals affect telescopes. I rejected this reality when starting out, I remember thinking " oh come on, how bad can it be?? I get great views out my homes Skylight window, I don't need to go outside in the cold!" LOL how wrong I was!! After months of viewing the heavens from my Skylight, I decided to take the plunge and actually go outside with my 'scope! ( exactly where nature intended! lol ) and my goodness what a shock I got!! The views that i thought were great from inside my home, were MAGNITUDES less pleasing than what I saw while outside!! Needless to say, I've NEVER used my 'scope indoors ever since that night!! ( and I'm now 14 months into my astrophotography journey! ) Wes, Liverpool UK.

[@RocketPlanet]

Hi Wes, good 'from experience' comment, thanks for posting. KR RJD A&NTV

[@wesleydonnelly2141]

@@RocketPlanet Hi again, I also meant to say, that beginning part where you're walking on a little mini world was awesome. For me personally, it just worked so well because of the nature of our hobby, i.e. us amateurs and pro's alike are highly aware of the fact we're on a huge spherical ball of rock, rocketing through space, using our telescopes to look out into the universe! Just so cool! Also loved the iROBERT thing! Cool! Thanks!

[@a3skywarrior929]

I wanted a spy scope but was given a pair of Japanese binoculars by my grandfather. Next was a similar Japanese telescope (lowest to yours but the same ). I had to wait for the late 70's early 80s for that. Understood armor, so I figured the angle right away. My best was dead winter, and I figured out quickly to leave it outside while waiting for the highest angle. Made a simple log...mainly for Jupiter's moons or what was observed (Saturn's rings placement). Brilliant video for the newcomer that doesn't have the patience that we did 🍻👍

[@MountainFisher]

At 32 degrees Latitude where I live to observe Omega Centauri globular cluster, C80 which only reaches 10 degrees from the horizon I went up to 9,200 feet elevation Bortle 2 after a rain to clear the dust from the atmosphere. I got a decent view with a calm Stratosphere, but that doesn't happen often. I live in the desert and May showers were the best time. June starts our monsoon season so it's hit or miss.

[@colmbrazel]

Thanks for great video. I'm wondering about my dew sleeves how best to use them to avoid the smokey turbulence shown in your video. Can they add too much heat to the tube destroying detail and contrast?

[@RocketPlanet]

Hi there, and thanks for posting a good question. The dew shield doesn't add heat; it does the vital job of retarding normal steady heat loss (through the process of radiation) by preserving some warmer air near the surface of your optics in the hope that we can stop the temperature dipping, at least for a while, below the dew-point - the temperature where dew will start to form on our optics. The only significant "spoiling" risk you face with dew shields is the increase in sail area they present to the wind! So you may find that if you have a longer dew shield - especially dew caps of the homebrew variety - there is a risk that it will increase wind vibration. I hope this helps. KR RJD A&NTV

[@clayscollins5844]

Good job!

[@maxverstappennonofficial]

very good video.

[@superfamilyallosauridae6505]

It's very funny that your first telescope was a British Army spotter scope. My first optical instrument for looking at the phenomena was a USMC issue ACOG (a 4x M7 RCO specifically)

[@seanflewin9803]

My best views of Jupiter was under 35° more like 16 or 17, the atmosphere showed the browns and reds a treat

[@VickiAnkney]

Robert I would think that we would need to have are eyepieces at equal temperature to the outside air also. I know I do because thats a lot of glass. MY 40mm 34mm 32mm and 28mm are all 2".My 14 in. scope I'll set out up to a hour plus to cool down. I'll use my 8in. while I wait.The viewers are asking why so close in long eye pieces and I say those 4 eyepieces give me 12 different focal lengths, you see I use a paracorr and 2 ln 2x powermate. And now that I gave you'll my inventory I'm just saying all of it goes outside to cool down if I'm planning on seeing anything, Great video I could set and lesson all night But at 77 the eyeballs get heavy.Thanks again

[@MrRayopt]

Good video for beginners. Newtonian telescopes: I used to make telescope mirrors for different companies and so I feel a 1/4 wave mirror isn't good enough. Maybe a 1/8 wave reflected wavefront is satisfactory if the mirror is smooth. Next, I've tested secondary mirrors and have actually taken some and thrown them in the garbage because they were so awful. These bad optics were imported from the orient. Japanese optics are probably better. Schmidt Cassegrainian telescopes have 5 optical surfaces if you count the star diagonal. That's a lot of glass for the light to contend with ! Last: Nothing was said about observing near a wind turbine. What ? Yes. The seeing is extremely poor if you're downwind from one or more of these. They create a vortex of tumbling thermals. Fine detail, forget it.

