My buddy told me my star charts were making things harder, not easier

I was trying to find the Andromeda Galaxy with a printed map and my basic binoculars, getting really frustrated. He pointed out that I was holding the chart upside down because I was facing south, not north like the map assumed. After he showed me how to align the chart with my actual view, I spotted it in under a minute. Has anyone else had a simple tip that fixed a big stargazing headache?

3 comments

3 Comments

laura21116d ago

Totally get that. My first telescope trip was a mess until someone told me to let it sit outside first. The lenses kept fogging up from the temperature change. That one tip saved the whole night.

leet3211d ago

My old astronomy club had a rule about 30 minutes outside before use. I thought it was overkill until I saw how much clearer the rings of Saturn looked without any haze.

taylor.phoenix15d ago

Saved the whole night" seems like a stretch... it's just some fog on a lens. A quick wipe with a cloth fixes it in seconds. People make such a big deal out of tiny things.