Cannot see map of stars no light in sky

Those are OBJECTS in the sky that you can try to find and observe!

"M" objects- this is the Charles Messier catalog containing over 100 sky objects he discovered in the 17th century!
http://seds.org/MESSIER/

"NGC" objects- this is the New General Catalog by J.L.E.Dreyer produced in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It has over 7000 sky objects that you can observe. Some of these are very dim and only possible to see in larger telescopes or from a dark sky observing site.
http://seds.org/~spider/ngc/ngc.html

"IC" - this is the later Index Catalog produced by Dreyer
http://seds.org/~spider/ngc/ngc.html Same web site

There are dozens of other sky catalogs! My computer GOTO telescope lists 30,000 objects in it's internal database.

Here is a very good star chart:
http://www.astronomics.com/main/product.asp/catalog_name/Astronomics/category_name/K4W97T8RTUVV8JGMKNF6RJ6P33/product_id/A9556

And here is a free monthly star chart:
www.skymaps.com

I would also recommend that you download the free planetarium software Stellarium, install it on your computer, put in your location; and it will show you the sky for any time or date. The graphics of the sky on this free program are VERY good.

Another good FREE computer star chart is Cartes du Ciel. The free download is available here:
http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/

Clear Skies!

Joe

First the good news. Personally I believe a computer GOTO scope or a Dobsonian telescope with PUSHTO makes a great telescope for a beginner.

Why? Because you can use the hand controller to help you find those dim sky objects that are almost invisible from a typical suburban observing site with lots of light pollution.

Also if you pay attention you will learn many of the brighter stars in the sky, the Constellations, and the location of many of the brighter sky objects.

Now for the bad news. There are many cheap goto telescope systems being sold that do not work as advertised, and you still need APERTURE to see many of the dimmer sky objects. So a goto with a little 70mm refractor mounted on it will frustrate you!

Right off the bat let me list a few links to the better goto and pushto telescopes. See these web sites:

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=intelliscopedobs/~pcategory=dobsonians/~product_id=27183

http://www.meade.com/lx90/index.html

http://www.celestron.com/c3/product.php?CatID=9&ProdID=33

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0023RRD9Y/ref=asc_df_B0023RRD9Y994674?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=googlecom09c9-20&linkCode=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B0023RRD9Y
This is just the mount, you need to also buy the telescope tube. I would suggest a 6 inch Celestron SCT Optical Tube Assembly (OTA), and also what is called a "dovetail" metal bar to mount the scope tube onto the side of this goto mount.

http://www.celestron.com/c3/product.php?CatID=8&ProdID=31

http://www.celestron.com/c3/product.php?CatID=11&ProdID=392 This is a computerized equitorial mount. It works differently than the scopes listed above.

http://www.celestron.com/c3/product.php?CatID=13&ProdID=415

That should be enough to get you thinking! All of the ones listed above will have good goto performance IF:

You read the manual TWICE!

Test the scope out INSIDE in the light before you take it out at night and learn how to operate the hand controller.

Follow all the instructions in the manual about training the drives and or calibrating motors.

Accurately center BOTH alignment stars. Yes you will need to learn the names of a few stars in the sky.

AND NEVER plug or unplug the hand controller while the scope is turned on! This can burn out the circuits in the scope!

I would suggest that your first goto telescope be like the very first link above; a Dobsonian with a PUSHTO hand controller. This is the cheapest and best entry point to own a computer telescope. Yes, the prices are a little higher and old timers will tell you you do not need the computer goto to find objects in the sky.

I disagree! Beginners get very frustrated with the hobby when they cannot find anything other than the moon or several bright planets; or search for several hours to find one other dim sky object. Also most of us live in light polluted cities, and hopping around from star to star to find something is not really possible.

Add eye problems like cataracts and you will only see 6 or 7 stars in the sky, not enough to use to find other sky objects.

If you decide to buy a GOTO scope, please attend several star parties at your local Astronomy club. Many of the members will have this kind of telescope. You can ask questions, and they may even let you DRIVE the telescope!

Remember, READ the manual, train the drives, and do all the other initial setup that the manual recommends. Yes, you will need to know the names of a few bright stars in the sky! Your new computer telescope is not as smart as 3CPO in Star Wars!

Clear Skies!
Joe Lalumia

So you bought your first telescope and want to spend some more of your money on useful accessories. Here is a list of things to buy first.

This TIP will be about telescope ACCESSORIES; or tell me again what extra STUFF do I need to buy!