[@lornaz1975]

What is the telescope behind you at 1:10?? For that matter what is the telescope in front of you as well??

[@coriscotupi]

What a great video. Liked, subscribed. To be fair, since I moved to a new town, my greatest difficulty has not been shimmering or turbulence, but light pollution. Only a handful the very brightest stars are visible to the naked eye in the night sky which, considering this is a small, 34K inhabitants town, makes it that much more frustrating, as expectations were high for a dark sky here. We have what we have. Maybe some road trips to darker locations would be a good idea, and even get e two-for-one: nice weekend getaways that the missis would appreciate, and som darker skies to boot.

[@mrh9635]

Hello. Does anyone know a telescope repair service in East Anglia (West Norfolk-ish) that can install a new corrector plate into a Celestron 9.25 SCT? I have the replacement plate but my local scope shop can't help. More on topic I like this Robert guys stuff.

[@RocketPlanet]

Hi there, give Pulsar Observatories a ring - they are not far from you. They a an experience SCT engineer there that may be able to help you. KR RJD A&NTV

[@mrh9635]

@@RocketPlanet Thank you. I'll try them.

[@mrh9635]

@@RocketPlanet That Collingwood fella at Pulsar apparently doesn't touch SCT's anymore. I'm tempted to train myself in the scope repair business as it seems there would be no competition in East Anglia. Thanks anyway.

[@georgemorley1029]

Breakfast is frequently an experiment in our house.

[@josephshaff5194]

😀 Much Thanks Robert ! Some Work huh ? Runnin' through a 2nd time on Udemy. Completed modifications Cel. Astro~ 114, 450 FL, True Parabola, cut the Tube w/ a Pipe cutter & dremel added D. Crayford 1:10, on my FB. 20, 10, 4 Eyepieces, (4) 5x Barlows, colored glass filters, 1 good ambient light filter

[@robinflowers2019]

Love your vidio

[@njoroge_mn]

most of you live in that region with the exception of me . I live in Africa , Nairobi Kenya where i do my night sky view

[@Johnnybox81]

Here's my log from the 7th Nov 2023: clouds, ooohh an hour of clear skies! Neighbours light comes on again! Other neighbours security light is on...Probably should start observing at midnight 😅 p.s light pollution seemed worse than ever...

[@Zawiedek]

Hey, aren't you the guy raving about Wernher von Braun's turbo pump!?

[@allnamesaretaken]

Law 4: Avoid Newtonian telescopes less than 100mm of aperture. To put into quick perspective, i have seen, a terrible view but it was there, the red spot on Jupiter in a 50mm refractor telescope. I own both a 76mm Orion Space Probe ll and a 76mm Celestron Cometron, not once have i seen any detail on any planet after owning the Space Probe for 6 years, though Saturn's rings do show up fine but no Cassini Division but i have seen the Cassini Division in a 60mm refractor telescope. People argue about Refractor vs. Newtonian but ill tell you this one, those ell cheapo 70mm refractors full of chromatic aberration would show you much more than a Newtonian less than 114mm of aperture though with a purple tint or glow. My honest advice would be, unless you're doing astrophotography, i wouldn't buy a refractor less than 80mm or a 130mm Newtonian unless you are like me who owns 12 telescopes and enjoys comparing, the lockdowns were useful for testing but i am a half glass full, any telescope is better than no telescope, you buy what you can afford because the important thing is that you get out there and enjoy the sky because astronomy has a lot to offer just try not to get too bogged down with all the options. My favourite scopes are my SvBony 550 80mm apo refractor and the Skywatcher 150mm Virtuoso Newtonian telescope but we are all different, my Skywatcher Explorer 8inch doesn't get used because its huge, the the Zhumell 100mm is great for ultra portability, my Skywatcher Heritage 130p Newtonian is also a great telescope but doesn't get used after buying the 150mm and all the others are now there for comparison.

[@jeffro7p202]

So since there is no way i could put my own telescope in orbit i guess i need to build a 62 mile long refractor

[@RocketPlanet]

Try Mrs Musk's lad Elon; he put almost anything in orbit for a laugh. KR RJD A&NTV

[@HelmutFischer-thehefi]

Oh! Alive. Lets take a close look...

[@josephshaff5194]

I about dropped one when saw real formulas in Python.

[@johnnunley]

1 meter is appx 3 " more than a yard, not less than a yard

[@HelmutFischer-thehefi]

Very poor audio. Have to watch it later...

[@gordonemery6805]

Just subscribed and I haven't got a telescope yet ,very informative content and well delivered 👍.....