The Lake County Astronomical Society

Lake County, Illinois
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May 16, 2025
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Beginners's Column


Beginning Astronomy


Getting a Start in AstronomyThe "Best" Starter InstrumentBuying Your First TelescopeThe Care and Feeding of a TelescopeYour Eyepiece CollectionEducational OpportunityHelp... I'm New Here!Exposé of a Telescope AdA Newbie's Telescope Quality CheckThe Novice's Guide to Star Party EquipmentA Short History of the TelescopeDo All Objects in Space Rotate?Telescope Thoughts

Telescopes


A 4-inch Refractor and MountAchromats and ApochromatsAligning My SCTBaffling ReflectionsBalancing a DobsonianBuild or Buy a Telescope?Building a Telescope?Bigger Is Not Always BetterBuild Your Own Equatorial Mount?Caressing Your MirrorA Case Study on Cheap TelescopesCleaning Telescope Optics: The Pros' View...Comparing RefractorsThe Coronado PSTCenter-Spotting a SecondaryCleaning Lenses and MirrorsCleaning EyepiecesCollimating a Newtonian with an Offset Secondary MirrorCounterbalancing a Telescope(Fairly) Painless Polar AligningFinessing the "VolksDob"Fixing a Pesky CG5 MountFocuser UpgradesGood Looking ScopesGood Old WoodGo-To?How Large a Telescope?Laser CollimatorsLooking down the Focuser MysteryLooking Over the EdgeMarketing HypeMeade Lightbridge ReviewThe Monetary Side of a TelescopeMountings: Equatorial vs. AltazimuthThe Most from your ScopeMy Ideal TelescopeNewtonian Secondary Offset?Not All Telescopes are Created EqualOrion XT12 IntelliScope ReviewThe Perfect TelescopePorter Turret TelescopesPush Your Scope to the Max!Pyrex or not PyrexThe Refractor: Now That's a Real Telescope!Really Portable TelescopesThe Russians Are Coming!Schmidt-Cassegrain and Maksutov-CassegrainThe Seduction of ApertureSeeking an "Ideal" TelescopeSome Orion-Brand Eyepieces ... and OthersSmall Scope SagaStretching your TelescopeTeleVue 102 Refractor Telescope ReviewTelescope EconomicsUpgrading a PSTWhy own so Many Telescopes?XT8 Equipment ReviewLX90 Equipment ReviewYour Basic "Copyscope"

Eyepieces


Barlow vs EyepieceThe Best Nebula EyepiecesBest Planetary EyepiecesBinocular ViewersChecking Out Lens CoatingsChoosing Eyepieces: Part 1Choosing Eyepieces: Part 2Cold Eyepiece Fogging?Diagonally SpeakingDitching the Star DiagonalDo Zoom Eyepieces Really Work?An Electronic EyepieceEyepiece Actual Fields of ViewEyepieces in the ColdThe Good Old Plossl EyepieceImproving Barlow Lens PerformanceLow-tech Focusing MountThe Magnification GameFilters and Focus ShiftMore stuff About EyepiecesMultiply Your Eyepieces with a Barlow LensNew Versions of Old EyepiecesPushcart OperationThe "Reverse" Crayford FocuserWhat's Inside an Eyepiece?Wide Field Eyepieces

Accessories


Astrochair ReviewBaader Violet Multi-Band FilterA Balanced GEMA Barndoor TrackerBracket TimeBuying Astronomy StuffColors through a Nebula FilterA Convenient Mirror MountHowie Glatter Laser CollimatorIn Praise of Dew ZappersProduct Review: Kendrick Observing TentNebula Filter Suggestions"Scotty, I need more power!"Setting Circles - Curious ThingsSetting Circles? Q & AStar Atlas ReviewsStarBound Observing ChairThe (Y2K Compliant) SundialTake Me Out to the Tripod GameA Temporary Scope ShelterTools for CollimationThe Value of a Chamfer

Navigating the Sky


DSO Locating DevicesFinding Some Old FriendsFOV Star-HoppingSo How Do You Find Things Without Computer Assistance?What's All This Stuff About Coordinates?Will Star-Hopping Become a Lost Art?

