Telescopes 101

Buying a telescope is exciting—but learning how to use it properly can be challenging. This beginner-friendly course is designed to help participants understand their equipment and gain the confidence to observe the Moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae, and more.

Whether you’ve just purchased your first telescope or have one collecting dust at home, this course will teach you how to make the most of it through practical, hands-on experience.

What’s needed:
Participants are encouraged to bring their own telescope if they have one. If you don’t own a telescope, one will be provided during the practical session for learning purposes.

What you’ll learn:
Participants will learn the complete workflow of setting up and operating a telescope, including assembling equipment, aligning the finder scope, balancing the mount, focusing, locating celestial objects, and maintaining the telescope for long-term use.

Core outcome:
By the end of this course, participants will confidently set up and operate a telescope independently, understand different telescope types and accessories, and be able to locate and observe some of the night’s most popular celestial objects.