Choosing Your First Telescope
A no-nonsense primer to an astronomical rite of passage.

Take-Along Telescopes
Want a telescope to bring on your next vacation? Here are some things to consider when looking for a travel scope.

Binoculars: Halfway to a Telescope
All you need to enjoy the wonders of the night sky is a pair of binoculars.

Choosing Binoculars for Stargazing
In less time than it takes to read them, you can perform these tests and judge the value of any binoculars, new or used.

Caring for Optics
When cleaning lenses and mirrors, the most important rule is the doctor's Hippocratic Oath: "First, do no harm."

Beating the Seeing
"Seeing" — the atmospheric quivering that fuzzes out high-power views — is the bane of every telescope user. Here's how to minimize its impact.

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

Four Infamous Telescope Myths
Here are some plausible-sounding "facts" about telescopes that turn out to be less than true.

The Observatories of Sky & Telescope
A smorgasbord of observatory ideas that may inspire you to build your own.

A Simple Backyard Observatory
In just a few weekends you can build yourself a remarkably useful telescope shelter.

How To Collimate Your Newtonian Reflector
Accurate optical alignment is neither difficult, mysterious, nor time-consuming. In fact, it's only three steps away.