Dew Shield
One of your first purchases if you own a scope like my LX90 will be a Dew Shield. These can be made for almost nothing by using black poster-board and some stick on Velcro. Roll up the poster board into a tube around the front of the telescope, and trim it leaving about 1inch overlapping. Apply stick on Velcro to the two leading edge and place this "tube" over the end of the telescope.
The dew shield does two things. First it helps keep the dew off of the glass at the front of the telescope; plus it prevents light entry from the sides increasing contrast. You can purchase these for about $30 which is what I did with my LX90 and ETX90 telescopes.
Picture below-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/boatman1/2145341118/ You can see the dew shields stuck on the front of both telescopes.

Red Flash Light
Either purchase a flashlight with a red lens, or buy a roll of red taillight repair tape at an auto supply store. Place two or three layers of the red tape over the white light flashlight and trim off the excess. WHY?For the same reason that submarines use red interior lights at night.Red light does not affect your night vision. If you show up at a star party with a regular white light flashlight your Astronomy buddies will probably SHOOT YOU! http://www.flashlightreviews.com/qa/nightvision.htm

A Good Star Chart- or Field Manual
Just like a road map for finding your way around a large city, a star chart is a map of the sky and will help you find thousands of objects to look at with your new telescope. Here are several good star charts- and field manuals:
http://www.amazon.com/Objects-Heavens-Peter-Birren/dp/155369662X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255814439&sr=8-1

http://www.skymaps.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Sky-Telescopes-Star-Wheel-North/dp/1931559112/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255814484&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Observers-Sky-Atlas-Charts-Covering/dp/0387485376/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255814484&sr=8-8

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Maps-Beginners-50th-Anniversary/dp/0671791877/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255814484&sr=8-14

A Small Table
You should buy a small easy to carry table to setup and use to hold the star charts that you just bought. Wal Mart sells a small fold-up lightweight table for about $20. Here is another one:
http://www.amazon.com/Table-Bag-A2716-Aluminum-Portable/dp/B001V70WEA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1255814627&sr=8-2

An Observing Chair
You +mean I cannot just STAND-UP! Well you can but after several hours of standing and bending over you will wish you had an adjustable height chair. Here are several very good observing chairs:
http://handsonoptics.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_81&products_id=813

http://www.astro-observer.com/basic/chairs.html
And here is one you can make if you are handy with common tools: The Denver Chair- also a review of other types of observing chairs:
http://www.catseyecollimation.com/jfrazier.html

Diagonals
Certain types of telescopes will need a diagonal. Just buy a dielectric coated 1.25 inch diagonal. The coating reflects 99% of the light and it's very durable:
http://www.astronomics.com/main/Astronomy-Technologies-1.25-Reflectivity-Dielectric-Mirror-Diagonal.asp/catalog_name/Astronomics/category_name/9SN077GJ5E4N8K3P1NDHS1AME4/product_id/AT1D

Balance Weights
If you have a tracking style telescope or an equatorial mount the scope will need to be BALANCED in both axis. An unbalanced scope will not track the sky properly, and can wear out the internal gears or place excessive stress on the gears.

These are available from a variety of internet Astronomy shops. Mine came from www.scopestuff.com right here in Texas. If you look at the Dew Shield picture above, you can see two weights hanging below the large LX90 telescope. The weights are mounted on a RAIL so they can be moved forward or backward to balance the scope. Also notice they stick-out away from the telescope in what's called a 3D arrangement. Weights are required for German Equatorial Style telescope mounts. The LX90 in the picture is an alt az mount, and I am balancing the smaller 80mm telescope mounted on the top of the larger tube.
See the picture above under Dew Shield.

12Volt Power Supply
How do you POWER a laptop and cameras and the telescope when you are out in the middle of a FIELD! I own two 12 volt power packs JUST IN CASE!
http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-18774-Power-Tank/dp/B00008Y0U5/ref=pd_bxgy_p_img_c
They come in various AMP HOUR ratings. Buy the most powerful one you can afford. You can also use one of those "car Starter" power packs that Wal Mart sells. Make sure it has at least two 12 volt cigarette lighter style plug-in receptacles.

A Planetarium Program for your computer or cell phone:
Here is a good free one for your computer. Several Iphone applications are available at the Iphone store.
http://www.stellarium.org

OK,I probably overwhelmed you so I will stop for right now. Remember you don't have to buy these all at one time. But eventually if you stick with the amateur Astronomy hobby, you will own all of the above accessories, along with several telescopes!

You can go to www.cloudynights.com and register for free and READ the telescope forums. Lots of good Astronomy and telescope information on http://www.cloudynights.com !

Clear Skies!