You really need to get far away from the city or any large towns to begin to see the Milky Way. The darker the site the better. There are some spots in the Poconos and also one of the best places, Cherry Springs State Park in Potter County (a 5 hour one way drive).

Our club’s dark sites are Lake Nockamixon and Green Lane Park.  Whether you can see the Milky Way from these two sites depends on local weather conditions.  Humid air tends to magnify the light pollution, and may obscure the Milky Way.

Summer is the best time of year to see the Milky way in our evening sky.

This article discusses one of the possible reason for the 11year cycle solar activity.

https://www.labroots.com/trending/chemistry-and-physics/15421/solar-cycle-11-years-scientists-found-answer

FAQ.  What telescope should I buy?

The vast array of choices can seem overwhelming. However, whether large or small, expensive or not, all telescopes do exactly the same thing: collect light and concentrate it into a narrow beam that is small enough to pass through the pupil of your eye.  That’s it! 

There are three different designs of telescope used by amateurs, and each concentrates the light in different ways.  Refractors use lenses to focus light, Newtonian reflectors use mirrors, and catadioptrics use a combination of mirrors and lenses. Certain characteristics of catadioptrics make them a poor choice as a first telescope, so you should limit your choices to Newtonians or refractors.

To narrow down the options and pick the telescope that’s right for you, just consider three things:  aperture, price, and ease of use.

Aperture

Aperture refers to the diameter of the light gathering part of the telescope, expressed either in inches or millimeters. This is the most important characteristic of a telescope. The larger the aperture the more light is collected and the brighter and more detailed the image will be when you look through the eyepiece.  Consider that an 8-inch aperture telescope collects 2.4 times more light than a 5-inch, and 6.4 times more light than an 80mm. The difference in what you can see with that much more light is dramatic. 

Larger apertures, however, mean larger size and weight, so it’s important to consider who will be using the telescope and how easy it will be to move it in and out of the house.  If you can lift and carry a 50-pound telescope, then an 8-inch telescope might be right for you.    If that’s too heavy, then apertures of 80mm to 130mm may be a better choice. 

Price

A decent first telescope will range in price from  $200 to $600. While you shouldn’t over-spend on a first telescope, under-spending isn’t a good idea either, as many cheap telescopes on the market are nearly impossible for a beginner to use.  There is nothing worse than spending good money for a telescope with a narrow field of view, a terrible aiming system, and a shaky tripod.  Such telescopes are called “hobby-killers” with good reason.  

If $200 to $600 for a first telescope is too much, you can get started in the hobby with binoculars.  Binoculars in the 7x to 10x magnification range are perfect for astronomy and you can learn a lot while saving up for that first telescope.

Newtonian reflectors are the most economical telescope design in terms of price per aperture. As of February 2025, the price of a 5-inch Newtonian starts at $250, while an 8-inch has a price tag of $600. Refractor telescopes are more expensive to make than Newtonians, and the price per aperture is significantly higher as a result.  Currently, an 80mm refractor will cost $200. 

Ease of Use

Choose a telescope and mounting platform that is manually controlled and simple; the less complicated, the better.  Your goal for the first year should be to learn your way around the sky.  It’s one thing to look through a telescope, it’s another to learn how to locate the interesting objects you want to see. Don’t be tempted by electronically controlled telescopes that promise to locate objects for you automatically.   Learning the sky is challenging enough (in a good way!) without a layer of electronic technology added to the mix.

Refractors and smaller aperture telescopes are often sold with tripods that are too flimsy which makes them very frustrating to use.  Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell from pictures if a tripod will be adequate, so product reviews and advice from experienced hobbyists can be especially valuable.

Your first telescope should be mounted on what’s called an altitude-azimuth (or “alt-az”) mounting system.  Aiming a telescope on an alt-az mount uses simple up-down and left-right motions and is much easier than with the more complex German equatorial mounting system.  

Today, most Newtonian reflectors don’t use tripods at all but instead are sold with a Dobsonian mount.  A Dobsonian mount is a type of alt-az mount that is either placed directly on the ground, or on a small table or stool.  Dobsonian mounts are renowned for their excellent stability and simplicity.  

All telescopes require an aiming device called a “finder” which must be adjusted so that it points to the same point in the sky as the telescope itself.  Newtonian reflectors require an additional adjustment of their optical mirrors in a process called collimation.  Collimation involves adjusting screws that tilt the mirrors to align them for optimal performance.  With the right tools, collimation is quick and easy, but it takes practice before it becomes second nature.  Refractors are permanently aligned at the factory and don’t require collimation by the user.

Refractors and Newtonian reflectors with apertures of 80 to 150mm range in price from $200 to $400 and can weigh as little as 15 pounds. Even if your interest in the hobby grows and you eventually buy a bigger and more sophisticated telescope, your beginner scope will still be useful for quick looks on nights when you don’t feel like setting up a big telescope, or even for travel.   

So, what to choose?

An 8-inch Newtonian reflector telescope on a Dobsonian mount is an ideal first telescope.  Because of its large aperture, it cuts through light pollution and gives amazing views of the Moon, planets, and hundreds, if not thousands, of faint deep sky objects like nebulae and galaxies.  However, even a 6-inch or a 5-inch Newtonian are excellent choices when price, size, and weight are important.

If your goal is to view mainly the Moon, planets, and a few of the brightest deep sky objects, the simplicity of a refractor in the 80mm to 100mm range may outweigh the benefits of larger aperture Newtonians.

Whether refractor or Newtonian reflector, your first telescope should come as a complete kit, with everything you need to get started.  Some telescopes are sold as a stand-alone optical tube, but this makes sense only for the advanced hobbyist who already has eyepieces, finders, mounts, etc.  Also, don’t forget to budget another $50 to $150 for accessories such as star and Moon maps, a red flashlight, additional eyepieces, and perhaps a collimation tool if you choose a Newtonian. 

There is no single best choice for that first telescope.  My own was a 5-inch Newtonian on a tabletop Dobsonian mount. It came with two eyepieces for low and medium magnification, so I purchased an additional eyepiece for Moon and planet viewing where high magnification is advantageous.   I needed a telescope with enough aperture to overcome the light pollution in my backyard but also light enough for me to carry as I dodged around trees to see different parts of the sky.  I found the little 5-inch to be a good balance of aperture and weight. My total investment, including an extra eyepiece, star maps, and other accessories came to slightly less than $400.  That was nine years ago, so that works out to $44 per year – not a bad investment for a pastime that gives me hours of enjoyment every month.

Finally, the best advice for someone choosing a first telescope is to take your time as you investigate your options.   Come to one of our monthly public star watches where our club members set up telescopes for visitors to look through.   You can ask questions and see first-hand what different telescopes can do and how they might fit with your goals and preferences.  Details about our star watches can be found under the Events section of this website.