If you’re an amateur astronomer with a telescope, you might be wondering if it’s possible to use your telescope to find planets. The answer is yes! Here’s a quick guide on how to find planets using a telescope.
There are two main methods that you can use to find planets with a telescope: the star hop method and the blink method.
The star hop method is the most common way to find planets. To use this method, you’ll first need to identify a bright star near the planet you want to find. Once you’ve found a bright star, center it in your telescope’s eyepiece and then use the setting circles on your telescope to find the planet. Once you’ve found the planet, it will appear as a small dot in your eyepiece.
The blink method is best used for finding faint planets like Uranus and Neptune. To use this method, you’ll need to take two pictures of the same section of sky using your telescope, with a short exposure time for each picture. Then, view the two pictures side by side and look for any object that appears in one picture but not the other. This object is likely the planet you’re looking for!
With a little bit of practice, anyone can learn how to find planets using a telescope. So get out there and start exploring the night sky!