General


About Aperture FeverAntares Twist-Lock AdapterThe Aperture AilmentAperture LustIn the Astronomy DepartmentApodizing Masks?Atlas of Deep Sky SplendorsBack to Basics: Astronomy UnpluggedBook Review: The Caldwell ObjectsBreaking the Lens Coating CodeCheap Astronomy - The Case Against KitsChoosing an LCD MonitorCruddy Things on OpticsDecisions, DecisionsDefinition and Light Grasp: Can You Afford Both?An End to Cold Fingers?Getting a Better View: Quality of Today's Newtonian OpticsGreen Light or Red?How Optical Coatings WorkBook Review: Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders A Short History of Lens CoatingsIn Search of Perfect HappinessOldest Optical Device?Optics in Cold WeatherMore on Optics in Cold WeatherMuch Ado About DewQuality is Important, but…What About Price/Performance?Scratches and Pinholes Oh My!TeleVue QualityTemperature Changes and OpticsTime to Re-coat your Mirror?The Universe from your BackyardUnusual Astronomy EquipmentA Visit to Coronado Instruments

Binoculars


Binoculars Abound!Garrett Optical - 100mm F5.3 45° Binocular TelescopeMisaligned BinocularsShopping for Binoculars

Observing Column


Observing


Achieving the UnexpectedAlbedo EffectsThe Alpha Persei AssociationAn Anonymous Dark NebulaAnother Take on Night VisionAn Unfamiliar LyraAnything but GalaxiesAppreciating the Little ThingsAre Today's Skies That Much Worse than they used to Be?Atmospherics: Seeing and TransparencyA Trip to the North PoleThe Asterism GameAutumn: The Second Galaxy SeasonAvoiding the Obvious in AurigaBaade's WindowBatting 1000Better Night VisionCassiopeia ClustersCentaurus AChasing NumbersCloudy Night AstronomyThe Cocoon NebulaColorful DSOsThe Coolest StarsCosmographic ObservingCrossing the MeridianCrystalline Winter NightsDark MattersDealing with Light Pollution (pdf)Deep SeeingThe Deep Sky Through a Small InstrumentDescribing a GalaxyDirections? Don't need 'emEpsilon Lyrae: The Double-Double TestEvaluating an Observing SiteExperiences with High Power ViewingExperiments in SpectroscopyThe Eye Of GodEyeballing Big Game NebulasFair Air for ObservingA Favorite DSOA Few Mistakes I've MadeGathering up a Few Open ClustersThe Globulars of SummerThe Good Ol' Double ClusterHey, Don't Stick With Just the "Usual" Stuff!On the Horns of TaurusImpressions of a Night Sky Unaffected by Light PollutionAn Introduction to NebulaeLight Site Viewing - Part 1Light Site Viewing - Part 2Light Site Viewing - Part 3Limits are Meant to be BrokenLists, Lists, ListsLooking Up, Down UnderObserving Galaxy ClustersThe "Other" HorizonM4 - An Early Summer GlobularM24 - "Neighboring" ArmVisual Primer on M31M33 - Big and FaintM41Make the Best of WinterMore Shapely Star ClustersObserving AddictionObserving the PlanetsObserving the Southern SkyPerseid ViewingThe Pleiades RisingRambling on about our Expanding UniverseThe Raspberry NebulaRecord What You SeeRingtail Galaxies: NGC 4038/9Rock CollectingShapely Star ClustersShooting Out Your Back DoorShowpieces of the SkySide-by-Side GalaxiesSLOOHSo What Can That Telescope See?Sorting Out Stephan's QuintetSplitting PorrimaA Stand-in for AlbireoA Starry CalendarTelescopeless ObservingThe Triffid NebulaThermals or Atmospherics?Tools of the Trade"True Dark" SkiesTwo Great GlobularsTwo More Observing IssuesUV AurigaeWhat's that Dark Strip on the Eastern Horizon after Sunset?Why Are Emission Nebulae (Mostly) Colored Red?

