S&T contributing editor Fred Schaaf takes a new approach to an old subjecty by describing the 50 best astronomical sights of any kind, from naked-eye spectacles to objects that can only be seen through telescopes at high magnification.

Telescope tinkering can be fun and rewarding.

When Galileo Galilei first turned a telescope to the heavens four centuries ago, he discovered amazing things — and you can follow in his footsteps.

Just a couple hours spent learning to read a star map can open up the heavens for a lifetime of exploration.

Tips to ensure trouble-free slewing for Go To telescopes

The essentials of navigating the heavens with a telescope and a star atlas.

How to keep your optics dry and clear even on the dampest, dewiest nights.

They come in a wide range of apertures. But for astronomy, large aperture is only part of the story. High magnification is just as important when binoculars are used on a night sky that's not absolutely dark.

All you need to enjoy the wonders of the night sky is a pair of binoculars.

Here are some plausible-sounding ideas that turn out to be less than true.

How do you find out what stars are visible tonight? With a planisphere or "star wheel." It's easy!

Beginners should ignore them and learn to navigate the sky by eyeball instead. However, setting circles do have their uses -- if you make all the right adjustments first.

Here are links to some websites that can help you predict where and when you'll get good transparency for deep-sky observing.

Even when the air is perfectly clear, a significant fraction of starlight is lost in the atmosphere. And when there's a lot of haze or your target is close to the horizon, atmospheric extinction is a major problem.