Did Santa deliver a new telescope for Christmas? gives some ideas about what to see with it when you take it out for the first time
espite increasing levels of light pollution – around us and shining down on us from orbit – interest in the night sky has never been greater. Aside from the difficulties of the past year, many people have discovered the joy of looking up at the night sky for the first time, and many of them will have asked for a telescope this Christmas. That’s not new; every year, as the Sun sets at the end of Christmas Day, turkey-stuffed newcomers to the hobby eagerly unpack their new telescopes and head outside hoping to come face to face with the beauty of the Universe and maybe even become the next Brian Cox or Patrick Moore. Maybe this year you count yourself among them.
However, as new telescope owners stand there beneath the winter sky, with their wacky Christmas jumpers hidden beneath thick coats and mighty Orion staring down at them, many may be disappointed – especially if the expectation was to see breathtaking views through their new telescope as good as the Hubble and Voyager images printed on its box. The actual night sky itself might be against them, too; they might want to see Saturn’s rings, or the ice caps of Mars, but those planets might not be in the sky that night. With disappointment and disillusionment waiting for them in the dark as they set up their new telescope, there’s a risk that this first night out with a telescope will be the last.
DThe good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way; with the right guidance your first night with your new telescope can be a wonderful experience that will make you fall in love with the night sky. Indeed, your Christmas gift can inspire a lifelong interest. This feature is that guide. We’ll take you on a short tour across the Christmas night sky, helping you to munch your way through a celestial selection box of cosmic delights – things which will hopefully both inspire you and help you appreciate the reality of sky-watching with your new telescope. A gibbous Moon on the evening of 25 December will drown out the faint, misty light of many interesting objects, but that’s okay, they’ll still be there when the Moon has gone; there will still be many sights to see!