In this lab you will learn to set up the telescope and use it to make general observations. You should print out a copy of the “Telescope Setup Instructions” and the diagram and read them carefully before coming to lab. Don’t expect the instructions to make lots of sense until you actually have the equipment in front of you, but read them anyway. It is crucial that you become efficient in setting up the telescope and finding objects in the sky, or you will have difficulty in the labs. The first time you try it, it may seem difficult, but with a little practice it should become quite easy and quick. Both you and your partner should work on all aspects of setting up the telescope. By the time you finish this lab you should be proficient at polar aligning the scope, aligning the finderscope, and attaching the various pieces of the telescope.
Procedure
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Set up the telescope according to the information in the "Telescope Setup Instructions."
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Aim the telescope at a random location on the sky and make a sketch of what you see in the low power eyepiece. Make your sketch on the observing form provided to you during lab. You should turn in this sketch with your lab report next week. |
Questions
1. Looking through the finderscope, are objects right side up (erect) or upside down (inverted)?
2. Looking through the finderscope, are objects reversed left to right?
3. Looking through the telescope itself, are objects erect or inverted?
4. Looking through the telescope itself, are objects reversed left to right?