The Sun


Can Sunspots Predict Solar Flares?You Can Observe the Sun!The Eleven Year Sunspot CycleCoronal Mass Ejection from the SunThe Maunder MinimumMore on Solar ObservingThings Flung From The SunQuestions on Solar ObservingThe Sun-Aurora Connection

The Moon


The Cat in the MoonDirections on the MoonFull Moon SightsA Lunar Atlas on Your PCThe Moon IllusionA Different ViewAlpine ValleyAristarchus & Vallis SchroteriChains of CraterletsClaviusCopernicusCrater HoppingCrater GassendiA Curious Lunar SpotThe Eastern Shore of SerenityFirst QuarterThe Five-Day-Old Moon: Burg, Hercules and AtlasThe Five-Day-Old Moon: Theophilus, Cyrillus and CatharinaFull Moon = No ShadowsGetting to Know the MoonLunar AtlasesLunar Challenge: Catena DavyLunar Challenge: The Davy Crater ChainMare ImbriumOh No ... A Full Moon!PitatusPlatoPlato RevisitedThe Rheita Valley AreaRaysRills and WallsSagging Craters?Tour Guides WantedTychoTycho and LTP's

The Planets


Current Theory on the Formation of the Solar System - Part 1Current Theory on the Formation of the Solar System - Part 2Current Theory on the Formation of the Solar System - Part 3Current Theory on the Formation of the Solar System - Part 4The Future of the EarthGet Ready For Mars!The Green Flash of Venus!Jupiter and its MoonsMoons…Moons Everywhere!Nomenclature of Jovian FeaturesPlanetary Systems Without Stars?Is Pluto An Escaped Satellite of Neptune?Pluto not a major planet? Oh say it isn't so!The Red (Hot?) PlanetThe Satellites of JupiterSaturn's Rings - GONE!SeasonsShadow Transits on SaturnThe Shallow Sky: The Domain of the AmateurThe Thing Called "Chiron"Tips on Observing JupiterTouring Saturn's RingsWhy Don't Planets Twinkle?

Observing Trips


12th Annual Nebraska Star PartyThe 16th Annual Twin Lake Star PartyCabo-Style Observing!Eastern Iowa Star PartyKitt Peak Astronomy TripLick ObservatoryNEAF-NEAIC 2006NEBRASKA STAR PARTY 2006New Mexico Observing Trip March 28 through April 9, 2008Night in the TropicsNorthwoods StarfestObservations at Gran QuiviraObservatory Visit - Leif Everson ObservatoryObserving in the SouthwestObserving Sites in the SouthwestRocky Mountain Star Stare 2008Texas Star Party ReviewTough RoadsTrip Report: Powder MillWhat I Did on My Summer VacationYosemite

Everything Else


Software


Armchair Observing on the WebAstronomy FreewareCheap Astronomy: Better than "cheap"Free Lunar Atlas SoftwareHolding the Sky in your HandHome Planet - A Software ReviewLaptop Power EfficiencyMore "Sky in your Hand"Pempro V2 - PEC Software and MoreSky Tools 3Your Own Deep Sky Database

Astrophotography


Astrophotography 101: Photographing the MoonAre You Ready for CCD Astrophotography?Building a Flat Field Light BoxCamera/Telescope CombinationsCapturing Details DigitallyColor Issues in Digicam AstrophotographyDigital Camera ImagingDigital Camera Imaging - Part 2Flats and CCD ImagingHartman MaskIntroduction to Robotic Astronomy - Part IIntroduction to Robotic Astronomy - Part IILunar Imaging Basics - Part ILunar Imaging Basics - Part IILunar Imaging: Beyond Basics Part ILunar Imaging: Beyond Basics Part IIMastering the Dark (Frames)Less is More: Narrowband ImagingOh say, can you CCD?Pictures on a BudgetPixel Wars: Size Does MatterShooting The Sky

