Orion StarBlast 4.5" Instruction Manual page 14

for it. For example: To find the
Pinwheel Galaxy, M 101, look for the last two stars of the Big Dippers
handle. They make the base of a triangle that has the M 101 at the top.
You can also try a low-power (24 mm) scanning of the Milky Way: just cruise through the "star
clouds" of our galaxy. You'll be amazed at the rich fields of stars and objects you'll see!
When to go observing:
"Seeing" and Transparency: Atmospheric conditions vary significantly from night to night.
"Seeing" refers to the steadiness of the Earth's atmosphere at a given time. Transparency is just
that, how clear the sky is to incoming celestial light.
In conditions of poor seeing, atmospheric turbulence causes objects viewed through the telescope to
"boil". In conditions of good seeing, star twinkling is minimal and images appear steady in the
eyepiece. Seeing is always best overhead, worst at the horizon. Seeing is most important for
observing the moon and planets. Good "transparency" is especially important for observing faint
objects. Transparency is judged by the magnitude of the
faintest stars you can see with the unaided eye (Mag.1 is
very bright, 2 is dimmer, and so on... 4th magnitude or
fainter is desirable).
Looking at the Little Dipper will show you how good the
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