I'm back in the hobby after a ten year absence. Thank you for being a visual observer! Everything is about "astro photography" these days, which is great but I just like to see things with my own eyes! Just took delivery of my sixth telescope to see me to retirement and beyond: a Skywatcher Evostar 120 achro F8.3 on an EQ5. I've had two "go-to" mounts, but I learnt my way around the sky the hard way so I got a fully manual EQ5 and it's a joy to move around the sky by star hopping! I'm off to check out more of your videos....

I love watching these type video’s to pickup new tips or remind me of techniques I may have forgotten about. Good job.

A few tips: for dim objects like nebula and the like, try introducing some movement to the view. By either passing over the object or tapping the scope as you ovserve. Our eyes are very good at picking up movement and can help resolve more detail compared to looking at a static image. This one is a bit more difficult and will take some practice: For brighter objects (works awesome for clusters). First you need to be comfortable, on a dark place, or if there is any lettering on your scope near the eyepiece/tube cover them with a dark cloth. This part takes a bit of concentration and you may get “the image” to come in and out. Observe with both eyes open(with your dominant eye on the eyepiece), but concentrate on the eye that is not on the eyepiece. I been able to get people to achieve this by telling them to go “cross eyed” while observing. You will know you got it right when the image from the eyepiece will dissapear, and you will see the image several times larger “floating” in front of you/the telescope tube” with both eyes. Its really hard to explain. But what is really happening is you are fooling your brain (or your brain is fooling you into making the eye that is not at the eyepiece see the same image as the eye on the eyepiece.

Vlad, those were some good comments that I've also found to be helpful. What I like to do to keep things interesting, is this: I plan my observing session ahead of time, with about 3-4 objects that I want to observe that night. After I've found and looked at those things, I like to pick a random area of the sky and just scan around. Knowing that almost everything in the sky has already been found, photographed and catalogued, it keeps me interested when I observe something new and then try to figure out the next day what it is that I "discovered".

I tore my retina (non-observing eye, fortunately). Had to wear an eye patch post-surgery, and it was actually quite easy to get used to. I still have it, so will be sure to keep it handy! Thanks for all the tips! I know the video is a couple of years old now, but I’m new to the hobby, and have been binge-watching a LOT of videos, as well as reading articles, in order to learn, and figure out what I want to do/which equipment I would like to acquire! Thanks again! 👍

Love your channel Vlad! Very informative thanks 😊

I loved it - great stuff as I am trying to get a handle on where to start looking. Thanks for the tip on the observing program - I will be checking it out

This Are Some Really Good Tips!! Enjoyed Watching! Thank You for Doing This, I hardly Find Any Content for "Visual Astronomy Purely"! Its so Good Watching this!!

EXCELLENT talk about twist up eye cups. He is correct that having a black fabric draped over your head while looking into the eyepiece gives you a much better view than the raised eye cup. I use as an example using your scope out in the yard when you have random lights around to deal with vs being in a pitch dark observatory while looking with a eyepiece. You eyes get so much more dark adapted in the observatory than in the yard where one glimpse of a street or house light ect, will kill your dark vision. Thanks for the video!!!

Knowledgeable video 💖 thank you for sharing 🙏🎉🎉💖💖💖

Nice Video, helpful tips.

Very helpful. Thank you.

I guess there are more observers like myself than I ever really thought there was. Everytime I find a new astronomy channel the next thing I know is he's tarking about cameras and exposures ! I like doing one thing at a time I am so glad that you only discuss observing I would like to know more channels that do not talk about the camera at all I can close my eyes at any time and picture any of my favorite Star Custer's I like the camera in my mind we don't need no stinking camera we do photo free stargazing

Very informative especially going to try putting the rubber cups down on my ES82 eyepieces Thanks for sharing this. As I’ve never observed with anyone else it’s good to get tips like these. Maybe you could give some tips for observation from a light polluted area I live under bortle 6 skies in the uk and observe with a cpc800 and many dso’s are a real problem. Another big problem is dew. Thanks for your efforts keep up the good work.

I’m waiting on my first scope. A 120mm refractor from Sky-watcher Thanks for sharing your knowledge. It’s a 600mm f5 AZ3 mount Any extra equipment tips for nebula viewing with this scope. Well the refractor was on backorder until the apocalypse. I ended up with a 10" Dobsonian. Used it for the first time tonight. I definitely will be upgrade the eyepieces.

A year later and I refigured my C6-N to Strehl .986, bought two Maks a 102 and 127mm. I put a 2" JMI focuser on my cheap 6" that is now up to $800. Still can only see a big fuzzy spot for Andromeda though. M81 is good though.

Great content! only small comment I'd have is that if you can invest a little in some better audio capture that would really go a long way

I thought it was just me but I can’t see the entire FOV with my 82 degrees eyepieces if I have the eyecup extended.

Regarding the field flattener is it something that should be used during visual observation or it is simply on used for Astrophotography?

Any opinions on zoom eyepieces compared to fixed eyepieces? If you have used eyepieces that have a small amount of dust or particles on them, is it worth cleaning them?

I have three decent EPs I bought for under $50 each and they work pretty good. I do have a Tele Vue 2x Barlow though, the cheap one for $134. I also have three other EPs that came with their scopes. I have Bortle 2 skies 15 minutes away (Southern NM), just my 60mm spotting scope is awesome out there let alone my 100 Zhumell and C6-N I bought for cheap. The funny thing about my C6-N 150mm, 750mm focal length F5 is that the primary is 155mm diameter and the tube's aperture at the front is 168mm diameter, 6 5/8ths inch. Do they divide the focal length by the primary mirror or the aperture? The 750 focal length will vary by the distance of the eye piece to the mirror anyway, but it measures very close to past 750mm with no eye piece in the focus tube. If it is divide with the mirror it will be F5, but if I divide by the aperture it is F4.5 and I was wondering which one is correct. I bought it fairly cheap, is $208 too much? I've only been at this a few months and man that 6 inch is big! First time I ever collimated a Newtonian using a Cheshire tool. I'm getting a laser.

What type of telescope is the best for observation?

Hi I'm new subscriber...what kind of binoviwer do yo recommend to me...thanks

I also live in the Vancouver WA area

Which visual telescope is good for deep objects?

If you don't do visual astronomy.. you're missing out. Seeing is believing.

yoo nofront but you mimble exremly hard ngl

25 yrs and 100s of scopes !! So that is a new scope every 3 months or sooner for 25 yrs ??? Are you indecisive or keep making mistakes with wrong scope.. or maybe you own a scope shop.. something is not adding up !! Look im not trying to hate, i’m Just saying.. you gave us these numbers 😂

...wow I wish I could watch this but it feels like you're yelling at me. Put a bottle cap blocking the microphone or something.