Biographies


Friedrich Wilhelm BesselSir Hermann BondiJohn BrashearEleanor Margaret Peachey BurbidgeHeber CurtisAudouin DollfusGiovanni DonatiFrank DrakeHenry DraperJohn Louis Emil DreyerFrank DysonJohann Franz EnckeGeorgi Antonovich GamowCecilia Payne GaposchkinKarl Friedrich GaussDavid GillGeorge Ellery HaleRobert Hanbury-BrownJohannes Franz HartmannStephen HawkingChushiro HayashiGeorge Howard Herbig Johannes HeveliusAnthony HewishMilton HumasonKarl JanskyThomas JeffersonAlfred Harrison JoyJames E. KeelerCharles KowalGerard KuiperPaul Ledoux and Albert KönigGeorges Edouard LemaitreBernard LyotAdriaan Van MaanenNevil MaskelyneChristian MayerJohan MayerCharles MessierGerald NeugebauerErnst ÖpikTheodore von OppolzerRoger PenroseEdward C. PickeringGrote ReberOle Christensen RomerBruno RossiHenry Norris RussellLewis Morris RutherfordChristoph ScheinerGiovanni Virginio SchiaparelliMartin SchwarzschildAngelo SecchiCarl Seyfert Vesto SlipherF. G. SmithJames SouthJoel StebbinsJames A. Van AllenF. G. W. von StruveOtto Wilhelm (Otto Vasilievich) von StruveErnst Wilhelm Leberecht TempelGérard Henri De VaucouleursHermann Carl VogelBoris Aleksandrovich Vorontsov-Vel'iaminovCharles Augustus YoungYukov Zel'dovitch

Facebook


So you are thinking of buying a Telescope...Get To Know ConnieMoon GlobeMeet "Dobbie"

Humor


An Illustrated View of Star-Hopping versus ElectronicsBud and Lou Talk TelescopesChickens?Laws of Infernal DynamicsClearly, not "Fair" Weather!Defining Terms Used in Marketing New High-Tech TelescopesHAL ResurrectedThe International Number RegistryKnow Your AudienceThe MessageThe New LCAS SkymapThe New Unabridged LCAS Observer's DictionaryThe Odd Behavior of Astronomy JunkiesPerplexing QuestionsThe "True" Nature of LightThe Y Zero K ProblemYou Might NOT Be An Astronomer If You Think That...Your Starship Captain Might be a Redneck if...

Miscellaneous


Amateur Astronomy's FutureAnd You Think You Have it Rough!Archaeoastronomy in Illinois - WoodhengeAre All Orbits Elliptical?Astronomy, Astrology, and the Star of BethlehemAstronomy Is Where You Find ItThe Atmosphere Rules!The Backyard LegionBillions and BillionsChurch Buildings as SundialsCommunicating With MartiansComparing Light PollutionDigital SkyDeep Sky Object DesignationsDid Newton Invent the Newtonian?DOING THE MATHAre You Afflicted with DRL's?Early History of the Telescope Part I: In the Beginning…Early History of the Telescope Part II: Enter the ReflectorEarly History of the Telescope Part III: Refractor vs ReflectorEaster Cookies and CalendarsGuidelines For Star NamingThe Hertzsprung-Russell DiagramA History of "Once in a Blue Moon"Hubble Compared with New Ground-Based Optical TelescopesInternet e-groupsLagrangian PointsLeap Second to be Added This YearMass Extinctions and the Yarkovsky EffectThe Mayan CalendarMessier's Hit ListMicrometeoritesMirror Reversal?MisconceptionsMMT…Before and AfterModest Equipment DedicationNew HorizonsOur Galaxy's Black HeartOf Gods and MenOn the Mature ObserverOur Universe & Beyond: Truth Stranger than Fiction?The Pioneer SpacecraftProfessional "Observers"Roman War Horses and the Space ShuttleSatellites of Minor PlanetsScience and Non-science on the Internet"Serious" AstronomySETI: Checking the WaterholeSpace!Strange StarsTAKING TIME TO THINK ABOUT TIMEA Tale of Two MusiciansA Tale of Two TelescopesThe Tears of St. Lawrence: The PerseidsTelescope History - The Cave Optical CompanyTouring New Mexico's Astronomy-Related SitesUnidentified Random ThoughtsUpdate on Astigmatism of the EyeWater WorldWhat is Light?What Color is your Shadow?Whither the Weather?Women and AstronomyThe Winter Star Party: So Much More Than StarsYerkes Log: Barnard and the Bruce CameraYerkes Log: Burnham and Double StarsYerkes Log: Measuring Stellar DistancesYou're Never Too OldYour Eyes: Key to Observing
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