The article discusses three main telescope types: refractors (best for bright objects, portable), reflectors (best for faint objects, larger apertures), and catadioptrics (compromise between aperture ...

The September 2025 issue featured "A guide to beginner's guides," a reminiscence and description of some the books for astronomy beginners that Contributing Editor Raymond Shubinski recommends or ...

The article critiques the common recommendation of starting amateur astronomy with the Messier catalog, arguing that many Messier objects are low surface brightness and difficult for beginners to ...

An interest in astronomy may strike early in life or later. Regardless of what lit the fire of that interest, you need knowledge to help you understand the universe. Some of the most important sources ...