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1 - Get oriented
As the Earth moves around the Sun we see different stars in different seasons. And, as the Earth turns, different stars rise and set during an evening. So you'll need a star wheel or some star maps to tell you what you can expect to see tonight.
When you go outside, get oriented by finding Polaris, the North Star. The 2 stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper always point to the North Star. It's not the brightest star in the sky, but it will get you pointed north! When you face the North Star, east will be on your right, south to your back, and west on your left. Now you can find those directions on your star wheel and be ready to go.
2 - Pick what you want to look for
Your telescope will be especially useful for observing the moon or planets. The moon always rises in the east and sets in the west. However, it's not always in the night sky. You'll need to check a calendar or newspaper to find out when it will rise. The 2 most observable planets are Jupiter and Saturn. But, like the moon, they are not always available in the night sky. You will need to check the planet sections in your notebook to find if and when a planet might be visible.
If you want to observe a "deep sky" (that is, outside of our solar system) object, find one in your notebook which is visible during the time you are observing. The objects you can choose from include double stars, nebulae, star clusters, planetary nebulae (shells of gas around dying stars), supernova remnants, and far-off galaxies. Each page tells in which months the object is visible.
Once you pick something, it's helpful to know the object's constellation, so you can find it in the sky. The Telrad map shows the constellation, although it doesn't tell you where to look in the sky. You'll need to locate the constellation on your star wheel, then search for it in the north-south-east-west-whatever direction indicated.
Once you've located the constellation in the sky, turn on the Telrad finder and point it at the place shown on the Telrad finder map. The Telrad projects a little red bull's eye, which you'll need to center on the object you want to observe. Sometimes this is easy, sometimes not. Try looking through the Telrad with one eye, and keep the other eye on the sky. Once you have the Telrad "targeting" the object, it should appear in the telescope.
3 - What you can expect to see
Don't expect to see nebulae and galaxies which look like all the wonderful color pictures in the books. Those were taken by cameras which collected light for hours, and then the pictures were processed by exotic procedures which allowed the colors to come out. Galaxies will look like grey smudges or haze in your telescope, as will most of the nebulae. Many objects you observe will be quite small and quite faint.
You will be able to see color and features primarily on the planets. In addition, stars come in shades of red, orange, yellow, blue, cream, and white. It's especially fun to find double stars with dramatically different colors.
Many times the thrill of observing comes from simply comprehending what you are looking at. The Andromeda Galaxy will look like a faint smudge, but what you are seeing is 2 million light years away (that's 12,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles!) and it contains billions and billions of stars. You can see all this with the telescope you made yourself!
4 - Dark Adaptation
Your eye needs to adapt to the dark before you can see faint objects. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to reach a reasonable level of sensitivity. However, your eye will continue to dark-adapt even after 30 minutes. During this time, don't go back into the house, turn on a flashlight, or let a car's headlights shine in your face. Use a flashlight covered with red tissue or cellophane, or painted with red nail polish, to read your maps and find your way.
5 - Averted Vision
There's a trick you can learn to help see faint objects: averted vision.
Your eye is most light-sensitive on the side. So, what you want to do is look off to one side of the field of view, but pay attention to the middle. Your peripheral vision is also sensitive to motion, so you can also try tapping the telescope gently to try to find an elusive object.
6 - Magnification and Eyepieces
Your telescopes come with 2 eyepieces each -- a "low power" (25mm), the longer one, and a "high power" (10mm), the shorter one. Generally start with the low power (lower magnification), since it produces a brighter image and wider field of view. Then, once you've located the object you can experiment with the higher magnification, high power eyepiece. Objects with high surface brightness, such as star clusters and planetary nebulae are good at high power.
As we obtain more equipment, we'll eventually get some filters which you can screw onto the back of your eyepiece. Nebula and light-pollution filters help block manmade light, allowing the celestial objects to shine through.
7 - Be aware of the Moon
You won't be able to see much when the Moon is up, so you'll need to become aware of its phase. Most calendars show a little symbol for the current phase of the Moon. You can generally observe in the early evening from 3 days after a full moon to about a week before.
8 - Observe, don't just peek
You won't really "see" or understand an object unless you look at it for 5-10 minutes. Not only will your eye adapt, but you will be able to notice more details by looking longer. The best way to observe is to sketch every object you look at. Your sketch gives you a record of what you've seen, and also helps you really notice details. Use colored pencils if you see colors on planets, nebulae, or double stars. Try sketching Jupiter with its moons and bright bands. Sketch Saturn, its bands, its rings, and its moon. Another fun one to sketch is the Orion Nebula, which, if you study it long enough, will show some color. You might even see what appear to be "billowing" clouds of gas.
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